01186pab a2200133 454500008004000000100002700040245010100067260000900168300001400177362000800191520081300199650001501012773002501027180718b2010   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aSharafutdinova, Gulnaz  aWhat explains corruption perceptions? The dark side of political competition in Russia's regions  c2010  ap.147-66.  aJan  aMost empirical studies of corruption rely on data using perceptions of corruption as a proxy for actual corruption. While this approach might be appropriate for advanced democracies, it is less effective for hybrid regimes. In these regimes corruption allegations are often used in political battles, raising public perceptions of corruption and thus reflecting the degree of political competition rather than actual corruption. The data on public perceptions of corruption in Russian regions produced by Transparency International and the Information for Democracy Foundation (INDEM) shows that higher levels of political competition and press freedom along with lower economic development appear as the key variables contributing to higher public perceptions of corruption in Russian regions. - Reproduced.  aCorruption  aComparative Politics