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Corruption, Seigniorage and Growth: Theory and Evidence

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  • Keith Blackburn
  • Kyriakos C. Neanidis
  • M. Emranul Haque

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the effect of bureaucratic corruption on economic growth through a public finance transmission channel. At the theoretical level, we develop a simple dynamic general equilibrium model in which financial intermediaries make portfolio decisions on behalf of agents, and bureaucrats collect tax revenues on behalf of the government. Corruption takes the form of the embezzlement of public funds, the effect of which is to increase the government’s reliance on seigniorage finance. This leads to an increase in inflation which, in turn, reduces capital accumulation and growth. At the empirical level, we use data on 82 countries over a 20-year period to test the predictions of our model. Taking proper account of the government’s budget constraint, we find strong evidence to support these predictions under different estimation strategies. Our results are robust to a wide range of sensitivity tests.

Suggested Citation

  • Keith Blackburn & Kyriakos C. Neanidis & M. Emranul Haque, 2008. "Corruption, Seigniorage and Growth: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 2354, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_2354
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    Cited by:

    1. Simplice Asongu & Oasis Kodila-Tedika, 2016. "Fighting African conflicts and crimes: which governance tools matter?," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 43(5), pages 466-485, May.
    2. Mehmet Ugur, 2014. "Corruption'S Direct Effects On Per-Capita Income Growth: A Meta-Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 472-490, July.
    3. Alexandru Minea & René Tapsoba & Patrick Villieu, 2021. "Inflation targeting adoption and institutional quality: Evidence from developing countries," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(7), pages 2107-2127, July.
    4. Simplice A Asongu, 2015. "A Good Turn Deserves Another: Political Stability, Corruption and Corruption-Control," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(4), pages 2037-2048.
    5. Yener Altunbas & John Thornton, 2011. "Does Paying Taxes Improve the Quality of Governance? Cross‐Country Evidence," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(3), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Piyadasa Edirisuriya, 2017. "Financial Deepening, Economic Growth and Corruption: The Case of Islamic Banking," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 8, pages 1-16, May.
    7. Carsten Hefeker, 2010. "Taxation, corruption and the exchange rate regime," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 338-346, March.
    8. Dimakou, Ourania, 2015. "Bureaucratic corruption and the dynamic interaction between monetary and fiscal policy," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 40(PA), pages 57-78.
    9. Ugur, Mehmet & Dasgupta, Nandini, 2011. "Corruption and economic growth: A meta-analysis of the evidence on low-income countries and beyond," MPRA Paper 31226, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 31 May 2011.
    10. Asongu, Simplice A. & Kodila-Tedika, Oasis, 2013. "Crime and conflicts in Africa: consequences of corruption?," European Economic Letters, European Economics Letters Group, vol. 2(2), pages 50-55.
    11. N. Deyshappriya, 2015. "Do corruption and peace affect economic growth? Evidences from the cross-country analysis," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 17(2), pages 135-147, October.
    12. Ehrhart, Hélène & Minea, Alexandru & Villieu, Patrick, 2014. "Debt, seigniorage, and the Growth Laffer Curve in developing countries," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 199-210.
    13. Eunji Kim & Yoonhee Ha & Sangheon Kim, 2017. "Public Debt, Corruption and Sustainable Economic Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-30, March.
    14. Dimakou, Ourania, 2013. "Monetary and fiscal institutional designs," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 1141-1166.
    15. Damir Piplica, 2011. "Corruption And Inflation In Transition Eu Member Countries," Economic Thought and Practice, Department of Economics and Business, University of Dubrovnik, vol. 20(2), pages 469-506, december.
    16. Katherina Popkova, 2011. "Can the exchange rate regime influence corruption?," Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge 148-11, Universität Siegen, Fakultät Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsinformatik und Wirtschaftsrecht.
    17. Nedra Baklouti & Younes Boujelbene, 2018. "The Nexus Between Democracy and Economic Growth: Evidence from Dynamic Simultaneous-Equations Models," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 9(3), pages 980-998, September.
    18. Kodila Tedika, Oasis, 2012. "Consequences De La Corruption : Panorama Empirique [Consequences of Corruption : Empirical survey]," MPRA Paper 41482, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    corruption; seigniorage; inflation; growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General
    • H60 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - General
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O42 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Monetary Growth Models

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