Is Transparency an Effective Anti-Corruption Strategy? Evidence From a Field Experiment in India

Author(s): 

Leonid Peisakhin and Paul Pinto

ISPS ID: 
ISPS10-029
Full citation: 
Peisakhin, Leonid and Paul Pinto (2010) "Is transparency an effective anti-corruption strategy? Evidence from a field experiment in India," Regulation & Governance 4(3): 261–280.
Abstract: 
Can freedom of information laws be harnessed by underprivileged members of society and used to obtain greater access to basic public goods that are otherwise attainable only through bribery? Drawing on a field experiment on access to ration cards among New Delhi’s slum dwellers, we demonstrate that India’s recently adopted freedom of information law is almost as effective as bribery in helping the poor to secure access to a basic public service. We find support for the theoretical proposition that greater transparency and voice lowers corruption even in highly hierarchical and unequal societies.
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Link to article here.

Location details: 
India
Publication date: 
2010
Publication type: 
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