Ethical party culture, control, and citizenship behavior: Evidence from Ghana

The study amplifies Ghana’s political parties’ code of conduct by examining how parties’ internal mechanisms shape external behavioral conformity. Using self-concept theory, the authors argue that ethical party culture (ethical organizational culture adapted to party context) and party control (organizational control) influence party citizens’ self-conception and thereby their extra-role, sacrificial party citizenship behavior. Surveying 404 members across Ghana’s political parties, the study finds that ethical party culture positively affects party citizenship behavior and that party control (process, output, and normative controls) positively moderates this relationship. Theoretically, the study identifies ethical party culture and control as self-conception components that foster organizational citizenship behavior. Practically, it underscores the need for parties to build ethical cultures and install control systems to nurture and guide citizenship behavior, complementing Ghana’s code of conduct and promoting peaceful electoral conduct.

Emmanuel Mensah Horsey, Lijia Guo, Jiashun Huang