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Corruption and anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Robert Gillanders

    (Hanken School of Economics)

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between individuals’ experience of corruption and their anxiety using microeconomic data from the Afrobarometer surveys. The results show a statistically significant and economically meaningful relationship in probit models using both an experience of corruption index and a simple dummy variable. Having to pay a bribe to obtain documents and permits, to avoid problems with the police or to access medical care are the scenarios in which this relationship is strongest. Some evidence is presented that an individual needs to experience such corruption more than ‘once or twice’ for these relationships to become evident.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Gillanders, 2016. "Corruption and anxiety in Sub-Saharan Africa," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 47-69, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:ecogov:v:17:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10101-015-0177-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10101-015-0177-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Sharma, Smriti & Singhal, Saurabh & Tarp, Finn, 2021. "Corruption and mental health: Evidence from Vietnam," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 125-137.
    2. Robert Gillanders, 2014. "Corruption and Infrastructure at the Country and Regional Level," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(6), pages 803-819, June.
    3. Gillanders, Robert & van der Werff, Lisa, 2020. "Corruption Experiences and Attitudes to Political, Interpersonal, and Domestic Violence," MPRA Paper 99949, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Iddisah Sulemana, 2015. "An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship Between Social Capital and Subjective Well-Being in Ghana," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(5), pages 1299-1321, October.
    5. Hinks, Timothy, 2020. "Bribery, motivations for bribery and life satisfaction in transitional countries," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    6. van Deurzen, Ioana, 2017. "And justice for all: Examining corruption as a contextual source of mental illness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 26-34.
    7. Krisztina Gero & Daniel Kim, 2020. "Prospective associations between US state-level corruption and individual-level cardiovascular risk factors among middle-aged Americans: The National Longitudinal Survey of Youths 1979," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(9), pages 1737-1748, December.
    8. Smriti Sharma & Saurabh Singhal & Finn Tarp, 2020. "Corruption and mental health," Working Papers 296967914, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Anxiety; Corruption; Bribery; Well-being; Sub-Saharan Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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