Abstract
Corruption is a major hindrance to the growth and development of national economies globally. Annually, corruption costs the global economy over $2.6 trillion or 5% of the global GDP. Attempts are therefore being made in both the fields of academia and government to understand how exactly corruption affects economic development and how it may be eradicated. Considering corruption as a socially deviant phenomenon, the government as a custodian or originator of anti-corruption strategies, and AI technology as key to anti-corruption compliance, this study examines the views of UAE public servants about the role of such technology adoption for anti-corruption purposes.To achieve this aim, the study first considers the role of personal and institutional norms in anti-corruption AI technology acceptance. The overall level of anti-corruption AI technology acceptance is also observed, in addition to the role of anti-corruption AI technology acceptance in institutional performance and the interaction effect of anti-corruption policy implementation on employees’ intention to use such technology. Survey research is used to empirically assess the conceptual framework using data from the UAE Federal Ministries and Authorities. Even though qualitative evidence reveals salient underlying norms among citizens and federal organisations with regards to general attitude towards technology, results show that both individual and organisational norms are not significant determinants of technology acceptance.
Both qualitative and quantitative evidence reveal that a positive atmosphere exists with regard to the willingness of employees in UAE Federal entities to accept anti-corruption AI technology. Moreover, findings show that anti-corruption policy implementation plays a significant role in ensuring compliance in UAE federal government organisations, even though its enforcement is not fully operationalised in some entities. It is recommended that existing institutional policies of technology enforcement must be operationalised to compel acceptance and induce improved anti-corruption performance. The wide adoption of AI by the UAE government is also recommended to drastically reduce corruption, improve the economic standing of the country, and place the country on the right course towards the achievement of its national agenda.
| Date of Award | Dec 2023 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Jamie Pow (Supervisor) & Muiris MacCarthaigh (Supervisor) |
Keywords
- Corruption
- anti-corruption
- technology acceptance model
- United Arab Emirates
- norms