When we can’t see the wood for the trees: the lurking effect of sustainability on corruption

Sustainability is the preservation of existing resources for future generations. Part of this process is curbing corruption to not only save the planet, but also enhance healthy economic and institutional development. This investigation attempts to estimate the associations between environmental sustainability, business or market sustainability, and corruption perceptions while controlling human and economic development. The study also aims to demonstrate the application of The Revised Theory of Modernization to social scientific phenomena defining the world in the contemporary period. Using secondary data analysis, this paper explores the association between environmental performance, sustainable development, and corruption perceptions in 133 countries using the most recent data on such measures. The investigation used a combination of traditional methods like Multiple Regression Analysis and new techniques like Partial Least Squares Maximum Likelihood Estimation to calculate the effect of each independent variable/exogenous contract on corruption perceptions (the outcome variable/construct). The level of sustainability investment does not influence corruption when one controls economic development and institutional stability. Higher income countries feature less corruption and more stable political institutions. For every 10, 000 increase on GDP per capita income in real USD in current value, corruption perceptions improve by 3. 3 points on the 0–100 holding all other variables constant. Additionally, institutional stability reflected by the political stability and non-violence indicator explains 2. 6% of the variance in corruption perceptions. The current analysis recommends policymakers to prioritize investing in strengthening the economy, which once developed increases environmental protection and healthy political and institutional development.