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Are innovating firms victims or perpetrators ? tax evasion, bribe payments, and the role of external finance in developing countries
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Are innovating firms victims or perpetrators ? tax evasion, bribe payments, and the role of external finance in developing countries

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  • Ayyagari, Meghana
  • Demirguc-Kunt, Asli
  • Maksimovic, Vojislav

Abstract

This paper investigates corruption and tax evasion and their firm-level determinants across 25,000 firms in 57 countries, a large fraction of which are small and medium enterprises in developing countries. Firms that pay more bribes also evade more taxes. Corruption acts as a tax oninnovation, particularly that of small and young firms. Innovating firms pay a larger percentage of their revenues in bribes to government officials than non-innovating firms. They do not, however, pay more protection money to private parties than other firms. Comparing the magnitudes of bribes and taxes evaded, innovating firms and firms that use formal finance are more likely to be net victims. The findings point to the challenges facing innovators in developing countries and the role of banks in curbing corruption and tax evasion.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayyagari, Meghana & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Maksimovic, Vojislav, 2010. "Are innovating firms victims or perpetrators ? tax evasion, bribe payments, and the role of external finance in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5389, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5389
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    Cited by:

    1. Paunov, Caroline, 2016. "Corruption's asymmetric impacts on firm innovation," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 216-231.
    2. Gaoussou DIARRA & Sébastien MARCHAND, 2011. "Does Pervasive Corruption Matter For Firm's Demand for Good Governance in Developing Countries?," Working Papers 201112, CERDI.
    3. Ayyagari, Meghana & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Maksimovic, Vojislav, 2012. "Financing of firms in developing countries : lessons from research," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6036, The World Bank.
    4. Dasgupta, Shouro & De Cian, Enrica, 2016. "Institutions and the Environment: Existing Evidence and Future Directions," MITP: Mitigation, Innovation and Transformation Pathways 240747, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    5. Valerija Botrić & Ljiljana Božić, 2015. "Innovators' vs Non-innovators' perceptions of corruption in European post-transition economies," International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research (IJBESAR), International Hellenic University (IHU), Kavala Campus, Greece (formerly Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology - EMaTTech), vol. 8(3), pages 47-58, December.
    6. You, Jing & Nie, Huihua, 2017. "Who determines Chinese firms' engagement in corruption: Themselves or neighbors?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 29-46.
    7. Javadi, Siamak & Mollagholamali, Mohsen & Nejadmalayeri, Ali & Al-Thaqeb, Saud, 2021. "Corporate cash holdings, agency problems, and economic policy uncertainty," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    8. Lant Pritchett & Mary Hallward-Driemeier, 2010. "How Business is Done and the 'Doing Business' Indicators: The Investment Climate when Firms have Climate Control," CID Working Papers 211, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    9. Nurullah Gur, 2012. "Financial Constraints, Quality of Institutions and Firm Size: What Do Perceptions Tell Us?," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 2(2), pages 17-36, December.
    10. Sharma, Chandan & Mitra, Arup, 2015. "Corruption, governance and firm performance: Evidence from Indian enterprises," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 835-851.
    11. Irina Ervits & Malgorzata Zmuda, 2018. "A cross-country comparison of the effects of institutions on internationally oriented innovation," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 486-503, December.
    12. Xia, Changyuan & Cao, Chunfang & Chan, Kam C., 2017. "Social trust environment and firm tax avoidance: Evidence from China," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 374-392.
    13. Niklas Elert & Magnus Henrekson, 2021. "Entrepreneurship prompts institutional change in developing economies," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 33-53, March.
    14. Paunov C., 2014. "Democratizing intellectual property systems : how corruption hinders equal opportunities for firms," MERIT Working Papers 2014-077, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    15. Krammer, Sorin M.S. & Jiménez, Alfredo, 2020. "Do political connections matter for firm innovation? Evidence from emerging markets in Central Asia and Eastern Europe," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).

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    Keywords

    Access to Finance; Taxation&Subsidies; Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures; Debt Markets; Public Sector Economics;
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