Problem Set 1

Problem set

Economic development in any country is defined as the growth of people's living standards. The most common method of assessing economic growth is by analyzing the incomes, education, health and literacy of the nation. It is also linked with the factors of political freedom, property rights and control in corruption. Countries where people are more literate, earn better incomes enjoy healthy lifestyle are economically stable. People in these countries have access to good quality healthcare services. GDP is another factor that explains the economic growth of a country. Countries having better GDP ratios are economically more developed. Democracy is a system of government in which citizens hold voting rights. They can exercise their power by selecting the representative of their choice. People choose leaders who are accountable for their conduct. This indicates that people hold the highest political sovereignty CITATION Xav08 \l 1033 (Marquez). Authoritarianism reflects the government system that limits the political freedom of the public. The leader has the authority of taking decisions of the state. Executive power allows him to rule the people. This system is against the political freedom of the public and imposes restrictions and laws without their consent.

The variable selected from the database is control of corruption because it has a significant correlation with the rule of law. It follows the assumption that countries having the better rule of law have minimized corruption level. This reflects that corruption is high is countries that lack the rule of law. The variable if distinct from all other variables because corruption has a negative relationship with the rule of law. This indicates that the rule of law has a direct influence on corruption that is important for differentiating a civilized society from an uncivilized. The prevalence of the rule of law ensures the accountability of government and private actors. These laws are just and fair that protect the fundamental rights of the citizens including property rights and citizen rights. Laws are enforced and equally applicable to the state and people (Mendonça and Fonseca). The countries having a weaker rule of law exhibits a high level of corruption. Ineffective rule of law is due to institutional weaknesses that provide opportunities for corruption to the public and private actors. Countries lacking the rule of law are weaker in the adoption of accountability and strict governance parameters.

Scatter plot explains the relationship between the selected variables; the rule of law and control of corruption. The diagram highlights the degree of association between the variables. The rule of law has a positive correlation with control of corruption that means the countries are having the better rule of law have control over corruption. A scatterplot is important because it explains the extent of correlation between selected variables. The graph is used for determining the nature of correlation.

The correlation is perfect because the scatterplot is closer to the values of +1 and -1. As the correlation is closer to the line -1 this exhibits a strong relationship between ROL and COC. This indicates that improved condition of the rule of law will minimize the extent of corruption. As scatterplot is clustered around -1 it confirms the assumption that adopting a strict rule of law will eliminate corruption. The interpretation of the graph reveals that countries having the better rule of law have minimized the extent of corrupt practices. The existence of negative correlation indicates that the variable move in opposite directions. When the rule of law is increasing, the corruption will be declining. The graph indicates that the rule of law is a practical tool for controlling corruption in the country.

Work Cited

Marquez, Xavier. "Models of Political Community: The Nation-State and Other Stories ." Victoria University of Wellington (2008).

MENDONÇA, HELDER FERREIRA DE and ANDRÉ OLIVEIRA DA FONSECA. "Corruption, income, and rule of law: empirical evidence from developing and developed economies." Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 32.2 (2012): 305-314.