Corruption and Mental Health: Evidence from Vietnam
There is considerable corruption in developing countries, but the costs that corruption imposes on individuals and households are largely understudied. This study examines the relationship between exposure to localized corruption and mental health, as measured by depressive symptoms. We will use two large data sets (one cross-sectional, the other panel) collected in rural Vietnam. After controlling for individual and community characteristics, we find strong and consistent evidence that daily petty corruption is positively associated with psychological distress. Our results are robust to a variety of specification checks. Furthermore, we find that the relationship between corruption and mental health is stronger for women, with no heterogeneous effects of poverty status. An investigation of the underlying mechanisms shows that higher corruption-related income and lower trust may play a role. Finally, using a differential estimation strategy, we also provide suggestive evidence that recent high-profile anti-corruption campaigns have had a significant positive effect on mental health. Overall, our findings indicate that there may be considerable psychosocial and mental health benefits from efforts to reduce corruption and improve local governance structures.
Smriti Sharma aSaurabh Singhal bFinn Tarp c
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.02.008
Commentary
This study was investigating the association between corruption and mental health. Using a cross-sectional sample of over 1300 respondents across 22 provinces in rural Vietnam, we found strong evidence that daily corruption is positively associated with psychological distress. Incidentally, the degree of corruption was described as ranging from trivial. Second, similar results were obtained from panel data of non-farm household managers in 12 provinces in rural Vietnam. These results show that corruption and mental health are related, but this is not a clear claim of causality, but rather by results.
In particular, the strongest explanation for this relationship was women, given that they are often marginalized and have limited access to mental health services, this stated that the coordinated effect to insulate women from corruption could have a significant payoff. In addition, there is growing evidence that when the caregiver is a woman, it is also closely associated with psychological well-being in terms of the impact on children. This means that improvements in women's mental health could have a broad impact on society by limiting the intergenerational transmission of poor mental health.
