[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":362},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-strengthening-democratic-governance-in-armenia-through-participatory-policymaking-and-budgeting-2440":3,"news-strengthening-democratic-governance-in-armenia-through-participatory-policymaking-and-budgeting-2440-similar":65,"i-heroicons:arrow-left-20-solid":357},[4],{"id":5,"status":6,"date_created":7,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":16,"activity":17,"nid":19,"topics":20,"activities":22,"programme":23,"area":23,"websites":24,"language":23,"image":26,"translation_of":23,"countries":37,"tags":60,"authors":61,"images":62,"translations":63,"content":64},10361,"published","2023-05-16T09:18:14.000Z","2026-05-08T21:11:07.000Z","Strengthening democratic governance in Armenia through participatory policymaking and budgeting","News","The participation of non-state actors – citizens, civil society organisations, the private sector, religious or minority groups, the media – in public policymaking is a core element of democratic governance. Yet in too many countries, mechanisms for participation exist only on paper, not in practice.\n\nIn Armenia, the Basel Institute’s [Public Governance](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance) team has been assisting the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in developing a potential project to strengthen public participation in policymaking and budgeting.\n\nKey government officials expressed strong support for the future project concept at a working meeting of the Armenian Parliament on 8 May 2023 organised by the Standing Committee on Financial Credit and Budgetary Affairs. The Committee’s Chair, Gevorg Papoyan, emphasised that it would help Armenia transition:\n\n> from a democracy that is based on the commitment of individuals to a model that is based on institutions.\n\nWerner Thut, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia and Regional Deputy Director of the Swiss Cooperation for the South Caucasus, commended the cross-party attendance at the meeting. He looked forward to a positive cooperation with a range of institutions, including the Ministry of Justice and Office of the Human Rights Defender as well as the National Assembly's Budget Office and Audit Chamber.\n\n### Proposed project\n\nSpeaking at the meeting, Claudia Baez Camargo, the Basel Institute’s Head of Public Governance, set out how the project would promote participatory inputs and responsive policies in key sectors such as health and education.\n\nThrough the Basel Institute’s work in many different countries and contexts, we have seen how a lack of participation in policymaking and budgeting is a real and common problem even in democracies:\n\n*   State institutions lose touch with citizens and other non-state actors, pursuing policies in isolation and not considering inputs from the people that gave them their democratic mandate.\n*   Citizens lose motivation to participate: what is the point, they think, if nobody is listening and it won’t make a difference anyway?\n*   Non-state actors may lack the capacity to participate meaningfully in often complex processes of policymaking and budgeting. And when they try, they are often frustrated by the lack of uptake of their inputs.\n\nBoth state and non-state actors benefit from increasing participation in policy design and budgeting. These benefits include more responsive policies, increased trust and social capital, and a culture of constructive engagement, evidence-based policymaking and democratic consensus making.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   See a [local news article and photos](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aravot-en.am\u002F2023\u002F05\u002F11\u002F325604\u002F) (in English).\n*   Learn more about the [Swiss Cooperation in the South Caucasus](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.eda.admin.ch\u002Fcountries\u002Farmenia\u002Fen\u002Fhome\u002Frepresentations\u002Fembassy\u002Fcooperation-office.html).\n*   Learn about the work of our [Public Governance](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance) team, which regularly assists leading development agencies with conceptualising, designing and implementing projects on anti-corruption, transparency and democratic governance.","2023-05-16",[14,15],"Prevention"," Research and Innovation","strengthening-democratic-governance-in-armenia-through-participatory-policymaking-and-budgeting-2440",[18],"Partnerships",2440,[21],"Prevention Research and Innovation",[18],null,[25],"Main page",{"id":27,"storage":28,"filename_disk":29,"filename_download":30,"title":9,"type":31,"created_on":32,"modified_on":32,"charset":23,"filesize":33,"width":34,"height":35,"duration":23,"embed":23,"description":23,"location":23,"tags":23,"metadata":36,"focal_point_x":23,"focal_point_y":23,"tus_id":23,"tus_data":23,"uploaded_on":32},"cc281d52-7727-49c4-a702-1137416b242a","local","cc281d52-7727-49c4-a702-1137416b242a.webp","tmp.webp","image\u002Fwebp","2025-05-12T21:12:03.000Z",71662,1400,935,{},[38],{"id":39,"news_id":40,"countries_id":54},7188,{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":41,"date_created":7,"user_updated":42,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":27,"date":12,"topic":43,"slug":16,"activity":44,"nid":19,"topics":45,"activities":46,"programme":23,"area":23,"websites":47,"translation_of":23,"language":23,"countries":48,"tags":49,"authors":50,"images":51,"translations":52,"content":53},"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6","dfef11db-1bc6-47e9-a61d-93443995484b",[14,15],[18],[21],[18],[25],[39],[],[],[],[],[],{"id":55,"name":56,"code":57,"latitude":58,"longitude":59},7,"Armenia","AM",40.0691,45.03819,[],[],[],[],[],[66,103,127,150,187,210,238,266,305,327],{"id":67,"body":68,"status":6,"type":69,"date":70,"slug":71,"title":72,"image":73,"countries":74,"topic":75,"activity":76,"tags":79,"nid":84,"topics":85,"activities":86,"authors":87,"images":88,"websites":23,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":90,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":91,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":93,"content":94,"link":102},10607,"Corruption is not just a collection of isolated acts by individuals. It is a complex, adaptive system that evolves in response to efforts to control it. And seeing it this way opens up new possibilities to tackle it more effectively.\n\nThis was the central message of a recent Basel Institute on Governance research webinar exploring how corruption evolves and what this means for designing interventions that remain effective over time.\n\nTwo senior researchers from the Basel Institute's Prevention, Research and Innovation – Dr Claudia Baez Camargo and Dr Jacopo Costa – were joined by Dr Maria Nizzero, Head of Sanctions Policy at UK Finance and Associate Research Fellow at RUSI, to explore corruption's networked nature and its implications.\n\nThese implications are practical as much as conceptual. Understanding corruption as a networked, adaptive system changes how corruption, organised crime, sanctions evasion and related threats need to be addressed in practice.\n\n### Corruption as a dynamic system\n\nA recent [academic paper](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fconceptualizing-evolution-corruption-empirical-analysis-italy) by Dr Baez Camargo and Dr Costa highlights a key gap in how corruption is typically analysed. While it is widely accepted that corrupt and criminal strategies change over time, the mechanisms driving that change have received far less attention.\n\nTheir analytical framework suggests that corruption evolves through changes in the behaviour of individuals within networks, shaped by shifts in the broader environment. These shifts may include stronger enforcement, legal and regulatory reforms, technological developments, or wider political and economic change. When new strategies prove effective, they spread across networks through collaboration, brokerage and imitation.\n\nA case study of Italy illustrates this process. In the early 1990s, corruption operated through relatively centralised, pyramidal structures linked to political parties. Over time, following scandals, reforms and increased scrutiny, this system became more fragmented and decentralised. Corrupt practices moved away from formalised exchanges and became more networked, informal and embedded in relationships.\n\nThe outcome was not less corruption, but different corruption.\n\nAs Dr Costa noted, corruption and anti-corruption are engaged in an “uninterrupted dance”, in which “very often, corrupt actors are two steps ahead of us”.\n\n### The concept of the “kleptocratic enterprise”\n\nLooking at corruption through a network lens also opens up new ways of thinking about how to tackle it.\n\n[Research by Dr Nizzero and co-authors](https:\u002F\u002Fgiace.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2026\u002F01\u002FGIACE_Kleptocratic-Enterprises_NizzeroHeathershawMayne.pdf) Professor John Heathershaw and Professor Tom Mayne highlights the persistent challenges of asset recovery and enforcement in cases of large-scale corruption. Illicit wealth is often concealed through complex ownership structures, dispersed across jurisdictions and distanced from its original source over time. Legal frameworks may exist, but applying them effectively remains difficult.\n\nA key part of the problem lies in the role of professional service providers. Lawyers, accountants, real estate actors, company service providers and others help move, manage and shield assets. These actors often operate across borders and may serve a wide range of clients, including both organised crime groups and politically exposed individuals.\n\nThis has led to the idea of a “kleptocratic enterprise”: a networked system in which clients demand services such as concealment and asset protection, and a range of actors supply those services. Viewing corruption in this way shifts attention towards patterns of conduct, relationships and enabling structures.\n\nIt also suggests that tools used to tackle organised crime, such as anti-racketeering or anti-mafia approaches, may offer useful insights. These frameworks often focus on networks rather than individuals, combine multiple legal tools and allow for a broader understanding of harm, including the impact on society.\n\nAt the same time, responses must remain grounded in due process and the rule of law. Stronger measures can create new risks, including displacement of illicit activity to other jurisdictions or unintended consequences linked to overreach. The challenge is to expand the toolkit without compromising core legal principles.\n\n### When enforcement creates new risks\n\nField research by the Basel Institute under the EU-funded [FALCON project](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002F) shows how quickly corrupt and criminal networks adapt to enforcement pressure.\n\nAt the [Port of Rotterdam](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58), increased inspections and surveillance aimed at tackling drug trafficking made insider access more valuable. Corruption became a critical mechanism for bypassing strengthened controls, illustrating how enforcement can shift incentives in ways that reinforce the role of corruption.\n\nAt the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey, changes linked to EU accession, including new regulatory frameworks and stronger border controls, were followed by new forms of corruption and criminal activity. These included routinised extractive practices, shifts in smuggling strategies and the emergence of new actors.\n\nAcross both cases, the pattern is consistent. Measures designed to reduce corruption and illicit activity can reshape how those activities are organised and carried out.\n\n### Why networks are so resilient\n\nOne reason corruption adapts so effectively lies in the nature of the networks themselves.\n\nAs Dr Baez Camargo explains, enforcement-focused approaches can become a “whack-a-mole game” when underlying incentives remain unchanged. Efforts to close one avenue often lead to the emergence of another.