The Paradox of Wasta: mediation, intercession and corruption

To the UAE economy, wasta acts as a barrier to a transition from an oil based to a ‘knowledge economy’. The literature is deficient in studied that comprehensively outline the implications of wasta on the formation of socio-economically productive attitudes. The research question is ‘what are the factors that contribute to the reliance on social capital in its native form?’ The research method adopted by this study is quantitative surveying of socio-economic attitudes, in which 94 participants have been survey. Quantitative analysis has been conducted using t-test statistics including sample mean and standard deviations. The survey population has been divided into sample population based on the emirate of residency and employment sector. The result show that residents of Abu Dhabi find social capital to be more important than residents in Dubai. While residents of Abu Dhabi perceive socio-economically productive attitudes such as hard work, and competition more positively. Among the contributing factors, education and co-workers had the most influence on the decisions made by residents of Abu Dhabi, while family and life circumstances have been the most contributing factors in the choices of Dubai residents. Lastly, there shows no significant difference between public and private sector employees.