IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/bejeap/v17y2017i4p17n10.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Fiscal Transparency on Corruption: An Empirical Analysis Based on Longitudinal Data

Author

Listed:
  • De Simone Elina

    (Department of Business and Economic Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy)

  • Gaeta Giuseppe Lucio

    (Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Naples L’Orientale, Naples, Italy)

  • Mourão Paulo Reis

    (Department of Economics & NIPE, Economics & Management School, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal)

Abstract

Fiscal transparency is considered an essential feature of public financial management and is supposed to provide beneficial governance effects such as reducing corruption. This paper adds to recent empirical literature that specifically investigates the impact of fiscal information disclosure on corruption. Country-level evidence provided by previous studies is exclusively based on cross-sectional econometric analyses, while the present contribution relies on a wide-ranging, country-level dataset of 116 countries that cover a ten-year time span (2003–2012), and on dynamic panel data estimates. These innovations in terms of data and methods provide new, robust empirical support to the claim that fiscal transparency is negatively correlated with corruption.

Suggested Citation

  • De Simone Elina & Gaeta Giuseppe Lucio & Mourão Paulo Reis, 2017. "The Impact of Fiscal Transparency on Corruption: An Empirical Analysis Based on Longitudinal Data," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:17:y:2017:i:4:p:17:n:10
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2017-0021
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2017-0021
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/bejeap-2017-0021?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Timothy C. Irwin, 2016. "Dispelling fiscal illusions: how much progress have governments made in getting assets and liabilities on balance sheet?," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 219-226, April.
    2. Lorenzo Cicatiello & Elina Simone & Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta, 2017. "Political determinants of fiscal transparency: a panel data empirical investigation," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 315-336, November.
    3. Toke S. Aidt, 2003. "Economic analysis of corruption: a survey," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(491), pages 632-652, November.
    4. Pranab Bardhan, 1997. "Corruption and Development: A Review of Issues," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(3), pages 1320-1346, September.
    5. Alt, James E. & Lassen, David Dreyer, 2006. "Fiscal transparency, political parties, and debt in OECD countries," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 1403-1439, August.
    6. Lorenzo Pellegrini & Reyer Gerlagh, 2008. "Causes of corruption: a survey of cross-country analyses and extended results," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 245-263, July.
    7. Claudio Ferraz & Frederico Finan, 2008. "Exposing Corrupt Politicians: The Effects of Brazil's Publicly Released Audits on Electoral Outcomes," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(2), pages 703-745.
    8. Claudio Ferraz & Frederico Finan, 2011. "Electoral Accountability and Corruption: Evidence from the Audits of Local Governments," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(4), pages 1274-1311, June.
    9. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    10. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    11. Caselli, Francesco & Esquivel, Gerardo & Lefort, Fernando, 1996. "Reopening the Convergence Debate: A New Look at Cross-Country Growth Empirics," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 363-389, September.
    12. Stephen R. Bond, 2002. "Dynamic panel data models: a guide to micro data methods and practice," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 1(2), pages 141-162, August.
    13. Roumeen Islam, 2006. "Does More Transparency Go Along With Better Governance?," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(2), pages 121-167, July.
    14. Ritva Reinikka & Jakob Svensson, 2004. "Local Capture: Evidence from a Central Government Transfer Program in Uganda," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(2), pages 679-705.
    15. David Roodman, 2009. "A Note on the Theme of Too Many Instruments," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 71(1), pages 135-158, February.
    16. Lasse Aaskoven, 2016. "Fiscal Transparency, Elections and Public Employment: Evidence from the OECD," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 317-341, November.
    17. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    18. Rachel F Wang & Mr. Timothy C Irwin & Lewis K Murara, 2015. "Trends in Fiscal Transparency: Evidence from a New Database of the Coverage of Fiscal Reporting," IMF Working Papers 2015/188, International Monetary Fund.
    19. Christopher Ellis & John Fender, 2006. "Corruption and Transparency in a Growth Model," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 13(2), pages 115-149, May.
    20. Baraldi A. Laura, 2008. "Effects of Electoral Rules, Political Competition and Corruption on the Size and Composition of Government Consumption Spending: An Italian Regional Analysis," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-37, July.
    21. Williams, Andrew, 2009. "On the release of information by governments: Causes and consequences," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 124-138, May.
    22. Windmeijer, Frank, 2005. "A finite sample correction for the variance of linear efficient two-step GMM estimators," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 126(1), pages 25-51, May.
    23. Stephen Bond, 2002. "Dynamic panel data models: a guide to microdata methods and practice," CeMMAP working papers CWP09/02, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Whitley, Edgar A. & Martinez, Tatiana, 2023. "Open data as an anticorruption tool? Using distributed cognition to understand breakdowns in the creation of transparency data," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118578, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Capasso, Salvatore & Cicatiello, Lorenzo & De Simone, Elina & Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio & Mourão, Paulo Reis, 2021. "Fiscal transparency and tax ethics: does better information lead to greater compliance?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 1031-1050.