\n\n[Informal networks](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fquick-guide-23-informal-networks-and-anti-corruption) are particularly resilient because they are built on more than financial exchange. Trust, personal relationships and shared social norms play a central role. These elements are difficult to detect, harder to regulate and highly adaptable.\n\nCriminal and corrupt networks are also flexible and opportunistic. They can shift strategies, routes and methods quickly, drawing on significant resources and expertise. Formal institutions, by contrast, operate within legal and procedural constraints, which can limit their ability to respond at the same pace.\n\n### Towards more adaptive responses\n\nIf corruption behaves like a complex adaptive system, anti-corruption efforts need to reflect that reality.\n\nOne emerging approach is to place greater emphasis on understanding systems rather than focusing narrowly on individual interventions. This involves mapping relationships, incentives and behavioural patterns in much greater depth, and remaining alert to how these evolve over time.\n\nIt also requires a shift away from strictly linear theories of change. Fixed indicators and predefined outcomes can miss important developments, particularly when systems are dynamic and interconnected. A more flexible approach allows practitioners to identify early signals of change, whether positive or negative, and adjust their strategies accordingly.\n\nAs Dr Baez Camargo puts it, “we cannot keep thinking that change is linear”. A better understanding of systems, combined with the ability to detect and respond to change, is essential for staying relevant in rapidly evolving contexts.\n\n### A shift in perspective\n\nTaken together, these insights point to a broader conclusion. Corruption is not static, and responses to it cannot be static either.\n\nUnderstanding corruption as a networked, adaptive system changes how problems are defined and how solutions are designed. It brings greater attention to relationships, incentives and enabling structures. It also highlights the importance of anticipating how systems will respond to interventions.\n\nFor practitioners working on corruption, organised crime or related risks, this shift is increasingly important. Integrating it into programming should help us not only respond more quickly as corruption adapts – i.e. whack the moles more rapidly when they pop up. It should also help us design flexible, creative and context-sensitive interventions that can genuinely disrupt these resilient illicit networks and themselves adapt to remain effective over time.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   [Conceptualizing the evolution of corruption: an empirical analysis from Italy](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fconceptualizing-evolution-corruption-empirical-analysis-italy), by Dr Jacopo Costa and Dr Claudia Baez Camargo.\n*   [Corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58), by Dr Saba Kassa and Dr Jacopo Costa \n*   [The Kleptocratic Enterprise: Lessons from organised crime to target transnational corruption and strengthen asset recovery in the UK](https:\u002F\u002Fgiace.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2026\u002F01\u002FGIACE_Kleptocratic-Enterprises_NizzeroHeathershawMayne.pdf), by Dr Maria Nizzero, Professor John Heathershaw and Professor Tom Mayne\n\n### Webinar recording\n\n\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FETQto16U_q4?si=yrjbtCTRmQ5ceTPo\" title=\"YouTube video player\" width=\"560\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\nDisclaimer\n\n_This webinar and summary are part of the FALCON (Fight Against Largescale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project. FALCON is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance, as an associated partner without the right to receive funds directly from the European Research Executive Agency, has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The contents of this summary are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or SERI._","Blog","2026-03-25","corruption-is-a-complex-adaptive-network-what-does-this-mean-for-anti-corruption-policy-and-practice-2945","Corruption is a complex, adaptive network. What does this mean for anti-corruption policy and practice?","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Faf37ba1d-85e1-4724-ab47-4e58056330c6?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14,15],[77,78],"Events","Research",[80],{"tags_id":81},{"id":82,"name":83},982,"Anti-corruption",2945,[21],[77,78],[],[],"English",[],"2026-04-15T22:45:18.000Z","3d9ff205-1640-4f34-b5b6-86977f51bbd6","2026-05-07T21:29:58.000Z",[95,96,97,98,99,100,55,101],1,2,3,4,5,6,8,"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fcorruption-is-a-complex-adaptive-network-what-does-this-mean-for-anti-corruption-policy-and-practice-2945",{"id":104,"body":105,"status":6,"type":10,"date":106,"slug":107,"title":108,"image":109,"countries":110,"topic":111,"activity":113,"tags":115,"nid":116,"topics":117,"activities":119,"authors":120,"images":121,"websites":23,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":122,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":123,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":124,"content":125,"link":126},10581,"We are pleased to announce the launch of a special crowdfunding campaign on the day of what would have been Gretta Fenner’s 50th birthday.\n\nThe campaign supports the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund, which enables talented individuals from lower-income backgrounds to access our advanced anti-corruption programmes.\n\nYou can [visit and share the campaign page here](https:\u002F\u002Fwhydonate.com\u002Ffundraising\u002Fgretta-fenner-scholarship-fund).\n\n### Gretta’s commitment to education and integrity\n\nOur long-serving and inspiring leader of two decades, [Gretta Fenner](https:\u002F\u002Fgretta.baselgovernance.org\u002F), understood the value and power of education. She invested boldly on behalf of the Basel Institute in [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy) – academic programmes with the University of Basel – to help build tomorrow’s leaders in the fight against corruption and financial crime.\n\nGretta was inspired by the people she met in every corner of the world and in every profession during her famously whirlwind travels. She recognised the potential in individuals who showed initiative, talent and the inner fire to pursue impactful careers strengthening governance and transparency and combating corruption and financial crime.\n\nShe wanted to open the door to meaningful education and lifelong learning beyond school or university, beyond short courses, videos and slides.\n\n### Investing in future leaders\n\nAll of us at the Basel Institute share this belief. Each of us can tell a story of how education, peer networks and continuous learning have shaped our careers and opened new opportunities.\n\nThis is why we are asking for your support for the Scholarship Fund named in Gretta’s honour. \n\nThe [Scholarship Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy\u002Fscholarship) supports applicants from lower-income backgrounds who show a strong commitment to anti-corruption, transparency and good governance in their fields or communities. All funds raised go towards these students' tuition fees and, in some cases, travel to Basel for in-person course launch and closing events.\n\n### The Fund’s impact\n\nOne Scholarship recipient starting our first anti-corruption course spoke of his determination to _“…resolve anti-corruption challenges from an African perspective”_, while another shared how _“this prestigious study programme… offers a forum to learn from professionals who are influencing the global conversation on anti-corruption.”_\n\nShe acknowledged:\n\n> _“This educational journey would not have been possible without the support of the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund.”_\n\n### How to support\n\nIf education or the generosity of others have ever shaped your life, please consider giving – or inviting others to give – before the year ends.\n\nWith a target of CHF 100,000, we aim to fund up to 20 scholarships in 2026 and help advance Gretta’s vision for global peace, stability and sustainability.\n\nTo donate or share the campaign with your networks, please visit the [Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund platform](https:\u002F\u002Fwhydonate.com\u002Ffundraising\u002Fgretta-fenner-scholarship-fund).","2025-11-22","launch-of-the-gretta-fenner-scholarship-fund-campaign-changing-lives-through-education-2875","Launch of the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund campaign: Changing lives through education","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F12330f9e-9b30-45fa-8526-a88cc7e84302?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[112,14,15],"Asset Recovery",[77,114,18],"Training",[],2875,[118,21],"Asset Recovery and Enforcement",[77,114,18],[],[],[],"2025-11-21T17:01:43.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:38.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Flaunch-of-the-gretta-fenner-scholarship-fund-campaign-changing-lives-through-education-2875",{"id":128,"body":129,"status":6,"type":10,"date":130,"slug":131,"title":132,"image":133,"countries":134,"topic":135,"activity":136,"tags":138,"nid":139,"topics":140,"activities":142,"authors":143,"images":144,"websites":23,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":145,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":146,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":147,"content":148,"link":149},10573,"The Basel Institute’s first international postgraduate programme in anti-corruption has begun. 12 students from 11 countries across Africa, Europe and North America are taking part in the six-month course, led by Basel Institute staff and resulting in a Certificate of Advanced Studies from the University of Basel.\n\nThe course, [Mastering Today’s Anti-Corruption Challenges](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-anti-corruption), equips mid-career professionals with the tools, skills and networks to address corruption and governance challenges in their work.\n\nLead instructor Dr Claudia Baez Camargo, Director of the Institute’s Prevention, Research and Innovation team, explained:\n\n> Through this programme, participants will not only deepen their understanding of corruption in today’s complex world, but also learn to evaluate the real evidence on what works. Most importantly, they will be empowered to apply these insights with confidence in their own countries and professional contexts, helping to strengthen integrity and good governance where it matters most.\n\n### Shaping the next generation of anti-corruption leaders\n\nThree participants attended the opening event on 26–27 September in person in Basel, while those unable to travel joined the sessions online.\n\nThe first cohort is made up of peers with diverse academic backgrounds – including legal, economic, political and other disciplines – and professional experience in the public, private and civil society sectors, in multilateral organisations and the media.\n\nThey were welcomed by the Basel Institute’s President Peter Maurer and Executive Director Betsy Andersen, together with the Basel STUDY team and instructors.\n\nVisits to the University of Basel and the historic centre gave participants and instructors the chance to bond while exploring Swiss traditions.\n\nThe participants who attended the launch in person described themselves as:\n\n> “excited”, “grateful” and “honoured”.\n\nAsked what she hoped to get out of the course, Tamara Lee, a Business Analyst and Project Manager from Ireland, said:\n\n> I hope I’ll learn to see corruption issues with a sharper, more professional lens. Instead of falling back on the usual buzzwords or the kind of surface-level ideas we see on social media or hear in conversations, I’d like to be able to look at situations in a deeper, more critical way.