Does Working for a Not-For-Profit Organization Affect the Psychology of Corruption? Evidence from India

The primary purpose of this study is to examine if volunteering for Not-for-Profit Organizations (NPO) which are involved in providing social welfare services and which actively promote socio-behavioral factors like social responsibility, leadership and self-confidence among its volunteers, reduce an individual’s likelihood of engaging in corrupt practices. We identify two psychological traits: ability to rationalize one’s unethical actions and an external Locus of Control (as compared to an internal Locus of Control) that affect unethical behavior. Then with the help of an NPO, we investigate if engaging in social welfare activities organized by such NPOs, would create awareness about the adverse consequences of corruption faced by large segments of the society which, in turn would make it difficult to rationalize unethical and corrupt acts. NPOs also actively strive to develop self-confidence and leadership skills among its volunteers. Prior literature indicates that individuals possessing such qualities are more likely to possess an internal Locus of Control and also that individuals possessing an internal Locus of Control are less likely to act in a corrupt manner. The results of our study using a between subjects design indicate that greater experience with such NPOs leads to a significant reduction in ability to rationalize and leads to a higher likelihood of having an internal Locus of Control. Based on these results it can be inferred that volunteering with certain types of NPOs mitigates two major behavioral factors leading to corrupt behavior.