Corruption Control and Economic Growth: A Meta-Analysis with Regional Evidence

Ichiro Iwasaki

No 783, Discussion Paper Series from Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University

Abstract: Synthesizing 1,052 estimates extracted from 116 studies, this paper examines whether corruption control impacts economic growth and whether the effect differs across regions. Using heterogeneity-robust synthesis methods, we find evidence that corruption control promotes economic growth both globally and at the regional level. Although publication selection bias is present in the literature, bias-corrected effect sizes remain positive and statistically significant, indicating a genuine growth-enhancing effect. Meta-regression analysis further reveals significant regional heterogeneity: the growth effect of corruption control is significantly stronger in Asia and Latin America than in Europe and the Middle East and Africa, even after controlling for study characteristics. Our findings support the “sand the wheels” hypothesis and imply that corruption reflects institutional failure rather than a functional informal institution.

Keywords: corruption control; economic growth; regional comparison; meta-analysis; publication selection bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E26 H30 K42 O11 O57 P48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53 pages
Date: 2026-09
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