THE IMPACT OF CORRUPTION ON FOOD SECURITY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of corruption on food security in Pakistan over the period 1996 to 2024. Before empirically evaluating the objective of the study, various diagnostic tests such as the Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test, Phillips–Perron (PP) test, and ARDL bounds testing procedure were conducted. The results of the diagnostic tests suggest the use of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL). Therefore, the ARDL technique was applied to achieve the objective of the study. The results show that the long-run coefficient of corruption is −0.41 and is statistically significant, which implies that an increase in corruption reduces food security in Pakistan. The results further show that the coefficient of GDP is 0.32, implying that higher economic growth improves food security, whereas the coefficients of unemployment (−0.21) and food imports (−0.28) indicate that both factors decrease food security. In the short run, corruption also negatively affects food security (−0.29), while GDP continues to have a positive effect (0.24). The error correction term is −0.61, suggesting that 61% of the deviation from equilibrium is corrected annually. Finally, this study puts forward some valuable suggestions for policymakers regarding Food security, reducing corruption, and ensuring sustainable food security in Pakistan.