Government corruption and Internet access diffusion: global evidence

Abstract The relationship between Internet diffusion, voice and accountability, cultural dimension, corruption, and government effectiveness was investigated through a cross-country analysis of 117 countries from 2000 to 2014. Using Robust Path Analysis as a data analysis technique, it is concluded that, regardless of the effects of control variables, the diffusion of the Internet promotes lower levels of government corruption, occurring directly and indirectly through voice mediation and accountability, which, in turn, presents a strong direct relationship with government corruption. The focus on theoretical contribution reinforces the idea that the Internet is an important tool in the fight against corruption, as well as highlighting the role of cultural dimension, the relationship between voice and responsibility and government corruption, and, above all, incorporating government action into the theoretical model.摘要 本研究针对2000年至2014年117个国家的跨国样本展开分析，探讨了互联网普及度（Internet diffusion）、发言权与问责制（voice and accountability）、文化维度（cultural dimension）、腐败及政府效能（government effectiveness）之间的相互关联。本研究采用稳健路径分析（Robust Path Analysis）作为数据分析方法，最终得出结论：无论控制变量的影响如何，互联网普及均能有效降低政府腐败程度，且该抑制效应可通过发言权与问责制的中介作用实现直接与间接传导；与此同时，发言权与问责制本身与政府腐败存在显著的直接关联。本研究对理论贡献的着重阐释进一步印证了"互联网是反腐败重要工具"这一核心观点，同时凸显了文化维度的作用、发言权与责任（voice and responsibility）与政府腐败之间的关联，尤为关键的是，本研究将政府行为纳入了理论模型框架之中。