National Corruption Research Articles

‘Crazy Chinese’ and the 2017 nuclear crisis: A Peruvian newspaper representation of Kim Jong-Un

This study analyzes the narrative characteristics of graphic and written language regarding Kim Jong-Un in the peruvian newspaper ‘El Trome’. This occurred in May of 2017, when mainstream press in Peru closely followed national corruption scandals, whilst ‘El Trome’ focused on a different news story: the nuclear crisis between the United States and North Korea, popularizing the term “Crazy Chinese” in order to refer to the controversial Asian leader. Grounded Theory precepts were employed, which included content analysis of the newspaper covers as well as in depth interviews of the newspapers with both Trome’s General Editor and Design Editor. The newspaper maximized the fear associated with an impending nuclear war, constructing a journalistic message from a sequence of events with two main protagonists: Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un, unpredictable leaders with access to nuclear weapons. The strategy appealed to black humor and entertainment in order to position an agenda independent from mainstream press, which focused on internal politics at the time.

Corruption in Namibia: Examining the Nexus Between Survey-Identified Causes and Empirical Validation

This study investigates the causal relationship between the factors identified in the 2016 National Corruption Perception Survey Report and corruption levels in Namibia. By analysing data from 2000 to 2022, the Toda-Yamamoto VAR Granger causality test was employed to investigate the impact of greed, poor leadership and law enforcement, poverty (working poverty), and poor pay (compensation to employees) on corruption levels. The results revealed statistically significant causal linkages between greed, poor leadership and law enforcement, and poverty. Poor pay, however, showed no significant causal influence on corruption. These findings highlight the necessity of tackling issues such as equal income distribution, poverty, and governance inadequacies in anti-corruption initiatives. Targeted measures based on empirical evidence can effectively reduce corruption and increase transparency in governance. Additionally, conducting more recent corruption surveys in Namibia could yield up-to-date perceptions that could be adopted in similar country-specific studies elsewhere.

The (unintended) consequences of ineffective corruption control on populism in Europe

The literature on populism in European politics contends that the inability of mainstream parties to address effectively economic challenges and immigration issues fosters protest voting for anti-establishment figures. This article proposes an alternative perspective centred on corruption control and delineates two pathways through which corruption influences support for populist parties in Europe. First, populists exploit growing public discontent with mainstream policymakers’ incapacity to advance sustainable corruption mitigation measures. They espouse an anti-corruption stance and pledge to rectify what ‘the establishment’ fails to address. The second connection arises from the European Union’s (EU) approach to combating corruption. The EU employs an ineffective anti-corruption strategy and attributes unfavourable outcomes to member states and their citizens. This flawed approach contributes to nationalist sentiments across Europe, which populist politicians leverage by adopting an anti-EU rhetoric. Drawing from an original dataset encompassing every national election across 28 European nations from 1990 to 2020, this study probes the circumstances under which populist parties expand their electoral support. Various statistical analyses reveal that the rise in corruption is a fundamental factor driving support for populism. Not only does the EU fail to assist in tackling national corruption, but its anti-corruption strategy inadvertently bolsters public approval of populist politicians. This effect is accentuated in member states where corruption becomes more pronounced post-EU accession.

How do power imbalances influence national corruption and welfare?

How do power imbalances influence national corruption and welfare?

Digitalization of the national economy as an objective basis for improving the effectiveness of anti-corruption policy

The study aims to establish the relationship between the level of digitalization of the national economy and the success of the state’s anti-corruption policy. Clarification of the current methods of quantifying corruption has shown that nowadays the only relevant index reflecting the national corruption indicator is CPI. Based on the analysis of its values for 2018–2022, the leaders among European and Asian countries – Denmark and Singapore – were identified, with which a comparative analysis of the digitalization of Russia’s national economy was conducted using the Digital Evolution scorecard. The results showed that the anti-corruption policies of countries that have completed digitalization or are actively pursuing it are the most successful. This suggests that the digitalization of the national economy is one of the key conditions for increasing the effectiveness of anti-corruption policy. In confirmation, the positive effect of the influence of the national economy’s digitalization on the socio-economic system as a whole and a number of groups of factors that lead to the emergence of corruption were noted.

