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The Impact of Corruption on Waste Management: A quantitative analysis of EU countries

Starcu, Iulia-Maria LU (2020) EKHS35 20201
Department of Economic History
Abstract
Waste management and waste prevention are strong focal points for the EU in its transition towards sustainable development. In recent years, several policy actions were launched targeting, especially, the municipal waste generation. However, the differences in the quality and circularity of members’ waste management systems are considerable. In this scenario, the thesis investigates whether corruption is one of the factors which hinders the performance of a clean and circular waste system. Previous evidence has showed that waste management is one of the sectors most prone to public procurement corruption in the EU as well as that corruption decreases environmental quality and lessens the stringency of green regulations. The thesis has... (More)
Waste management and waste prevention are strong focal points for the EU in its transition towards sustainable development. In recent years, several policy actions were launched targeting, especially, the municipal waste generation. However, the differences in the quality and circularity of members’ waste management systems are considerable. In this scenario, the thesis investigates whether corruption is one of the factors which hinders the performance of a clean and circular waste system. Previous evidence has showed that waste management is one of the sectors most prone to public procurement corruption in the EU as well as that corruption decreases environmental quality and lessens the stringency of green regulations. The thesis has defined a twofold aim, firstly, it examines the trend between corruption and waste, and secondly, following previous studies of interest, examines the direct, indirect, and total effects of corruption on waste while simultaneously accounting for differences in GDP among states. The thesis makes use of a quantitative research design, by applying a multiple linear regression analysis with cross-sectional data on a sample of 25 EU members. While the thesis identifies a positive relationship between an increase in corruption and landfilling, negative trends are found for all the other indicators. However, the relationship is more complex when GDP is considered. The findings indicate the need for synergies between environmental and institutional targets, as improving corruption levels can lead to added-value for the waste system, especially in countries with lower-income levels. (Less)
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author
Starcu, Iulia-Maria LU
supervisor
organization
course
EKHS35 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9021448
date added to LUP
2020-07-03 12:06:29
date last changed
2020-07-03 12:06:29
@misc{9021448,
  abstract     = {{Waste management and waste prevention are strong focal points for the EU in its transition towards sustainable development. In recent years, several policy actions were launched targeting, especially, the municipal waste generation. However, the differences in the quality and circularity of members’ waste management systems are considerable. In this scenario, the thesis investigates whether corruption is one of the factors which hinders the performance of a clean and circular waste system. Previous evidence has showed that waste management is one of the sectors most prone to public procurement corruption in the EU as well as that corruption decreases environmental quality and lessens the stringency of green regulations. The thesis has defined a twofold aim, firstly, it examines the trend between corruption and waste, and secondly, following previous studies of interest, examines the direct, indirect, and total effects of corruption on waste while simultaneously accounting for differences in GDP among states. The thesis makes use of a quantitative research design, by applying a multiple linear regression analysis with cross-sectional data on a sample of 25 EU members. While the thesis identifies a positive relationship between an increase in corruption and landfilling, negative trends are found for all the other indicators. However, the relationship is more complex when GDP is considered. The findings indicate the need for synergies between environmental and institutional targets, as improving corruption levels can lead to added-value for the waste system, especially in countries with lower-income levels.}},
  author       = {{Starcu, Iulia-Maria}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Impact of Corruption on Waste Management: A quantitative analysis of EU countries}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}