[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":322},["ShallowReactive",2],{"news-the-master-in-anti-corruption-studies-an-iaca-approach-to-collective-training-and-research-171":3,"news-the-master-in-anti-corruption-studies-an-iaca-approach-to-collective-training-and-research-171-similar":49,"i-heroicons:arrow-left-20-solid":317},[4],{"id":5,"status":6,"date_created":7,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"date":12,"topic":13,"slug":15,"activity":16,"nid":18,"topics":19,"activities":20,"programme":21,"area":21,"websites":22,"language":21,"image":21,"translation_of":21,"countries":24,"tags":25,"authors":26,"images":46,"translations":47,"content":48},10193,"published","2022-05-26T22:59:24.000Z","2025-08-31T23:14:59.000Z","The Master in Anti-Corruption Studies – an IACA approach to collective training and research","Blog","_By Georg Florian Grabenweger, Policy Advisor at the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA)._\n\n“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have laboured hard for,” the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once said. And still the picture of this hero of knowledge, wisdom, and sincerity reminds our students of their quest for excellence when they walk up the staircase to IACA’s grand auditorium.\n\nThe International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) – an international organization with 60 Parties from all over the world and post-secondary educational, training, and research institute – was conceived by anti-corruption professionals and scholars of various backgrounds in 2005. It had been clear to them that a concerted effort, integrating the knowledge of all relevant disciplines, theory, and practice, and the experience of all societal sectors on a global level, would be positioned to make a real difference in the fight against corruption. This vision became reality in 2011 and has gained tremendous political support since then.\n\nOnly a few years later, we can now see the first harvest of IACA’s finest fruits with the graduation of the first class of the Master in Anti-Corruption Studies (MACS); a two-year, part-time programme designed for anti-corruption executives and practitioners who wish to remain fully employed while pursuing their degree.\n\nIt has frequently been bemoaned that anti-corruption post-secondary education and research are rare; that there are only a few places where practitioners could concentrate on anti-corruption issues alone; and that there were virtually no opportunities for practitioners to jointly contemplate challenging questions concerning corruption.\n\nAs one of the MACS students put it: “People who are committing those crimes are improving their style of commission. And if they are improving their style of commission, we as investigators also need to sharpen our own skills. The best part of this (is), that it will help me to network”.\n\nWe have seen from the first intake of the MACS programme that IACA is well positioned to attract the right audience. Bringing together 31 students from 17 countries and four continents, there were not only highly skilled professionals from the public sphere, but also specialists from the private sector, civil society, and academia, who had an average 8 years of experience in fighting corruption. It thus comes as no surprise that the MACS professors, who have seen many anti-corruption audiences all over the globe, where also excited to work with this extraordinary group of professionals.\n\nWith a focus on academic disciplines in the first year, the MACS began with an on-site module on “Concept and Theories of Corruption”, designed to identify the challenges in defining corruption, raise awareness on its diverse actors and different manifestations, and understand the development of this phenomenon over time. Contextualizing corruption in the social environment was given equal attention as the philosophical dimensions or psychological aspects which lead to corrupt behaviour.\n\nIn Module II, “Corruption and Economics”, micro and macroeconomic theories were introduced to shed light on the mechanisms devised by corrupt individuals and entities, and to elaborate on model strategies for counteracting these mechanisms.\n\nThe module “Politics and Corruption” put the topic again in the wider political context, making use of political science methods and carving out key features of corruptive relationships in the political governance of communities, regions, states, and the international sphere.\n\nIn Module IV, “Business and Corruption” examined how corruption manifests itself in the private sector, how corporate governance responds, and what adverse effects arise from failing to respond effectively.\n\nThe law module then focused not only on legal approaches to anti-corruption and the rule of law in general, but also specifically on how different international legal instruments and national legislation transcending its usual jurisdiction tackle the menace at its root on a global scale. The intrinsic link between human rights and corruption was also highlighted.\n\nThe last two modules paid special attention to linking theory with practice, focusing on enforcement and prevention. The enforcement module was devised to expose students to the practitioner as well as the policy and academic aspects of investigating corruption, from asset recovery to the role of whistleblowers, and to examine the relationship with civil society, the role of the media, and investigative journalism. Underlining IACA’s global approach, this module was held in Kuala Lumpur, in cooperation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy.\n\nPrevention concluded the comprehensive tour de force of the MACS and acquainted the class with the latest methods of prevention in the private and public sectors, collective action techniques and international approaches, as well as trends that may shape the future of anti-corruption preventive efforts.\n\nThe programme was led by an Academic Consortium of Yale Professor Susan Rose-Ackerman, Northeastern University Professor Nikos Passas, and Basel University Professor Mark Pieth, as well as a team of visiting professors and practitioners from around the world specializing in the module topics. All the modules started off with intensive preparation through home study of the background materials. The on-site phases provided for intellectual exchange between the renowned faculty and expert student body. As one student put it, “I have benefitted tremendously from the knowledge and experiences of the lecturers and from the different perspectives they bring from their respective backgrounds and parts of the world. The interactions and class discussions with fellow MACS colleagues has also been tremendously useful. I don’t know where else I would have been able to benefit from the rich interdisciplinary exchanges we have had in the course of the MACS programme.” In the post-module phases, course assignments linked modular input with the real life anti-corruption situation of the working students.\n\nAfter two years of intensive work leading up to the Master Thesis defences over the last few days, on 9 December, International Anti-Corruption Day, IACA celebrated the achievements of the 2012-2014 class in front of family, friends, and a wider network of distinguished guests. For members of the MACS academic community, it is a time to rejoice the efforts of the students they have supported during their journey. The graduates were given a rousing send-off as they prepare to reinforce the fight against corruption in their countries, companies and societies while the second MACS class at IACA has already started to create the next generation of agents of change.