Anti-corruption efforts, public perception of corruption, and government credibility in the field of real estate: An empirical analysis based on twelve provinces in China

Abstract

Anti-corruption campaigns in China have spread rapidly throughout the field of real estate. This study measures the influence of anti-corruption efforts on public perceptions of corruption and government credibility. Based on data from twelve Chinese provinces, anti-corruption efforts, public perception of corruption, and government credibility in the field of real estate are used as variables in an empirical framework, and then analyzed with a detailed discussion of the influence of anti-corruption measures wield on the perception of corruption and political trust. The results indicate that public perception of corruption affects attitudes towards government credibility, anti-corruption efforts mitigate damage in public trust towards the central government but do not significantly mitigate damage in the trust towards provincial governments, and anti-corruption efforts fail to repair political trust effectively. Based on the results, three policy implications emerge: (1) anti-corruption efforts should be further improved as an important method for maintaining the health of the ruling party and as a method for winning public support, (2) the government should increase diversified efforts at curbing corruption, innovate anti-corruption mechanisms, and expand public participation in anti-corruption efforts, and (3) anti-corruption efforts should be strengthened by making anti-corruption an important goal of new real estate regulation.