Public procurement case

We address the following research question in this chapter: How can convenience theory in terms of motive, opportunity, and willingness explain deviant behavior in the case of public procurement of health care services in a Norwegian municipality? This research is important, as it can identify motives at the individual and organizational level, opportunities at the organizational and societal level, and willingness at the individual level, even when there is not necessarily corruption involved. The application of convenience theory is by no means an excuse for violations of laws and regulations. Rather, this chapter demonstrates where prevention of misconduct and crime needs attention. It is particularly at the organizational level, where opportunity structures tend to enable commitment and concealment of illegitimate financial transactions. When auditing and other forms of control are de facto absent, where the blame game occurs, and where it is impossible to trace events because documents and emails have disappeared, then misconduct and crime become convenient options.