\n\nJust as Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and guest of honour for the graduation ceremony put it: “Having followed the anti-corruption development from its very early stages in the nineties, now for me today, experiencing this only place in the world focusing exclusively on anti-corruption research and training, awarding its first Master degrees in anti-corruption studies, is a huge progress.”","2014-12-10",[14],"","the-master-in-anti-corruption-studies-an-iaca-approach-to-collective-training-and-research-171",[17],"Insights",171,[],[17],null,[23],"Main page",[],[],[27],{"id":28,"news_id":29,"authors_id":43},1332,{"id":5,"status":6,"user_created":30,"date_created":7,"user_updated":31,"date_updated":8,"title":9,"type":10,"body":11,"image":21,"date":12,"topic":32,"slug":15,"activity":33,"nid":18,"topics":34,"activities":35,"programme":21,"area":21,"websites":36,"translation_of":21,"language":21,"countries":37,"tags":38,"authors":39,"images":40,"translations":41,"content":42},"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6","b0662e2a-864d-4888-a1b7-4342b7570b30",[14],[17],[],[17],[23],[],[],[28],[],[],[],{"id":44,"name":45,"position":21,"image":21},347,"Georg Florian Grabenweger",[],[],[],[50,78,119,142,171,202,228,262,293],{"id":51,"body":52,"status":6,"type":53,"date":54,"slug":55,"title":56,"image":57,"countries":58,"topic":59,"activity":62,"tags":64,"nid":65,"topics":66,"activities":68,"authors":69,"images":70,"websites":71,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":72,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":73,"user_updated":74,"date_updated":75,"content":76,"link":77},10241,"During the first week of August, as part of the Master in Anti-Corruption Studies (MACS) at the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) in Vienna, Austria, Dr Claudia Baez Camargo, Senior Research Fellow of the Basel Institute, taught two courses, one on \"Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods,” and one on \"Corruption and Development.”\n\nThe participants of this Master programme represented an international group of 31 professionals, mostly officials from their respective countries' anti-corruption agencies.","News","2013-08-10","basel-institute-conducts-two-courses-at-the-iacas-master-in-anti-corruption-studies-macs-529","Basel Institute conducts two courses at the IACA’s Master in Anti-Corruption Studies (MACS)","\u002Fpics\u002Fimg-placeholder.png",[],[60,61],"Prevention"," Research and Innovation",[63],"Training",[],529,[67],"Prevention Research and Innovation",[63],[],[],[23],[],"2022-05-26T22:59:34.000Z","3d9ff205-1640-4f34-b5b6-86977f51bbd6","2026-05-07T21:29:53.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fbasel-institute-conducts-two-courses-at-the-iacas-master-in-anti-corruption-studies-macs-529",{"id":79,"body":80,"status":6,"type":10,"date":81,"slug":82,"title":83,"image":84,"countries":85,"topic":87,"activity":89,"tags":91,"nid":107,"topics":108,"activities":109,"authors":110,"images":112,"websites":21,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":113,"translations":114,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":115,"user_updated":30,"date_updated":116,"content":117,"link":118},10596,"_Our colleague Límberg Chero has played an important role in establishing the Basel Institute’s strong presence in Peru. From the early years – even before a formal office existed in Lima – to his current work with the [Subnational Public Finance Management Programme](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-finance-peru) ([Programa GFP Subnacional](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gfpsubnacional.pe\u002F)), his journey reflects a great passion for fighting corruption. It began far from the capital, in an ancient town in northern Peru, and was strengthened through rigorous academic training and years of public service._\n\n_This article is part of a series on careers in fighting financial crime and opportunities to learn and study with the Basel Institute._\n\n### The take-off in Peru\n\nMy journey at the Basel Institute on Governance began even before the Lima office existed.\n\nIn 2014, together with colleagues from the Basel Institute – including our dearly missed Managing Director of two decades, Gretta Fenner, and my colleague Óscar Solórzano – we launched a public finance management project funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO).\n\nAlthough centred on macroeconomics and fiscal policy, its essential goal was to make the public budget tangible and meaningful for citizens.\n\nTo do this, we moved beyond traditional approaches and integrated innovative tools, like the use of behavioural science to prevent corruption and foster integrity in the management of public finances. This comprehensive perspective – a novelty in Peru at the time – was key to the project proposal’s success.\n\nSince then, the Subnational Public Finance Management Programme for regional and municipal governments in Peru has retained SECO’s trust for more than 10 years.\n\nThe secret behind this success lies not only in improved processes and fiscal discipline, but in the continuous work with people committed to change. Internally, the Basel Institute’s team is multidisciplinary, open to change and committed to bridging practice and academic insight.\n\n### Bridging differences for sustainability\n\nWorking at the Basel Institute on Governance is truly a privilege. Our Lima office has gained remarkable regional recognition thanks to a distinctive approach: practical, rigorous and focused on building strong relationships with key actors in the fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing.\n\nI currently lead the Subnational PFM Programme’s Interinstitutional Coordination, ensuring the programme’s effectiveness and, above all, the sustainability of reforms at subnational levels, in alignment with national efforts.\n\nThis work requires the continuous reconciliation of the different “languages”, worldviews and objectives of people across Peru’s diverse regions.\n\nOur aim is to craft strategies and messages that resonate equally to ministries, regional governments and municipalities – aligning technical agendas with political ones, and engaging civil society and academia along the way.\n\nThis challenge becomes more manageable because of my background: I come from an ancient town in northern Peru, Monsefú. Being perceived as someone close yet trained in competitive academic and professional environments fosters trust and legitimacy.\n\n### From economics to a global mission\n\nAs a child, leaving my town felt impossible. Universities were located in other regions and the educational options available largely led to local career paths tied to a modest economy with little real opportunities. At that time, the country had not yet experienced the trade openness or business development it has today.\n\nThrough hard work and the trust of people who believed in me, however, I earned scholarships that allowed me to study in highly competitive environments in Peru’s capital, Lima, more than 1,000 kilometres away from my hometown.\n\nMy foundations were solid: I completed my undergraduate studies in economics and later specialised through the Central Bank’s Economics Programme, which admits only 30 candidates out of thousands of applicants, as well as through an internship at the World Bank in Korea.\n\nI worked as an economist at institutions such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Central Reserve Bank of Peru, the Andean Community (CAN) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).\n\nAt that time, my professional life felt complete: it combined specialised technical work with teaching and active participation in international networks. These included the Andrés Bello Agreement Network, which brought together university researchers from multiple countries to reflect on and advance regional integration in Ibero-America, as well as the Puentes Network, which focused on promoting transparency in investment by Latin American companies.\n\nBut everything changed when I fully grasped the scope of the challenges posed by global corruption. I never imagined my economics degree would only be the starting point of a much bigger journey. From that moment on, my purpose became clear: to dedicate all my experience to strengthening this fight against forces that hinder global prosperity.\n\n### Innovating with little budget\n\nIn Latin America, the Basel Institute is known for results-oriented innovation. I have witnessed firsthand how every new skill quickly finds a practical application and how we can make significant contributions without the need for additional funding.\n\nFor example, I could draw on my Master’s degrees in Process Innovation and Government Control, and in Public Management and Education (Andragogy) to enrich various initiatives we pursued, such as:\n\n*   supporting regional governments in implementing structural reforms in significantly shorter timeframes;\n*   strengthening Peru’s [Public Finance Management Experts Network](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fswiss-support-public-finance-management-experts-network-peru), which was recognised during [Peru’s National Innovation Week](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fperus-innovation-week-showcases-training-concept-our-public-finance-management-team);\n*   and reducing dropout rates and increasing course completion in our Internal Control and Integrity courses through, among other things, the introduction of “virtual coffee breaks”.