State history and corruption

Abstract

This paper explores the effect of state history, measured from 3500 BCE to 2000 CE, on control of corruption. Using cross-country data, we find that the relationship between the capacity to control corruption and accumulated statehood experience follows a hump-shaped (inverted-U) pattern. This result is robust to using alternative measures of state history or corruption, controlling for other measures of early development and contemporary determinants of corruption, and removing outliers.