In this paper, we investigate the association between the efficiency of infrastructure provision and the level of corruption, in the province in which the infrastructure takes place, employing a large dataset on Italian public works contracts. We, first, estimate efficiency in public contracts’ execution using a smoothed DEA bootstrap procedure that ensures consistency of our estimates. Then, we evaluate the effects of corruption using a semi-parametric technique that produces a robust inference for an unknown serial correlation between efficiency scores. In order to test the robustness of our results, the parametric stochastic frontier approach has also been employed. The results from both nonparametric and parametric techniques show that greater corruption, in the area where the infrastructure provision is localised, is associated with lower efficiency in public contracts execution.

An assessment of the waste effects of corruption on infrastructure provision

GUCCIO C-;RIZZO I.
2014-01-01

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the association between the efficiency of infrastructure provision and the level of corruption, in the province in which the infrastructure takes place, employing a large dataset on Italian public works contracts. We, first, estimate efficiency in public contracts’ execution using a smoothed DEA bootstrap procedure that ensures consistency of our estimates. Then, we evaluate the effects of corruption using a semi-parametric technique that produces a robust inference for an unknown serial correlation between efficiency scores. In order to test the robustness of our results, the parametric stochastic frontier approach has also been employed. The results from both nonparametric and parametric techniques show that greater corruption, in the area where the infrastructure provision is localised, is associated with lower efficiency in public contracts execution.
2014
Corruption; Infrastructure provision; Non-parametric methods
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
ITAX 2014.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Licenza: Non specificato
Dimensione 887.96 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
887.96 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/20210
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 37
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 31
social impact