\n\nDr Ramadhani Marijani, a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Tanzania’s University of Dodoma, added: \n\n> I hope I can be able to resolve anti-corruption challenges from an African perspective and understand other challenges in the global sphere. I am looking forward to engaging in classes, sharing and learning from other fellow participants from Africa and other countries and from the community of practice fighting the war against corruption globally.\n\nIlinca-Ioana Bīlc, Legal Advisor at a bank in Romania, emphasised her desire to explore a holistic approach to anti-corruption: \n\n> I want to know how I can fight \\[corruption\\] from different angles besides the basic one that everyone expects: you just follow the guidelines and then there will be no corruption. When in fact, the problem is much bigger and we need way more different ways of tackling it. \n\n### Exploring corruption’s links to today’s greatest challenges\n\nSaturday’s classroom sessions with Dr Saba Kassa explored how corruption connects to today’s greatest concerns, from shifting geopolitics and democratic backsliding to migration and climate change. This sets the foundation for modules delivered in live online sessions over the next six months and covering:\n\n*   How corruption and governance impact states, societies and organisations.\n*   The fundamentals of anti-corruption practice, from legal instruments to effective enforcement and prevention.\n*   Novel approaches to anti-corruption, drawing on political and behavioural sciences.\n*   How anti-corruption strategies are implemented internationally – and how they could be made more effective.\n\nStudents will apply their knowledge through a personal study project on a corruption challenge of their choice.\n\n### Scholarship fund opens doors to global talent\n\nSeveral participants benefited from tuition support thanks to generous donors to the [Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fscholarship).\n\nThe fund supports applicants from lower-income backgrounds who show strong commitment to anti-corruption, transparency and good governance. It reflects the vision of the Basel Institute’s late Managing Director Gretta Fenner to educate and empower anti-corruption leaders everywhere, regardless of financial means.\n\nOne recipient is Nigerian lawyer Emmanuela OkonkwoAbutu of the Abuja-based African Centre for Governance, Asset Recovery and Sustainable Development. She shared:\n\n> This prestigious study programme... offers a forum to learn from professionals who are influencing the global conversation on anti-corruption… This educational journey would not have been possible without the support of the Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund.\n\nWe are grateful to The International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators, the Academy’s co-founders Elizabeth Ortega (ECO Strategic Communications), Stéphane Bonifassi (Bonifassi Avocats) and Lincoln Caylor (Bennett Jones), as well as Swiss law firm Kellerhals Carrard for their generous donations to the Fund.\n\n### Expanding opportunities through Basel STUDY\n\n[Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study) – the Basel Institute’s postgraduate programme initiative – is designed to boost the knowledge, skills and careers of professionals committed to countering corruption and financial crime.\n\nIt builds on the Institute’s long-standing capacity-building approach, encouraging peer learning, hands-on practice and real-life cases. The two available Certificate of Advanced Studies programmes combine this practitioner-led spirit with the academic rigour of the University of Basel.\n\nThe second course, [_Combating_ _Financial Crime Through Asset Recovery_](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-asset-recovery), starts in February 2026. Applications remain open for self-funded or employer-funded participants.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Explore other learning opportunities at the Basel Institute, including free eLearning courses on [Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002F), our four-day course on [crypto, financial crime and AML compliance](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcrypto-aml-training), and our flagship [asset recovery training programmes](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) for law enforcement agencies.\n*   Learn about the [Gretta Fenner Scholarship Fund](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fscholarship) – and consider donating to help change lives and create impact!","2025-09-29","global-professionals-begin-new-anti-corruption-studies-2851","Global professionals begin new anti-corruption studies","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fbe4b8143-bba3-4760-8f60-d11dcedc3f7b?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14,15],[137,114],"Courses",[],2851,[141,21],"Corruption Prevention and Public Governance",[137,114],[],[],[],"2025-09-29T16:01:39.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:37.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fglobal-professionals-begin-new-anti-corruption-studies-2851",{"id":151,"body":152,"status":6,"type":69,"date":153,"slug":154,"title":155,"image":156,"countries":157,"topic":159,"activity":160,"tags":162,"nid":175,"topics":176,"activities":177,"authors":178,"images":181,"websites":23,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":182,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":183,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":184,"content":185,"link":186},10572,"Corruption at border points remains a pressing global issue, threatening not only border integrity but also the health, safety and security of our societies. It enables illicit trafficking, facilitates organised crime and undermines trust in public institutions.\n\nIn our _[Working Paper 58](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58)_, Saba Kassa and Jacopo Costa examine how corruption facilitates drug trafficking through the port of Rotterdam.\n\nThrough in-depth interviews with stakeholders, a review of judicial cases and desk research, the paper shows how trafficking and corruption strategies are changing in response to strengthened enforcement at border spaces.\n\nIt contributes to the growing body of work that looks at corruption from a systemic viewpoint, analysing the relationships and adaptive capabilities that allow organised crime to thrive.\n\nThe Working Paper was written as part of the [FALCON](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002F) (Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project. The research supports efforts to develop more robust and forward-looking approaches to combat corruption and drug trafficking.\n\nRead the executive summary below.\n\n### Unintended consequences of strengthened enforcement\n\nThis Working Paper examines how corruption facilitates drug trafficking (specifically cocaine) through the port of Rotterdam, looking at the underlying drivers and strategies involved.\n\nLegal trade routes and commercial ports are especially attractive because of the high volumes of cargo, which make it possible to conceal illicit cargo under licit cargo. The spatial complexity of the port of Rotterdam also makes it difficult to fully secure it against criminal activity.\n\nDigging deeper into the facilitating factors of trafficking, the paper finds that, paradoxically, a main driver of rising border corruption is the increased political attention on and resources dedicated to fighting trafficking.\n\nDesk research and stakeholder interviews highlight that as authorities deploy new technology to improve detection, traffickers face more obstacles to operating effectively.\n\nHaving someone on the inside then becomes increasingly important. So, an unintended but important consequence of the strengthened fight against drug trafficking is that corruption becomes even more essential for the operational success of organised crime networks.\n\n### Customs officials are specifically vulnerable\n\nThis study focuses specifically on the role of customs. Tasked with monitoring the import and export of goods, customs officers are important actors in the fight against drug trafficking. However, their role also makes them vulnerable: they have crucial knowledge on processes and procedures, access to systems and discretionary power that can be exploited by criminals.\n\nThe desk research shows that corruption is used strategically to circumvent two important bottlenecks: the container screening and security as cargo enters the port, and the exit of drugs from the port. Traffickers may seek to obtain key information or direct assistance from customs officers.\n\n### Collusion – coercion – infiltration\n\nThese corrupt relationships and the emerging networks between members of crime groups and the customs officials are diverse. Some relationships can be characterised by collusion, where customs officials offer their services or are persuaded to cooperate. This collusion may be opportunistic or targeted.\n\nOther relationships can be characterised by coercion. Customs officials may be lured by financial reward, but this is accompanied by intimidation or the threat of violence to ensure that the officer cooperates and continues to cooperate. Our research highlights that the boundary between collusion and coercion is often blurred.\n\nBeyond collusion and coercion, we also see infiltration, which crosses the boundaries between the criminal, public and private. What emerges is less a matter of individual corruption and more akin to regulatory capture, where the public office position is held by a member of the criminal network.\n\nThe review of the judicial cases shows that bribes involved in these schemes can amount to millions. To hide and use the illicit gains, traffickers rely on money laundering, disguising its source as legitimate. They often enlist the help of family and friends, a trusted inner circle or professional specialists. They may also hide cash at home or invest it in assets and businesses in the Netherlands or abroad.\n\n### Adaptive corruption strategies\n\nA key finding of our research is that the criminal and corruption strategies used to facilitate drug trafficking are highly adaptive. The underlying driver of this adaptability is the unchanging demand for drugs and high profitability of the crime. This pushes traffickers to adopt new strategies to overcome hurdles in supplying the demand.\n\nCorruption strategies adapt in response to new enforcement measures. When control systems are changed and\u002For strengthened, corruption strategies evolve alongside them. This research identifies some key patterns:\n\n*   Stronger detection efforts increase the incentives for corruption.\n*   Evolving systems encourage a similar shift in corruption strategies.\n*   Anti-corruption and anti-trafficking measures may change the profile of those most vulnerable to being co-opted.\n*   The characteristics of corruption can also evolve, from collusion to coercion, to full infiltration of institutions and systems – with blurred lines in between.\n\n### Trafficking strategies evolve, too\n\nTrafficking strategies are similarly adaptive. There have been increased efforts by the port to combat trafficking through enhanced detection and technology. This was initially reflected by increased drug seizures. But since 2024, drugs seizures have declined.\n\nThe research findings provide an explanation for this: As detection strengthens, more drug seizures are made. But what may happen, too, is a response to these new measures. As the risk of detection increases, criminals may adapt their trafficking strategies to overcome the additional hurdles, including:\n\n*   changing concealment strategies; and\n*   changing modes of transport and trafficking routes, including to ports outside of the Netherlands.\n\n### Red flags and risk indicators\n\nThese developments highlight the complexity in understanding the impact of stronger anti-trafficking measures on both corruption and trafficking strategies.