Shelter in Place? Depends on the Place: Corruption and Social Distancing in American States

Dincer, Oguzhan and Gillanders, Robert (2020): Shelter in Place? Depends on the Place: Corruption and Social Distancing in American States.

Abstract

This paper investigates the links between corruption and compliance with social distancing during COVID-19 pandemic in America. Both theory and empirical evidence point to a corrosive effect of corruption on trust/social capital which in turn determine people’s behavior towards compliance with public health policies. Using data from 50 states we find that people who live in more corrupt states are less likely to comply with so called shelter in place/stay at home orders.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Corruption; COVID-19; Social Distancing; Trust; Social Capital; American States
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D70 - General; D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D73 - Bureaucracy ; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations ; Corruption; H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government ; Intergovernmental Relations > H75 - State and Local Government: Health ; Education ; Welfare ; Public Pensions; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I18 - Government Policy ; Regulation ; Public Health

References

Ali, M., Fjeldstad, O. H., & Sjursen, I. H. (2014). To pay or not to pay? Citizens’ attitudes toward taxation in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. World Development, 64, 828-842.

Alt, J. E., & Lassen, D. D. (2014). Enforcement and public corruption: Evidence from the American States. Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, 30, 306–38.

Anderson, C. J., & Tverdova, Y. V. (2003). Corruption, political allegiances, and attitudes toward government in contemporary democracies. American Journal of Political Science, 47, 91-109.

Ahnquist, J., Wamala, S. P., & Lindstrom, M. (2012). Social determinants of health–a question of social or economic capital? Interaction effects of socioeconomic factors on health outcomes. Social Science & Medicine, 74, 930-939.

Azfar, O., & Gurgur, T. (2008). Does corruption affect health outcomes in the Philippines? Economics of Governance, 9, 197-244.

Blair, R. A., Morse, B. S., & Tsai, L. L. (2017). Public health and public trust: Survey evidence from the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in Liberia. Social Science & Medicine, 172, 89-97.

Boly, A., Gillanders, R., & Miettinen, T. (2019). Deterrence, Contagion, and Legitimacy in Anticorruption Policy Making: An Experimental Analysis. The Journal of Legal Studies, 48(2), 275-305.

Brehm, J., & Rahn, W. (1997). Individual level evidence for the causes and consequences of social capital. American Journal of Political Science, 41, 999 – 1023.

Briggs, R. C. (2014). Aiding and abetting: project aid and ethnic politics in Kenya. World Development, 64, 194-205.

Chang, E. C., & Chu, Y. H. (2006). Corruption and trust: exceptionalism in Asian democracies? The Journal of Politics, 68(2), 259-271.

Dietrich, S. (2011). The politics of public health aid: why corrupt governments have incentives to implement aid effectively. World Development, 39(1), 55-63.

Dincer, O.C. (2008). Ethnic and religious diversity and corruption. Economics Letters, 99, 98–102.

Dincer, O., & Teoman, O. (2019). Does corruption kill? Evidence from half a century infant mortality data. Social Science & Medicine, 232, 332-339.

Fisman, R., & Gatti, R. (2002). Decentralization and corruption: Evidence from U.S. federal transfer programs. Public Choice, 113,25-35.

Friedman, W. (2018). Corruption and averting AIDS deaths. World Development, 110, 13-25.

Fukuyama, F. (1995). Trust: the social virtues and the creation of prosperity. London: Hamish Hamilton

Gilson, L. (2003). Trust and the development of health care as a social institution. Social science & medicine, 56(7), 1453-1468.

Glaeser, E.L., & Saks, R.E. (2006). Corruption in America. Journal of Public Economics, 90, 1053– 1072.

Levi, M. (1998). A state of trust. In Trust and governance, eds., V. Braithwaite, and M. Levi (77-101). New York: Russell Sage.

Levi, M., & Stoker, L. (2000). Political trust and trustworthiness. Annual Review of Political Science, 3, 475-507.

Levi, M., and A. Sacks (2009). ‘Legitimating Beliefs: Sources and Indicators’. Regulation & Governance, 3(4): 311–33.

Lochner, K. A., Kawachi, I., Brennan, R. T., & Buka, S. L. (2003). Social capital and neighborhood mortality rates in Chicago. Social science & medicine, 56(8), 1797-1805.

Rothstein, B. (2000). Trust, social dilemmas, and collective memories. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 12,477-503.

Rothstein, B. (2005). Social traps and the problem of trust. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Rothstein, B., & Eek, D. (2009). Political corruption and social trust: An experimental approach. Rationality and Society, 21,81-112.

Seligson, M. A. (2002). The impact of corruption on regime legitimacy: A comparative study of four Latin American countries. The Journal of Politics, 64(2), 408-433.

Suryadarma, D., & Yamauchi, C. (2013). Missing public funds and targeting performance: Evidence from an anti-poverty transfer program in Indonesia. Journal of Development Economics, 103, 62-76.

Tyler, T.R. (2006). ‘Psychological Perspectives on Legitimacy and Legitimation’. Annual Review of Psychology, 57: 375–400.

Vinck, P., Pham, P. N., Bindu, K. K., Bedford, J., & Nilles, E. J. (2019). Institutional trust and misinformation in the response to the 2018–19 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, DR Congo: a population-based survey. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 19(5), 529-536.

Yaqub, O., Castle-Clarke, S., Sevdalis, N., & Chataway, J. (2014). Attitudes to vaccination: a critical review. Social science & medicine, 112, 1-11.

Yip, W., Subramanian, S. V., Mitchell, A. D., Lee, D. T., Wang, J., & Kawachi, I. (2007). Does social capital enhance health and well-being? Evidence from rural China. Social science & medicine, 64(1), 35-49.