Country Perceptions Shape Transnational Bribery and its Deterrence

Jasper Z. Siol (), Angela R. Dorrough (), Louis Strang (), Jennifer Brunne (), Andreas Glöckner (), Bernd Irlenbusch (), Shaul Shalvi (), Joscha Beckmann () and Nils Köbis ()
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Jasper Z. Siol: University of Cologne
Angela R. Dorrough: University of Cologne & FernUniversität in Hagen
Louis Strang: University of Cologne
Jennifer Brunne: FernUniversität in Hagen
Andreas Glöckner: University of Cologne
Bernd Irlenbusch: University of Cologne & London School of Economics and Political Science
Shaul Shalvi: University of Amsterdam
Joscha Beckmann: FernUniversität in Hagen
Nils Köbis: University Duisburg-Essen & Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin

No 408, ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series from University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany

Abstract: Punishment is commonly believed to deter bribery. Yet, in transnational contexts with fragmented enforcement responsibility across countries, punishment effectiveness depends on public perceptions about the enforcing countries. We bridge behavioral experimentation and computational social science by combining an incentivized behavioral experiment across 20 countries (N = 4,081; 81,620 decisions) alongside a large-scale media sentiment analysis spanning 16 years. Participants’ expectations about corruption and punishment in different countries predicted bribery behavior. These expectations aligned with media narratives portraying countries as more or less corrupt, revealing a close relationship between media discourse and bribery decisions. These findings suggest that anti-corruption efforts must address not only legal frameworks but also information environments influencing public perceptions, highlighting the complex interplay between enforcement credibility and media discourse in transnational bribery.

Keywords: Transnational Bribery; Corruption; Experiment; Punishment; Media Narratives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C71 C90 F0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 138 pages
Date: 2026-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:408

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