Corruption and Mental Health: Evidence from Vietnam

57 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2020

See all articles by Smriti Sharma

Smriti Sharma

Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra, India

Saurabh Singhal

United Nations - World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER)

Finn Tarp

University of Copenhagen - Department of Economics

Abstract

While there is substantial corruption in developing countries, the costs imposed by corruption on individuals and households are little understood. This study examines the relationship between exposure to local corruption and mental health, as measured by depressive symptoms. We use two large data sets – one cross-sectional and one panel – collected across rural Vietnam. After controlling for individual and regional characteristics, we find strong and consistent evidence that day-to-day petty corruption is positively associated with psychological distress. Our results are robust to a variety of specification checks. Further, we find that the relationship between corruption and mental health is stronger for women, and that there are no heterogeneous effects by poverty status. An examination of the underlying mechanisms shows that reductions in income and trust associated with higher corruption may play a role. Finally, using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy, we also provide suggestive evidence that a recent high profile anti-corruption campaign had significant positive effects on mental health. Overall, our findings indicate that there may be substantial psychosocial and mental health benefits from efforts to reduce corruption and improve rural governance structures.

JEL Classification: I3, I15, O12, D73, P3

Suggested Citation

Sharma, Smriti and Singhal, Saurabh and Tarp, Finn, Corruption and Mental Health: Evidence from Vietnam. IZA Discussion Paper No. 13936, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3747455 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3747455

Smriti Sharma (Contact Author)

Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra, India ( email )

Department of Accountancy & Law
Faculty of Commerce
Agra, UT Uttar Pradesh 282110
India

Saurabh Singhal

United Nations - World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER) ( email )

Katajanokanlaituri 6B
Helsinki, FIN-00160
Finland

HOME PAGE: http://www.wider.unu.edu/aboutus/people/resident-researchers/en_GB/Saurabh-Singhal/

Finn Tarp

University of Copenhagen - Department of Economics ( email )

Øster Farimagsgade 5
Bygning 26
1353 Copenhagen K.
Denmark

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