Corruption And Government Satisfaction In Authoritarian Regimes

It is generally accepted that in established democracies, citizens' perception of political corruption is corrosive of support for the government and even the regime. What is less clear is that perceived corruption has the same effect in authoritarian regimes, where democratic norms of official behavior are less relevant and there has been scant empirical study of effects of perceived corruption on satisfaction with government and its officials. Using data from a 2008 nationwide survey in China, this study explores the relationship of perceived corruption to government satisfaction in an established totalitarian regime. With nearly two thirds of respondents considering corruption a "serious problem," blame appears to be assigned more to local governments than to the central level and regime. The paper concludes with speculation that features of authoritarianism and/or of totalitarianism shield central government more than local officials from criticism when negative implications of perceived corruption come into play.