Are countries with a free press less corrupt than countries where the press is partly or completely unfree? Our empirical investigation finds evidence of a significant relationship between higher levels of press freedom and lower levels of corruption with other variables being equal. Furthermore, we provide evidence that while democracy deters corruption only in countries that enjoy press freedom, rule of law reduces corruption whether the press is free or unfree. Press freedom and democracy are complements rather than substitutes in the fight against corruption.

中文翻译：

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新闻自由与腐败：关系的检验

新闻自由的国家是否比新闻部分或完全不自由的国家腐败少？我们的实证调查发现，在其他变量相同的情况下，较高的新闻自由水平和较低的腐败水平之间存在显着关系。此外，我们提供的证据表明，虽然民主只会在享有新闻自由的国家阻止腐败，但无论新闻自由与否，法治都会减少腐败。新闻自由和民主是反腐败斗争的补充而非替代。