\n\nDuring the pandemic, we leveraged my background in education to [enhance our online learning and training approach and results](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-design-virtual-training-course-works-your-context-experiences-peru). For example, we started to deliver courses and training across the country via Facebook, a platform that at the time did not charge for mobile data usage and allowed public officials to participate even using low-end mobile phones. These courses have since been integrated into [Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002F) – the Basel Institute’s online training and learning hub.\n\nTogether, these efforts enabled us to develop courses that reached more than 6,000 participants in five years – all without additional funding.\n\n### It’s all about people\n\nMy work has focused on ensuring the sustainability of tangible improvements to public finance management that the PFM Programme’s experts helped implement in areas as varied as:\n\n*   distribution of vaccines and educational materials for children;\n*   property tax collection in major cities;\n*   restitution of confiscated funds;\n*   and the fight against “green corruption”.\n\nIn this context, the most valuable asset is our network. I have more than 20,000 contacts on my business phone – all professionals who directly or indirectly contribute to the Programme’s goals, and above all, friends committed to building a better Peru.\n\nThis network generates mutual benefits: it enables the rapid dissemination of good practices, drastically reduces event preparation costs (we secure many venues at zero cost) and ensures massive impact.\n\nColleagues across the Basel Institute are a vital part of this network. Our close collaboration has led me to take part in a wide range of diverse and fascinating projects – from serving as a director and writer for several programme-produced videos, to moderating international events on asset recovery, and exchanging methodologies used in public finance management that can be applied to asset recovery and repatriation.\n\n### The foundation that inspires and sustains hope\n\nThe Peruvian context presents unique challenges. There is high political volatility, evidenced by the fact that there have been eight presidents in the past 10 years despite only two presidential elections in that period. This means that “VUCA” (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) and the notion of “chaos” are part of daily life.\n\nYet, beneath this instability lies a “subsoil” of ethically committed public officials and technical professionals who allow progress to continue. They are my daily source of inspiration.\n\nAs I often say: There are more good people than bad – they just make less noise. This reflects a reality: the visible efforts of honest Peruvians provide a stronger foundation than the corruption cases that shake us, even if public perception sometimes suggests otherwise.\n\nIn sum, I am deeply grateful for the privilege of engaging with my country and its challenges through work that strengthens public integrity and the fight against corruption. Thank you, Basel Institute – and its magnificent team around the globe – for allowing me to continue serving the world, and especially my country.\n\n### Inspired?\n\nTake a look at the learning opportunities we offer at the Basel Institute for individuals who are equally passionate about fighting corruption and financial crime:\n\n*   [Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002F) – our online training and learning hub with free eLearning courses and lots more\n*   [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy) – our postgraduate programmes on anti-corruption and asset recovery with the University of Basel","2026-01-12","a-career-with-purpose-in-public-finance-management-limberg-chero-2905","A career with purpose in public finance management: Límberg Chero","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F0c87b8d7-c3ce-4c9f-912f-8bde8973453d?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[86],7801,[88],"Public Finance Management",[63,90,17],"eLearning",[92,96,100,104],{"tags_id":93},{"id":94,"name":95},982,"Anti-corruption",{"tags_id":97},{"id":98,"name":99},867,"Financial crime",{"tags_id":101},{"id":102,"name":103},1300,"Education",{"tags_id":105},{"id":106,"name":63},1372,2905,[88],[63,90,17],[111],1366,[],"English",[],"2026-01-12T11:01:44.000Z","2026-01-12T11:01:45.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fa-career-with-purpose-in-public-finance-management-limberg-chero-2905",{"id":120,"body":121,"status":6,"type":10,"date":122,"slug":123,"title":124,"image":125,"countries":126,"topic":127,"activity":128,"tags":130,"nid":131,"topics":132,"activities":133,"authors":134,"images":135,"websites":136,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":113,"translations":137,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":138,"user_updated":74,"date_updated":139,"content":140,"link":141},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",[],[60,61],[129,17],"Research",[],2784,[67],[129,17],[],[],[23],[],"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":143,"body":144,"status":6,"type":10,"date":145,"slug":146,"title":147,"image":148,"countries":149,"topic":150,"activity":151,"tags":152,"nid":159,"topics":160,"activities":161,"authors":162,"images":164,"websites":165,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":113,"translations":166,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":167,"user_updated":74,"date_updated":168,"content":169,"link":170},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",[],[60,61],[129,17],[153,155],{"tags_id":154},{"id":94,"name":95},{"tags_id":156},{"id":157,"name":158},848,"Behavioural science",2809,[67],[129,17],[163],1340,[],[23],[],"2025-05-15T10:01:34.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:57.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fbridging-the-gap-how-behavioural-science-can-strengthen-anti-corruption-and-crime-prevention-2809",{"id":172,"body":173,"status":6,"type":10,"date":174,"slug":175,"title":176,"image":177,"countries":178,"topic":179,"activity":180,"tags":181,"nid":190,"topics":191,"activities":193,"authors":194,"images":196,"websites":21,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":113,"translations":197,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":198,"user_updated":74,"date_updated":199,"content":200,"link":201},10564,"_Our Senior Communications and External Relations Specialist Monica Guy looks back on how a curious mind paired with diverse learning opportunities and the desire to make an impact can pave the way into anti-corruption. This article is part of a series on careers in fighting financial crime and opportunities to learn and study with the Basel Institute._\n\nOne of the many things I’ve learned at the Basel Institute on Governance is that rewarding jobs in the field of countering financial crime are not just for those who woke up aged 10 and said: “Mummy, I want to be an anti-corruption prosecutor”. Or who studied business and law with the dream of becoming a compliance officer.\n\nMy own journey has been rather zig-zaggy, from caring for Stephen Hawking to managing multilingual content projects for Google and big companies in the travel and shipping industries. And a lot in between.\n\nEducation and continuous learning have been crucial in giving me the flexibility to bounce from one thing to another and hopefully make at least a tiny bit of impact on the way.\n\n### From dusty libraries to blended learning\n\nI didn’t learn much of practical use during my first degree in Classics at Cambridge. But it was a good way to learn to think, read, write and argue with clever people about the world with all its wonders and weirdness. That’s something I have to do a lot in my communications role at the Basel Institute, though thankfully not in ancient Greek.\n\nMy first master’s in interactive communications at Quinnipiac University was one of the earliest “blended learning” degree courses. I.e. hybrid classes and the (then) revolutionary idea that it’s better to learn the theory in advance and use precious class time to practise and discuss.\n\nWhat was in 2010 the cutting edge of communications now looks like stone-age cave paintings. But it did give me the basics to start building websites (early web design = animated cave paintings) and think a bit more strategically about things like audience, purpose and how communications and social media tactics can be used for good or ill. That has been of real practical value in our efforts to build the Basel Institute’s visibility and reputation over the last years.