How Does E-Government Affect Corruption? Provincial Panel Evidence from China

Abstract

To investigate whether and how e-government affects corruption, this study collects longitudinal data (2006-2015) from 29 Chinese provinces for empirical analysis by adopting Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) and Panel Threshold Regression (PTR) model. The results of analysis show that e-government has a restraining effect on corruption and presents a significant threshold characteristics. Specifically, the restraining effect of e-government on corruption shows a dynamic non-linear characteristic, with a trend of first rising and then declining. Besides, the restraining effect is more obvious in provinces with lower e-government level.