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This study aims to explore the relationships between GDP growth, education spending, central bank transparency (CBT) and accountability on the corruption perception index within the G20 countries, emphasizing their combined effects and interdependencies.

Using the central bank transparency index (CBTI) introduced by Dinçer et al. (2019), an analysis spanning from 2002 to 2019 was conducted on selected G20 countries, further refining the results by excluding EU members. Data sources included World Bank statistics and CBTI data. The research deployed the heteroskedastic and contemporaneously correlated panel-corrected standard error model to detail the effects of the aforementioned factors on the corruption index.

The study revealed no statistical evidence that economic growth had an effect on reducing corruption. Education spending emerged as a potent tool in curbing corruption, especially in EU nations. A strong correlation was identified between CBT and reduced corruption, consistent across G20 countries, regardless of EU affiliation. The insights emphasize the importance of enhancing education spending and CBT in combating corruption. For effective anti-corruption measures, countries are encouraged to invest more in education, amplify internal checks and adopt transparent central bank policies. Further research could delve into cultural, historical and political variables to understand corruption dynamics comprehensively.

This study aspires to address the existing gaps in the literature and provide a substantial contribution to the ongoing discourse and efforts to understand and mitigate corruption within the G20 countries and globally.

This paper investigates the impact of microfinance on poverty gap which is the shortfall in income or consumption expenditures below $1.90, $3.20 and $5.50 per day. The paper’s primary goal is to investigate how microloans have impacted the severity of poverty and influenced the cost of poverty eradication in Latin America, empirically evaluate these effects and offer appropriate policy recommendations.

This paper used panel data for 13 Latin American countries from world bank spanning the period 2001–2019 and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares model for heterogeneous cointegrated panels. This study used Gross Loan Portfolio per active borrowers, gross domestic product per capita, Gini index, Inflation and Unemployment rate as independent variables and poverty gaps as dependent variables.

Poverty gaps narrow as the loan per borrower increases, and the degree of effect differs with the poverty line, with the magnitude increasing as the poverty line falls, underscoring microloans as an effective tool in closing poverty gaps and lowering the cost of poverty eradication. Growth of GDP per capita is helpful reducing the poverty gap, especially for the less poor of the poor. Inflation and unemployment have no to little impact on the severe poverty gaps, but they start to matter when the poverty line is $5.5 per day. Finally, income distribution inequality widens the poverty gap regardless of the poverty line used.

This study suggests several implications. For example, Latin American nations need to embrace tangible policies that encourage economic growth while reducing inequalities in income distribution to effectively eradicate poverty. More supportive environment is necessary to increase the effectiveness of microfinance operations, particularly for the poorest populations. Microfinance institutions need to set less stringent conditions for loan accessibility and repayment schedules that are commensurate with different levels of poverty. Finally, strengthening microfinance as a strategic policy to gradually close poverty gaps and reduce the cost of poverty eradication.