Do Natural Resources Breed Corruption? Evidence from China

55 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 23 Jul 2016

See all articles by Jing Vivian Zhan

Jing Vivian Zhan

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - Department of Government & Public Administration

Date Written: 2015

Abstract

Rampant corruption is often observed in resource-rich countries, especially developing countries with weak political institutions. However, controversies exist regarding whether and how natural resources systematically breed corruption. With empirical evidence from China and through a subnational approach, I shed new light on the impacts of resources on corruption. By qualitative study of corruption cases, I identify the causal channels through which resources contribute to corruption, and using cross-regional and longitudinal statistical analysis on a unique dataset of corruption rates in China, I find that resource dependence significantly increases the propensity for corruption by state employees.

Keywords: China, corruption, curse of natural resources, mixed research method, subnational analysis

Suggested Citation

Zhan, Jing Vivian, Do Natural Resources Breed Corruption? Evidence from China (2015). Environmental and Resource Economics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1899903

Jing Vivian Zhan (Contact Author)

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - Department of Government & Public Administration ( email )

Department of Government & Public Administration
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, N.T.
Hong Kong

HOME PAGE: http://www.gpa.cuhk.edu.hk/en-gb/people/academic-staff/faculty/prof-zhan-jing-vivian

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