Ethnocentric favoritism ethnic polarization and corruption tolerance - evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Earlier research on group identity has shown mixed effects of in-group favoritism (Rachel Kranton et. al. ; Helen Bernhard, Ernst Fehr and Urs Fischbacher 2006 ; Lorenz Goette et. al 2006 ; Yan Chen and Sherry Xin Li 2009 ; Nancy Buchan et al.) . A framing experiment with survey answers on attitudes towards corruption from students of two ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina was conducted in early 2015 through a field study. The experiment reveals three patterns. Firstly, individuals living in the ethnically polarized Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina display ethnocentric behavior by intensely favoring corrupt members of the own ethnic group ahead of corrupt members of the other ethnic group. Secondly, indirect evidence shows that ethnocentric favoritism might differ to a large extent in the more ethnically polarized Mostar as opposed to the less polarized Tuzla. Lastly, a priming experiment shows that individuals who are more aware of the consequences of corruption are also more intolerant to corruption and tend to display less ethnocentric favoritism.