The Perception of Corruption in correlation to Homicides : A time-series cross-sectional empirical global study, with specific focus on the Latin American region

Sammanfattning: Most research that has examined the variation in homicide levels has examined their correlation with socioeconomic structural variables. In Latin America however, economic and social development has occurred, but high homicide levels remain, suggesting the involvement of other influencing factors. Recent research has established causal relationships between the role of state institutions and the numbers of homicides. I hypothesize that the perception of corruption may contribute in explaining the variation in homicide levels, and in particular in the Latin America region, because of grievance motivated violence. This hypothesis is tested through a quantitative method that includes more specifically linear regression analysis. My results show that there is no clear relationship between the perception of corruption and homicides on the global level. Nevertheless, the results show that the perception of corruption of the military influences homicides which highlights the importance of supporting the military in improving for example their transparency and accountability so that reductions in homicide can be achieved. The results in Latin America show that there is a negative strong relationship, suggesting that the lower the perception of corruption is, the higher the amount of homicides. This could be a result due to a lot of different reasons that get analyzed in this paper. More research, particularly in Latin America, is needed before drawing conclusions.