A survey dataset on the perception of public-sector corruption in Mauritius and a framework analysis of corruption court cases
Description
Two datasets comprising a survey dataset and a Content Analysis of court judgments on public corruption in Mauritius are provided. The data have been processed and analysed in the context of a study which sought to answer the following two research questions: A. How do citizens of Mauritius assess the effectiveness of the national anticorruption agency in fighting public-sector corruption? B. How are alleged corruption offences by public officials, under the Prevention of Corruption Act 2002 (PoCA), resolved by the courts of law? A questionnaire was developed and administered on a random sample of 600 persons to gauge public opinion on the perceived seriousness of the phenomenon of public-sector corruption and the perceived effectiveness of the Independent Commission against Corruption(ICAC) in fighting public corruption. After piloting the questionnaires on 20 persons and testing for validity and reliability, two research assistants were recruited and trained to administer the questionnaires. The exercise was carried out from 3 September 2018 to 12 April 2019 and data was collected using a five-point Likert scale. Out of 600 persons, who were randomly selected to represent the Mauritian population, 396 valid responses were obtained. In the first instance, the survey data were analysed and specific responses were then cross-validated against an analysis of court judgments to find out whether or not the respondents’ perception of the prosecutorial efficacy of the ICAC was justified. The survey findings reveal that citizens have a negative opinion on ICAC’s effectiveness and this perception is justified and validated by the content analysis exercise, to confirm poor prosecutorial performance. The study seeks to sensitise decision-makers on the need to instil public trust by clarifying specific provisions of the anticorruption legislation and adopting a proactive approach by setting up an integrity system within public organisations to address public corruption. The survey questionnaire, survey data and the data used in the inferential analysis are provided.