IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/inteco/v166y2021icp58-70.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Economic growth and corruption in emerging markets: Does economic freedom matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Malanski, Leonardo Köppe
  • Póvoa, Angela Cristiane Santos

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of corruption on economic growth for different levels of economic freedom. The effects of corruption on the economy, which can increase or decrease growth, were tested in emerging countries in Latin America and Pacific Asia, between 2000 and 2017, through one-step System-GMM estimation panel data regressions. The results showed that economic freedom works as a moderator in the relationship between corruption and economic growth. On both continents, greater economic freedom, on average, supports the growth of GDP per capita. In Latin America, it was possible to corroborate the hypothesis that corruption damages countries with greater economic freedom but favors economic growth in countries with lower economic freedom levels. Regarding the Asian countries studied, there was only a negative effect of corruption on economic growth in countries with less economic freedom. When comparing this reality with the one in Latin America, it was observed that in terms of development, the countries in this continent are in earlier stages compared to the Asian countries, even though both country groups are called “emerging.”

Suggested Citation

  • Malanski, Leonardo Köppe & Póvoa, Angela Cristiane Santos, 2021. "Economic growth and corruption in emerging markets: Does economic freedom matter?," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 58-70.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:inteco:v:166:y:2021:i:c:p:58-70
    DOI: 10.1016/j.inteco.2021.02.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2110701721000123
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.inteco.2021.02.001?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. Aghion, Philippe & Akcigit, Ufuk & Cagé, Julia & Kerr, William R., 2016. "Taxation, corruption, and growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 24-51.
    2. Rajeev K. Goel & Michael A. Nelson, 2005. "Economic Freedom Versus Political Freedom: Cross‐Country Influences On Corruption," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(2), pages 121-133, June.
    3. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    4. Bengoa, Marta & Sanchez-Robles, Blanca, 2003. "Foreign direct investment, economic freedom and growth: new evidence from Latin America," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 529-545, September.
    5. Huang, Chiung-Ju, 2016. "Is corruption bad for economic growth? Evidence from Asia-Pacific countries," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 247-256.
    6. Aidt, Toke & Dutta, Jayasri & Sena, Vania, 2008. "Governance regimes, corruption and growth: Theory and evidence," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 195-220, June.
    7. Gwartney, James & Lawson, Robert, 2003. "The concept and measurement of economic freedom," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 405-430, September.
    8. Méon, Pierre-Guillaume & Weill, Laurent, 2010. "Is Corruption an Efficient Grease?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 244-259, March.
    9. Neeman Zvika & Paserman M. Daniele & Simhon Avi, 2008. "Corruption and Openness," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-40, December.
    10. Zhu, Hui & Zhu, Steven X., 2017. "Corporate innovation and economic freedom: Cross-country comparisons," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 50-65.
    11. Angulo-Guerrero, María J. & Pérez-Moreno, Salvador & Abad-Guerrero, Isabel M., 2017. "How economic freedom affects opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship in the OECD countries," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 30-37.
    12. Fischer, Stanley, 1993. "The role of macroeconomic factors in growth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 485-512, December.
    13. Abdullah Alam & Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, 2013. "The Role of Press Freedom in Economic Development: A Global Perspective," Journal of Media Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 4-20, March.
    14. Elizabeth Asiedu & James Freeman, 2009. "The Effect of Corruption on Investment Growth: Evidence from Firms in Latin America, Sub‐Saharan Africa, and Transition Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(2), pages 200-214, May.
    15. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1i2ig6hi2i8so8g8jbnuokstbu is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Jac C Heckelman & Benjamin Powell, 2010. "Corruption and the Institutional Environment for Growth," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 52(3), pages 351-378, September.
    17. John Luke Gallup & Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew Mellinger, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," CID Working Papers 1, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    18. Pierre-Guillaume Méon & Khalid Sekkat, 2005. "Does corruption grease or sand the wheels of growth?," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 69-97, January.
    19. Yamamura, Eiji & Antonio R, Andrés, 2011. "Trust and Fertility: Evidence from OECD countries," MPRA Paper 29978, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Gallup, John L. & Sachs, Jeffrey D. & Mellinger, Andrew, "undated". "Geography and Economic Development," Instructional Stata datasets for econometrics geodata, Boston College Department of Economics.
    21. James D. Gwartney & Randall G. Holcombe & Robert A. Lawson, 2004. "Economic Freedom, Institutional Quality,and Cross-Country Differences in Income and Growth," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 24(3), pages 205-233, Fall.
    22. Aghion, Philippe & Akcigit, Ufuk & Cagé, Julia & Kerr, William R., 2016. "Taxation, corruption, and growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 24-51.
    23. Barro, Robert J. & Lee, Jong Wha, 2013. "A new data set of educational attainment in the world, 1950–2010," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 184-198.
    24. Pak Hung Mo, 2000. "Income Inequality and Economic Growth," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 293-315, August.