\n\n### Digging deeper (but I wish Basel STUDY had existed then)\n\nYou can’t be successful in communicating if you don’t understand what you’re talking about. So during covid times I took another master’s course, this time in sustainable development at SOAS University of London. I wanted that deeper understanding of topics like poverty, globalisation and environment that are fundamental to the work the Basel Institute does.\n\nThis degree was fully online and designed to fit alongside a full-time job. But I’ll be honest: if our [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy) courses had existed then, I’d have gladly taken them instead.\n\nBasel STUDY – that's our postgraduate programmes with the University of Basel: they are six months, hands-on, with live classes and in-person meetings, top-notch instructors and a diverse group of other participants with real-world experience. That’s a lot more fun, useful and digestible than a two-year master's degree, plus easier to combine with other modules and qualifications.\n\n### Free or low-cost learning\n\nI absolutely know that I’ve been privileged to be able to study at good universities, with grants and jobs to pay the way.\n\nBut I’ve also learned a lot through MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) and other free or low-cost online learning opportunities from organisations like Coursera and the University of Leiden. And of course the crème de la crème of eLearning: our own free [Basel LEARN courses](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002F) on countering financial crime.\n\n### A desire to learn\n\nAll this to say that you don’t need to be a “financial crime professional” to play a part in making the world a better place.\n\nJust as you don’t need to be a “communications professional” to communicate effectively about countering corruption, fostering good governance, catalysing asset recovery and all the other difficult but worthwhile things we do here in Basel and around the world.\n\nWhat you do need is a desire to learn – from courses, peers and colleagues.\n\n### Join in\n\nMy “call to action”? Take a look at the opportunities we offer at the Basel Institute for individuals who also burn to learn about countering corruption and financial crime and build practical skills they can apply in their daily work:\n\n*   [Basel LEARN](https:\u002F\u002Flearn.baselgovernance.org\u002F) – our online training and learning hub with free eLearning courses and lots more\n*   [Basel STUDY](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fstudy) – our new academic programmes with the University of Basel on anti-corruption and asset recovery\n*   Our forthcoming open course on [Introduction to blockchain: crypto investigation and AML compliance](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fcrypto-aml-training)","2025-06-26","not-just-for-lawyers-learning-your-way-into-anti-corruption-2822","Not just for lawyers: learning your way into anti-corruption","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F99b2b185-92d4-46cc-8c21-6b0c8f20cf39?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[14],[17],[182,184,186,188],{"tags_id":183},{"id":94,"name":95},{"tags_id":185},{"id":98,"name":99},{"tags_id":187},{"id":102,"name":103},{"tags_id":189},{"id":106,"name":63},2822,[192],"Corruption Prevention and Public Governance",[17],[195],1346,[],[],"2025-07-13T11:42:47.000Z","2026-05-29T22:22:37.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fnot-just-for-lawyers-learning-your-way-into-anti-corruption-2822",{"id":203,"body":204,"status":6,"type":10,"date":205,"slug":206,"title":207,"image":208,"countries":209,"topic":210,"activity":213,"tags":214,"nid":215,"topics":216,"activities":217,"authors":218,"images":222,"websites":21,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":113,"translations":223,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":224,"user_updated":30,"date_updated":225,"content":226,"link":227},10571,"Around the world, businesses, civil society and governments are working together in initiatives to address corruption risks that no single actor can resolve on their own. \n\nInitiatives might be set up to reduce bribe demands in ports, for example, or harmonise compliance frameworks in the metals technology industry, or help small businesses in Thailand enhance their anti-corruption credentials and thereby improve their business prospects. We have recorded more than 300 such initiatives in the database of our B20 Collective Action Hub from across the world and in multiple industries.\n\nSo it is clear that Collective Action – as an umbrella term for these diverse multi-stakeholder initiatives – is now firmly established as part of the anti-corruption landscape. \n\nYet this very diversity poses a challenge. Initiatives come in many forms, pursue different goals and operate in widely varying political and institutional settings. That makes it difficult to draw meaningful comparisons or to understand, in a systematic way, what works best in which circumstances.\n\nAs part of the Basel Institute’s decades-long efforts to advance anti-corruption Collective Action, this challenge became the starting point for a multi-year project. The project, funded by the Siemens Integrity Initiative, set out to strengthen the evidence base for Collective Action. \n\nWe wanted to know: how can we describe and analyse Collective Action in a way that respects its diversity but still allows for consistency and comparability?\n\nThe answers matter for all those who care about being effective in countering corruption and creating fairer, cleaner and more competitive business environments. You can find them in our [_Working Paper 57: Mapping and strengthening the evidence base for anti-corruption Collective Action_](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-57) – which is summarised below.\n\n### The challenge of “cutting the cake”\n\nDeveloping a conceptual framework was far from straightforward. Collective Action can be “cut” in many different ways. \n\n*   Should we focus on what initiatives do: training, codes of conduct, strengthening industry standards? \n*   Or on who participates: companies or business associations, governments, non-profit or civil society organisations – or a combination of these and potentially others? \n*   Should we look at their goals, such as strengthening compliance systems or influencing laws? \n*   Or at their level of formality, from voluntary declarations to binding agreements?\n\nEach lens has value, but none alone captures the full picture. Our task was to weave these perspectives together into a framework that could accommodate complexity while still generating clarity. \n\nWe drew on models of system change, organisational decision-making, network formation and impact pathways. Taken together, these offered a dynamic picture of how initiatives emerge, why organisations choose to join, how networks are built and governed, and how their actions might contribute to wider change.\n\nThe framework we developed is not intended to provide definitive answers. Rather, it creates a shared language and a set of guiding questions. \n\nIt allows practitioners, policymakers and researchers to explore initiatives in a structured way; to test assumptions, compare across contexts and build knowledge cumulatively rather than in isolated case studies.\n\n### From framework to evidence\n\nTo see if the framework could work in practice, we turned to the [B20 Collective Action Hub](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fexplore\u002Finitiatives), the world’s largest repository of anti-corruption Collective Action initiatives. The Basel Institute launched the Hub in 2013 following a mandate from the B20 group of business leaders and has developed and enhanced it over the last 12 years. \n\nWe carefully reviewed and reclassified initiatives in the database, creating new categories of mission, scope, activities and stakeholder composition. The result was not just a cleaner dataset, but also a more solid foundation for analysis.\n\nThis process revealed important patterns. Most initiatives remain focused on fostering engagement between stakeholders through awareness-raising, dialogue and practical tools. Such activities are often vital entry points where trust is low or enforcement is weak. \n\nThis emphasis on prevention – addressing root causes rather than relying solely on detection and punishment – is also where these initiatives make their strongest contribution: building capacity, equipping companies with tools and fostering trust-based cooperation that reduces opportunities for corruption. \n\nMore formal and arguably more ambitious activities, such as developing self-regulatory standards or seeking external monitoring for certifications for example, are rarer – but may develop over time as relationships and capacities mature.