Corruption and development: The Armenian case

The relationship between corruption and economic growth is investigated with 39 countries over an 11 year period. Since corruption data are insufficient for econometric analysis, a case study is undertaken for Armenia. Corruption hinders economic performance (strong negative correlation between corruption and real per capita GDP), but no evidence is found that extensive corruption limits international trade, since imports of goods and services increase as corruption does. Since 2000, Armenia has experienced worsening corruption but FDI has continued to increase and economic growth has been strong. Other performance indicators demonstrate a healthy macro economy not apparently troubled with corruption.