Free to Expose Corruption: The Impact of Media Freedom, Internet Access and Governmental Online Service Delivery on Corruption

Authors

  • Christopher Starke University of Münster
  • Teresa K. Naab University of Augsburg
  • Helmut Scherer Hanover University of Music, Drama; and Media

Keywords:

corruption, media freedom, Internet access, e-government, governmental online service delivery, cross-national analysis

Abstract

As an institution of checks and balances, free media play a vital role in curbing corruption. In addition, the global rise of Internet access and e-government increases the likelihood for corrupt public officials to be exposed. This cross-national study uses secondary data for 157 countries and examines the impact of media freedom, Internet access, and governmental online service delivery on corruption. Media freedom, Internet access, and governmental online service delivery significantly reduce corruption at the country level. While the effect of Internet access remains relatively constant across the analyzed time span from 2003 to 2013, the impact of governmental online service delivery only emerges in 2013. The study also finds a significant interaction effect between both Internet-related variables.

Author Biographies

Christopher Starke, University of Münster

Christopher Starke is a PhD candidate at the Department of Communication at the University of Münster, Germany. His research interest include politicial communication, European solidarity and sports communication.

Teresa K. Naab, University of Augsburg

Teresa K. Naab, Dr., is an assistant professor at the Department of Media, Knowledge, and Communication at the University of Augsburg, Germany. Her research interests include strategies of media selection and media use, media freedom in social media and methods of empirical social sciences.

Helmut Scherer, Hanover University of Music, Drama; and Media

Helmut Scherer, Prof. Dr., is a full professor for communication research at the Department of Journalism and Communication Research at the  Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media. His  research interests include media use and media  effects, political communication and public opinion.

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Published

2016-09-30

Issue

Section

Articles