THE FUSE

Further education, whether at the university level or as professional ethics training, is thought to curb corruption, but it doesn’t always work. Social psychologists M. Urcia and A. Alva, behavioral economist V. Vivas, and accountant A. Espinosa from three Peruvian universities teamed up to review and test theories of why some highly educated individuals tolerate unethical practices and rationalize corrupt acts. Their research is localized to Peru and generalized to Latin America, but the effects of corruption they outline are universal.