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FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION AND CORRUPTION. AN EMPIRICAL VERIFICATION

Abstract:

The relationship between fiscal decentralization and the extraction of income by private agents is a constant element in the debates on territorial institutional design. Theoretical literature makes ambiguous predictions about this relationship, and it has been little studied empirically. An econometric model is estimated for a panel of data from 73 developing countries for the years 1996–2019. In general, the evidence found regarding the role of spending decentralization in a lower perception of corruption is consistent. However, a decentralization of income is related to greater corruption. In this way, possible accountability systems appear independent of the generation of own resources and transfer systems are highlighted in the control of public spending.