\n\nContext also matters to how Collective Action initiatives operate and what they achieve. Our analysis confirmed that broader reforms, such as transparency standards or legal change, are more likely to take hold in open democratic settings with a strong rule of law. In more restrictive environments, narrower, company-level initiatives like strengthening internal compliance systems may be the realistic starting point. \n\n### Strengthening the evidence base\n\nBeyond insights into today’s landscape of anti-corruption Collective Action, the project has also generated practical tools to help strengthen the evidence base for the future. We have: \n\n*   introduced a set of guiding questions that practitioners and researchers can use when designing or analysing initiatives;\n*    produced a new reporting protocol that encourages more consistent and transparent data sharing, so that future initiatives can be compared more reliably; and \n*   refined the global dataset itself, making it a richer resource for both practice and research.\n\nTaken together, these outputs offer both a conceptual foundation and a practical toolbox. They offer ways to link the design and activities of Collective Action initiatives to plausible outcomes, and to situate those outcomes within broader governance environments.\n\n### Key lessons for practitioners, policymakers and researchers\n\nFor practitioners, the central lesson is to design with context in mind. What works in one setting may not be feasible in another. In environments with weaker rule of law or restricted civic space, modest, company-focused initiatives can still lay important foundations. \n\nIn more open settings, broader collaborations that aim for systemic reforms may be realistic and worthwhile.\n\nFor policymakers, the message is to see Collective Action as a complement to formal anti-corruption institutions and efforts, not a substitute. By fostering dialogue, developing practical tools and raising standards of integrity, these initiatives can reinforce prevention efforts and bridge the gap between policy commitments and implementation on the ground. \n\nThat is why it is important for governments to support Collective Action with recognition and resources. \n\nFor researchers, the key takeaway is the importance of building the evidence base systematically. Our framework, refined dataset and reporting protocol are designed to enable more consistent comparison and more robust testing of assumptions. Longitudinal and case-based studies, in particular, will be essential to understand how initiatives evolve and where they deliver the greatest impact.\n\nThis kind of research will be of great practical value to both practitioners and policymakers seeking to harness the power of Collective Action to achieve anti-corruption or economic development goals.\n\n### Looking ahead\n\nThe strength of Collective Action lies in its adaptability: the ability of diverse actors to come together, often in difficult circumstances, to find practical solutions to challenges of corruption and fair business. But adaptability must be matched by clarity if the field is to grow stronger.\n\nBy offering a shared framework, a refined dataset and practical tools for reporting and reflection, this project contributes to building that clarity. It does not close the debate but opens it wider, inviting practitioners, researchers and policymakers to engage with a more coherent evidence base and to help refine it further.\n\nThe message is clear: to strengthen Collective Action as an effective part of the anti-corruption toolkit, we need to learn from it systematically and plough those learnings back into policy and practice. This paper offers an important step in that direction.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   [Download the full paper and its practical annexes](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-57).\n*   The Collective Action team at the Basel Institute on Governance provides a free advice service for anti-corruption practitioners and other professionals or government officials. Contact the [B20 Collective Action Hub Helpdesk](https:\u002F\u002Fcollective-action.com\u002Fget-involved\u002Fhelpdesk).","2025-08-26","collective-action-against-corruption-what-works-best-and-why-2843","Collective Action against corruption: what works best and why?","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002Fef76f772-e0c4-4e5f-899e-40c89f892860?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[211,212],"Collective Action","Private Sector",[129],[],2843,[211,212],[129],[219,220,221],1352,1353,1354,[],[],"2025-09-08T21:23:11.000Z","2025-09-08T21:23:12.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fcollective-action-against-corruption-what-works-best-and-why-2843",{"id":229,"body":230,"status":6,"type":53,"date":231,"slug":232,"title":233,"image":234,"countries":235,"topic":236,"activity":238,"tags":242,"nid":251,"topics":252,"activities":253,"authors":254,"images":255,"websites":256,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":257,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":258,"user_updated":31,"date_updated":259,"content":260,"link":261},9636,"Business, conservation, anti-corruption, global trade, compliance and risk management. International law, organised crime enforcement, standard-setting, political economy analysis and social norms. The inaugural [Corrupting the Environment](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption\u002Fcorrupting-environment) dialogue used all these lenses to examine the “vicious triangle” that undermines sustainable development: corruption, illicit trade and environmental degradation.\n\nTaking place virtually on 9 December 2020, International Anti-Corruption Day, the event launched a new dialogue series organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and Basel Institute on Governance. The monthly dialogues will bring together different perspectives on burning issues of environmental degradation, seeking creative solutions through the lens of financial crime and illicit trade.\n\n### Driving change in global supply chains\n\nOpening the session, Cristina Tebar Less, Acting Head of the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, highlighted the OECD’s [Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises](http:\u002F\u002Fmneguidelines.oecd.org\u002Fabout.htm) and [OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct](http:\u002F\u002Fmneguidelines.oecd.org\u002Fdue-diligence-guidance-for-responsible-business-conduct.htm), the recognised gold standard for corporate due diligence covering human and labour rights, environmental degradation and bribery in international supply chains.\n\nThe OECD’s standards and tools are designed to help shape national policies and enforcement tools, she said, but also to help companies “actively engage their own supply chains and become drivers of change.”\n\nTebar Less noted that covid-19 had exposed the systemic risks and vulnerabilities in global supply chains. And as has been widely documented but is still not widely understood, corruption is a key factor in explaining why and how organised criminals around the world are increasingly able to exploit the environment for their illicit activities.\n\nThese issues require a solutions-oriented mindset and engagement between stakeholders on all sides, including business, governments, non-profit and civil society organisations, as well as subject matter experts.\n\n### Corruption: the headline, not a footnote\n\nMark Pieth, President of the Basel Institute on Governance and former Chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, stressed the cross-cutting nature of corruption. “It devastates entire societies, destroys natural environments, endangers wildlife and biodiversity, and undermines sustainable and equitable development,” he said. “It should not be treated merely as a footnote of criminal law or an aspect of unfair competition.”\n\nGiving the example of illegal gold mining and related deforestation and human rights violations in [Suriname](https:\u002F\u002Fnews.mongabay.com\u002F2015\u002F10\u002Fgold-mining-explodes-in-suriname-puts-forests-and-people-at-risk\u002F), he pointed out that complex global supply chains make it easy for illegally obtained natural resources to enter legal markets. The logic behind the Basel Institute’s [Green Corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption) programme is to follow the money trail, said Pieth, and target the corruption and other forms of financial crime that facilitate environmental degradation.