UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL STUDIES HO CHI MINH CITY THE HAGUE VIETNAM THE NETHERLANDS VIETNAM - NETHERLANDS PROGRAMME FOR M.A IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS THE EFFECT OF CORRUPTION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ASIAN COUNTRIES BY LE KIM DUNG MASTER OF ARTS IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec 2016 UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL STUDIES HO CHI MINH CITY THE HAGUE VIETNAM THE NETHERLANDS VIETNAM - NETHERLANDS PROGRAMME FOR M.A IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS THE EFFECT OF CORRUPTION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ASIAN COUNTRIES A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS BY LE KIM DUNG Academic supervisor Dr. TRUONG DANG THUY HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec 2016 I. CERTIFICATION I confirm that this paper, namely “The effect of corruption on economic growth in Asian countries” is my own work. Where material has been used from other sources it has been properly acknowledged and referenced.
If this statement is untrue I understand that I will have committed an assessment offence. I have read the Regulations of Vietnam – Netherlands Programme for M.A In Development Economics and I am aware of the potential consequences of any breach of them. Signature: Name: Le Kim Dung Date: Ho Chi Minh City, Dec 2016 II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my gratitude to interesting and extensive Vietnam– Neitherlands Master Program in Development Economics, as well as honest thanks to many people who built and developed this program such as management board, lecturers, tutors, and librarians.
Fulfillment this course, I acquired useful knowledge, approached new things, were straightforward to expess ideas. I would like to extend my special thanks to Dr. Truong Dang Thuy, the academic supervisor who always read and correct my thesis carefully. His valuable comments, guidances, and encouragement help me to improve the quality of my thesis and complete it timely.
I also would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Dr. Nguyen Trong Hoai, Dr. Pham Khanh Nam, other professors, tutors and course co-instructors of Economics University who, through their valuable lectures and advices, help me during the course. Finally, many thanks and gratefulness are given to my dear family, my warm friends for their encouragement in many ways that strongly support me during my study stage.
II Contents………………………………………………………………………………… III List of tables………………………………………………………………………………. IV List of figures. V Abstract………………………………………………………………………………… 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.2 Research objectives and research questions. 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Theoretical concepts related to economic growth and corruption .2 Effect of corruption on economic growth: theoretical literatures .3 Effect of corruption on economic growth: empirical studies .1 The single equation approach .2 The system of equations approach.
13 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND DATA .1 Conceptual framework for the study .2 Research models and econometric methodology. 31 CHAPTER 4: ESTIMATION RESULT ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .1 Descriptive statistics analysis on the dataset .2 Regression results and discussion .1 Effects of corruption on economic growth directly.2 Effects of corruption on economic growth indirectly through transmitions channels. 44 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION, LIMITATION AND FUTURE RESEARCH .2 Limitations and future research .2 Suggestion for future research .55 APPENDIX Appendix A : Summary of empirical studies………………………………….63 Appendix B : Sample of countries.68 Appendix C : Regression results……………………………………………………. LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Expected sign of selected variables………………………….25 Table 2: Model specification of growth and transmission channel equations……….……29 Table 3: Summary of Variables ……………………………………………….…………32 Table 4: Descriptive statistics and correlations of selected variables………….36 Table 5: Correlations of selected variables…………………………………….37 Table 6: Results of Pooled OLS, Fixed effect model (FEM), and Random effect model (REM) in GDP regression model (Model 1)………………………………………………42 Table 7: Results of 3SLS regression in a system of structural equations…………………46 Table 8: Consequence of Corruption on Economic growth through transmission channels……………………………………………………………………………….
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The effect of Corruption on Economic growth………………………………….21 Figure 2: Scatter graph between Economic growth (GDP) and Corruption (CPI)……….37 Figure 3: Scatter graph between Economic growth (GDP) and Political Instability (PI)…………………………………………………………………………………………38 Figure 4: Scatter graph between Economic growth (GDP) and Investment (I)………….38 Figure 5: Scatter graph between Economic growth (GDP) and Human Capital (HC)……39 Figure 6: Scatter graph between Economic growth (GDP) and Trade Openness (OPEN).39 Figure 7: Scatter graph between Economic growth (GDP) and Government Expenditure (GOV)………………………………………………………………………………….…39 Figure 8: Scatter graph between Corruption (CPI) and Investment (I)……………….…40 Figure 9: Scatter graph between Corruption (CPI) and Human Capital (HC)………….…40 Figure 10: Scatter graph between Corruption (CPI) and Political Instability (PI)…….…41 Figure 11: Scatter graph between Corruption (CPI) and Government Expenditure (GOV)41 Figure 12: Scatter graph between Corruption (CPI) and Trade Openness (OPEN)……….41 ABSTRACT Many theoretical and empirical studies suggest that economic growth depends on various factors such as physical capital, human capital, openness to trade, macroeconomic conditions, corruption perceptions, education, and population growth. This study focuses on summarizing these studies and examining the total impact of corruption on economic growth. Based on panel data included thirty Asian countries over the observation period 1996-2014, this paper applies both ordinary least square (OLS) technique and three-stages least square (3SLS) technique to determine how corruption impacts on economic growth directly and indirectly through five possible transmission channels: investment, human capital, political instability, government expenditure, and the openness of international trade. In consistency with findings of the previous empirical researches, this paper concludes that the effect of corruption on the economic development of thirty Asian countries is significantly negative.
