The effect of wasta on perceived competence and morality in Egypt
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20501469 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ahmed A Mohamed (0000-0002-1328-7392, German University in Cairo), Mohamad Saad Mohamad (Cairo University) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 412-425 |
| Publication date | 2011-10-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cross Cultural Management An International Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1352-7606 • E-ISSN: 1758-6089 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/13527601111179492 |
| OpenAlex | W1968671988 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 18 |
| References cited | 18 |
Purpose – Wasta is an Arabic word that means the intervention of a patron in favor of a client in attempt to obtain privileges or resources from a third party. In Arab countries, wasta is often used to obtain employment, thus causing unequal opportunity. The purpose of this paper is to study the attributions that people make regarding the competency and morality of wasta users. The main hypothesis is that those that use wasta in obtaining employment will be perceived as less competent and moral than those that do not. Design/methodology/approach – The study is designed as a factorial quasi‐experiment, with three independent variables; wasta, employee qualification and socioeconomic status. The dependent variables are perceived competency and morality. Data were gathered from 421 Egyptian undergraduate business students attending a public and a private university. Findings – In support of the hypotheses, subjects discounted the competency and morality of employees that used wasta to obtain the job. Additionally, subjects from lower socioeconomic groups evaluated wasta users more positively than more affluent subjects. Originality/value – This is the first study that attempts to use attribution theory to examine the effects of wasta on perceptions of competency and morality. The study may be useful in identifying the disadvantages of using wasta, thus reducing its use
Arabic · Attribution · Linguistics · Morality · Political science · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Socioeconomic Development in MENA
When Informal Institutions Change
The role of personal connections Wasta on early-stage entrepreneurial orientations
The Virtues and Vices Of Employee Engagement and Its Drivers in an Informal Network Context
The role of leader favoritism, unfairness, and employability in employee psychological withdrawal behavior
Wasta in Arab Societies
Informal interorganizational business relationships, satisfaction, and firm performance
Clientelism and its discontents
Paying for Favours
What Makes Muslim Women Entrepreneurs Successful? A Field Study Examining Religiosity and Social Capital in Tunisia
Between construction and destruction
The impact of institutions, industry, and scale of operations on foreign subsidiaries’ political connections
Livelihood planning and career guidance in Palestine and the broader Mena region
Morality in the Middle East
Organizational Justice in Arab Countries
Challenging the rules of the game
Informal third-party actors in street-level welfare decisions
Wasta and its relationship to employment status and income in the Arab Middle East
Corruption or Culture? Evaluating Elite Definitions of “Wasta” in Jordan
Cognitive dissonance
Managerial Ties and Firm Performance in a Transition Economy
Islamic work ethic
“My father knows the minister”
Shari'a under Challenge
The Demographic Dilemma of the Arab World
Intragroup dissonance
A Decade of System Justification Theory
Outside-In
Ease of retrieval as information
Availability
| Unique citing works | 18 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,38 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 18 |