\n\n### Different dialects of corruption\n\nElizabeth Hart of WWF US, Chief of Party for the USAID Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project, brought her perspective as an expert at the intersection of anti-corruption, governance and conservation.\n\nUnderlining how corruption undermines global and national measures to promote sustainability and protect biodiversity, she explained why the conservation community is and should be engaged on issues of corruption. Along with questions of how illegally harvested goods enter legal supply chains, for example, conservation objectives are deeply affected by policy choices at many other levels. Whether building a hydroelectric dam or granting a logging concession, when systemic corruption influences decisions that can destroy habitats and devastate indigenous communities and the very people who are critical to conservation, it becomes clear that environmental corruption should be seen as a political, policy, and management issue and not just a topic for law enforcement and trade regulators.\n\nAnalysing the political, economic and social dynamics that perpetuate corruption and undermine environmental goals has not been the traditional strength of conservation organisations, so the TNRC project was conceived to bring knowledge about corruption and anti-corruption approaches more squarely into the conservation and natural resource management context. Initial studies on corruption risks in illegal wildlife trade, permitting and CITES documentation processes, along with themes like political economy and political ecology, is available on the [TNRC Knowledge Hub](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.worldwildlife.org\u002Fpages\u002Ftnrc-targeting-natural-resource-corruption).\n\nAmong other outcomes, the project has helped illuminate how anti-corruption and conservation practitioners need to understand each other better, said Dr Hart. Some of us use “corruption” to mean “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain,” while others may be referring to human rights violations, equity and social justice, or even greenwashing. Being aware of the different understandings will help conservation and anti-corruption practitioners work together more effectively and expand the set of tools to combat both corruption and environmental degradation. It may also open new possibilities for partnerships between people promoting environmental protection or human rights and those looking at democracy, justice, equity and other issues that impact sustainable development.\n\nAs Basel Institute Managing Director Gretta Fenner, co-facilitator of the panel alongside Piotr Stryszowski of the OECD’s Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade, said: Even if we all have the same ultimate goal and are speaking the same underlying language, we use different dialects. That’s why the multi-disciplinary – as well as multi-stakeholder – aspect is vital.\n\n### The “elusive and omnipresent enemy”\n\nJorge Eduardo Rios, Chief of the Global Programme to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crime at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), brings 27 years of experience targeting organised drug trafficking to the field of environmental crimes.\n\nCorruption is the “elusive and omnipresent enemy” that is the principle facilitator of both drug trafficking and environmental crime, he said. In essence, it helps the criminals to maximise profits and evade detection. He noted that environmental and natural resources crimes are a large and growing source of finance for organised criminal activities, impacting economic and social aspects as well as national security and most recently, human health as demonstrated by the current COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nAlmost universally ratified, the United National Convention Against Corruption ([UNCAC](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Fdocuments\u002Fbrussels\u002FUN_Convention_Against_Corruption.pdf)) explicitly recognises crimes against the environment in its [Resolution 8\u002F12](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Funodc\u002Fen\u002Fcorruption\u002FCOSP\u002Fsession8-resolutions.html) passed at the 2019 Conference of the States Parties in Abu Dhabi. Applying the force of international law through the UNCAC and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime ([UNTOC](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Fdocuments\u002Ftreaties\u002FUNTOC\u002FPublications\u002FTOC%20Convention\u002FTOCebook-e.pdf)) provides a framework for strengthening the entire criminal justice chain – from “crime scene to court” and from source to destination countries.\n\nCountries can implement numerous preventive measures in line with Chapter II of the UNCAC, explained Jorge Eduardo Rios. These include a risk-based approach to identify corruption threats within wildlife and fisheries authorities and establish protocols for high-risk areas like procurement and human resources. Echoing the earlier comments on differences in language and meaning, he stressed that it is also vital to understand the social norms around corruption and the mechanisms that enable it. What law enforcement regards as corruption might be considered routine in another context, and these small routine acts can add up to devastating impacts.\n\nLastly, he stressed, we shouldn’t put all our eggs in the prevention basket. Helping to build capacity to conduct financial investigations in cases of environmental and natural resources crime is an aspect that’s sorely needed.\n\nRelevant tools include guides on addressing corruption in the fisheries sector ([Rotten Fish](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Fdocuments\u002FRotten_Fish.pdf)) and on addressing corruption for wildlife management authorities ([Scaling back Corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Fdocuments\u002FWildlife\u002F19-08373_Scaling_Back_Corruption_ebook.pdf)). Complementing the series, a publication on corruption in the forestry sector is currently under development. Additional UNODC tools can be found [here](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Funodc\u002Fen\u002Fwildlife-and-forest-crime\u002Fpublications.html).\n\n### Going beyond legal compliance to meet investor and consumer expectations\n\nBringing the business perspective to the table was Christopher Wright, Senior Vice President for Compliance at Lafarge Holcim. The Swiss multinational has the largest geographical footprint in the building materials sector, with 2,000 sites in 70 countries. Environmental issues such as water use, biodiversity and of course climate change present a very real and present challenge.\n\nLafarge Holcim has taken the [Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lafargeholcim.com\u002Flafargeholcim-net-zero-pledge-science-based-targets) to follow a net zero pathway with science-based targets for carbon emissions reductions by 2030, and has launched the industry’s first [sustainability-linked bond](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lafargeholcim.com\u002Ffirst-sustainability-linked-bond-eur-850-million). Its two-pronged approach encompasses _active promotion_ of better building in the environmental space (such as to reduce water usage and carbon emissions) and _active prevention_ to protect the environment.\n\nWright explained how anti-corruption compliance and environmental protection converged in many areas, including the key risk area of obtaining permits and licences. Environmental issues are central to the overall Lafarge Holcim compliance programme, which covers not only anti-corruption but also anti-money laundering, sanctions and due diligence on business partners, customers and suppliers.\n\nIn this respect, he noted a growing convergence between legal requirements on compliance and the wider expectations from investors and communities on corporate behaviour. These reputational and financial aspects are driving companies to go beyond legal necessities, said Wright, and to proactively embrace environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.\n\nIs there room for the building materials industry to act collectively with other stakeholders to solve some of these issues? “An emphatic yes,” said Wright.\n\nSee the [Corrupting the Environment series web page](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption\u002Fcorrupting-environment).","2021-01-06","unpicking-the-vicious-triangle-of-corruption-illicit-trade-and-environmental-degradation-at-the-oecdbasel-institute-dialogue-series-1953","Unpicking the vicious triangle of corruption, illicit trade and environmental degradation at the OECD\u002FBasel Institute dialogue series","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F7438dfb5-b04a-4ee5-8c6f-b2acd92f0275?