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Normalization Versus Criminalization: Bureaucratic Corruption and Kickbacks in Nigeria and China, 2015-2025

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examined the dynamics of normalization versus criminalization of bureaucratic corruption and kickbacks in Nigeria and China between 2015 and 2025. The problem emerged from the contrasting institutional responses to bureaucratic corruption across different governance systems where Nigeria’s public sector exhibited a pattern of normalization through entrenched informal practices, while China pursued systematic criminalization within its centralized political framework. Guided by two research objectives, the study sought: (1) to investigate the extent to which bureaucratic corruption has been normalized or criminalized in Nigeria and China between 2015 and 2025; and (2) to assess how institutional mechanisms and political accountability structures have shaped the persistence or reduction of kickbacks in both countries. The study employed an ex post facto research design, utilizing qualitative secondary data from scholarly literature, government documents, and institutional reports. Data were analyzed thematically, drawing insights from institutional theory to explain how formal rules and informal norms influenced bureaucratic behavior under different political regimes. Findings revealed that in Nigeria, bureaucratic corruption and kickbacks were largely normalized through weak enforcement systems, politicization of anti-corruption institutions, and a pervasive culture of rent-seeking in public administration. In contrast, China’s bureaucratic corruption was vigorously criminalized through high-profile anti-graft campaigns such as the “Tigers and Flies” initiative, which reinforced deterrence but also centralized disciplinary power under the Communist Party. Despite its relative success, China’s top-down anti-corruption approach occasionally blurred the line between political control and genuine institutional accountability. The study concluded that Nigeria’s persistent bureaucratic corruption was sustained by institutional fragility and elite complicity, while China’s criminalization strategy reflected an authoritarian form of institutional discipline. It recommended the depoliticization and institutional strengthening of Nigeria’s anticorruption agencies to enhance credibility, enforcement, and public trust in governance.
DOI: 10.56201/jlgp.vol.10.no5.2025.pg1.11
Language: English
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7220698656
FWCI:
Cites: 8
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Related to: 10