ICT as a Corruption Deterrent: A Theoretical Perspective

Investigations of white collar crimes such as corruption are often hindered by the lack of information or physical evidence. However, vast amount of information recorded, stored, analyzed, and shared using information and communication technologies (ICT) by businesses, governments, and citizens may help in investigating and prosecuting these crimes, and in deterring future crimes. This paper investigates the relationship between ICT and corruption at the country level using the theoretical lens of general deterrence theory. Using time-lagged regression and multilevel analysis of country level data from 97 countries for the years 2011-2013, we demonstrate that countries with higher ICT penetration and higher rule of law tend to have lesser corruption after accounting for social, economic, and political controls.