Resumo

GOMEZ VILCHIS, Ricardo Román. Dealing with Inverse Causality by Using an Instrumental Variable: Democratic Satisfaction in Latin America, Cause or Effect?. Sociológica (Méx.) [online]. 2017, vol.32, n.91, pp.145-175. ISSN 2007-8358.

What is the causality in the relationship between democratic satisfaction and public opinion about corruption? Maintaining opinions about the economy and unemployment, as well as certain socio-demographic variables as constants, the author answers the question using an instrumental variable, the degree of economic protectionism, in a two-stage, ordinary least squares analysis. The evidence covers 18 Latin American countries and more than 17,000 observations taken from a 2013 survey organized by Latinobarómetro. The results show that people’s opinion about corruption determines democratic satisfaction and not the reverse.

Palavras-chave : corruption; unemployment; economy; public opinion; democratic satisfaction.