2012
Chapter
International Handbook on the Economics of Corruption, Volume 2

Evidence from the Firm: A New Approach to Understanding Corruption

Format:Print

Abstract

Due to its clandestine nature, most of what we understand about corruption comes from survey evidence and self-reported perceptions of corruption: this limits both the range of questions that can be asked and the precision of answers that can be provided. This chapter proposes a new lens to understand corruption, using internal records collected from firms that pay bribes. We examine widespread corruption in three industries in an Asian developing country: procurement, pharmaceutical sales, and construction. Using data of real bribes, we provide new estimates of corruption and study its relationship with organizational ownership.

Keywords

Measurement and Metrics; Crime and Corruption; Organizations; Ownership; Asia

Citation

Cole, Shawn A., and Anh Tran. "Evidence from the Firm: A New Approach to Understanding Corruption." Chap. 14 in International Handbook on the Economics of Corruption, Volume 2, edited by Susan Rose-Ackerman and Tina Soreide, 408–427. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012.