Corporate Corruption Prediction Evidence From Emerging Markets

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to predict corporate corruption in emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) using different machine learning techniques. Since corruption is a significant problem that can affect corporate performance, particularly in emerging markets, it is important to correctly identify whether a company engages in corrupt practices. Design/methodology/approach - In order to address the research question, we employ predictive analytic techniques (machine learning methods). Using the World Bank Enterprise Survey Data, this study evaluates various predictive models generated by seven supervised learning algorithms: k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN), Naïve Bayes (NB), Decision Tree (DT), Decision Rules (DR), Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Findings - We find that DT, DR, SVM and ANN create highly accurate models (over 90% of accuracy). Among various factors, firm age is the most significant, while several other determinants such as source of working capital, top manager experience, and the number of permanent full-time employees also contribute to company corruption. Research implications or Originality - This research successfully demonstrates how machine learning can be applied to predict corporate corruption and also identifies the major causes of corporate corruption.