Determinants of corruption in the EU: personal characteristics and institutional settings.

What is it about?

This paper deals with the problem of corruption, with a focus on both individual and country-specific institutional factors that may affect this problem. We analyse the determinants of the incidence of corruption as well as the tolerance of corruption. The results strongly suggest gender, age, and education are important factors. We may say that anti-corruption policy ought to be targeted towards younger, less-educated, self-employed people with no children. On the other hand, a better-educated man in his early 30s seems to be a typical victim of corruption. The same is true for those having problems paying their expenses. Furthermore, contact with public officials appears to be one of the key issues, with Internet-based interactions with the government perhaps serving as the most effective solution to this problem. The rule of law, government effectiveness, and public accountability seem to be other factors that negatively correlate with the level of corruption within a country.

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Why is it important?

The results should be important especially for public policy settings and public administration. It gives guidelines for the control of corruption and point out the role of the tolerance of corruption. It also highlights the importance of public institutions and their quality.