Article

Patria de Lancer Julnes & Manuel Villoria (2014) Understanding and addressing citizens’ perceptions of corruption: the case of Spain, International Review of Public Administration, 19:1, 23-43, DOI: 10.1080/12294659.2014.887295

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Abstract

Current theories and approaches to study and combat corruption have questionable applicability in countries with low systemic corruption and high perceptions of cor- ruption. Further, the circular nature of corruption requires a more nuanced under- standing of the complexities involved. We argue that understanding the determinants of perceptions of corruption, defined in more refined ways, holds promise in sug- gesting solutions for reducing corruption. To that end, we developed a model that seeks to answer two important questions: (1) what factors influence citizen percep- tions of corruption, and how do they differ in relation to two different sets of gov- ernment actors? And (2) in what ways might factors affecting perceptions of corruption interact to yield moderated relationships? Using the responses to a survey from 2500 citizens in Spain in 2009, we tested the model and found that personal characteristics, attitudes and media exposure have predicted differences in account- ing for perceptions of corruption for different government actors. Beyond these direct findings, analysis of interactions of these explanatory factors revealed moder- ated relationships that have additional implications for public administrators and scholars interested in curbing corruption.

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