Polarization and Corruption in America

TY - JOUR

T1 - Polarization and Corruption in America

AU - Pickering, Andrew Christopher

AU - Melki, Mickael

N1 - ©2020 Elsevier B.V. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.

PY - 2020/5/1

Y1 - 2020/5/1

N2 - Using panel data from the US states, we document a robust negative relationship between state-level government corruption and ideological polarization.This finding is sustained when state polarization is instrumented using laggedstate neighbor ideology. We argue that polarization increases the expected costsof engaging in corruption, especially deterring marginal low-level corruption.Consistent with this thesis federal prosecutorial effort falls and case qualityincreases with polarization. Tangible anti-corruption measures including thestringency of state ethics’ laws and independent commissions for redistrictingare also associated with increased state polarization.

AB - Using panel data from the US states, we document a robust negative relationship between state-level government corruption and ideological polarization.This finding is sustained when state polarization is instrumented using laggedstate neighbor ideology. We argue that polarization increases the expected costsof engaging in corruption, especially deterring marginal low-level corruption.Consistent with this thesis federal prosecutorial effort falls and case qualityincreases with polarization. Tangible anti-corruption measures including thestringency of state ethics’ laws and independent commissions for redistrictingare also associated with increased state polarization.

U2 - 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2020.103397

DO - 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2020.103397

M3 - Article

VL - 124

JO - European economic review

JF - European economic review

SN - 0014-2921

M1 - 103397

ER -