Publication:
Misunderestimating Corruption

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dc.contributor.authorMurrell, Peter
dc.contributor.authorKraay, Aart
dc.date.accessioned2013-09-26T14:41:22Z
dc.date.available2013-09-26T14:41:22Z
dc.date.issued2013-05
dc.description.abstractEstimates of the extent of corruption rely largely on self-reports of individuals, business managers, and government officials. Yet it is well known that survey respondents are reticent to tell the truth about activities to which social and legal stigma are attached, implying a downward bias in survey-based estimates of corruption. This paper develops a method to estimate the prevalence of reticent behavior, in order to isolate rates of corruption that fully reflect respondent reticence in answering sensitive questions. The method is based on a statistical model of how respondents behave when answering a combination of conventional and random-response survey questions. The responses to these different types of questions reflect three probabilities -- that the respondent has done the sensitive act in question, that the respondent exhibits reticence in answering sensitive questions, and that a reticent respondent is not candid in answering any specific sensitive question. These probabilities can be estimated using a method-of-moments estimator. Evidence from the 2010 World Bank Enterprise survey in Peru suggests reticence-adjusted estimates of corruption that are roughly twice as large as indicated by responses to standard questions. Reticence-adjusted estimates of corruption are also substantially higher in a set of ten Asian countries covered in the Gallup World Poll.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/06/17875551/misunderestimating-corruption
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-6488
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/15847
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper;No. 6488
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectBENCHMARK
dc.subjectBIASES
dc.subjectBINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION
dc.subjectCLASSIFICATION
dc.subjectCOMPUTERS
dc.subjectCONDITIONS
dc.subjectCORRELATIONS
dc.subjectCOVARIANCE
dc.subjectDATA COLLECTION
dc.subjectDESCRIPTION
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
dc.subjectEQUATIONS
dc.subjectEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
dc.subjectEXPERIMENTS
dc.subjectFINANCIAL SUPPORT
dc.subjectGENERALIZATIONS
dc.subjectGOVERNMENT AGENCIES
dc.subjectGUILT
dc.subjectINDIVIDUALS
dc.subjectINTERVIEWS
dc.subjectLAW OF LARGE NUMBERS
dc.subjectLAY OUT
dc.subjectMANUSCRIPT
dc.subjectMETHODOLOGY
dc.subjectMODELING
dc.subjectMOTIVATION
dc.subjectNOTATION
dc.subjectORDERING
dc.subjectPERCEPTION
dc.subjectPREDICTIONS
dc.subjectPROBABILITIES
dc.subjectPROBABILITY
dc.subjectPROTOCOL
dc.subjectQUESTIONNAIRES
dc.subjectRANDOM VARIABLES
dc.subjectRANDOMIZATION
dc.subjectRESEARCH METHODS
dc.subjectRESEARCH WORKING PAPERS
dc.subjectRESEARCHERS
dc.subjectSAMPLING TECHNIQUES
dc.subjectSIGNIFICANCE LEVEL
dc.subjectSOLUTIONS
dc.subjectSTANDARD ERRORS
dc.subjectSURVEY DATA
dc.subjectSURVEY METHODOLOGY
dc.subjectWEB
dc.subjectcorruption
dc.subjectreticence
dc.subjectrandom response questions
dc.titleMisunderestimating Corruptionen
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.associatedcontenthttps://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23941 Journal accepted manuscript
okr.crossref.titleMisunderestimating Corruption
okr.date.disclosure2013-06-07
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-10T11:47:52.500989Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/06/17875551/misunderestimating-corruption
okr.globalpracticeSocial, Urban, Rural and Resilience
okr.globalpracticeEducation
okr.globalpracticeTransport and ICT
okr.guid864411468169460814
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-6488
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum000158349_20130617134939
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum17875551
okr.identifier.reportWPS6488
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/06/17/000158349_20130617134939/Rendered/PDF/WPS6488.pdfen
okr.sectorPublic Administration, Law, and Justice :: General public administration sector
okr.themePublic sector governance :: Other accountability/anti-corruption
okr.topicSocial Development::Psychology
okr.topicStatistical and Mathematical Sciences
okr.topicScience Education
okr.topicInformation Security and Privacy
okr.topicScientific Research and Science Parks
okr.topicEducation
okr.topicScience and Technology Development
okr.topicInformation and Communication Technologies
okr.unitMacroeconomics and Growth Team, Development Research Group
okr.volume1 of 1
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryfe7bc90f-4a13-5746-9efb-e11d3386cdf8
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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