Essays on Corruption

Corruption is blamed for reductions in operational efficiency, information asymmetry, limited income distribution, policy failure, and weak economic growth and development. In this dissertation, I investigate and explore the characteristics and association of corruption with firms, international business, banking, foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign aid, and international trade flows. This dissertation consists of four essays/papers. In the first paper, I conducted a hybrid literature review of corruption phenomena in international business. The second paper is a bibliometric review of the phenomena of corruption in banks. The third paper examines a combined nexus among corruption, foreign aid (Official Development Assistance (ODA)), and FDI. It confirms that foreign aid (as an informal institution) moderates corruption's negative impact (as a formal institution) on FDI. The final paper concerns the link among corruption, Aid (ODA), Aid for Trade (AfT), and international trade flows (imports and exports). It confirms that foreign aid (ODA and AfT) (as a formal institution) has a moderating effect on the negative impact of corruption (as an informal institution) on trade.