An Examination of Problems in Guyana's Management of Grants From the International Monetary Fund

Researchers have found that debts are brought upon countries by corrupt public officials' mismanagement of funds, including those in Guyana. Although researchers have examined the impact of corruption on the Guyanese economy, to date, no research has examined the effects of the mismanagement of funds on levels of poverty. The purpose of this study was to address the problem of mismanagement of funds. Support for management efficiency is found in the theoretical framework of Drucker's management theory to improve efficiency. The key research questions were designed to determine how the influence of various factors such as corruption, poverty, regulatory oversight, and moral ethical social responsibility, could be improved to enhance the efficiency of management. The research design was a mixed methods inquiry with a sample size of 60 participants for quantitative data and 30 participants for qualitative data. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and quantitative data were analyzed using a multiple regression model. The qualitative findings indicated an impact on the levels of poverty in Guyana. The quantitative findings indicated that the combination of the 3 independent variables explained 97.46% of the variation in management efficiency. It is recommended that public officials in Guyana follow an ethical code of conduct to guide proper moral behavior to improve institutional practices. This study could be used as a regulatory framework by public officials to address the social problems that are adversely affecting the economic progress of Guyana. Implications for social change include a better understanding by public officials of the effects of poverty, thereby laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth for the prosperity of the nation.