Kinship, favors, and officer integrity: exploring wasta in Kuwait's National Police Force

Wasta, a culturally ingrained practice of favoritism prevalent in Arab culture, presents significant challenges to governance and organizational integrity in the Middle East. However, empirical research on its role in policing - an area notoriously tied to its use - is extremely scarce. This study proposes a framework explaining the elements that perpetuate wasta and examines officers' attitudes toward the practice.

A mixed-methods design was employed. Survey data were collected from 199 officers to identify correlates of attitudes toward wasta, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subsample of officers (n = 7) to explore the underlying dynamics shaping those attitudes.

Quantitatively, higher education and years of experience were significantly associated with officers' critical views of wasta in police work. Qualitatively, catalysts of wasta involved bureaucratic inefficiencies and cultural expectations, while deterrents included personal barriers and organizational reforms such as digitization. Social pressures (e.g., familial and tribal expectations) emerged as the main drivers pushing individuals into participating in wasta.

The results underscore the need for comprehensive reforms - including the development of digital infrastructure, transparency initiatives, and ethics-focused training - to reduce wasta in policing and restore institutional integrity. Beyond Kuwait, this research contributes to broader discussions on informal governance practices and provides a basis for comparative studies in similar cultural contexts.