    3. Cicatiello, Lorenzo & De Simone, Elina & Ercolano, Salvatore & Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio, 2021. "Assessing the impact of fiscal transparency on FDI inflows," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    4. Federica Cacciatore & Fabrizio Mascio & Alessandro Natalini, 2022. "Do Economic Recovery Packages Open a Window of Opportunity for Corruption and Mismanagement? The Case of Italy in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 527-544, September.
    5. Ali Farazmand & Elina Simone & Salvatore Capasso & Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta, 2021. "Articles for a Special Issue of Public Organization Review (POR) on Corruption, Lack of Transparency and the Misuse of Public Funds in Times of Crisis," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 183-186, June.
    6. Salvatore Capasso & Lorenzo Cicatiello & Elina De Simone & Lodovico Santoro, 2022. "Corruption and tax revenues: Evidence from Italian regions," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(4), pages 1129-1152, December.
    7. Federico Ceschel & Alessandro Hinna & Fabian Homberg, 2022. "Public Sector Strategies in Curbing Corruption: A Review of the Literature," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 571-591, September.
    8. Bruno Blanco-Varela & María Quintas-Pérez & María Carmen Sánchez-Carreira & Paulo Jorge Reis Mourão, 2022. "Covid and Public Funds: More Opportunities for a Misuse? The Case of the Intermediate Governments of Galicia," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 505-526, September.
    9. Ali Farazmand & Elina Simone & Giuseppe Lucio Gaeta & Salvatore Capasso, 2022. "Corruption, lack of Transparency and the Misuse of Public Funds in Times of Crisis: An introduction," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 497-503, September.
    10. Dingzu Zhang & Xingjie Shen & Cong Peng, 2022. "National Audit, Media Attention, and Efficiency of Local Fiscal Expenditure: A Spatial Econometric Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-24, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Juergen Bitzer & Erkan Goeren, 2018. "Foreign Aid and Subnational Development: A Grid Cell Analysis," Working Papers V-407-18, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2018.
    2. Ferreira, Candida, 2018. "Financial Crisis, Banking Sector Performance and Economic Growth in the European Union," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 71(3), pages 257-288.
    3. Armey, Laura E. & McNab, Robert M., 2018. "Expenditure decentralization and natural resources," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 52-61.
    4. Cândida Ferreira, 2017. "Relevance of the EU Banking Sector to Economic Growth," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 23(2), pages 203-215, May.
    5. Cândida Ferreira, 2015. "The relevance of the EU banking sector to economic growth and the recent financial crisis," Working Papers Department of Economics 2015/02, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    6. Cassidy, Traviss, 2017. "Revenue Persistence and Public Service Delivery," MPRA Paper 114464, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 06 Sep 2022.
    7. Ignacio del Rosal, 2019. "Export Diversification And Export Performance By Destination Country," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(1), pages 58-74, January.
    8. Nguyen Thi Tuong Anh & Hung Quang Doan & Tuan Anh Bui & Nam Hoang Vu & Duong Thuy Thanh Le, 2022. "A Revisit of Motives for Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment: The Role of the Institution in Host Countries," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, December.
    9. Piccoli, Luca & Tiezzi, Silvia, 2021. "Rational addiction and time-consistency: An empirical test," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    10. Fendel Tanja, 2016. "Migration and Regional Wage Disparities in Germany," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 236(1), pages 3-35, February.
    11. Jeffrey Kouton, 2021. "The impact of renewable energy consumption on inclusive growth: panel data analysis in 44 African countries," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 145-170, February.
    12. Sarma, Sisira & Zaric, Gregory S. & Campbell, M. Karen & Gilliland, Jason, 2014. "The effect of physical activity on adult obesity: Evidence from the Canadian NPHS panel," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 14(C), pages 1-21.
    13. Janků, Jan & Libich, Jan, 2019. "Ignorance isn't bliss: Uninformed voters drive budget cycles," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 21-43.
    14. Monica Schuster & Miet Maertens, 2013. "8 Private Food Standards and Firm-Level Trade Effects: A Dynamic Analysis of the Peruvian Asparagus Export Sector," Frontiers of Economics and Globalization, in: Nontariff Measures with Market Imperfections: Trade and Welfare Implications, pages 187-213, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    15. Yongfu Huang, 2011. "Private investment and financial development in a globalized world," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 43-56, August.
    16. Daher, Hassan & Masih, Mansur & Ibrahim, Mansor, 2015. "The unique risk exposures of Islamic banks’ capital buffers: A dynamic panel data analysis," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 36-52.
    17. Bittencourt, Manoel, 2011. "Inflation and financial development: Evidence from Brazil," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1-2), pages 91-99, January.
    18. Caporale, Guglielmo Maria & Sova, Anamaria Diana & Sova, Robert, 2022. "The direct and indirect effects of financial development on international trade: Evidence from the CEEC-6," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    19. Scott, K. Rebecca, 2015. "Demand and price uncertainty: Rational habits in international gasoline demand," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 40-49.
    20. Florian Moussi-Beylie, 2023. "The trickle-down theory: a reality in French sports?," TEPP Working Paper 2023-04, TEPP.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    fiscal transparency; corruption; panel data; public administration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration
    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:17:y:2017:i:4:p:17:n:10. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.