Education and corruption: the case of public hospitals in Africa

Abstract The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of education on the probability to pay bribes in public hospitals. The study used data from the Afrobarometer network in 36 African countries. The data were collected in 2019. Econometric results from a probit model with instrumental variables show that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between the probability of paying bribes and education. The probability of accepting bribes in public hospitals is particularly high among those who have studied at the undergraduate level. Therefore, African governments need to educate patients about the negative consequences of corruption in public hospitals. I10, I21, O55, D73