Abstract
Corruption within Uganda’s District Service Commissions (DSCs) continues to pose a significant obstacle to the effective delivery of public services and the advancement of good governance. This article investigates the personal motivations and attractions that draw individuals toward corrupt practices within DSCs, emphasizing both psychological and rational dimensions of behavior. Using secondary data as its sole methodological approach, the study draws from existing literature, official reports, and scholarly analyses to examine the deeper drivers of corruption. Framed within classical philosophical ideas—Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia (human flourishing) and Plato’s emphasis on justice—the analysis applies Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Rational Choice Theory (RCT) to explore how individuals are influenced to act unethically. SDT offers insight into how unmet needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness can lead to corruption when institutional structures fail to support personal development and well-being. RCT introduces a cost-benefit perspective, showing how individuals rationally weigh potential rewards, such as financial gain, power, or status, against relatively low risks in environments with weak accountability. The findings suggest that corruption is perpetuated not only through structural deficiencies but also through personal incentives, social conditioning, and individual rationalizations. To be effective, anti-corruption efforts must move beyond punitive frameworks and address the psychological, institutional, and cultural factors that make corrupt behavior appear desirable or even necessary within such governance contexts.
Academians Publishers