An absence of economic progress, in some countries around the world, seems to go hand in hand with the level of corruption in these places. It’s also been observed that hot countries seem to be more often afflicted with this problem versus ones in more temperate climes; but nobody can really agree on the ‘why’ of all this?
First up, an important aside, from the paper highlighted today, authored by Trung V. Vu of the University of Otago in NZ, showing the world map of corruption according to most recent World Bank data.
Building on previous work that shows a correlation between the level of UV radiation (UV-R) and economic progress, or the lack of it, this paper goes a step further and wonders what it is about higher levels of UV-R that might be affecting corruption and thus progress?
The researcher proposes it’s the link between UV-R and the damaging effect this has on eyesight that might be at work. Huh? Noting a study in which it was shown one-term mayors tend to be more corrupt than longer serving public officials they suggest a shorter working life will encourage more short-termism in the behavior of public officials. The most corrosive short-termist behavior being, of course, corruption.
The paper concedes this might just be one ingredient in a corruption inducing cocktail but it sticks to a central tenant that corruption tends to increase the closer a country is to the equator. However, a look at the map above shows, to me at least, (ex-Russia) a longitudinal rather than latitudinal grouping?
The paper adds usefully to the discussion, surely, but falls a long way short of proposing a new strong explanatory variable, IMHO.
You can access the paper in full via the following link The Origins of Corruption
Happy Sunday.