\n\nTrafficking and corruption are typically measured by detection, for example, by changes in the volume of drug seizures or the number of public officials caught engaging in corruption.\n\nBut the elephant in the room is that increasingly sophisticated criminal strategies can hide what is really happening. This underscores the need to continuously strengthen our ability to recognise “red flags” of corruption and trafficking. Data-driven tools and refined risk indicators are critical for understanding how crime and corruption strategies are changing.\n\n### A holistic understanding and improved foresight\n\nThe evolving nature of criminal strategies is often likened to a game of chess: enforcement makes a move, and criminal networks adapt. But what now seems to be emerging is more troubling.\n\nWhen barriers to drug trafficking increase while demand remains unchanged, crime and corruption strategies adapt in ways that can deepen their impact on society, leading for example to the hardening of crime and associated violence.\n\nThis makes anticipating how crime may adapt to changing anti-corruption and anti-trafficking strategies critical. Improved foresight and scenario-building capacities will be vital in order to develop more robust enforcement efforts against drug trafficking and mitigate the negative impact on society.\n\nA holistic approach is essential. Addressing corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking requires a broad view of crime that focuses on understanding vulnerabilities, leveraging data and harnessing collaboration.\n\nThe risk of trafficking routes changing are high, therefore, we must use every tool at our disposal to ensure effective and sustainable enforcement efforts.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Download the full _[Working Paper 58: Corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam: Drivers, strategies and implications](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58)_\n*   View related online workshop for enforcement and research communities: _[Red flags at the frontier: detecting and disrupting border corruption in the EU](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnode\u002F2844)_, 23 September 2025\n\n### _Acknowledgement and disclaimer_\n\n_FALCON is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance, as an associated partner without the right to receive funds directly from the European Research Executive Agency, has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The contents of the Working Paper are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or SERI._","2025-09-11","how-corruption-helps-drug-traffickers-adapt-to-strengthened-border-enforcement-2848","How corruption helps drug traffickers adapt to strengthened border enforcement","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F13171c8d-1c71-4c6a-9688-3c1ff7b9775a?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[158],7796,[14,15],[78,161],"Insights",[163,167,171],{"tags_id":164},{"id":165,"name":166},967,"Organised crime",{"tags_id":168},{"id":169,"name":170},859,"Corruption risks",{"tags_id":172},{"id":173,"name":174},1374,"Law enforcement",2848,[21],[78,161],[179,180],1355,1356,[],[],"2025-09-11T16:01:34.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:57.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fhow-corruption-helps-drug-traffickers-adapt-to-strengthened-border-enforcement-2848",{"id":188,"body":189,"status":6,"type":69,"date":190,"slug":191,"title":192,"image":193,"countries":194,"topic":196,"activity":197,"tags":198,"nid":199,"topics":200,"activities":201,"authors":202,"images":205,"websites":23,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":206,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":207,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":184,"content":208,"link":209},10562,"Amid geopolitical turbulence and concerns around the rise of authoritarianism and armed conflict, many people are looking at how corruption can be used “strategically” to deliberately undermine democratic institutions.\n\nThe so-called [strategic use of corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg37) is not new. It’s often portrayed simplistically as a kind of Western movie with good guys vs. bad guys, victims vs. aggressors. The picture is, of course, more complicated than that.\n\nIn a [recent article for the _Public Integrity_ journal](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwhen-you-have-corrupt-friends-abroad-impact-strategic-corruption-sudans-democratic), we explore this phenomenon from the perspective of a country where strategic corruption was arguably linked to the collapse of a fledging democracy: Sudan.\n\nIn 2019, the civilian-military government of Sudan led by Prime Minister Hamdok began an ambitious transition to democratic governance and the adoption of anti-corruption reforms. This transition ended in 2023 with state collapse and conflict. The story is a lesson on the complexity of corruption and on how closely anti-corruption efforts, democratic processes and security are linked.\n\n### Growth of foreign-supported power centres\n\nThe article tells the story of the governance system that emerged during the military-political rule of former President al-Bashir. At the time, there were powerful groups within the military, and coups were a frequent occurrence. A savvy solution was needed to address this.\n\nIn order to appease these powerful military actors, including the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), al-Bashir’s regime provided opportunities for them to expand their economic and business interests while politically keeping them under his direct control.\n\nLeveraging the country's rich natural resources became a means of maintaining political and economic power.\n\n### Geopolitical significance\n\nSudan’s geopolitical position is a critical part of the story. The Red Sea is a key trading route. Russia and states in the Gulf region developed engagements with these powerful military actors. They exchanged money and other support for access to Sudan's natural resources and strategic geographic locations.\n\nCorruption practices involved preferential investments and concessions in specific economic sectors such as mining and agriculture. There is also evidence of illicit financial flows associated with the gold trade, as well as the provision of financial resources and arms to non-state military actors. These deals served the geopolitical and domestic interests of both sides.\n\nOne example from the article is that in 2017, al-Bashir sought Russia’s support in response to increasing internal political and economic pressures, as well as external pressures exerted by the West. Moscow offered a partnership with Sudan, including political support, arms and military training by private military contractors, who were deployed to Sudan immediately.\n\nIn exchange, Russia gained access to a strategic commercial corridor in the Red Sea and preferential gold mining contracts.\n\nNevertheless, the situation remained turbulent domestically and culminated in the popular uprising of 2018–2019. Al-Bashir was ousted from office. A Transitional Military Council, which involved both the SAF and RSF, was formed to lead the country until the handover to a civilian-military-led government in August 2019.\n\n### Democratic transition undermined\n\nWith the civilian-military-led government at the helm of political power, a bold transition to democracy began, with positive signs of strengthening the fight against corruption emerging.\n\nHowever, the aforementioned networks were directly impacted by Sudan’s democratic model and its citizens' aspirations. The networks and their leaders did not simply disappear with al-Bashir's removal. Behind the scenes, they were carefully orchestrating their next moves.\n\nDespite the reforms, during the transition period these military-business networks expanded even further. They leveraged the support of external actors and developed their economic investments with the twin goal of undermining reforms and maintaining dominance over the national economy.\n\nThese actors became active antagonists of the democratic and anti-corruption reform process. After the course of reform went into reverse, armed conflict erupted once again in April 2023.\n\n### A deeper understanding of corruption and democracy\n\nWhat happened in Sudan highlights this link between geopolitical objectives, corruption and the impact on democracy. It also challenges narratives that see strategic corruption simply as a tool wielded by foreign actors to undermine democracies.\n\nInstead, we must deepen our understanding of how domestic environments can create the conditions for strategic corruption.\n\nIn Sudan, the revolution and the planned transition to democracy posed a threat to the individuals and networks benefiting from the status quo. This triggered them to use corruption and the help of external actors to undermine the process.\n\n### Promoting anti-corruption work = promoting security\n\nThe case of Sudan, like that of other countries undergoing democratic transitions, highlights the importance of supporting reforms that seek to strengthen democracy and counter corruption. Otherwise, the reform process risks being derailed, with horrific consequences for populations as well as instability in the wider region.\n\nThe paradox of our time is that, amid current geopolitical shifts, development assistance and support for anti-corruption reform are under pressure while security and defence are prioritised.\n\nWhat happened in Sudan shows that this logic is a fallacy. Systemic corruption drives insecurity and instability. We cannot achieve security without fighting corruption and vice versa.\n\nThis trend is even more concerning as the fragmentation of the rules-based international order creates an environment conducive to strategic forms of corruption.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   View the article in the Public Integrity journal: Karar, H., & Kassa, S. (2025). [When You Have Corrupt Friends Abroad: The Impact of Strategic Corruption on Sudan’s Democratic Collapse](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1080\u002F10999922.2025.2494910). Public Integrity, 1–14.\n*   See the Basel Institute’s [Quick Guide to Strategic Corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg37).","2025-07-01","strategic-corruption-democracy-and-security-in-sudan-2823","Strategic corruption, democracy and security in Sudan","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F46e594b4-dcfd-430d-9d02-adb3b0a6e556?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[195],7782,[14,15],[161],[],2823,[21],[161],[203,204],1344,1345,[],[],"2025-07-13T11:42:46.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fstrategic-corruption-democracy-and-security-in-sudan-2823",{"id":211,"body":212,"status":6,"type":10,"date":213,"slug":214,"title":215,"image":216,"countries":217,"topic":218,"activity":219,"tags":220,"nid":227,"topics":228,"activities":229,"authors":230,"images":232,"websites":233,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":234,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":235,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":184,"content":236,"link":237},10558,"In many countries with high levels of corruption, there is also a strong demand for government to do something about it. With the right conditions, that can fuel solid political commitments. We’ve seen, however, that even in cases where governments do all the right things on paper – strengthen legal frameworks, establish dedicated anti-corruption agencies, etc. – there's a gap between what they promise and what happens in practice.\n\nIn a chapter for the forthcoming _Routledge Handbook of Anti-Corruption Research and Practice_, we go deeper into exploring one reason for this gap, namely the political instrumentalisation of efforts to prevent and curb corruption. We explain why and how it happens and provide examples from countries across the globe. This article presents the key findings.