Corruption revisited: the influence of national personality, culture, and wealth

Corruption is often seen as one of the root causes of pressing national and global challenges. The persisting stark national differences in corruption levels and their potential causes have thus attracted growing interest from international business scholars. The objective of this study was to re-examine key factors that predict levels of national corruption. Drawing on comprehensive personality data from over 5 million respondents across 87 nations, and numerous dimensions of national culture, the study examines the relative importance of national personality versus national culture and wealth as predictors of national corruption. Regression analysis found that collectivism (particularly societal practices pertaining to collectivism) and wealth were robust predictors of corruption. In contrast, there was no consistent support for the effects of the Big Five personality traits aggregated to the national level, above and beyond the effects of national culture and wealth. These findings highlight and specify the important role played by national culture, and call into question previous research on national personality and corruption. More broadly, our study further highlights the need to exert caution when examining the influence of national-level personality, and the need for cross-national personality researchers to improve the validity, interpretability, and replicability of their work.

Nexus among corruption, political instability and natural resources on economic recovery in Vietnam

Vietnam experienced political unrest from its founding in 1945–2000. However, since 2000, hints of system stability have been observed. Political unrest strengthens the foundations of national corruption over time. By considering the functions of per-capita income and natural resource development, this study assessed the effects of corruption, political instability (PIS), and natural resources on economic development. We used data from 1980 to 2020 to apply linear and non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). Both approaches supported the theory when applied to Vietnam. Our findings show that PIS has a detrimental impact on a nation's GDP, whereas natural resources increase GDP over the long and short term. In contrast, corruption temporarily boosts GDP, while lowering it over time. The asymmetric results over the long-term show that as corruption increases, GDP decreases, and as corruption decreases, GDP increases. The causality correlation supports these findings and suggests policies to combat lease and patronage practices and create a more transparent national environment. This will help control the obvious problems of PIS, corruption, and untapped natural resources and support the country's economic development and prosperity.

Thirty Years of Village Corruption Research: Accounting and Smart Villages for Village Sustainability as Future Research Direction

As the research on national corruption continues to expand, village corruption research has gained attention in the public eye in the last 10 years. A growing number of researchers have called for a more extensive discussion on village corruption. In response, this paper conducts a comprehensive review of village corruption research to portray the trend and evolvement of village corruption literature over the past 30 years and also to find out the dominant elements of village corruption research for providing future research agendas aimed at addressing village corruption. The study analyzed 158 articles from the Web of Science database. The data were analyzed first using two bibliometric software packages, Histcite 12.3.17 and VOSviewer 1.6.19, and then by content analysis to obtain a more comprehensive result. The findings overlay visualization indicates that the research on village corruption has evolved from African countries to Asia. Studies from the economics and politics fields are the most common research areas on village corruption since 1992, followed by research on management. Research in the accounting and information technology fields remain relatively scarce. The institutions based in the USA have dominated publications, and World Development is the most influential journal. This research provides future research agendas as smart villages on corruption eradication and village sustainability.

Does national corruption encourage earnings management? A comparison of countries on the European and American continents

We analyzed the effect of national corruption perceived by the population on earnings management. Our sample consisted of 3,239 companies from 38 countries located in four geopolitical regions of the American and European continents between 2012-2019, analyzed using regression with panel data. We found that increasing levels of perceived corruption implies an increase in earnings management practices. Behavior that does not occur in the same way when considering the different geopolitical regions, because it occurs only in Latin American, North America and the Caribbean, but is non-existent in the other regions. We provide evidence that the perception of national corruption is a trigger for managers to change accounting choices. 

