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Bribery and firm performance in India: A political economy perspective

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  • Jain, Ritika

Abstract

This study examines how corruption affects firm performance in India using data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey for 2013-14. A set of testable hypotheses is formulated with regard to the interaction between bribery and the political environment to capture the nuances of the effect of corruption on firm performance. To overcome endogeneity between bribery and firm performance, the study employs two-stage least squares instrumental variables estimation. The foremost finding is that bribery has significantly negative effects on firm profitability and labor productivity. This finding confirms the hypothesis that in India bribery “sands the wheels” of business. A further finding is that the negative effect of bribery on productivity is stronger in states run by right leaning parties, although there is no significant effect of party orientation on the relationship between bribery and profitability. This finding supports the hypothesis that tighter connections between business and government facilitate rent seeking that undermines productivity even as profitability is unencumbered. Finally, bribery is found to have more harmful effects on smaller and older firms than on larger and younger ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Jain, Ritika, 2020. "Bribery and firm performance in India: A political economy perspective," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:asieco:v:68:y:2020:i:c:s1049007820300257
    DOI: 10.1016/j.asieco.2020.101181
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    Cited by:

    1. Jain Ritika, 2021. "Information and Communication Technology Adoption and the Demand for Female Labor: The Case of Indian Industry," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(2), pages 695-722, April.
    2. Zakia Jabeen & Jabir Ali & Nadia Yusuf, 2021. "Difference in business obstacles faced by firms across sizes: evidence from enterprise survey data of India," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 11(1), pages 71-81, December.
    3. Irfan Kurniawan & Riyanto, 2020. "Should I Bribe? Re-Examining the Greasing-the-Wheels Hypothesis in Democratic Post-Soeharto Indonesia," Economics and Finance in Indonesia, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia, vol. 66, pages 123-140, Desember.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corruption; Firm performance; Bribery; Ideology; Political competition; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

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