\n\n### Why? Informal governance and corruption\n\nIf you want to understand why and how anti-corruption institutions and laws can be used and abused to achieve strategic goals, you have to understand how informal networks of elites function and how this relates to corruption.\n\nHigh levels of corruption are often [associated with informal governance practices](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.5699\u002Fslaveasteurorev2.95.1.0049). Informal governance is established through powerful networks that connect political elites, business interests and ordinary citizens. These informal networks can have [different objectives](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.4000\u002Fpoldev.2646). They help:\n\n*   political elites win and stay in power;\n*   business interests to access profitable benefits such as government contracts; and\n*   citizens cope and gain access to public services where governance is weak and resources are scarce.\n\nWhen informal networks rule, decisions, including on allocating public resources, are made for personal gain. Resources are redistributed informally for the benefit of insiders and at the expense of those outside these networks. Power is used to protect and ensure impunity for the loyal. Informal governance practices become entrenched and persist independently of individual network members. The result is a [vicious cycle](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002Fcourse\u002Fview.php?id=136#section-3) of informal governance and corruption that undermines the effectiveness of formal institutions.\n\nInformal governance practices are particularly evident in contexts characterised by state capture, [defined as](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1057\u002Fs41268-023-00290-6) “a type of systematic corruption whereby narrow interest groups take control of the institutions and processes through which public policy is made, directing public policy away from the public interest and instead shaping it to serve their own interests”.\n\n### Instrumentalisation as a way out of the dilemma\n\nPolitical power networks that face pressure to do something to curb corruption find themselves in a dilemma. They need to respond to demands for anti-corruption, but corruption is functional to the network's very survival.\n\nTo prevent negative consequences and sanctions for the informal political power network itself, those pulling the strings need to ensure that anti-corruption institutions and their efforts are not too effective. They must be reined in, for example by instrumentalising anti-corruption endeavours.\n\nHere, political instrumentalisation means that dedicated anti-corruption agencies, or other public institutions charged with preventing and combating corruption or ensuring transparency and accountability, are informally repurposed to benefit those within the network. The result is that _formal_ governance is weakened and the basic principles of the rule of law erode.\n\nThe purpose can be two-fold (not mutually exclusive):\n\n*   To undermine the anti-corruption institution's formal powers and weaken its impact on the power network.\n*   To shape the institution’s operations in a way that favours and strengthens the power network.\n\n### Three strategies: co-optation, control and camouflage\n\nBased on [research](https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.openedition.org\u002Fpoldev\u002F2646) on informal governance and corruption combined with [insights](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1057\u002Fs41268-023-00290-6) on mechanisms of state capture, we can identify three general strategies informal power networks use to shape anti-corruption institutions or undermine their formal powers:\n\n*   _Co-optation__: aligning institutional incentives with that of the power network_ This can be achieved by appointing allies and building informal loyalties both between the anti-corruption institution and the power network, and with other stakeholders in the law enforcement system i.e. the prosecution or judiciary.\n*   _Control__: weakening the influence of the institution in relation to the power network_ This is possible by limiting the resources or mandate of the anti-corruption institution, and by limiting the space for anti-corruption accountability stakeholders such as the media and civil society.\n\nPower networks shape the institution’s operations in a manner favourable to maintaining the network through:\n\n*   _Camouflage__: formal rules create the façade of commitment to anti-corruption..._but they work to protect the network, because:\n    *   they do not apply to corrupt network insiders (impunity);\n    *   they are selectively applied to corrupt outsiders or to discipline network dissenters (weaponisation or “rule by law”).\n\n### Overarching insights and reflections\n\nHard to “see”\n\nGiven that political instrumentalisation of anti-corruption is enacted through formal structures and processes, it can be hard to observe. It can also _look_ different on the surface. Control can happen through restrictions that weaken institutions. But it can also work through the provision of _more_ resources, for example to institutions that have been co-opted to protect network insiders. \n\nA web of formal and informal rules\n\nAnti-corruption actions can be ambivalent when formal rules are selectively applied to camouflage corrupt informal practices. Formal and informal interests and rules are at play simultaneously, with different narratives being offered to insiders and outsiders. A successful corruption prosecution can give the appearance of a commitment to fighting corruption while in reality serving to target individuals outside the power network.\n\nRule of law or rule by law?\n\nWith high levels of informality, it’s difficult to tell if anti-corruption outcomes reflect genuine efforts to enforce the law equally and predictably (rule of law), or if they indicate a strategic use of formal rules for the benefit of the informal network (rule by law). Does a low number of high-profile corruption cases mean that control of corruption is strong, that investigation and prosecution capacities are weak, or that someone is being protected?\n\n### Any bright sides?\n\nThe book chapter concludes by providing practical entry points on what can be done, even in challenging contexts, to strengthen anti-corruption efforts.\n\nThree entry points are worth exploring:\n\n*   Let’s keep in mind: Power networks are fluid and can change. When their incentives align with the anti-corruption objectives of promoting integrity and curbing corruption, informal governance practices can also have a positive impact. It’s important to look for changes in the power structure to seize windows of opportunity.\n*   Ambivalence in institutional decision-making can be reduced by pushing for transparent, standard operating procedures for anti-corruption institutions.\n*   Even if formal political commitments to anti-corruption seem more rhetorical than genuine, they can still provide a useful anchor to promote and drive efforts for real change. [Research](https:\u002F\u002Fonlinelibrary.wiley.com\u002Fdoi\u002F10.1111\u002Fgove.12298) shows that when governments fail to deliver on their commitments, they come under pressure to explain why change has not happened. This keeps anti-corruption high on the political agenda and in societal discourse.\n\nA starting point is to gain a thorough understanding of the broader political and governance context. In this regard, we have developed a [framework for assessing and monitoring contextual factors](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-52) that impact the performance of anti-corruption institutions. It allows us to better interpret anti-corruption actions, identify emerging positive or negative trends and respond more effectively to risks and opportunities.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Saba Kassa’s chapter “Insights on the Political Instrumentalisation of Anti-Corruption Institutions: In Between a Rock and a Hard Place?” will be published in _The Routledge Handbook of Anti-Corruption Research and Practice_, available for pre-order on the [publisher’s website](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.routledge.com\u002FThe-Routledge-Handbook-of-Anti-Corruption-Research-and-Practice\u002FPozsgai-Alvarez-Bratu\u002Fp\u002Fbook\u002F9781032294759?srsltid=AfmBOopfgzfpq6fkyGC4SFeBLkjN5dVqnAKQjj8a3CgDmeWvbA3zjXRC).\n*   Kassa, Saba. 2024. “[Navigating the political context: Practice insights and adaptive strategies to strengthen the anti-corruption and asset recovery justice chain](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-52)”, Working Paper 52, Basel Institute on Governance.\n*   Baez-Camargo, Claudia and Alena Ledeneva. 2017. “[Where Does Informality Stop and Corruption Begin? Informal Governance and the Public\u002FPrivate Crossover in Mexico, Russia and Tanzania.](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.5699\u002Fslaveasteurorev2.95.1.0049)” _Slavonic and East European Review_ 95, no. 1: 49-75.\n*   Baez-Camargo, Claudia and Lucy Koechlin. 2018. “[Informal Governance: Comparative Perspectives on Co-optation, Control and Camouflage in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.4000\u002Fpoldev.2646)” _International Development Policy Journal_, 78-100.\n*   Basel Institute on Governance. 2023. “[Informal Governance](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002Fcourse\u002Fview.php?id=136#section-3).”\n*   Dávid-Barrett, Elizabeth. 2023. “[State capture and development: a conceptual framework.](https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1057\u002Fs41268-023-00290-6)” _Journal of International Relations and Development_ 26, 224-244.","2025-06-10","how-informal-power-networks-can-instrumentalise-anti-corruption-institutions-2816","How informal power networks can instrumentalise anti-corruption institutions","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F6c184fdc-82c9-4a8c-a0d3-52ece905fcee?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14,15],[78,161],[221,223],{"tags_id":222},{"id":82,"name":83},{"tags_id":224},{"id":225,"name":226},1309,"Informality",2816,[21],[78,161],[231],1341,[],[25],[],"2025-06-10T10:01:37.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fhow-informal-power-networks-can-instrumentalise-anti-corruption-institutions-2816",{"id":239,"body":240,"status":6,"type":69,"date":241,"slug":242,"title":243,"image":244,"countries":245,"topic":246,"activity":247,"tags":248,"nid":255,"topics":256,"activities":257,"authors":258,"images":260,"websites":261,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":262,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":263,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":184,"content":264,"link":265},10551,"_This article by Claudia Baez Camargo offers valuable insights into how behavioural science can inform more effective anti-corruption strategies and crime prevention efforts. By shedding light on key behavioural drivers and practical approaches, the piece provides a strong foundation for those seeking to better understand how human behaviour can be positively influenced to promote integrity and reduce crime._\n\n_It is republished with permission from the [7th Newsletter](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2025-05\u002FPNI%20Newsletter%207th%20edition.pdf) of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network of Institutes ([PNI](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Funodc\u002Fen\u002Fcommissions\u002FCCPCJ\u002FPNI\u002Finstitutes.html))._\n\nAt the end of the day, it’s not formal policies and regulations that prevent crime or make criminal justice systems work better – it’s people. And people’s behaviour is shaped not just by formal rules but by informal practices and deeply embedded social norms.\n\nThat’s why understanding what drives behaviour, and how we can shift it, is essential for achieving the goals of crime prevention and criminal justice. Behavioural science offers valuable insights here. It helps us identify practical, people-centred ways to encourage integrity, accountability and participation – both individually and collectively.