The Context for Political Corruption: A Cross‐National Analysis^*

Abstract

Objective. How do we explain variations across nations in the incidence of political corruption? Recent theoretical work locates the causes for corruption in a combination of institutional conditions: monopoly power, little accountability, and wide discretion. This focus on the form of political institutions clarifies the microscale causes of political corruption, but it leaves unanswered questions about the macro-scale causes of corruption. Methods. This article addresses these questions about the macro scale through an analysis of perceived levels of corruption across nations. Results. Our work identifies poverty, large populations, and small public sectors as contextual causes of corruption. Historically-based differences in political cultures across broad geographical regions also affect the perceived incidence of corruption in nations. Conclusion. Further research should attempt to link microand macro-scale causes together in a single, multi-scalar model of corruption.

Political Connectedness, Corporate Governance, and Firm Performance

“…Nye (1967), for example, defines corruption as ''behavior which deviates from the formal duties of a public role because of private-regarding pecuniary or status gains.' ' Todaro and Smith (2014), on the other hand, describe corruption more generally as ''the abuse of public trust for private gain'' that is likely to appear where there is a distinct lack of trust between governmental officials and the public (Xin and Rudel 2004). Eiras (2003) in turn maintains that corruption is a ''form of unethical behavior or wrongdoing,'' where unethical behavior refers to a social consensus that these actions are bad.…”

Do Chinese People Trust Their Local Government, and Why?

“…Many scholars who study this relationship have concluded that corruption or perceived government corruption, by and large, has a corrosive impact on political trust among the general public (Citrin and Luks 2001;Pharr 2000;anderson and Tverdova 2003;della Porta 2000;Miller and Listhaug 1999;Chang and Chu 2006;Mishler and Rose 1997;Seligson 2002). other studies show that a lack of either interpersonal or political trust leads to higher levels of corruptive behavior or perceptions of corruption (heidenheimer 1996; Xin and Rudel 2004;Cleary and Stokes 2006). Stephen Morris and Joseph Klesner (2010) demonstrate, in their case study of Mexico, a strong, mutual causal relationship between perceptions of corruption and trust in political institutions.…”

Disaggregating Corruption: A Comparison of Participation and Perceptions in Latin America with a Focus on Mexico1

“…More trusting individuals, in short, may be quicker to condemn the corrupt conduct they find around them. There may also be a powerful interactive effect here whereby trust not only influences the perception of corruption (LaPorta, Lopez‐De Silanes, Hleifer and Ishny, 1997; Xin and Rudel, 2004), but corruption also undermines trust (Rothstein and Stolle, 2002).…”