Syracuse Professor Martha Garcia-Murillo wants to know if access and use of the Internet can reduce corruption globally. She presented preliminary findings of data collected from 180 countries that clearly identified political and economic factors, which directly correlated to corruption.
The more politically unstable a country, the more incidents of corruption there are, she said. As a country’s wealth increases, corruption decreases. As press within a country becomes more empowered and free, the incidents of corruption within that country decrease.
But when it came to Internet use, the results weren’t as clear. The results were all over the map. But why?
Garcia-Murillo suggested that in developing countries, the Internet is not considered a credible source. Many of these countries also have low rates of Internet use. Also, people are being overwhelmed with information, including information from governments. This information overload can distract people from noticing what information is missing or from finding the information that might show incongruities.
The more politically unstable a country, the more incidents of corruption there are, she said. As a country’s wealth increases, corruption decreases. As press within a country becomes more empowered and free, the incidents of corruption within that country decrease.
But when it came to Internet use, the results weren’t as clear. The results were all over the map. But why?
Garcia-Murillo suggested that in developing countries, the Internet is not considered a credible source. Many of these countries also have low rates of Internet use. Also, people are being overwhelmed with information, including information from governments. This information overload can distract people from noticing what information is missing or from finding the information that might show incongruities.
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