\n\nThis article explores how behavioural science-based approaches can contribute to preventing crime and corruption. It reviews relevant international texts and shares early findings from the Basel Institute’s promising work in Tanzania and in relation to environmental crime. While our primary focus at the Basel Institute is on anti-corruption, the insights are relevant across the broader field of crime prevention and criminal justice.\n\n### Policies often miss the human dimension\n\nToo often, policies aimed at preventing corruption and crime look good on paper. They follow international best practices, tick all the boxes and appear technically sound. But in practice, they often fall short of delivering the desired results. This pattern is familiar across all the regions in which we work.\n\nOne reason is that many such efforts overlook the _people_ expected to put the policies into action. Specifically, not enough attention is paid to the incentives and contextual factors that shape their behaviour. Strong formal anti-corruption or crime prevention systems matter, but they aren’t sufficient on their own. Progress depends on how individuals within these systems behave – whether or not they choose to collaborate, share information report misconduct. And that cooperation is often blocked by low levels of trust or limited experience with collaboration.\n\nAnother issue is the widespread reliance on awareness-raising campaigns. While well-intentioned, these often assume that more knowledge will lead to better choices. Yet we know from behavioural research and experience that this doesn’t hold up, particularly when it comes to corruption. People usually understand that corruption is wrong. But they may still choose not to report or resist it due to a range of behavioural and social factors: the belief that “everyone does it,” fear of retaliation, risk aversion or personal biases.\n\nAdd to that bureaucratic \"sludge\" – unnecessary paperwork and other frictions that make doing the right thing harder – and even the best-designed policies can lose their bite.\n\nThe upshot? If we want crime prevention and justice reforms to work in the real world, we need to go beyond rules and awareness. We need to understand the behavioural drivers behind corruption and crime. And we need to use that understanding to design smarter, more human-centred interventions that nudge people toward integrity and collaboration.\n\n### International guidance on behavioural approaches\n\nInternational treaties and standards in areas like anti-corruption, crime prevention and broader development often focus on formal structures and high-level frameworks. That’s understandable: the realm of human behaviour is complex, unpredictable and deeply influenced by varying political, cultural and geographic contexts. As a result, behavioural dimensions are rarely given the attention they deserve.\n\nSome guidance documents, however, do take a behavioural lens – though this remains the exception rather than the rule. Notably, the World Bank’s 2015 [World Development Report: Mind, Society, and Behavior](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.worldbank.org\u002Fen\u002Fpublication\u002Fwdr2015) made a strong case for integrating behavioural insights into development work. While it didn’t focus specifically on crime or corruption, it offered valuable, practical advice on designing interventions that reflect how people actually think and behave, rather than how we assume they should.\n\nSince then, behavioural science has gained traction in public policy. Many governments have established specialised teams to apply behavioural insights to policy challenges – from tax compliance to public health. Recognising this shift, the OECD released its [Good Practice Principles for Ethical Behavioural Science in Public Policy](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oecd.org\u002Fen\u002Fpublications\u002Fgood-practice-principles-for-ethical-behavioural-science-in-public-policy_e19a9be9-en.html) in 2022, offering guidance on using behavioural tools in an ethical and effective manner.\n\nYet despite these promising developments, behavioural approaches remain underused in anti-corruption and crime prevention efforts. This is a missed opportunity, since behavioural science offers a powerful lens for understanding and addressing the real-world challenges that undermine formal systems and laws.\n\n### Promising research\n\nTwo areas in particular – healthcare and environmental protection – illustrate how tailored interventions grounded in behavioural insights can help achieve corruption or crime prevention goals. Both arise from research led by the Basel Institute.\n\nPreventing corruption in healthcare\n\nOne of the few real-world behaviour change interventions in the anti-corruption space took place in a Tanzanian hospital. The aim of the [pilot project](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2023-03\u002F230306_Research-case-study-01b.pdf) was to curb bribery in the form of “gift giving” – i.e. small gifts to healthcare workers to generate a relationship of reciprocity and secure better or faster treatment. While framed as gestures of appreciation, such practices can create expectations and reinforce corrupt dynamics over time.\n\nThe intervention used a mix of behavioural tools: simple environmental cues like posters and desk signs reminded users of expectations around the giving of gifts, while respected staff members acted as “champions,” spreading the messages through their peer networks. In just eight weeks, the pilot recorded a 14–44 percent decrease in patients’ intentions to offer gifts, as well as more negative attitudes toward the practice and reduced beliefs in its acceptability.\n\nThe accompanying working paper, [Developing Anti-corruption Interventions Addressing Social Norms](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-40), offers practical guidance for practitioners. It outlines how to identify when a behaviour change approach is appropriate, develop a theory of change and design interventions that are context-sensitive and measurable.\n\nThis pilot adds to the growing evidence on why some behavioural approaches can be effective in preventing corruption while others fall short ([see more](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fresearch-case-5)). To give a taster, some of the strategies include:\n\n*   Using environmental cues tailored to the setting.\n*   Providing timely resources that support integrity under pressure.\n*   Building trust among stakeholders to foster cooperative social norms.\n*   Elevating role models and champions of integrity.\n\nTackling environmental corruption and crime\n\nThe adaptability of behavioural science also makes it a strong tool in the fight against _environmental_ corruption and crime. These offences often flourish in settings where red tape, weak enforcement and collusive practices are the norm. Behavioural interventions can be tailored to disrupt these patterns.\n\nUnder the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project, led by WWF, we produced a series of [practical guides](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.worldwildlife.org\u002Fpages\u002Ftnrc-guides-designing-social-norms-and-behavior-change-interventions-guidance-resources-for-conservation-practitioners) that translate behavioural insights into conservation and anti-corruption strategies. Topics include how to reduce corruption driven by excessive bureaucracy or “sludge”, how to reduce risks of collusion in community-managed forests and how to design interventions that resonate with frontline wildlife defenders such as rangers.\n\n### Other resources and activities\n\nAt the Basel Institute, we are deeply committed to advancing the use of behavioural science in anti-corruption and broader crime prevention efforts. Our aim is not just to test promising ideas, but to rigorously examine what works, what doesn’t and – crucially – why. By sharing these insights, we hope to support practitioners around the world in adapting evidence-based behaviour change approaches to their own contexts.\n\nIn this regard, an additional valuable contribution to the field is our [research report](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fbehavioural-insights-and-anti-corruption) synthesising lessons from a range of anti-corruption behaviour change interventions. It explores the reasons behind both successes and failures and extracts practical recommendations.\n\nIn a nutshell, we believe that effective anti-corruption and crime prevention systems must be rooted not only in solid laws and institutions, but also in the behavioural realities of those expected to implement them. Bridging the gap between formal policy and real-world practice requires a systematic focus on social norms, decision-making dynamics and local incentives.\n\nOur Prevention, Research and Innovation team leads this work. We support anti-corruption practitioners, development agencies and other donors across three main areas:\n\n*   Research: Conducting academically grounded studies to understand the behavioural drivers of corruption and identify promising points for interventions.\n*   Advisory support: Helping donors and international partners integrate behavioural insights into their anti-corruption and development programming.\n*   Practical guidance and mentoring: Working directly with implementers to design, test and refine behaviourally informed strategies that are tailored, measurable and feasible in the context.\n\nBy embedding behavioural science into anti-corruption and wider crime prevention efforts, we can help ensure that policies are not just well designed on paper, but embraced and enacted in practice – closing the gap between intention and impact.\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n_One of the key mandates of the PNI is to disseminate and enhance knowledge on crime prevention and criminal justice. This mission is carried out actively around the world by individual PNIs through various channels, including research, publications, and capacity-building activities. A notable example of such efforts was the creation of the Justice Knowledge Centre by Gary Hill_ –_one of the first web-based platforms dedicated to sharing information and resources on crime prevention and criminal justice._\n\n_Inspired by the spirit of such legacies and by the continuing efforts of PNIs around the world, the PNI Newsletter carries forward this knowledge-sharing mission by dedicating a section in each issue to a specific topic of relevance. Claudia's contribution is the first in this new series._","2025-05-15","bridging-the-gap-how-behavioural-science-can-strengthen-anti-corruption-and-crime-prevention-2809","Bridging the gap: How behavioural science can strengthen anti-corruption and crime prevention","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fa05b5d5d-c1b9-487e-970a-b0c611df17cc?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14,15],[78,161],[249,251],{"tags_id":250},{"id":82,"name":83},{"tags_id":252},{"id":253,"name":254},848,"Behavioural science",2809,[21],[78,161],[259],1340,[],[25],[],"2025-05-15T10:01:34.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fbridging-the-gap-how-behavioural-science-can-strengthen-anti-corruption-and-crime-prevention-2809",{"id":267,"body":268,"status":6,"type":69,"date":269,"slug":270,"title":271,"image":272,"countries":273,"topic":274,"activity":275,"tags":276,"nid":294,"topics":295,"activities":296,"authors":297,"images":298,"websites":299,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":300,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":301,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":302,"content":303,"link":304},10549,"As corruption becomes more sophisticated, anti-corruption training must keep pace. In a recent [webinar](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnode\u002F2775), experts from the Basel Institute shared insights on how technology has strengthened training efforts for law enforcement practitioners worldwide. They also explored exciting new applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to further enhance training and learning experiences.