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[237],"Green Corruption",[239,17,240,241],"Events","Presentations","Partnerships",[243,247],{"tags_id":244},{"id":245,"name":246},932,"Human rights",{"tags_id":248},{"id":249,"name":250},1380,"Sustainability",1953,[237],[239,17,240,241],[],[],[23],[],"2022-05-26T22:53:36.000Z","2025-08-31T23:14:40.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Funpicking-the-vicious-triangle-of-corruption-illicit-trade-and-environmental-degradation-at-the-oecdbasel-institute-dialogue-series-1953",{"id":263,"body":264,"status":6,"type":10,"date":265,"slug":266,"title":267,"image":268,"countries":269,"topic":270,"activity":272,"tags":273,"nid":280,"topics":281,"activities":283,"authors":284,"images":286,"websites":287,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":288,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":289,"user_updated":74,"date_updated":290,"content":291,"link":292},9549,"As world leaders gather this week at COP26 to negotiate their climate change commitments, we ask – will they include a credible commitment to fight corruption?\n\nBecause if there is one thing that will scupper efforts to address the climate crisis, it is corruption. Yet corruption is strangely missing from the conversation. Here are some things that deserve to be talked about louder.\n\n### Stealing money from climate and clean energy projects\n\nAt a basic level, renewable energy and climate mitigation or adaptation projects are as vulnerable to embezzlement and fraud as any other major public investment.\n\nIndeed clean energy is a lucrative business for criminals. When a [Sicilian renewable energy entrepreneur](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fworld\u002F2019\u002Foct\u002F01\u002Fsicilys-king-of-wind-guilty-of-bankrolling-top-mafia-fugitive) was jailed in 2018 for a corrupt scheme involving securing windfarm permits, EUR 1.3 billion in illicit funds were confiscated plus assets including 43 companies, 98 properties and fleets of cars and boats.\n\nDid you pay extra to offset your carbon footprint last year? Carbon offsetting programmes and nature-based climate mitigation solutions, like the [REDD+ forest conservation scheme](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.u4.no\u002Fpublications\u002Fredd-integrity-an-evidence-based-approach-to-anti-corruption-in-redd) and [similar internationally funded projects](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cmi.no\u002Fpublications\u002Ffile\u002F4478-unready-for-redd.pdf), are a really important part of our global response to climate change. But they are also vulnerable to corruption. They can even fuel it, by channelling cash into contexts with weak governance and few controls.\n\nCorrupt elites have a lot of practice in [capturing foreign aid](http:\u002F\u002Fdocuments1.worldbank.org\u002Fcurated\u002Fen\u002F493201582052636710\u002Fpdf\u002FElite-Capture-of-Foreign-Aid-Evidence-from-Offshore-Bank-Accounts.pdf). So when there is a lack of transparency and accountability in the allocation and tracking of climate funding – not to mention allegations of [financial mismanagement](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thegenevaobserver.com\u002Fpost\u002Fundp-s-global-environment-facility-linked-once-again-with-allegations-of-fraud-and-corruption) – corrupt officials find it even easier to game the system.\n\nAnd at an even bigger scale are the [corruption risks in emissions trading schemes](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.u4.no\u002Fpublications\u002Fcarbon-market-corruption-risks-and-mitigation-strategies), important to achieving net zero, but only effective when they are free from corruption.\n\n### Weakening laws, skewing incentives, undermining investment\n\nBeyond the usual theft of funds, corruption in climate finance is known to “negatively impact climate change interventions, undermining mitigation efforts to reduce emissions and decreasing the quality of adaptation infrastructure”, according to this [U4 Brief on Corruption and Climate Finance](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.u4.no\u002Fpublications\u002Fcorruption-and-climate-finance).\n\nBribery, kickbacks, conflicts of interest and other forms of corruption can among other things:\n\n*   Weaken environmental regulations, for example with the result that consumers are sold [illegally logged wood](https:\u002F\u002Feia-global.org\u002Freports\u002F20190325-toxic-trade), eat fish from a global catch that is alleged to be up to [50 percent illegal, unregulated and unreported](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.economist.com\u002Finternational\u002F2020\u002F10\u002F24\u002Fillegal-fishing-fleets-plunder-the-oceans), and drive electric vehicles packed with minerals from a mining sector plagued by [corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fnews\u002F2017\u002Fdec\u002F22\u002Fparadise-papers-us-sanctions-billionaire-dealings-drc) and other abuses.\n*   Negatively influence project choices by skewing decision-makers’ incentives towards building unnecessary [infrastructure](https:\u002F\u002Finfrastructuretransparency.org\u002F) or opting for large and [non-renewable energy projects](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.u4.no\u002Ftopics\u002Foil-gas-and-mining\u002Fbasics) that offer greater possibilities for nepotism and bribes.\n*   Enable industry lobbies to have undue influence on government policies, which may explain some countries’ reluctance to move away from fossil fuels and even to attempt to [water down the findings](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fnews\u002Fscience-environment-58982445) of scientific reports.  \n\nIf the above factors weren’t enough to stymie investment in sensible and well-governed climate mitigation and adaptation projects, there’s another: numerous studies [such as this one by the EBRD](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ebrd.com\u002Fdocuments\u002Foce\u002Fdoes-corruption-matter-for-sources-of-foreign-direct-investment.pdf) show that “corruption imposes additional costs on investors and increases uncertainty surrounding future costs and revenues”. And we stand now at a point in history in which effective climate-related investment is an essential driver for slowing down and stopping climate change.\n\n### Destroying trust, hindering humanitarian action\n\nWhatever happens at COP26 and beyond, we can expect climate change to deliver us more frequent humanitarian disasters in the form of floods, droughts, heatwaves and the resulting mass migration.\n\nYet when disaster strikes, corruption and its co-conspirators – lack of transparency and accountability – [hinder humanitarian action](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fblog\u002Fcorruption-natural-disaster-situations-can-our-experiences-help-prevent-corruption-related).\n\nAnd it’s not just about cash and emergencies, of course, but about the corrupt [informal networks](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects\u002Finformal-governance) and collusion that stifle progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and destroy social trust.\n\n### Can real commitments to fight corruption contribute to climate change goals?\n\nYes, they can and they must.\n\nFirst, for the money. If corruption deprives countries of funds desperately needed to address climate change and achieve the SDGs, then there is an obvious solution.\n\nThe World Economic Forum [estimated in 2019](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.weforum.org\u002Fagenda\u002F2019\u002F12\u002Fcorruption-global-problem-statistics-cost\u002F) that “Corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion, and other illicit financial flows cost developing countries $1.26 trillion per year.”\n\nThat is more than 10 times the [USD 100 billion that rich countries promised](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nature.com\u002Farticles\u002Fd41586-021-02846-3) to send annually to help developing countries address climate change under the 2015 Paris Agreement (that promise was broken, but that is a different story).\n\nIt is more than double even the UN’s [highest estimate](https:\u002F\u002Fnews.un.org\u002Fen\u002Fstory\u002F2021\u002F06\u002F1094762) of annual investment needed for climate adaptation in developing countries, which ranges from USD 140 to 500 billion per year.