@workingpaper{Asongu2013bc,
title = {Fighting African corruption when existing corruption-control levels matter in a dynamic cultural setting},
author = {Simplice A Asongu},
editor = {African 2013 Governance and Development Institute WP/13/028},
url = {http://www.afridev.org/RePEc/agd/agd-wpaper/Fighting-corruption-with-cultural-dynamics.pdf},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-09-01},
abstract = {Purpose – This paper assesses the determinants of corruption-control with freedom dynamics
(economic, political, press and trade), government quality and a plethora of socio-economic
factors in 46 African countries using updated data.
Design/methodology/approach – A quantile regression approach is employed while controlling
for the unobserved heterogeneity. Principal component analysis is also used to reduce the
dimensions of highly correlated variables.
Findings – With the legal origin fundamental characteristic, the following findings have been
established. (1) While political freedom increases corruption-control (CC) in a bottom quantile
of English common law countries, there is no such evidence in their French civil law
counterparts. (2) Government quality consistently improves CC across all quantiles in English
common law countries but fails to exert the same effect in middle quantiles of French civil law
countries. (3) Economic freedom ameliorates CC only in common law countries with low
existing CC levels (bottom quantiles). (4) We find no significant evidence of a positive ‘press
freedom’-CC nexus and having the status of Low income English common law (French civil
law) countries decreases (increases) CC.
From a religious domination scenario, we also find the following. (1) Political and trade
freedoms only reduce CC in Christian dominated countries while press freedom has a mitigation
effect in both religious cultures (though more consistent across quantiles of Christian-oriented
countries). (2) Government quality is more pro-CC in Christian than in Muslim-dominated
countries. (3) While economic freedom has a scanty negative nexus with CC in Christianoriented
countries, the effect is positive in their Muslim-dominated counterparts. (4) Having a
low-income status in countries with Christian common law tradition improves CC.
Originality/value – We complement the literature on the fight against corruption in Africa by
employing recently documented additional factors that should be considered in corruption
studies.},
keywords = {Corruption; Freedom; Government quality; Quantile regression; Africa},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {workingpaper}
}