Publication: Can We Measure the Power of the Grabbing Hand? A Comparative Analysis of Different Indicators of Corruption
Date
2018-01
ISSN
Published
2018-01
Author(s)
Hamilton, Alexander
Hammer, Craig
Abstract
Sustainable Development Goal 16 is
explicitly committed to measuring aspects of corruption over
time, and the identification of robust indicators to do so
is an important endeavor. This paper critically reviews the
strengths and weaknesses of various objective and subjective
indicators of corruption, using the standard criteria of
validity and reliability to identify indicators most salient
to measuring Sustainable Development Goal 16. Consistent
with the large literature in the field, the paper finds that
the aggregate survey-based indicators of corruption,
especially the Corruption Perceptions Index and the World
Bank's Control of Corruption indicator, despite some
important reservations and limitations, are the most valid
measures of the magnitude of overall corruption in many
country contexts. However, in every case, the initial
results using one indicator should be cross checked with the
use of the other indicator, as there are some minor
differences between how the two indicators are constructed,
and in practice it is difficult to establish a priori which
indicator is marginally more efficient. Furthermore,
whenever possible, subjective indicators should be cross
checked with objective indicators, even when the latter may
be of a more narrow scope and time limited availability.
Citation
“Hamilton, Alexander; Hammer, Craig. 2018. Can We Measure the Power of the Grabbing Hand? A Comparative Analysis of Different Indicators of Corruption. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 8299. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29162 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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