Abstract
We study the effects of corruption on firm efficiency using a unique comprehensive dataset of private firms from 10 Central and Eastern European countries for the period from 2002 to 2013. We find that an environment characterized by a high level of corruption has an adverse effect on firm efficiency.
This effect is amplified for firms with a lower propensity to behave corruptly, i.e. foreign-controlled firms, while domestically-owned firms are not penalized. At the same time, an environment characterized by considerable heterogeneity in perception of corruption is associated with an increase in firm efficiency.