Press freedom and corruption in business-state interactions

Nouf Binhadab, Michael Breen and Robert Gillanders

Economic Systems, 2021, vol. 45, issue 4

Abstract: We show that press freedom has a role in constraining business corruption. Using firm-level data, we find that countries with greater press freedom have significantly fewer incidences of bribery involving public officials. In particular, we find that a free press is associated with a substantial reduction in the percentage of firms that report corruption during interactions with tax officials and when obtaining construction permits. Furthermore, we find that fewer businesses in these countries report that corruption is the biggest problem that they face. These findings highlight the role of an independent media in combating corruption.

Keywords: Bribery; Corruption; Press freedom (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D73 K20 L51 R50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecosys:v:45:y:2021:i:4:s0939362521000704

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecosys.2021.100922

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