The determinants of corruption in Italy: Regional panel data analysis

Several measures indicate the presence of substantial corruption in Italian society. This paper investigates the determinants of corruption in Italy in the period 1963-2001 using statistics on crimes against the public administration at a regional level. Our estimates show that economic variables (government consumption, level of development) and political and cultural influences (party concentration, presence of voluntary organisations, absenteeism at national elections) significantly affect corruption in Italy.