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Bribery and Investment : Firm-Level Evidence from Africa and Latin America

Author

Listed:
  • Addis Gedefaw Birhanu

    (EM - EMLyon Business School)

  • Alfonso Gambardella
  • Giovanni Valentini

Abstract

Research summary: Using a unique database that measures firm-level bribery in Africa and Latin America, we corroborate extant results in the literature that paying bribes deters firm investments in fixed assets. Our contribution is to explore four mechanisms. By adopting a reverse causality approach (Gelman and Imbens, 2013), we find evidence consistent with one of them: short-term oriented firms prefer to bribe rather than invest in fixed assets, while the opposite is true for firms with a long-term orientation. We rule out that bribe payments drain financial resources for investment, that firms that invest do not bribe because fixed assets make them less flexible and more vulnerable to future bribes, and that less efficient firms bribe rather than invest. Managerial summary: We ask whether, along with ethical issues, bribing affects the behavior and performance of firms in Africa and Latin America. Our statistical analysis shows that bribe payments do not reduce the short-term performance of firms, but frustrate investments in fixed assets, which is the foundation of firms' long-term growth. It is like seeking a job via nepotism or education. Nepotism makes it likely to find a job in the short term. However, the solid skills generated by education raise the odds of finding better jobs in the future. We rule out some common explanations for the trade-off between bribing and investment (e.g., bribes drain resources to invest or that less efficient firms bribe and do not invest). Our analysis suggests that firms with short-term orientations are more likely to bribe and firms with long-term orientation are more likely to invest.

Suggested Citation

  • Addis Gedefaw Birhanu & Alfonso Gambardella & Giovanni Valentini, 2016. "Bribery and Investment : Firm-Level Evidence from Africa and Latin America," Post-Print hal-04041950, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04041950
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    Cited by:

    1. Iorio, Roberto & Segnana, Maria Luigia, 2023. "Exploring the link between corruption and innovation: the moderating role of institutional context and competitive pressure," CELPE Discussion Papers 165, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    2. Chomsorn Tangdenchai & Asda Chintakananda & George O. White, 2023. "Active and passive bribery’s impact on firm relational embeddedness: evidence from Thailand," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 1773-1799, September.
    3. Wu, Yan & Yang, Yong & Mickiewicz, Tomasz, 2023. "Corruption, the digital sectors, and the profitability of foreign subsidiaries in emerging markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    4. Jiasi Fan & Zhexiong Tao & Jana Oehmichen & Hans Ees, 2024. "CEO career horizon and corporate bribery: a strategic relationship perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 701-717, June.
    5. Jeoung Yul Lee & Daekwan Kim & Byungchul Choi & Alfredo Jiménez, 2023. "Early evidence on how Industry 4.0 reshapes MNEs’ global value chains: The role of value creation versus value capturing by headquarters and foreign subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(4), pages 599-630, June.
    6. Yung, Kenneth & Cai, Qiuye & Li, Deqing Diane, 2023. "Greasing the wheels of irreversible investment: International evidence on the economic effects of corruption," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    7. Stephen J. Smulowitz & Didier Cossin & Alfredo De Massis & Hongze (Abraham) Lu, 2023. "Wrongdoing in Publicly Listed Family- and Nonfamily-Owned Firms: A Behavioral Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1233-1264, July.
    8. Xi Zhong & Ge Ren & XiaoJie Wu, 2024. "Corporate philanthropy and bribery as distinctive responses to economic policy uncertainty: Do state-owned and private firms differ?," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 641-677, June.
    9. Debmalya Mukherjee & Saumyaranjan Sahoo & Satish Kumar, 2023. "Two Decades of International Business and International Management Scholarship on Africa: A Review and Future Directions," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 63(6), pages 863-909, December.
    10. Gonzalo Molina-Sieiro & Katia M. Galdino & R. Michael Holmes, 2023. "Ownership types, institutions, and the internationalization of emerging economy new ventures: evidence from Africa," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1121-1145, March.
    11. Jiangyong Lu & Seong-jin Choi & Alfredo Jiménez & Secil Bayraktar, 2023. "Bribery in emerging economies: an integration of institutional and non-market position perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 205-242, March.
    12. He, Xinao & Xu, Runguo & Sun, Kai & Wang, Jian, 2024. "Population intensity, location choice, and investment portfolio selection: A case of emerging economies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    13. Legaspe Francisco, 2023. "Effect of corruption on economic growth," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4663, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.

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