Street-level corruption in industrialized and developing countries

Abstract

This paper offers a cross-country analysis of street-level corruption. In line with earlier studies on general corruption (where data did not allow a distinction between street-level and high-level corruption, e.g. Treisman 2000 and La Porta et al. 1999), nine hypotheses based on general economic theories of law enforcement are tested using data from the International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS) held in forty countries (N = 27,456). The analyses employ multilevel logistic regression models. The results show that citizens living in countries with (a) high levels of economic development, (b) high levels of economic freedom, (c) long exposure to democracy, (d) a non-federal structure, (e) Protestant traditions, and (f) a British legal culture, experience less corruption. A relation between corruption levels and economic development, economic freedom, long democratic traditions, and a British legal culture, however, is found only when no distinction is made between industrialized and developing countries. As for individual characteristics, a higher risk of being victimized by corruption is correlated with a lower age and higher levels of education and income

Cybercrime and shifts in opportunities during COVID-19: a preliminary analysis in the UK

“…Since, in 1979, Cohen and Felson (1979) explained that crime rates in the US were going up due to a series of societal transformations that had affected people's routine activities, many have studied how rapid social changes impact opportunities for offenders to converge with potential targets under the absence of guardians that are capable of protecting these targets (Felson and Eckert 2018;Nieuwbeerta et al 2003). Cohen and Felson (1979) studied how the increased use of electronic durables and motor vehicles facilitated access to new valuable goods and made criminals more mobile, and how increasing female labour participation, growing urban population and access to holidays reduced citizens' capacity to watch over each other and act as 'guardians' to reduce criminal opportunities.…”

Linking cultural dimensions with the nature of corruption: An institutional theory perspective

“…According to Husted (1999), people in a high PD culture are more likely to judge a questionable business transaction as ethical than are people from a low PD culture. In addition, economic adversity in high PD societies can encourage extortion among lower-level officials (Davis and Ruhe, 2003;Nieuwbeerta et al, 2003). In international trade, high PD exporting countries are more likely to use bribes in relationships with their overseas customers as compared with low power-distance countries.…”

Korruption in Georgien – Entwicklung und kriminalpräventive Maßnahmen

“…Nieuwbeerta u. a. 21 Bei der zweiten Untersuchung wurden zum selben Zeitpunkt durch GORBI 800 Staatsbedienstete aus verschiedenen Institutionen im Alter ab 20 Jahren befragt. Die Auswahl der Befragten erfolgte aufgrund von Informationen durch die Projektgruppe sowie durch das Department of Statistics of Georgia, wobei entsprechend der Größe der Einrichtungen eine Zufallsstichprobe gezogen wurde.…”