Stakeholder perspectives on socio-economic challenges and recommendations for better management of the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area in South Africa

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) regulate human behaviour within their boundaries to support long-term conservation of marine ecosystems and associated human benefits. As complex socio-ecological systems, the success of MPAs is fundamentally reliant upon community and stakeholder engagement, support, and compliance. Using the Aliwal Shoal MPA in South Africa as a case study, 48 stakeholder interviews were conducted to explore perceptions of existing challenges and potential solutions relating to management of the MPA. Analysis identified several challenges including: i) non-compliance with existing laws; ii) insufficient marine law enforcement; iii) national corruption; iv) poor physical infrastructure, and v) perceived racially biased MPA regulations. To address these challenges, interviewees highlighted the following potential solutions: i) development of awareness raising initiatives to foster marine stewardship and support for the MPA; ii) improving the visibility of marine conservation and MPA management activities; iii) investing finances generated by the Aliwal Shoal MPA regulations (such as diving permit fees) directly into MPA management; iv) identifying and enhancing local skills and knowledge that could contribute to enhancing conservation activities; and v) exploring innovative technical solutions that can improve community awareness and compliance with MPA regulations. While not representative of the entire spectrum of stakeholders, this paper provides useful insights that can be used by national MPA implementing agencies, local management bodies and conservation organisations as they try to improve engagement with local stakeholders to optimise social, economic, and ecological benefits, and contribute to improved governance. Additionally, the paper contributes to the global call for improved communication and engagement with stakeholders about MPAs, especially considering the increased emphasis placed on protected areas for global conservation.

THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON CORRUPTION: A GLOBAL ANALYSIS

This paper investigates the influences of global economic sanctions on corruption by using the structural gravity model for 148 sanctioned countries (108 developing countries and 40 developed countries) during the 1995–2018 period. We consider various forms of sanction, including arms, military, trade, finance, travel, and others. The results reveal that the imposition of sanctions, especially arm, financial, travel, and other sanctions have a significantly negative effect on the prevalence of corruption of target countries. The effects are also largely heterogeneous across sanctioned countries in terms of their economic development. Furthermore, the properties of the institutional quality of the sanctioned state critically affect the relationship between global sanctions and national corruption. Particularly, the well-developed institutional quality helps target countries address the consequences of global sanctions on national corruption. The empirical findings of this study are expected to provide vital insightful lessons for economists and policymakers in the target countries in combating the corruption pervasiveness.

A longitudinal analysis of MPOWER implementation, 2008-2018

Background In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced MPOWER-a package of evidence-based, high-impact policy measures to help countries reduce tobacco use. These measures align with selected articles within the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a global public health treaty to prevent and reduce tobacco use. Methods Observational longitudinal study involving 195 countries that submitted biannual national reports between 2008 and 2018. To report changes in MPOWER scores, countries were assessed using a validated checklist of the seven MPOWER indicators and a maximum possible unweighted composite score of 34 points. Covariate analysis was conducted among selected health, sociopolitical, and economic indicators. Results 176 out of 195 countries improved their MPOWER scores between 2008 and 2018, with two achieving full implementation (Brazil and Turkey). Twenty-three (23) countries representing 11.2% of the global population recorded an MPOWER scoring increase of at least 10 points between 2008 and 2018. The overall mean 10-year scoring increase was 5.1 points or a relative improvement of 27.1%. In 2018, 20 countries representing 10.4% of the global population excelled in MPOWER implementation by receiving a total composite score of at least 30 of 34 possible points. The MPOWER elements with the highest degree of implementation in 2018 include Warn (package), Protect (smoking ban) and Enforce (ad ban). Several covariates were positively associated with higher levels of MPOWER implementation, including cigarette affordability, the existence of national tobacco control objectives, the human development index score, the national corruption index score, national literacy rates and the political regime index score. Conclusions MPOWER implementation increased markedly between 2008 and 2018 in all seven WHO regions and countries representing all four World Bank income classifications. However, only two countries achieved full implementation by 2018. More work is needed to improve MPOWER implementation. Countries with low-income levels, compromised human development, reduced literacy rates, higher rates of corruption, and autocratic political regimes appear to struggle more with MPOWER implementation.

