Governance, corruption and Olympic success

Abstract

This article is the first to utilize a set of World Governance Indicators published by the World Bank to examine what role, if any, various characteristics of governance played in promoting success in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Although no strong statistical linear relationship is found between any of the governance indicators and Olympic success, it is shown that nations belonging to roughly the top quintile in control of corruption had a lower probability of medalling and received lower medal shares, ceteris paribus. A possible explanation for this reduced success is revealed in that scoring in the top quintile of control of corruption is also associated with fewer anti-doping violations, which may indicate lower rates of performance-enhancing drug use.

Factors Predicting the Scientific Wealth of Nations

“…When using the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), which measure countries’ levels of corruption and government effectiveness, Gantman (2012) was able to show that poor governance in the form of political authoritarianism has a negative and statistically significant effect on the quality of scientific output, not only in the social sciences but also in the neurosciences, medicine, and agricultural and biological sciences (Gantman, 2012). Although the WGI has been criticized for the lack of a clear theoretical foundation (e.g., Andrews, 2008; Andrews et al, 2010; Erkkilä & Piironen, 2014; Gisselquist, 2014), it has successfully predicted sustainable economic growth (Adkisson & McFerrin, 2014; Güney, 2017; Law et al, 2013), openness in international trade (Al-Marhubi, 2005), a diminishing number of road traffic fatalities (Gaygisiz, 2010), and reduced Olympic success due to lower rates of doping use among the athletes in less corrupt countries (Potts, 2014).…”

Does it pay to Play by the Rules? Respect for Rule of law, Control of Corruption, and National Success at the Summer Olympics

“…In accounting for climate, Clark (2000) finds that it is one of the key factors in determining exactly why host nations tend to outperform others. Both Hoffman et al (2002) and Potts (2014) use the Köppen-Geiger-Trewartha (KGT) climate classification scheme and show that nations with “Dry/Arid” and “Tropical” climates appear to be at a relative disadvantage when it comes to winning medals. Johnson and Ali (2004) account for climate by including the share of land that experiences either high or low amounts of frost each year and discover that colder nations tend to outperform warmer ones.…”

“…This question has also been examined, at least indirectly, in the context of success at international sporting events, namely the Olympic games. Noland (2016) finds statistical evidence that Russia's better-than-expected performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics may be attributed to doping and Potts (2014) uncovers that nations scoring highly in an indicator of ‘Control of Corruption’ have lower rates of doping violations but, unfortunately, achieve lower medal shares.…”

“…This paper is akin to Potts (2014) in that it tests the impact of a government's control of corruption and its citizens’ respect for rule of law on Olympic performance. But where Potts (2014) only examines the 2012 games in London, the current manuscript incorporates data from six sets of summer games.…”

“…This paper is akin to Potts (2014) in that it tests the impact of a government's control of corruption and its citizens’ respect for rule of law on Olympic performance. But where Potts (2014) only examines the 2012 games in London, the current manuscript incorporates data from six sets of summer games. Specifically, using data from 1996–2016, this paper analyzes the relationship between various aspects of governance and success at the Summer Olympics by using the set of World Governance Indicators published by the World Bank.…”