Residential lab fellow Celia Moore's research focuses on the unexpected causes and consequences of corruption. In the two projects she is undertaking at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, she will be asking questions that target one potential cause (local leadership) and one potential consequence (legitimacy loss) of institutional corruption.
In the first project, Moore will investigate the impact of leadership change in on officer discretion in drunk driving enforcement using a multiyear sample of State Patrol records in Washington. We identify the stringency of DUI enforcement for officers by observing how often they arrest offenders who are clearly over the blood alcohol level limits compared to marginal offenders. Comparing the relative frequency of arrest of marginal offenders relative to borderline offenders thus reflects the individual patroller's decision to punish marginal offenders. Using data on all changes in leadership in Sheriff and Police Chief offices in every Washington State county and municipality over a 17 year period, we will be able to identify whether leadership change at local levels affects to whom and when patrollers treat drivers with undeserved leniency or harshness.
In the second project, Moore will investigate how firms recover in the aftermath of discovered and prosecuted institutional corruption. Using a proprietary sample from the U.S. Sentencing Commission of several hundred firms criminally convicted in federal courts over an 11 year period, Moore and her colleagues will examine how firms endeavor to re-establish their legitimacy after episodes of corruption, and whether those steps are effective.
Relevant Publication:
- Moore, C., Detert, J. R., Treviño, L. K., Baker, V. L., & Mayer, D. M. (In press). Why employees do bad things: Moral disengagement and unethical organizational behavior. Personnel Psychology.
- Moore, C., Stuart, H. C., & Pozner, J-E. (2011). Avoiding the consequences of misconduct: Becoming licensed by and insulated from stigma. [link: http://ebookbrowse.com/moore-stuart-pozner-avoiding-the-consequences-of-...
- Moore, C. (2009). Psychological perspectives on corruption. In D. De Cremer, (ed.), Psychological Perspectives on Ethical Behavior and Decision Making (pp. 35-71). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
[link: http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Psychological-Perspectives-on-Ethical... - Moore, C. (2008). Moral disengagement in processes of organizational corruption. Journal of Business Ethics, 80(1), 129-139.
[link: http://www.springerlink.com/content/bl4208878j4j6u12/]
Attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangee/2342088703/