Topic Guide: Corruption in Service Delivery

Corruption at the point of service often takes the form of bribery and extortion by low- and mid-level public officials in their interactions with ordinary citizens. This form of extortive or coercive bribery is referred to as petty corruption, where citizens are expected to pay bribes to private or public actors to access basic goods and services to which they are already entitled. Recipients can be either compelled to pay bribes to receive a service, or can offer bribes in exchange for a better service or access to a service to which they are not entitled.

This form of corruption is especially damaging where service providers enjoy a monopoly or when service recipients do not have the resources or ability to switch to another service provider. It can also raise the cost of service provision and decrease the service provider’s profit and sustainability when service users pay bribes to receive a higher quality service or the same service at a lower price.

Overpricing of services and inputs is another common form of corruption in service delivery. Private and public service providers may charge more than market prices or what was stipulated in contractual agreements for services or inputs, resorting to fraudulent or faulty documentation, diagnostics or quality assessments to cover such practices.