The Effect of Internet Access on Government Corruption

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the effect that Internet access in a country has on the level of government corruption by studying a cross section of approximately 170 countries. The papers’ main model includes political, economic, and technological factors that can affect corruption perception. The technological factors focus on Internet access. The weighted least square statistical results indicate that the Internet is having a positive effect on reducing corruption perception around the world; political factors such as red tape, good governance and freedom of the press appear to have a greater impact than economic factors, of which only the income level was significant. Corruption is a problem that needs to be controlled, if not completely eliminated. Because of the multiple causes of corruption, it is advisable that governments use the Internet as one of the many tools available to them to fight corruption.