Corruption as an obstacle for development: A case study of environmental CSOs working in South Africa

Abstract: The topic for this thesis is corruption as an obstacle for development. More specifically the research looks at how corruption affects one of our most important agents of change; the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The specific research question guiding the study is “How do civil society professionals perceive that corruption in their operational environment affects their ability to achieve their objectives?”. To address the research question, an analytical framework has been formulated based upon the Theory of Change and its different stages in the results-chain. The scope of research has been narrowed down to looking at environmental CSOs operating in South Africa. To collect data, the method of semi-structured interviews has been implemented and the data was then analyzed using a thematic analysis. The findings of the research concludes that corruption in the organizations’ operational environment is a central obstacle for them to be able to achieve their short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Furthermore, the impact that corruption has on organizational activities appears to vary depending on the type of activity. Lastly, corruption can also pose a hindrance for environmental CSOs to procure their necessary resources. These findings illustrate the significance of researching corruption’s specific effects on civil society actors and that more research on the topic is necessary.