We use matching methods to explore the causal relationship between the control of corruption and press freedom from 1996-2016. We find strong evidence that corruption reform significantly increases press freedom over both the four-year and eight-year horizon. However, we find little evidence...

Electoral participation is an integral component of democracy and can be an effective tool in the battle against corruption. However, encouraging participation in areas with highly corrupt governments is difficult. In this paper, I explore the role of transparency in voter turnout. I exploit...

The negative correlation between growth outcomes and natural resource abundance is well-known. Researchers have proposed a number of channels - such as corruption, education, and conflict - through which resource rents may negatively affect growth in a society. We utilize a more nuanced approach...

In the US, federal prosecutors are appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and have significant discretion over which cases they choose to take to court. Federal prosecutors handling an overwhelming majority of corruption cases invites the possibility of political influence in the...

This paper argues that the effect of corruption on competition is dependent on the institutional environment. When institutions are relatively efficient, observed corruption is likely to be associated with relatively less competition. Conversely, in areas with low quality institutions (e.g.,...

This paper exploits a unique dataset on corruption and informal sector employment in 476 Brazilian municipalities to estimate whether corruption impacts GDP or income levels once variation in informal economic activity is taken into account. Overall, I find that higher levels of corruption and a...

This paper argues that the relationship between corruption and economic growth is dependent upon the uncertainty involved. Employing data on a cross-section of countries, this paper uses an interaction between the frequency of bribery payments and the uncertainty regarding the delivery of the...

Using data on 434 Brazilian municipalities, this paper estimates the effect of both corruption and the size of the informal sector on economic outcomes, while allowing for the possibility of spatial dependence. Overall, this paper finds that the size of the informal sector has a statistically...

The idea that there are gendered differences in corruption in the political arena is common. Two explanations for these differences include risk aversion and network effects. However, business leaders include a self-selected group of individuals that are comparatively risk tolerant and...

This paper develops an indicator of Internet awareness of corruption as described in Goel et al. (2012) to see how this impacts both corruption perceptions and corruption experience. The results confirm the finding of Goel et al. (2012) that corruption perceptions are highly influenced by...