Abstract
A cross-country comparison reveals the fact that high tertiary enrollment rates are associated with low corruption, and low tertiary enrollment rates are associated with high corruption. Such a comparison does not show whether an increase in higher education leads to lower or higher corruption. Hence, the aim of the study is to analyze the effect of higher education on corruption on best performing European Union countries and worst performing African Union countries. It is found that higher education has positive significant effect on corruption not only in African Union but also in European Union. Hence, it is concluded that the enticement of higher living standard prevails the moral principals and ethical values of individuals in the way of reaching it. The author advise a course on moral principals and ethical values to be included in the curriculum of higher education institutions to teach the meaning of virtue and the long-term gains of living with high moral standing rather than to be gravitated to the short-term gains of corruption as a policy implication.
TopInsights From The Literature And Contribution Of The Study
There are several studies in the literature analyzing the role of corruption on higher education. However, there is only one study in the literature analyzing the effect of higher education on corruption, which is as follows. For a cross sectional analysis of 56 countries, Cheung and Chan (2008) found that higher education has negative significant effect on corruption and concluded that as more people participated in tertiary education the lower its incidence of corruption across nations.
The rest of the studies in the literature analyzed the effect of education (not higher education) on corruption, which are as follows. For a cross sectional analysis of 41 developing countries, Shabbir and Anwar
(2008) found that education has positive significant effect on perceived corruption and concluded that the level of corruption in developing countries is increased with the increase in the level of education. In a cross-country analysis, Ali and Isse (2003) concluded that education has negative significant effect on corruption and concluded that increase in education in the form of secondary school enrollment rates reduces the level of corruption.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Ex-Colonies: Mostly, African countries that were colonized in 19 th century and afterwards mainly for exploitation of natural resources or slave labor.
EU: European Union.
Colonial Origin: The roots of countries in the age of colonization.
Higher Education: Enrollment in an educational institution above the level of high school.
AU: African Union.
Ex-Colonizers: European countries that colonized African countries (mostly) in 19 th century and afterwards mainly for economic and political hegemony.
Tertiary Enrollment: Enrollment in higher education.
Extractive Institutions: Type of institutional setup, in which a powerful elite exploits the rest of the population.