Corruption is a phenomenon with secretive nature making it difficult to research about. Land administration is one of the main economic sectors prone to higher level of corruption. The overall goal of this research was to identify the link between corruption in land title deeds registration and transfer processes and its bearing on service delivery at Sebeta town administration. In specific terms, this research was conducted with the following three aims. The first aim was understanding prevalence of corruption in land title deeds registration and transfer services of Sebeta municipality. The second aim was understanding whether service delivery was negatively impacted due to high prevalence of corruption and the last aim was consolidating possible measures stated by service seekers and officials as effective ways to prevent corruption.
In this research, over eighty service seekers sampled out of community members waiting for their cases being processed at Sebeta municipality premises were interviewed. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique so as to identify respondents who were at the premises with the purpose of getting their property registered or transferred. From government office, officers at OEACC, Justice office, head of public service and land administration reform desk team leader were interviewed. Findings of this research indicates that majority of service seeker respondents perceive that Sebeta land administration is plagued with corruption which does not show any sign of decreasing even under the current regime which promised swiping reforms.
Respondents also consider that service delivery was deteriorated due to systematic corruption engrained in the daily dealings of officers at the land administration. Involvement of middlemen in getting cases processed at the office was named one of the most worrying hinderances put on the way of other service seekers. Officers indicated that grand corruption has ceased since the reform; but ordinary citizens refute the claim, saying that local level has not seen significant reform or hope of it coming. In conclusion, there is a strong tendency to consider corruption as a normal routine by the wider public in their daily discourse. Added to this service delivery is undertaken through network of middlemen who use up majority of office hours of officers responsible for serving the public equally.
Table of Contents
1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
2.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
3. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
5. OPERATIONAL DEFNITIONS
6. ASSUMPTIONS
7. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
8. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
9. REVIEW OF RELATED LITRATURE
9.1 INTRODUCTION AND THEORETICAL LITRATURE
9.2 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS ON CORRUPTION AND SERVICE DELIVERY
9.3 COMPARATIVE FINDINGS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
9.4 LAND SECTOR AND CORRUPTION IN ETHIOPIA
9.5 OVERVIEW OF CORRUPTION IN OROMIA REGION
10. METHODOLOGY
10.1 RESEARCH DESIGN AND APPROACH
10.2 SAMPLE POPULATION
10.3 DATA COLLECTION
10.4 DATA ANALYSIS
11. DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
11.1 INTRODUCTION
11.2 DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
11.3 PREVALENCE OF CORRUPTION
11.4 CORRUPTION AND SERVICE DELIVERY
11.5 MEASURES TO COMBAT CORRUPTION
12. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
12.1 SUMMARY
12.1.1 FINDINGS ON PREVALENCEOF CORRUPTION
12.1.2 CORRUPTION AND SERVICE DELIVERY
12.1.3 MEASURES TO COMBAT CORRUPTION
12.2 RECOMMENDATION
Research Objectives and Focus Areas
This research aims to analyze the impact of corruption on land title deeds registration and transfer processes within the Sebeta town administration, specifically focusing on how these illicit practices affect the quality and efficiency of service delivery for citizens.
- The prevalence and nature of corruption in local land administration services.
- The causal link between corrupt practices and service delivery deterioration.
- The influence of middlemen and systemic bureaucratic obstacles on public service seekers.
- Strategies and potential measures for curbing corruption in the land sector.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2 PREVALENCE OF CORRUPTION
As a complex social phenomenon, corruption is perceived differently by different groups. Some consider it as an entrenched unethical behavior of public officials in delivering services while others consider it as an act of giving and receiving bribes. Others consider corruption as a forceful extraction of economic benefits from others who were supposed to access fair service in an equitable and transparent manner. Significant majority of respondents in the survey questionnaire strongly agreed 34(42.5%) or agreed 31(38.8%) on the assertion that corruption in all its forms was existing as one of the major problems in Sebeta municipality. On the other end,13(16.3%) were neutral responding to the assertion while 2(2.5%) disagreed on the notion of existence of corruption. Some considered the question itself as a silly one stating the general perception that corruption is part of the daily dealings in the municipality. Those who were not comfortable discussing the topic from the very begging tended to state that they were neutral on the assertion and those whom I later identified being middlemen tended to disagree on the notion of existence of corruption in Sebeta.
Asked if they knew someone or have heard of someone who paid bribes in the past so as to get his/ her case processed, 60(75%) of the respondents replied that they knew someone close to them who did this and managed to pass the bureaucratic hurdles, or they indicated having heard of such payments being made by others. On the other hand, 17(21.3%) replied that they did not know of or hear about someone who paid bribes in Sebeta land administration while 3(3.8%) indicated that they were not sure of having such information.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE: Introduces the research context regarding the rising importance of land administration and the prevalence of corruption in developing countries, specifically in Sebeta.
CHAPTER TWO: Provides a literature review on various theories of corruption, including patronage, principal-agent problems, and empirical findings from other nations.
CHAPTER THREE: Outlines the research methodology, describing the use of a mixed-methods design and the sampling of service seekers at the Sebeta municipality.
CHAPTER FOUR: Presents and analyzes the collected data, examining demographic information, the perceived prevalence of corruption, and its direct impact on service delivery.
CHAPTER FIVE: Concludes the study by summarizing findings and providing actionable recommendations for the Sebeta administration to mitigate corruption.
Keywords
Corruption, Land Administration, Title deeds, Sebeta, Public Service Delivery, Bribery, Middlemen, Bureaucracy, Land Grabbing, Reform, Accountability, Transparency, Ethiopia, Municipal Governance, Rent-seeking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates the extent and impact of corruption within the land title deeds registration and transfer services of the Sebeta town administration.
What are the central themes of the study?
The central themes include the prevalence of petty corruption, the role of middlemen in bureaucratic processes, the negative impact on service quality, and the challenges in implementing reforms at the local level.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks to what extent corruption exists in Sebeta's land administration, how it negatively impacts service delivery, and what measures could be effectively implemented to reduce it.
Which methodology was employed for this research?
The author utilized a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative survey questionnaires with qualitative interviews conducted among service seekers and government officials.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers a comprehensive literature review on corruption theories, details of data collection in Sebeta, and a detailed presentation of how corruption manifests in daily municipal operations.
Which keywords characterize this research?
Key terms include corruption, land administration, title deeds, Sebeta, service delivery, and municipal governance.
How do middlemen facilitate corruption in Sebeta?
Middlemen (Delala) operate by claiming they have internal connections to fast-track files, often intentionally delaying the process for ordinary citizens to coerce them into paying facilitation fees.
What is the role of 'Chereka Bet' in this context?
'Chereka Bet' refers to the illegal practice of building squatter settlements at night to avoid immediate demolition, which creates a subsequent need for corrupt administrative intervention to legalize the property.
Did the political reform of 2018 resolve these issues?
According to the findings, the local populace perceives that the promised reforms have not yet reached the lower levels of the bureaucracy; in some areas, residents believe corruption has actually increased.
What is the author's final conclusion?
The author concludes that without significant administrative reform, rule of law, and the removal of systemic corruption networks, public trust in the municipality will continue to erode, creating a vicious cycle of poverty and illicit payments.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Olani Dilba (Autor:in), 2019, Assessment of corruption on title deeds registration and transfer services of Sebeta, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/495225
