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Corruption, Tax Evasion And The Role Of Wage Incentives With Endogenous Monitoring Technology

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  • Waqar Ahmed Wadho

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="ecin12243-abs-0001"> The importance of high salaries to circumvent bureaucratic corruption has been widely recognized in the policy debate. Yet, there appears to be much reluctance when it comes to the implementation. In this paper, we argue that deterring corruption through wage incentives may become prohibitively expensive that the government finds it optimal to accept higher net revenues at the expense of honesty. Deviating from the existing literature, we set an endogenous monitoring technology that allows us to capture the dual role of auditing, as a complement with and as a substitute for wage incentives to deter bribery. We find that the government is better-off either completely eliminating corruption or accepting corruption by offering wages lower than the market wage. Offering public wage premium that does not deter bribery is suboptimal. When it is optimal to deter bribery, the government can do it either through wage incentives or monitoring. The role of wage incentives decreases in societies with higher level of dishonesty. (JEL D73, H26, J33, J41)

Suggested Citation

  • Waqar Ahmed Wadho, 2016. "Corruption, Tax Evasion And The Role Of Wage Incentives With Endogenous Monitoring Technology," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(1), pages 391-407, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:54:y:2016:i:1:p:391-407
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    Cited by:

    1. Maurizio Caserta & Livio Ferrante & Francesco Reito, 2022. "Bribes and Bureaucracy Size: The Strategy of Watering Down Corruption," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(353), pages 191-213, January.
    2. Ciccia, Diego & Distefano, Rosaria & Reito, Francesco, 2022. "The mismatch between potential and actual shirking in a model of bureaucracy," MPRA Paper 115452, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Wadho, Waqar & Ayaz, Umair, 2017. "Government Size and Economic Growth in an Endogenous Growth Model with Rent-seeking," GLO Discussion Paper Series 131, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Waqar Wadho & Umair Ayaz, 2018. "Government size and economic growth in an endogenous growth model with rent†seeking," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 151-179, March.
    5. Kiyoka Akimoto, 2021. "Corruption, mortality rates, and development: policies for escaping from the poverty trap," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 133(1), pages 1-26, June.
    6. Wadho, Waqar Ahmed & Ayaz, Umair, 2015. "Rent-seeking, Government Size and Economic Growth," MPRA Paper 71213, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Kiyoka Akimoto, 2019. "Corruption, mortality rates, and development:Policies for escaping from the poverty trap," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 18-10-Rev., Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts

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