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Corruption and Political Interest: Empirical Evidence at the Micro Level

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  • Benno Torgler

    (Queensland University of Technology)

  • Bin Dong

    (Queensland University of Technology)

Abstract

The topic of corruption has recently attracted a great deal of attention, yet there is still a lack of micro level empirical evidence regarding the determinants of corruption. Furthermore, the present literature has not investigated the effects of political interest on corruption despite the interesting potential of this link. We address these deficiencies by analyzing a cross-section of individuals, using the World Values Survey. We explore the determinants of corruption through two dependent variables (perceived corruption and the justifiability of corruption). The impact of political interest on corruption is explored through three different proxies, presenting empirical evidence at both the cross-country level and the within-country level. The results of the multivariate analysis suggest that political interest has an impact on corruption controlling for a large number of factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Benno Torgler & Bin Dong, 2008. "Corruption and Political Interest: Empirical Evidence at the Micro Level," Working Papers 2008.39, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    • Handle: RePEc:fem:femwpa:2008.39
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. P M Dawson & Philip Jones, 2010. "How are They Spending my Taxes? Tax Compliance and Citizens’ Interest in Politics," Department of Economics Working Papers 11/10, University of Bath, Department of Economics.
    2. Maria Kravtsova & Aleksey Oshchepkov & Christian Welzel, 2014. "Corruption and social values: do postmaterialists justify bribery?," HSE Working papers WP BRP 34/SOC/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    3. Dong, Bin & Dulleck, Uwe & Torgler, Benno, 2012. "Conditional corruption," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 609-627.
    4. Benno Torgler, 2011. "Work Values in Western and Eastern Europe," Working Papers 2011.94, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corruption; Political Interest; Social Norms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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