PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND CORRUPTION AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND CORRUPTION AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM

Summary/Abstract: Following recent research on public perception of government accountability and corruption, we have identified and provided empirical evidence on the performance of the political system. Using data from Gallup and Transparency International, I investigate the empirical link between actual experiences and perceptions of corruption in the public sector among individuals, and highlight the relevance of public perceptions of corruption for citizens’ assessments of the standards and effectiveness of the political system. Being politically informed shapes perceptions of government corruption. Greater unambiguousness may generate inferior degrees of corruption and a climate contributing to long-term growth and advancement. I draw on Rose-Ackerman and Palifka (2016), D’Agostino et al. (2016), and You (2015) to illustrate my arguments concerning the institutional economics of public sector reform and its relationship with corruption. Corruption confines growth and suppresses confidence in government, whereas low growth and skepticism of the state invigorate and substantiate corruption. Corruption is adverse for economic and social advancement, and is likely to raise preferentiality.

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