\n\nThis webinar was provided in support of the [FALCON project](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002F)\\*, showcasing technological tools and best practices to aid the Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks. As Jacopo Costa, Senior Specialist in Prevention, Research and Innovation, explained, one of FALCON’s key objectives is to explore how technology and AI solutions can be leveraged to innovate the fight against corruption.\n\n### eLearning: from passive reading to engaged learning\n\nPeter Huppertz, Head of IT and eLearning, offered a number of recommendations on how to make eLearning effective and efficient for learners. Central to his message was that the _delivery_ is as important as the _content_.\n\n> Too much online learning is passive and disconnected from practitioners’ real-life tasks and needs.\n\nThe Basel Institute’s [eLearning](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fbasel-learn) method is built around active participation – and technology is crucial to this learning method. Participants complete simulated investigations step by step on the [Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org) platform. They must complete certain tasks correctly in order to progress to the next phase of investigation.\n\nPeter demonstrated these interactive features by taking webinar participants through a few steps of our popular [Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002Fcourse\u002Fview.php?id=79) course. His demonstration showed how the learning journey is supported by content taken from actual cases that expose participants to what they need to do in real life. By developing courses in collaboration with subject matter experts, we ensure that the materials reflect real investigative mechanisms rather than abstract theories.\n\nAt its best, eLearning offers remarkable flexibility and individualisation. Once a programme is developed it can be easily scaled up (Basel LEARN now reaches nearly 60,000 users). By employing open source software, the learning management system can be tailored to the specific needs of the training programme. This is especially useful when we deliver our custom-made in-person, in-country [training programmes](http:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fasset-recovery\u002Ftraining-programmes) for law enforcement and other anti-corruption practitioners.\n\n### Blended learning – the best of both worlds\n\nBlended learning – combining instructor-led, in-person training and self-paced eLearning – has become a cornerstone of our training programmes, which have seen more than 4000 participants in over 40 countries over 17 years.\n\nThese training programmes are targeted at government agencies in partner countries to help them develop their capacities on financial investigation and asset recovery. They have been designed to mirror the complexity of real investigations, where investigators search for evidence by analysing financial data and untangling complex legal structures, hidden ownership and cross-border flows.\n\nIn our trainings, participants investigate a corruption case, uncovering pieces of evidence by locating information and replicating the procedural and legal steps from their own jurisdictions. Thierry Ravalomanda, Head of ICAR Training, explained that this approach enhances participants’ sense of ownership and autonomy. These are critical motivation factors in adult learning.\n\nIn the past, these simulated investigations were paper-based. Now, with the Basel LEARN platform integrated into our face-to-face training, participants are able to immerse themselves into more realistic investigative environments. They are also able to continue to learn and practise their skills once the training ends.\n\nImportantly, the human aspect is still central in our trainings. They are delivered by experienced investigators, prosecutors and financial intelligence analysts who provide guidance as participants work their way through the investigative scenarios. Participants also always work in groups with the LEARN platform, fostering cross-agency collaboration. As Thierry noted:\n\n> “We need everyone – FIUs, prosecutors, judges and law enforcement – to speak the same language and understand the investigative process together”.\n\n### Taking blended learning a step further\n\nBlended learning will also be a key aspect of our [new postgraduate programmes](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy), presented during the webinar by Jörg Schmidt, Senior Specialist, Continuing Education. Delivered in partnership with the University of Basel, the programmes combine academic foundations with new research and real-world practitioner experience.\n\nMuch of the degree courses will be delivered online, with hybrid introduction and conclusion sessions. Hence, the courses will draw on the Basel Institute’s extensive experience with eLearning and blended learning. They will employ technology to ensure that online modules are interactive, collaborative and closer to real-world experiences.\n\n### Expanding educational frontiers: the possibilities of AI\n\nAI is already being explored by the Basel Institute as a valuable enhancement for eLearning and on-site training.\n\nFor example, Peter demonstrated a new AI-generated witness interview course activity, which replaces the traditional written interview summary document. The activity allows training participants to actively engage with AI-prompted witnesses by posing questions and receiving realistic responses – a step closer to a real-life interview. As the technology improves, we will integrate this model in other training programmes, for example in our training on interviewing skills for financial investigators.\n\nApart from enhancing participant engagement, AI is also useful for creating training content and eLearning courses. It can assist in creating content such as quiz questions and translating trainings into different languages. It can also help with assessing participant performance, which provides valuable data on the effectiveness of our courses.\n\n### Technology-supported training enhances effectiveness\n\nBasel Institute eLearning courses and training programmes have demonstrated the effectiveness of digital tools in training anti-corruption professionals around the world. As technology becomes more powerful, it can help us to provide better training to tackle the increasingly complex and evolving landscape in which law enforcement and other anti-corruption practitioners work.\n\nClaudia Baez Camargo, Director of our Prevention, Research and Innovation team, who moderated the webinar, concluded the session with these words:\n\n> It shouldn't be about people just becoming lazy and using AI rather than doing their work. It is about making people more productive. It is about us being able to deliver more complex, more sophisticated tools that go with our training, that go with our teaching, that make the experience a lot more immersive and interesting than it would otherwise be.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Watch the webinar [recordings](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fplaylist?list=PLYRnhpCcnLP_sjdirwTJ6Y5gALYHZ8pMn).\n*   Read the FALCON policy brief “[Recommendations for leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fight against corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002Fsites\u002F6\u002F2025\u002F04\u002F2025_04_22-FALCON-policy-brief-02_Leveraging-AI-in-the-fight-against-coruption.pdf)”.\n\n\\*The FALCON project is funded by the EU HORIZON programme under grant agreement 101121281. The Basel Institute's participation is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).","2025-05-12","enhancing-law-enforcement-training-with-technology-and-ai-2807","Enhancing law enforcement training with technology and AI","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fb7a89535-6b18-431a-aaba-9d5ac700090a?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[112,14,15],[77,161],[277,281,285,288,292],{"tags_id":278},{"id":279,"name":280},1289,"Artificial intelligence",{"tags_id":282},{"id":283,"name":284},1300,"Education",{"tags_id":286},{"id":287,"name":114},1372,{"tags_id":289},{"id":290,"name":291},1377,"Technology",{"tags_id":293},{"id":173,"name":174},2807,[118,21],[77,161],[],[],[25],[],"2025-05-12T10:01:38.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:36.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fenhancing-law-enforcement-training-with-technology-and-ai-2807",{"id":306,"body":307,"status":6,"type":69,"date":308,"slug":309,"title":310,"image":311,"countries":312,"topic":313,"activity":314,"tags":315,"nid":316,"topics":317,"activities":318,"authors":319,"images":320,"websites":321,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":89,"translations":322,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":323,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":324,"content":325,"link":326},10542,"There could hardly be a more critical time for policymakers in the European Union to understand how corruption _really_ intersects with organised crime and impacts citizens’ security, prosperity and trust in institutions.\n\nAnd just as importantly, how to leverage data and advanced tools to fight corrupt networks effectively.\n\nThe Basel Institute is proud to be a partner in the [FALCON](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002F) (Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project. In this cross-sector EU Horizon research project, a consortium of 25 organisations from different countries is developing innovative tools targeting the intersection of corruption and crime. The Basel Institute’s participation in the EU project is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).\n\nAt the halfway point of the three-year project, we spoke with Project Coordinator Evgenia Adamopoulou to find out how it is going and what it could mean for the future of anti-corruption efforts in the EU and beyond.\n\n### 1\\. What is Project FALCON and what makes it unique as a corruption research project?\n\nFALCON is an EU-funded research project to enhance the fight against corruption and thereby minimise its negative impacts on democratic freedoms, security and people’s trust in institutions.\n\nThe aim is to equip law enforcement agencies, policymakers and watchdogs with data-driven tools for corruption risk assessment, investigation support and decision-making. We want to bridge the gaps between policy, law enforcement and technology – gaps that can make anti-corruption efforts uncoordinated and leave law enforcement one step behind the criminals.\n\nThe idea is to build a next-generation corruption detection and prevention ecosystem which stays ahead of evolving corruption schemes.\n\nAt FALCON we’re focused on innovation. For example:\n\n*   We are developing novel, evidence-based indicators of corruption which go beyond perception-based indices.\n*   We are finding ways to automate risk assessments by fusing structured and unstructured data from a wide range of sources, including public procurement and corporate records, crypto transactions, satellite imagery and open-source intelligence.\n*   We are using this data to create AI-powered tools that reveal hidden corruption patterns in order to facilitate the work of law enforcement, and test them in real-world scenarios.\n\n### 2\\. Why is the EU funding FALCON – what will Member States gain?\n\nCorruption remains a major challenge across Europe, undermining democratic institutions, distorting fair competition and facilitating organised crime. Corruption detection, risk assessment and prosecution remain slow, complex and costly.\n\nFALCON delivers innovative, data-driven solutions which can enhance the EU’s ability to combat corruption effectively.