Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of Conflict Resolution Studies

First Advisor

Dustin D. Berna

Second Advisor

Neil H. Katz

Third Advisor

Mary Hope Schwoebel

Keywords

conflict analysis, corruption, culture, Haiti, post-colonial, systems

Abstract

This study explored the impact of organizational culture on Haiti from a socio-economic standpoint. The study used a case study approach in examining how Haiti’s national organizational culture influences the organizational structure of the various entities that make up the overall system. Overall, this study explored the influence that culture has in the shaping of a collective phenomenon. The established institutions are themselves products of the dominant cultural value systems, and in examining this system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, this study aims to better highlight how the current organizational structure is fueling corruption. Even with the extensive history on the impact of culture within the Haitian society, little research had been conducted on the individual impact that culture has in facilitating corruption throughout the established systems. Through a series of qualitative interviews with a diverse group of Haitian nationals residing in Haiti, this study engaged in an inquiry of lived experiences and opinions of Haitians who engage in corruption, while taking into account their current social, economic, and cultural environments. Using the case study approach, this qualitative research examined the lived experiences of working citizens within their society and the effect of corruption throughout their everyday life. This topic warranted the perspectives of regular citizens because it was important to comprehend the context in which individuals make certain decisions that are viewed by their own society as corrupt. Focus was placed, not on the acts of corruption themselves, but on the mechanism enabling the acts.

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