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Deals and Delays: Firm-level Evidence on Corruption and Policy Implementation Times

Author

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  • Caroline Freund
  • Mary Hallward-Driemeier
  • Bob Rijkers

Abstract

Whether demands for bribes for particular government services are associated with expedited or delayed policy implementation underlies debates around the role of corruption in private sector development. The "grease the wheels" hypothesis, which contends that bribes act as speed money, implies three testable predictions. First, on average, bribe requests should be negatively correlated with wait times. Second, this relationship should vary across firms, with those with the highest opportunity cost of waiting being more likely to pay and facing shorter delays. Third, the role of grease should vary across countries, with benefits larger where regulatory burdens are greatest. The data are inconsistent with all three predictions. According to the preferred specifications, ceteris paribus, firms confronted with demands for bribes take approximately 1.5 times longer to get a construction permit, operating license, or electrical connection than firms that did not have to pay bribes and, respectively, 1.2 and 1.4 times longer to clear customs when exporting and importing. The results are robust to controlling for firm fixed effects and at odds with the notion that corruption enhances efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline Freund & Mary Hallward-Driemeier & Bob Rijkers, 2016. "Deals and Delays: Firm-level Evidence on Corruption and Policy Implementation Times," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 354-382.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:30:y:2016:i:2:p:354-382.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhv001
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    Cited by:

    1. Ruohan Wu, 2018. "Does Competition Lead Firms to Bribery? A Firm-Level Study in Southeast Asia," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 46(1), pages 91-100, March.
    2. Fatma Nur Karaman Kabadurmus, 2021. "Innovation Challenges in South Asia: Evidence from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 16(1), pages 100-129, April.
    3. Manuel Oechslin & Elias Steiner, 2022. "Statistical capacity and corrupt bureaucracies," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 143-174, January.
    4. Grand, Nathalie & Kamaly, Ahmed, 2017. "On the guidelines of good planning : The case of the Arab region," MPRA Paper 84146, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Mary Hallward-Driemeier & Lant Pritchett, 2015. "How Business Is Done in the Developing World: Deals versus Rules," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 121-140, Summer.
    6. Shafiq, M. Najeeb, 2015. "Aspects of Moral Change in India, 1990–2006: Evidence from Public Attitudes toward Tax Evasion and Bribery," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 136-148.
    7. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake & Ajantha Sisira Kumara & Asankha Pallegedara, 2023. "The nexus between public sector corruption and private sector efficiency: Evidence from worldwide firm‐level data," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 1056-1077, May.
    8. Choudhury, Sanchari, 2023. "Non-random selection into entrepreneurship in the realm of government decentralization and corruption," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Ruohan Wu, 2019. "Firm Development and Bribery: An Empirical Study from Latin America," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 47(1), pages 53-64, March.
    10. Ebuka Christian Orjiakor, 2022. "Business climate and firm exit in developing countries: evidence from Nigeria," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-13, December.
    11. Chuah,Lay Lian & Loayza,Norman V. & Myers,C. Bernard, 2020. "The Fight against Corruption : Taming Tigers and Swatting Flies," Research and Policy Briefs 145050, The World Bank.
    12. Seyedmasood Dastan & John Gibson, 2023. "The effect of corruption on firm investment in the presence of missing data," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 82(1), pages 79-93, January.
    13. Aggarwal, Aradhna, 2020. "The Concept, Evolution, Impacts and Critical Success Factors of Regional Economic Corridors," MPRA Paper 110706, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Nov 2021.
    14. De Beule, Filip & Klein, Martin & Verwaal, Ernst, 2020. "Institutional quality and inclusive strategies at the base of the pyramid," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    15. Nishioka, Shuichiro & Sharma, Sumi & Le, Tuan Viet, 2023. "Political regimes and firms' decisions to pay bribes: theory and evidence from firm-level surveys," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(6), pages 764-786, December.

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