Running head: Corruption and vertical accountability Testing vertical accountability: A cross-national study of the influence of information access on the control of corruption

This cross-national study used a vertical accountabilty model to examine the extent to which eight information-communication indicators would influence perception of corruption in 150 countries. The model appeared strong, given that all of the indicators were negatively and significantly correlated with perception of corruption and were individually supported in the literature for their inverse relationships with corruption. That is to say that corruption perception was strong in the absence of an access-toinformation law and low media rights, electoral pluralism, political participation, political culture, length of time of the political regime and low cellular phone and internet subscriptions. The study found that low news media rights, short duration of the polity, weak political culture and low internet and cellular phone use were significant explanatory indicators for corruption. However, the presence of access-to-information legislation did not impact corruption.