    25. Axel Dreher & Martin Gassebner, 2007. "Greasing the Wheels of Entrepreneurship? The Impact of Regulations and Corruption on Firm Entry," KOF Working papers 07-166, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    26. John Luke Gallup & Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew Mellinger, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," CID Working Papers 01A, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    27. Park, Junghee, 2012. "Corruption, soundness of the banking sector, and economic growth: A cross-country study," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 907-929.
    28. Rock, Michael T. & Bonnett, Heidi, 2004. "The Comparative Politics of Corruption: Accounting for the East Asian Paradox in Empirical Studies of Corruption, Growth and Investment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 999-1017, June.
    29. Pranab Bardhan, 1997. "Corruption and Development: A Review of Issues," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(3), pages 1320-1346, September.
    30. Gallup, John & Sachs, Jeffrey, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) Papers 294434, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.
    31. Gallup, J.L. & Sachs, J.D. & Mullinger, A., 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," Papers 1, Chicago - Graduate School of Business.
    32. Vito Tanzi, 1998. "Corruption Around the World: Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 45(4), pages 559-594, December.
    33. Graeff, P. & Mehlkop, G., 2003. "The impact of economic freedom on corruption: different patterns for rich and poor countries," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 605-620, September.
    34. Takuma Kunieda & Keisuke Okada & Akihisa Shibata, 2014. "Corruption, capital account liberalization, and economic growth: Theory and evidence," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 139, pages 80-108.
    35. Mushfiq us Swaleheen & Dean Stansel, 2007. "Economic Freedom, Corruption, and Growth," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 27(3), pages 343-358, Fall.
    36. Nye, J. S., 1967. "Corruption and Political Development: A Cost-Benefit Analysis," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(2), pages 417-427, June.
    37. Paolo Mauro, 1995. "Corruption and Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(3), pages 681-712.
    38. Mr. Vito Tanzi, 1998. "Corruption Around the World: Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures," IMF Working Papers 1998/063, International Monetary Fund.
    39. Vial, Virginie & Hanoteau, Julien, 2010. "Corruption, Manufacturing Plant Growth, and the Asian Paradox: Indonesian Evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 693-705, May.
    40. repec:cii:cepiei:2014-q3-139-5 is not listed on IDEAS
    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. Ofori, Isaac K. & Figari, Francesco & Ojong, Nathanael, 2023. "Towards sustainability: The relationship between foreign direct investment, economic freedom and inclusive green growth," MPRA Paper 116956, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Bashir Ahmad & Maria Ciupac-Ulici & Daniela-Georgeta Beju, 2021. "Economic and Non-Economic Variables Affecting Fraud in European Countries," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Helmi Hamdi & Abdelaziz Hakimi, 2023. "Corruption, imported innovation, and growth: Evidence using the panel smooth transition regression approach for developing countries," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 956-972, June.
    4. Anh‐Tuan Doan & Bich‐Thanh Truong & Chi‐Cuong Nguyen & Phan‐Tam‐Nhu Nguyen & Hai‐Yen Truong & Anh‐Tuan Le, 2023. "Corruption and corporate leverage in an emerging economy: The role of economic freedom," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(2), pages 599-629, June.
    5. Eleni Zafeiriou & Alexandros Garefalakis & Ioannis Passas & Konstantina Ragazou, 2023. "Illicit and Corruption Mitigation Strategy in the Financial Sector: A Study with a Hybrid Methodological Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Isaac K. Ofori & Francesco Figari & Nathanael Ojong, 2023. "Towards sustainability: The relationship between foreign direct investment, economic freedom and inclusive green growth," Working Papers 23/023, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    7. Isaac K. Ofori & Francesco Figari & Nathanael Ojong, 2023. "Towards sustainability: The relationship between foreign direct investment, economic freedom and inclusive green growth," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 23/023, African Governance and Development Institute..
    8. Alvarado, Rafael & Cuesta, Lizeth & Kumar, Pavan & Rehman, Abdul & Murshed, Muntasir & Işık, Cem & Vega, Nora & Ochoa-Moreno, Santiago & Tillaguango, Brayan, 2022. "Impact of natural resources on economic progress: Evidence for trading blocs in Latin America using non-linear econometric methods," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    9. Awoa Awoa, Paul & Oyono, Jean Cedric & Ngah Atangana, Bénédicte & Okere Atanga, Donald & Zeh, Inès Perolde, 2022. "Natural resource and entrepreneurship: Economic freedom matters," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    10. Konstantina Ragazou & Ioannis Passas & Alexandros Garefalakis, 2022. "It Is Time for Anti-Bribery: Financial Institutions Set the New Strategic “Roadmap” to Mitigate Illicit Practices and Corruption in the Market," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-25, November.
    11. Dokas, Ioannis & Panagiotidis, Minas & Papadamou, Stephanos & Spyromitros, Eleftherios, 2023. "Does innovation affect the impact of corruption on economic growth? International evidence," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1030-1054.
    12. Zhang Yu & Muhammad Umer Quddoos & Syed Abdul Rehman Khan & Muhammad Munir Ahmad & Laeeq Razzak Janjua & Muhammad Sajid Amin & Abdul Haseeb, 2023. "Investigating the moderating impact of crime and corruption on the economic growth of Bangladesh: Fresh insights," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 26(2), pages 185-207, June.
    13. Po-Yuan Shih & Cheng-Ping Cheng & Dong-Her Shih & Ting-Wei Wu & David C. Yen, 2022. "Who Is the Most Effective Country in Anti-Corruption? From the Perspective of Open Government Data and Gross Domestic Product," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(13), pages 1-20, June.

