BEYOND PERCEPTION: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL CORRUPTION INDEX AND INSTITUTIONAL TRUST IN THE GAMBIA

Abstract

This study examines the multidimensional nature of corruption and its implications for institutional trust and political behaviour in The Gambia. Moving beyond conventional perception-based approaches, the paper develops a novel Multidimensional Corruption Index (MCI) that integrates five key dimensions: general perception, personal experience, institutional corruption ratings, transparency and accountability, and qualitative insights. Using nationally representative micro-level survey data, the study provides a comprehensive assessment of corruption dynamics across institutions and population groups.

The empirical analysis employs a cross-sectional econometric framework to examine the relationships between corruption, institutional trust, and political behaviour. The findings reveal that corruption perceptions are strongly associated with personal experiences, suggesting that citizens’ views of corruption are grounded in lived realities. The results further indicate that higher levels of corruption significantly reduce institutional trust, with personal experience exerting a stronger negative effect than perception alone. In addition, corruption is found to have important political consequences, increasing the likelihood of support for opposition candidates.

A mediation analysis demonstrates that institutional trust partially mediates the relationship between corruption and political behaviour, indicating that corruption influences political outcomes both directly and indirectly through the erosion of confidence in public institutions. These findings highlight the central role of trust as a transmission mechanism linking governance failures to political behaviour.

The study contributes to the literature in three important ways. First, it advances the measurement of corruption by proposing a multidimensional index that captures both perception and experience. Second, it provides novel micro-level evidence on the relationship between corruption, trust, and political behaviour in a small developing country context. Third, it offers policy-relevant insights into how reducing everyday corruption and strengthening institutional accountability can enhance public trust and democratic stability.