Deep Neural Network Model for Evaluating and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 16

The decision-making process for attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be enhanced through the use of predictive modelling. The application of predictive tools like deep neural networks (DNN) empowers stakeholders with quality information and promotes open data policy for curbing corruption. The anti-corruption drive is a cardinal component of SDG 16 which is aimed at strengthening state institutions and promoting social justice for the attainment of all 17 SDGs. This study examined the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria and modelled the 2017 national corruption survey data using a DNN. We experimentally tested the efficacy of DNN optimizers using a standard image dataset from the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST). The outcomes validated our claims that predictive analytics could enhance decision-making through high-level accuracies as posted by the optimizers: Adam 98.2%; Adadelta 98.4%; SGD 94.9%; RMSProp 98.1%; Adagrad 98.1%.

Air Pollution, Political Corruption, and Cardiovascular Disease in the Former Soviet Republics.

Background:Ambient air pollution is a serious problem in many Eastern European countries. Elevated levels of fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in the former Soviet republics relative to the rest of Europe contribute to elevated rates of disease, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD).Objective:Information on the underlying social and political causes of air pollution in Eastern Europe is important for pollution control and disease prevention.Methods:To quantify relationships between pollution, and air-pollution-related CVD, and political corruption throughout Europe and particularly in the former Soviet republics, we relied on the State of Global Air report for information on air pollution levels; on the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) for estimates of the burden of air-pollution-related CVD; and on Transparency International (TI) for rankings of governmental corruption.Findings:Air-pollution-related CVD was responsible for an estimated 178,000 (UI: 112,000–251,000) premature deaths and for the loss of 4,010,000 (UI: 2,518,000–-5,611,000) productive years of life (DALYs) in 2019 in the former Soviet republics. A significant positive correlation (R = 0.72, p 1.7e–8) was found across Europe between air-pollution-related CVD mortality rates and national corruption rankings.Conclusions:We conclude that lack of governmental transparency, inadequate air pollution monitoring, and opposition by vested interests have hindered air pollution control and perpetuated high rates of pollution-related morbidity and mortality in the former Soviet republics. Ending corruption and modernizing industrial production will be key to air pollution and related diseases.

Legislative Transparency in the European Parliament: Disclosing Legislators' Meetings with Interest Groups

AbstractResearch on transparency in the EU and at the European Parliament, in particular, has extensively examined the adoption and implementation of transparency initiatives as well as the conditions under which interest groups have access to and influence on EU policy‐making. However, the question of whether Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are transparent regarding their interactions with interest group representatives has been overlooked by the literature. This study addresses the question of the conditions under which MEPs are more likely to provide information about their meetings with interest groups. The study engages with institutional theory by emphasizing that formal and informal rules incentivize MEPs' behaviour. Drawing on a dataset on MEPs' reports on their meetings with interest group representatives, the study demonstrates that procedural rules, party's position on the cultural dimension and the national corruption tradition affect legislators' propensity to disclose information about their meetings with interest groups.

How national culture shapes employee reactions to job insecurity: The role of national corruption

ABSTRACT Responding to calls for examining the underlying mechanisms through which national culture influences employee attitudes, we test whether cultural values (egalitarianism, hierarchy, and power distance) alter the relationships of job insecurity with job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, promotion satisfaction, and organizational commitment via national corruption. Combining four data sources (i.e., the International Social Survey Programme, Hofstede’s and Schwartz’s cultural scores, and Transparency International’s corruption index), we tested the multilevel mediated moderation model with Study 1 of 25,030 employees nested within 32 countries in 2005, and Study 2 of 27,868 employees nested within 37 countries in 2015. Multilevel moderation analyses indicated that egalitarianism buffered against the negative impact of job insecurity on job satisfaction (Study 1 & Study 2), pay satisfaction (Study 1), and organizational commitment (Study 1 & Study 2), whereas power distance exacerbated the effect of job insecurity on pay satisfaction (Study 2). Meanwhile, national corruption aggravated the negative impact of job insecurity across outcomes and samples. Finally, the moderation effects of egalitarianism and power distance on employees’ reactions to job insecurity were mediated by national corruption. We discuss our findings in light of pervasive corruption and job insecurity globally.

