Climate, diseases, and the origins of corruption

Trung Vu

EconStor Preprints from ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

Abstract: It has been commonly observed that tropical countries tend to suffer from intense corruption and underdevelopment. This study provides an explanation for this long-standing disparity across the world based on variation in the intensity of ultraviolet radiation (UV-R). The central hypothesis is that UV-R is positively associated with the (historical) prevalence of eye diseases, which significantly shortens work-life expectancy as a skilled worker. This helps shape the worldwide distribution of corruption by affecting the incumbents’ window of opportunity. Using data for up to 139 countries, I consistently find empirical support for the positive relationship between UV-R and corruption. The main findings withstand accounting for numerous alternative explanations for international differences in corruption levels. Employing individual-level data from the World Values Survey, I document suggestive evidence that exposure to UV-R is linked to surveyed respondents’ tolerance towards corrupt activities. Furthermore, a subnational analysis for China lends credence to the cross-country evidence.

Keywords: corruption; climate; diseases; ultraviolet radiation; comparative prosperity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O11 O43 O57 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-env and nep-gro
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Climate, diseases, and the origins of corruption (2021)
Working Paper: Climate, Diseases, and the Origins of Corruption (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:esprep:234125

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