    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. Michael Breen & Robert Gillanders, 2012. "Corruption, institutions and regulation," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 263-285, September.
    2. Maria Cristina Molinari, 2011. "Corruption in Privatization and Governance Regimes," Working Papers 2011_28, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    3. Maria Kravtsova & Aleksey Oshchepkov, 2019. "Market And Network Corruption," HSE Working papers WP BRP 209/EC/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    4. repec:pdn:wpaper:79 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Trung V. Vu, 2021. "Climate, diseases, and the origins of corruption," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 621-649, October.
    6. Heli Virta, 2010. "The linkage between corruption and shadow economy size: does geography matter?," International Journal of Development Issues, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(1), pages 4-24, April.
    7. repec:pdn:wpaper:70 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. LABED Lazhar & BOUCENNA Mohammed Ridha & BENZOUAI Mohamed Cherif, 2022. "Analyzing The Impact Of Corruption On Income Levels Disparity Between Countries," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 17(2), pages 160-175, August.
    9. Philip Akrofi Atitianti & James Chukwubudom Chikelu, 2021. "Corruption and firm growth: evidence from Nigeria," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(5), pages 1-18, May.
    10. Ghulam Shabbir & Mumtaz Anwar & Shahid Adil, 2016. "Corruption, Political Stability and Economic Growth," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 689-702.
    11. Saha, Shrabani & Gounder, Rukmani, 2013. "Corruption and economic development nexus: Variations across income levels in a non-linear framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 70-79.
    12. Shrabani Saha & Girijasankar Mallik & Dimitrios Vortelinos, 2017. "Does Corruption Facilitate Growth? A Cross-national Study in a Non-linear Framework," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 6(2), pages 178-193, December.
    13. Alice N. Sindzingre & Christian Milelli, 2010. "The Uncertain Relationship between Corruption and Growth in Developing Countries: Threshold Effects and State Effectiveness," EconomiX Working Papers 2010-10, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    14. Andrew Hodge & Sriram Shankar & D. S. Prasada Rao & Alan Duhs, 2011. "Exploring the Links Between Corruption and Growth," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(3), pages 474-490, August.
    15. Uberti, Luca J., 2022. "Corruption and growth: Historical evidence, 1790–2010," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 321-349.
    16. Ho Thuy Ai & Ping, Lin, 2018. "Impacts of fiscal policy on economic growth: Another look from institutional perspective," Economics Discussion Papers 2018-45, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    17. Krifa-Schneider, Hadjila & Matei, Iuliana & Sattar, Abdul, 2022. "FDI, corruption and financial development around the world: A panel non-linear approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    18. Blackburn, Keith & Forgues-Puccio, Gonzalo F., 2009. "Why is corruption less harmful in some countries than in others?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 72(3), pages 797-810, December.
    19. Bloom, David E. & Canning, David & Kotschy, Rainer & Prettner, Klaus & Schünemann, Johannes, 2024. "Health and economic growth: Reconciling the micro and macro evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    20. Eugen Dimant & Guglielmo Tosato, 2018. "Causes And Effects Of Corruption: What Has Past Decade'S Empirical Research Taught Us? A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 335-356, April.
    21. Méon, Pierre-Guillaume & Weill, Laurent, 2010. "Is Corruption an Efficient Grease?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 244-259, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corruption; Growth; Economic freedom; Emerging countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E02 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Institutions and the Macroeconomy
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • P51 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Analysis of Economic Systems

    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:eee:inteco:v:166:y:2021:i:c:p:58-70. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/21107017 .

    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.