Causes of Corruption: Evidence from Sub-Sahara Africa

Abstract

This study explores the causes of corruption for Sub-Sahara Africa in a panel of 22 countries from 1996 to 2013. The sources of corruption are grouped under three main thematic areas – historical roots, contemporary causes and institutional causes to make way for both subjective and objective measures. The subjective measures allow this paper to gauge the effectiveness of anticorruption policies. Focusing on three estimation strategies and using the perceived level of corruption as dependent variable, we find ethnic diversity, resource abundance and educational attainment to be markedly less associated with corruption; whereas wage levels of bureaucrats and anticorruption controls using government effectiveness and regulatory quality breeds substantial corruption. Press freedom was variedly associated with corruption. As a policy implication, the fight against corruption on the continent needs to be reinvented through qualitative institutional reforms. Existing educational systems should be used as medium to intensify awareness on the devastating effects of corruption on national development