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Ethical Leadership, Institutional Reforms, and the Fight Against Corruption Globally

Olalekan Adebola Kolawole P.hD, Elemure Clement B

Abstract

The rising incidence of corruption across both developed and developing economies has intensified the need for effective governance mechanisms and ethical leadership. Corruption undermines institutional integrity, distorts resource allocation, and hinders sustainable development. This study investigates the role of ethical leadership and institutional reforms in combating corruption globally. Specifically, it examines the effect of ethical leadership on reducing corrupt practices, the impact of institutional reforms on strengthening accountability systems, and the combined effect of ethical leadership and institutional quality on anti-corruption outcomes. The study was anchored on ethical leadership theory and institutional theory. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, with a population of public sector officials, corporate managers, and governance experts across selected countries. A sample size of 400 respondents was determined using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS- SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings revealed that ethical leadership significantly enhances corruption control (β = 0.642, p < 0.01), while institutional reforms also significantly aid corruption control (β = 0.598, p < 0.01). The interaction between ethical leadership and institutional quality demonstrated the strongest effect on promotion corruption control (β = -0.661, p < 0.01), indicating that the combination of value-driven leadership and robust institutions is most effective in promoting accountability and good governance. The study concludes that ethical leadership and institutional reforms are critical in the global fight against corruption. It recommends the promotion of ethical leadership practices, continuous ethics training, strengthening of institutional frameworks, and enhanced international collaboration to foster transparency, accountability, and sustainable governance.

Keywords

Ethical leadershipInstitutional reformsCorruption ControlAccountabilityGovernance E-ISSN 2504-883X P-ISSN 2695 2432

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