Citizens’ perspectives on the form, contributory factors and impacts of white-collar crimes on local authorities in Zimbabwe

Autor: Ishmael Mugari, Gillian S. Chigwandaza, Emeka E. Obioha
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cogent Social Sciences, Vol 9, Iss 2 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 23311886
2331-1886
DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2023.2248750
Popis: AbstractDespite their instrumental role in the provision of a conducive environment for socio-economic development, local authorities across the globe have been riddled with a myriad of criminal activities, negatively impacting on service to their communities. On numerous occasions, local authorities in Zimbabwe have had to contend with widespread allegations of corruption and a host of other white-collar crimes. This study sought to explore citizens’ perspectives on the scourge of white-collar crime in Zimbabwe’s local authorities, with a particular focus on the trends, causes and impacts. Data were collected from purposely sampled 315 rate payers. Findings revealed that corruption, embezzlement and fraud are the major types of white-collar crime prevalent in local authorities. Poverty, poor internal controls and greediness were found to be the major drivers of white-collar crime. Poor service delivery, reduced revenues and increased expenditure were found to be the major impacts of white collar-crime. The study recommends whistleblowing, sound internal control mechanisms and regular audits as the major strategies to deal with white-collar crime in local authorities.
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