Keywords: economic growth, corruption, investment, human resource, political instability, government expenditure, openness to trade. LE KIM DUNG Page 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research problem During the past few decades, various researchers have tried to identify what are the most important determinants of economic growth, and why some nations have experienced quick long-term income growth rates while others have not. A fundamental cause for this study is the lack of a final agreement about the engine of growth because there are many factors that influence the development of the economy. Indeed, two most popular growth theories, the neoclassical growth theory by Solow (1956) with the cruciality of investment activities and the endogenous growth theory by Romer (1986) and Lucas (1988) focusing on labor and the capacity of innovation lead to various extensions and country developments later.
These developments raise a big discussion about the most important sources of growth. While some researchers refer to factors such as labor, capital, investment, technological progress, government spending, and openness of trade economic freedom; the others are referring to institutions, democracy, rule of law, geography factors, and corruption. In searching for the important growth determinants, a lot of economists focus on corruption, for example, Left (1964), Becker (1968), Lui (1985), Manion (1996), Kaufmann and Wei (1999), Haque and Kneller (2009), Mohamed Dribi (2013), Diaby and Sylwester (2014), Pak Hung Mo (2014). Even then, their lituratures have not approached to the last concord about the effects of corruption on economic growth.
Some papers stated that with a suitable level of corruption, the correlation between corruption and economic development is positive. In the country that has wordiness, sophisticated, unclear administrative procedures, corruption is needed for completing an economic operation quickly such as building a house, application for licenses, organizing a company. It can shorten businessman wasting time for queuing in line and paperwork (Lui, 1985). The “efficient grease” hypothesis stated that corruption improve economic effiency, and firms give more bribes should have approach capital with lower cost easily.
Corruption is also a side effect of an LE KIM DUNG Page 2 emerging country and a free open market economy. Manion (1996) clarified that: to avoid costly delays, applicants make corrupt overpayments to officers for enterprise licenses to which they are fully entitled. In making such payments, bureaucrats enhance their income base. When administration staff have high income, they spend more for goods and services so the economy will grows.
In addition, undeveloped states can not deal with corruption without having achieved the high level of economic development necessary. If not, the governmet will spend a lot of labor force, time, and money to reduce corruption. However, a numerous evidences on significant negative corellation between corruption and economic growth are showed in many empirical researches after managing the vital determinants of economic like government expenditure, human capital, trade openness, investment, political instability, including Mauro (1995), Mauro (1996), Pak Hung Mo (2001), Pellegrini and Gerlagh (2004), Lorentzen, Mc Milan and Wacziarg (2008), Pellegrini (2011), Marie Chene (2014). For instance, the causual association between corruption and growth has been investigated in the study of Mohamed Dridi (2013) by employing the Channel Methodology (method which was developed by Tavares and Wacziarg in 2011).
Based on cross-country data including 82 developed and developing countries for a period of 1980-2002, the author found that corruption affects the economic growth negatively. The empirical result indicated that one point increased in the corruption index will generate 0.9 percent decreased in the annual growth rate via human resources, government spending, investment, inflation, political condition, and openness. The paper futher concluded that human resources and political situation are the most crucial transmission channel through which corruption transmits its negative impact on economic growth. Unlike Mohamed Dridi, Mo (2001) used the decomposition method and found that the political instability accounts for 53 percent of the total corruption effect on growth.
Furthermore, using cross-coutry regression, Mauro (1996) showed the strong negative effects of corruption on growth in 94 countries with observations period from 1960 to 1985. Mauro (1996) concluded that LE KIM DUNG Page 3 corruption reduces investment, especially in private sector, and declines the government expenditures in developing education seen as the vitual element of growth. With the data from Global Competiveness Report Serveys in the year 1996 and 1997, based on Stackelberg game theory, Kaufmann and Wei (1999) checked the relationship between bribe payment and effective bureaucratic molestation. They found that no evidences support for the “speed money” hypothesis, expressed differently, they refuted “efficient grease” thesis, so corruption reduces economic growth.
Besides, the correlation between corruption and economic growth is still uncertain in some findings from previous papers (Andvig and Moene, 1990; Ehrlich and Lui, 1999; Aidt et al, 2008; Haque and Kneller, 2009; Leite and Weidmann, 1999). By employing Threshold model with 54 developed and developing countries data set observed from 1980 to 2003, Haque and Kneller (2009) stated about Threshold effects. Firstly, there is existence of a strong mutual negative relationship between corruption and economic growth. Secondly, corruption is changeable and this relationship depends on the culture of corruption, any changes in culture tends to the destruction of the threshold.
Thirly, because of almost resources belongs to the state, government principally concerns with corruption, so development traps move up. Ehrlich and Lui (1999) also showed the non-linear correlation between corruption and economic growth. Therefore, in contributing to the discussion, this thesis aims at providing a general look at the corruption and economic growth through revisiting the most popular theoretical and empirical studies. This study also re-examines the impacts of corruption on economic growth in Asian countries by applying various econometric techniques.
A new data set is collected and analyzed by formulating some economic growth equations with possible transmition variables of corruption. The results will support further evidences on the casual relationship between corruption and growth. LE KIM DUNG Page 4 1.2 Research objectives and research questions 1.1 Research objectives This paper mainly focuses on the core objective is re-examining the effects of corruption on economic growth in Asian countries for the period from 1996 to 2014. This thesis tries to understand, identify, and explain how corruption will affect economic growth directly and indirectly via transmition channels in the sample.2 Research questions As above mentioned, this thesis tries to address the relationship between corruption and economic growth.
Therefore, the questions should be raised as follows: - Does corruption impact (promote or impede) the economic growth in Asian countries directly and indirectly? - How are corruption effects on economic growth via five possible transmission channels: investment, human capital, political instability, government expenditure, and openness to trade.