National Governance Index, Corruption Index and Growth Rate—International Evidence from Sub-Saharan and MENA Countries

In an international setting of developing countries, applying advanced statistical estimation approaches such as the system generalized method of moments (GMM), two-stage least square (2SLS) regressions, and cluster analysis, this paper revisits the impact of macro-level governance quality and the corruption index on the economic growth rate. We use cross-country panel data for 40 sub-Saharan and the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries over the period of 2009–2020. The empirical results document the positive and negative effects of the national governance index and the corruption index on the economic growth rate. Additionally, foreign direct investment and population have a positive impact on the economic growth rate and trade openness has a negative impact. The study evaluates the robustness of these associations through a series of tests. These findings have important policy implications for policymakers and regulators in developing countries. In particular, the study recommends the implementation of an anti-corruption campaign and improving country-level governance quality that could encourage increased foreign direct investment for an accelerated economic growth rate. These will further enhance accountability, transparency, the rule of law, social responsibility, the public voice, and government effectiveness.

The effect of corruption on the level of real and accrual earnings management in cases of target firms

PurposeThis paper attempts to investigate the effect of corruption on the real and accrual earnings management of target firms in the process of mergers and acquisitions.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes target firms from the European area that participate in mergers or acquisitions announced during 2010–2020. The preliminary empirical part estimates the level of earnings management during the period two years before the deal's announcement to identify whether the sample follows the manipulation behavior that the literature suggests for target firms. The primary empirical analysis focuses on the impact of corruption on real and accrual-based earnings management proxies, employing regression models and two alternative proxies for corruption. The existing literature points out that the combination of low levels of corruption and an integrated legal system reduces earnings manipulation.FindingsThe findings provide strong evidence for systematic downwards accounting manipulation practices, whereas the findings for real earnings management are not significant. The findings of the main empirical part show that corruption is positively associated with accrual-based manipulation and negatively related to real earnings management. In essence, in economies with a high level of transparency, managers adopt the manipulation of operating activities as a less detectable practice of earnings management instead of engaging in accounting procedures.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature highlighting the diversification of these firms' manipulation strategies according to the national level's corruption status.

Cultural values, national personality characteristics, and intelligence as correlates of corruption: A nation level analysis

Research on national corruption has primarily focused on economics and politics, whereas cultural factors and especially national personality characteristics have attracted less attention. In the present study, the influence of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Schwartz's values, Eysenckian personality factors (EPQ), and national intelligent quotient (IQ) on Corruption Perception Index (CPI) scores were studied by using aggregated data from 64 countries and ecological design, i.e., correlations, partial correlations, multiple regression analyses, and mediation and moderation analyses. The sub-datasets included 35 countries for the EPQ, 46 countries for the Hofstede cultural values, 30 countries for the Schwartz value dimensions, and all 64 countries for the IQ. Both partial correlations and regression analyses in which GDP per capita was controlled emphasized the importance of national income in corruption so that high income was negatively related to CPI scores. Regression analysis results showed that the EPQ Lie scores, Hofstede's power distance, and masculinity, as well as Schwartz's hierarchy, mastery, and harmony, were positively, and individualism and intelligence negatively related to corruption. The mediation analyses showed that the effects of cultural values on corruption were mostly mediated by income (GDP per capita). Hence, the national culture influences the national income level, which, in turn, is related to corruption. The effect of individualism on corruption was moderated by income so that individualism was negatively related to corruption in countries with lower income. The results suggest that cultural factors should be considered in corruption studies and anti-corruption policies. Without taking into account the national cultural values, anti-corruption policies might not be perceived well by the public, compromising the effects of the interventions.

Conflicting discourses — Social constructions of corruption in Finland

The Nordic countries are generally regarded as beacons of anti-corruption. This perception also applies to Finland, where corruption is said to be conspicuous by its absence. The article at hand, however, conveys a more nuanced picture of corruption in Finland. It delves into opinions submitted during the formulation of the Finnish anti-corruption strategy, identifying two conflicting corruption-related discourses. The analysis shows that corruption is a contested concept and that views on corruption prevalence and the need for anti-corruption measures vary greatly within the national context. The article illustrates the struggle between national corruption discourses, arguing that such discourses and their overall context should be analysed thoroughly if corruption efforts are to be grounded in their setting and successful. This is the case regardless of context and thus applicable also to countries perceived as “clean and honest”.