Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the Configurations that Cause Corruption

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to explore configurations (combinations of factors) leading to corruption. Exactly, it firstly examines the causal conditions influencing corruption behavior from three frameworks and assumes these factors such as press freedom, institutional quality, government scale, market competition, and power distance. Then, the study applies fuzzy sets qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA) to compare 40 countries sampled from 87 countries with a population of more than 10 million to detect the importance of each factor and configuration. Results show that institutional quality and press supervision are more attractive than other options, which by the methodology terms, they are considered to be a necessary condition of exorbitant corruption. Still, the other three factors are existed in two combinations, which, to different degree, constructed the sufficient conditions for corruption, i.e. the results.

KEYWORDS:

• Corruption Configurations fs/QCA