The evaluation of the determinants of corruption sampled in upper middle income countries in econometric terms

Whether it be in public or the private sector, corruption can be defined as the individuals exercising their Powers deviating from their aims in order to obtain material or intangible interests by displaying behaviors aganist moral norms and legal rules. As understood by its definition, corruption which is a complex phenomenon, is a global problem encountered in almost every society. In this study, it is aimed to examine the affecting factors of corruption as theoretical and empirical. In the study which the level of corruption perceived in this sence is considered as a dependent variable, the economic freedom, the share of the state in the economy, the level of human development, income per capita and the level of commercial gap which are thought to be determinants of corruption are considered as independent variables. The 33 upper middle income countries, including Turkey, on the 2003- 2018 period, within the yearly data panel cointegration and causality analysis has been used. According to the results obtained from the study, it has been revealed that there is no cointegration relationship between the variable. I addition to this, there is a double- causal reletionship between economic freedom and corruption and the states share in the economy and corruption. There is a one-way casual relationship from human development to corruption, from commercial gap to corruption, and income per capita to corruption.