Corruption's Hold on the Economy: An Examination of the Causes of Economic Development

Authors

Peter Raatz '06, Illinois Wesleyan University

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between political corruption and economic development through a cross-national survey of twenty-three of the twenty-five European Union Member States. This study was conducted in order to expand on the research conducted by Margaret Goodman and Nathaniel Leff. The survey examined the effect of political corruption on six dependent variables that represent economic development: gross domestic product per capita, unemployment rate, education, fertility rate, infant mortality rate, and government debt. Of the six, GDP, unemployment and fertility were shown to be significant. The findings suggest that corruption index increase coupled with a job creation program caused decreases in unemployment and increases in GDP.

Recommended Citation

Raatz '06, Peter (2006) "Corruption's Hold on the Economy: An Examination of the Causes of Economic Development," Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 11
Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol11/iss1/4