\n\nHere’s why our focus areas matter for the EU:\n\n1\\. Public procurement fraud costs the EU billions of euros each year. FALCON will provide tools to automatically detect high-risk tenders, favouritism and overpricing, preventing fraud before it happens.\n\n2\\. Corruption at border crossings enables smuggling, human trafficking and illegal trade. FALCON will help to strengthen border integrity and security by developing AI-powered visual recognition tools, crypto-asset tracking and pattern analysis of illicit financial flows.\n\n3\\. Sanctions circumvention is a serious risk in the current geopolitical situation. Sanctioned individuals and entities exploit loopholes in financial systems to move their assets under cover. FALCON is developing tools to reveal hidden ownership structures, detect suspicious movements of money and uncover transnational networks facilitating the illicit financial activities of corrupt elites.\n\n4\\. Conflicts of interest of politically exposed persons (PEPs) can lead to the abuse of public funds – i.e. EU taxpayers’ money. FALCON’s tools will cross-analyse financial records, public procurement data and asset declarations to help investigators detect undisclosed conflicts of interest and safeguard public funds.\n\nTechnological tools are just one part of FALCON. The fight against corruption also demands coordinated efforts across borders, institutions and sectors. FALCON supports this by fostering collaboration among law enforcement agencies. At the same time, our research teams help to build capacity by providing training and producing policy recommendations to strengthen anti-corruption frameworks across the EU.\n\n### 3\\. How will FALCON ensure the tools will work in practice?\n\nAt FALCON, our focus is on delivering tools that can be used in the real world, not only theoretical research. Some are already being tested and refined in real-life pilot scenarios with law enforcement agencies and border guards in Bulgaria, France, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania and Serbia. They include:\n\n*   Automated corruption risk assessment, a data-driven platform for risk assessment and investigation prioritisation. This will help law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies analyse public procurement data, company data and border corruption patterns.\n*   Investigation support platform: A search tool which makes it easy to explore the FALCON Knowledge Base – basically a large collection of data – using ready-made or custom queries.\n*   Predictive analytics for corruption trends: A tool for predicting corruption risks in procurement processes by identifying high-risk scenarios, such as single bidding.\n*   Visual recognition for border corruption: This tool aids border guards in detecting suspicious activities by identifying vehicle licence plates.\n\nBy testing these tools in simulated corruption scenarios – bribery of an EU official in return for contracts, for example – we can ensure that they are practical, effective and adaptable for anti-corruption experts across Europe.\n\nIt’s important to stress that FALCON is committed to developing fully transparent and trustworthy AI tools that are compliant with national and EU regulations.\n\n### 4\\. The project is nearly halfway through. How is it going so far in terms of collaboration and outputs?\n\nFALCON is on track to meet its objectives. More importantly, we’re pleased to see the strong collaboration across the diverse consortium involving AI researchers, corruption experts and academics. These groups don’t typically work together – but they should do more!\n\nOne of the major achievements has been the release of the first Corruption Intelligence Pictures – detailed studies of corruption trends, schemes and connections with organised crime. These encompass actionable risk indicators for different areas. For example, for public procurement, risk indicators might cover single bidding, buyer concentration, length of submission or decision period, and unusual market entry. Risk indicators at [border crossings](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg38) may include the frequency of entries and exits, length of stay, model of vehicles, etc.\n\nFALCON’s AI and data analytics tools are also taking shape. For example:\n\n*   Machine learning models have been trained to detect corruption risks using real world data.\n*   Crypto-asset tracking and anomaly detection tools are showing promise for improving how illicit financial flows can be traced on blockchains.\n*   Natural language processing models are under development to enhance the analysis of public procurement records and financial disclosures for corruption risks.\n\nThe first pilot tests of FALCON tools took place in January 2025, and four training workshops have reached over 250 participants so far.\n\n### 5\\. Any surprises?\n\nYes! First, while we anticipated hidden links between corruption and organised crime, these links are often more deeply hidden than we expected. This has triggered us to develop even more advanced tools to analyse relationships, map out networks and expose corrupt actors and money flows.\n\nSecond, some financial, company and procurement datasets have limited transparency or restricted access. In response, we are developing AI techniques to extract intelligence from unstructured sources such as news archives, leaks and web-scraped financial disclosures.\n\nThat’s a powerful lesson on the need for greater access to such data, not only for law enforcement but for research and civil society monitoring purposes.\n\n### 6\\. How is the collaboration with the Basel Institute?\n\nThe Basel Institute on Governance is a key partner to FALCON and brings valuable experience not only in pioneering anti-corruption research but in working hand-in-hand with law enforcement and policy institutions around the world. As a result, our collaboration plays an important role in connecting cutting-edge research with real-world anti-corruption enforcement. As a globally recognised institution specialised in anti-corruption, asset recovery and governance, the Institute’s expertise has helped ensure that FALCON’s tools are aligned with real-world needs.\n\nWorking with the Basel Institute has been a two-way exchange. FALCON benefits from the Institute’s on-the-ground insights about what’s really driving corruption and organised crime, and the challenges faced by law enforcement. At the same time, the project’s advanced tools offer new ways to automate and enhance investigations. This will help the Basel Institute incorporate the latest advancements in AI, data analytics and machine learning into their technical assistance projects with law enforcement and related agencies worldwide.\n\nAs the FALCON project progresses, we are working increasingly closely with the Basel Institute. We’re testing corruption risk indicators on real cases. We’re developing policy recommendations based on project findings. And we’re working hard to ensure FALCON’s outputs will be sustained and integrated into ant-corruption efforts beyond the project’s lifetime. Watch this space.\n\n_The FALCON project is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute’s involvement in the project is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or SERI._","2025-03-19","project-falcon-innovating-the-fight-against-corruption-across-the-eu-2784","Project FALCON: Innovating the fight against corruption across the EU","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F66772822-a24f-4558-ad22-9eb2af8dc74f?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14,15],[78,161],[],2784,[21],[78,161],[],[],[25],[],"2025-03-19T17:01:36.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:56.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fproject-falcon-innovating-the-fight-against-corruption-across-the-eu-2784",{"id":328,"body":329,"status":6,"type":10,"date":330,"slug":331,"title":332,"image":333,"countries":334,"topic":335,"activity":336,"tags":337,"nid":346,"topics":347,"activities":348,"authors":349,"images":350,"websites":351,"area":23,"programme":23,"language":23,"translations":352,"translation_of":23,"user_created":41,"date_created":353,"user_updated":92,"date_updated":354,"content":355,"link":356},10535,"We are thrilled to launch [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study), deepening our mission to empower professionals and practitioners working to counter corruption and financial crime. In conjunction with the University of Basel, the Basel Institute now offers advanced postgraduate qualifications in anti-corruption and asset recovery.\n\nCorruption and financial crime undermine the foundations of our societies – from stalling economic growth to eroding public trust. Understanding their dynamics and how to fight them effectively is essential for professionals from any sector and any corner of the world.\n\nThe programmes are designed to boost your knowledge, skills and career. They combine advanced research, real-world insights, practical examples and hands-on activities. You’ll also benefit from valuable peer networking, despite the primarily online setting. A wealth of resources for self-study will be available on the university’s easy-to-access learning platform. This means great flexibility for people with busy schedules.\n\nThe academic qualifications build on our existing learning and training activities. These include free eLearning courses on Basel LEARN, training for anti-corruption agencies, and teaching at the University of Basel and elsewhere.\n\n### Choose from two postgraduate courses\n\nDiscover what really works in the fight against corruption with our first Certificate of Advanced Study programme on [Mastering Today's Anti-Corruption Challenges](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-anti-corruption). Develop a holistic understanding of how corruption impacts governance at every level – and gain the expertise you need to safeguard integrity and accountability in your field. The six-month course starts in September 2025.\n\nAsset recovery is key to tackling organised and financial crimes – that’s what our second certificate programme on [Combating Financial Crime Through Asset Recovery](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study\u002Fcas-asset-recovery) is all about. Gain a practice-oriented understanding and sharpen your ability to identify, trace, seize and recover illicit funds. Watch out for more details on this course and the start date!\n\n### Is this for you?\n\nAre you dedicated to fighting corruption and (financial) crime or otherwise involved in the broader field of governance? Do you want to advance your career with a relevant qualification? Then this might just be for you!\n\nA university degree, relevant work experience, proficiency in English and some spare time are required to apply. Find out more on [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Flearning\u002Fbasel-study) and contact us with your questions via [study@baselgovernance.org](mailto:study@baselgovernance.org) or the [contact form](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy#contact_study).","2025-02-24","come-study-with-us-2765","Come study with us!","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F112df88f-53fd-44b8-9461-f8230eb1e1e8?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[112,14,15],[137],[338,340,344],{"tags_id":339},{"id":82,"name":83},{"tags_id":341},{"id":342,"name":343},843,"Asset recovery",{"tags_id":345},{"id":283,"name":284},2765,[118,21],[137],[],[],[25],[],"2025-02-24T11:01:36.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:35.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fcome-study-with-us-2765",{"left":358,"top":358,"width":359,"height":359,"rotate":358,"vFlip":360,"hFlip":360,"body":361},0,20,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M17 10a.75.75 0 0 1-.75.75H5.612l4.158 3.96a.75.75 0 1 1-1.04 1.08l-5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.08l5.5-5.25a.75.75 0 1 1 1.04 1.08L5.612 9.25H16.25A.75.75 0 0 1 17 10\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u002F>",1780676483726]