Structural Vulnerabilities and the Fight Against Corruption: A Global Assessment of Employment, Environment, and Equity

Abstract

This study examines how structural vulnerabilities of vulnerable employment, air pollution, and standard of living shape the global effectiveness of corruption control mechanisms. It empirically assesses whether socio-economic and environmental fragilities constrain or facilitate states' institutional capacity to curb corruption. Moving beyond legalistic perspectives, it highlights broader developmental determinants often overlooked in corruption discourse. Using cross-sectional data from 57 countries (2019, WDI) and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, the study models the impact of control of corruption on vulnerable employment, PM2.5 air pollution, and the Gini index. Results show a statistically significant negative relationship between all variables and corruption control, explaining 64.86% of variation. High vulnerable employment, severe pollution, and inequality erode governance quality. The study urges expanding anti-corruption frameworks to include labour formalisation, environmental regulation, and income redistribution, emphasising that corruption is as much a developmental outcome as a governance failure.

Keywords:  Vulnerable Employment, Air Pollution, Governance, Standard of Living, Gini Index, Inequality, Control of Corruption.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17364838