\n\nYou could do any number of sums with any number of estimates – the results give the same clear message. Stop corruption, Minister, and there’s your budget for the ambitious climate change strategy that your people and the planet need. With change to spare.\n\nSecond, fighting corruption is not only about the money. It’s about creating just, safe societies where citizens can trust politicians and institutions to act in their interest.\n\nIn our work at the Basel Institute, we see that this vision can be very real. We see how anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts can not only mobilise significant funding for sustainable development, but also, as we show in our [Working Paper on Recovering Assets in Support of the SDGs](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fworking-paper-29-recovering-assets-support-sdgs-soft-hard-assets-development) “strengthen some of its key foundations of sustainable development, such as the rule of law and strong, transparent and accountable institutions”.\n\nPrecisely the level of governance that is needed to bring everyone on board in tackling climate change, domestically and internationally.\n\n### Corruption affects the whole of humanity and our future world\n\nCorruption is not a standalone topic to be dealt with at [corruption-focused conferences](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.unodc.org\u002Funodc\u002Fen\u002Fcorruption\u002FCOSP\u002Fconference-of-the-states-parties.html) or only by government anti-corruption agencies, corporate compliance departments and civil society organisations with an anti-corruption mission.\n\nCorruption affects the whole of humanity and profoundly hurts people, especially the most vulnerable, directly and indirectly through its negative impact on climate change. [Green corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption) destroys our environment, our wildlife and biodiversity, and the natural resources we depend upon for our lives and livelihoods, at a time they most need protection.\n\nSo as the politicians debate their climate commitments at COP26 this week, perhaps those who really care about the planet and its people can bring corruption into the conversation.","2021-11-01","cop26-is-corruption-on-the-agenda-2125","COP26: Is corruption on the agenda?","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F67e35acf-439a-4423-bed1-d20d802ce501?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[271,237,60,61],"Asset Recovery",[17],[274,278],{"tags_id":275},{"id":276,"name":277},1303,"Environment",{"tags_id":279},{"id":249,"name":250},2125,[282,237,67],"Asset Recovery and Enforcement",[17],[285],1180,[],[23],[],"2022-05-26T22:52:20.000Z","2026-05-29T22:21:41.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fcop26-is-corruption-on-the-agenda-2125",{"id":294,"body":295,"status":6,"type":10,"date":296,"slug":297,"title":298,"image":299,"countries":300,"topic":301,"activity":302,"tags":304,"nid":305,"topics":306,"activities":307,"authors":308,"images":310,"websites":311,"area":21,"programme":21,"language":21,"translations":312,"translation_of":21,"user_created":30,"date_created":313,"user_updated":74,"date_updated":314,"content":315,"link":316},9834,"The [Public Governance](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance) division supports the Basel Institute’s wider mission of developing evidence-based approaches to combatting public sector corruption. Our research both contributes to academic debate and translates into practical tools to support anti-corruption reforms.\n\nThroughout 2018, we increased our efforts to share actionable insights from our ongoing research activities with anti-corruption practitioners around the world. We also applied them successfully to many of the Basel Institute’s wider technical assistance activities.\n\n### User-friendly informal governance resource\n\nLaunched in 2018, our [informal governance resource](\u002Fnode\u002F874) presents the full results of our two-year Informal Governance and Corruption research project. Funded by the Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the British Academy, the project explored the role that informal practices play in fuelling corruption in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.\n\nShort videos and concise summaries make it easy for users to get a quick overview of the project’s main findings and their practical implications, while the 13 research reports offer a deep dive into the countries’ different corruption challenges and how informal practices play into these.\n\n### Strategic assistance to anti-corruption initiatives\n\nDuring 2018, we applied our research findings to develop several political economy assessments related to anti-corruption initiatives in countries receiving development aid. The goal was to highlight local political dynamics and informal drivers of corruption that influence the effectiveness of these initiatives. The evidence-based assessments are helping donors and practitioners to fine-tune their programs to local characteristics and dynamics, and thereby enhance their impact.\n\nThis driving goal – to actively support anti-corruption decision-making through evidence and practical insights – plays into our technical assistance and capacity-building support for Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Kicked off in 2018 as part of the Basel Institute’s ongoing implementation of the DFID-funded Tackling Serious and Organised Corruption project in Malawi, our team has worked with local anti-corruption officials to help them translate research findings into concrete actions and processes.\n\nWe are also supporting the ACB in their activities aimed at developing a new National Anti-Corruption Strategy, helping to ensure it is inclusive, evidence-based and aligned with the needs and expectations of all Malawians.\n\n### Supporting a holistic approach to tackling corruption\n\nOur work in Malawi is one example of our continuously strengthening collaboration with other Basel Institute divisions and partners. Our research shows that the complexity of corruption demands a holistic and integrated approach.\n\nAnother rewarding example of this approach in 2018 was our team’s collaboration with the [International Centre for Collective Action](\u002Fnode\u002F233). We brought our expertise to help organise two international workshops aimed at distilling best practices and lessons learned from anti-corruption Collective Action initiatives with the private sector and extracting actionable insights for the wider community of anti-corruption practitioners.\n\n2018 at a glance\n----------------\n\n### Research\n\n*   Completion of [Informal Governance and Corruption](\u002Fnode\u002F874) research project and online resource.\n*   Political economy assessment of Tanzania for the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).\n*   Read more about our [research](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects).\n\n### Technical assistance\n\n*   Support to the [Tackling Serious and Organised Corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fholistic-approach-benefits-malawi-anti-corruption-efforts) (TSOC) project in Malawi.\n*   Support to the SDC’s [Decentralisation, Democratisation and Local Governance](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ids.ac.uk\u002Fprojects\u002Fdemocratisation-decentralisation-local-governance-ids-sdc-collaboration\u002F) thematic network as part of an expert consortium led by the Institute of Development Studies, including development of training material and papers on governance and accountability.\n\n### Teaching\n\n*   Course on Sustainability and Health Governance for Masters students at the University of Basel.\n\n### Looking ahead - planned activities in 2019\n\n*   Launch and implement a research project on [Addressing Bribery and Favouritism in the Tanzanian Health Sector](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects\u002Fcurrent-projects#1) as part of the DFID-funded Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI-ACE) programme.\n*   Use social network analysis, field research and community engagement to explore the [drivers behind illegal wildlife trafficking](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.baselgovernance.org\u002Fpublic-governance\u002Fresearch-projects\u002Fcurrent-projects#4) in East Africa as part of a cross-divisional project funded by PMI Impact.\n*   Lead Politics and Governance activities as part of the [Research Network Africa initiative](https:\u002F\u002Fzasb.unibas.ch\u002Fen\u002Fresearch\u002F) of the University of Basel’s Centre for African Studies.\n*   Ongoing training, technical assistance and research projects, including follow-on funding for research on informal governance and corruption from the GI-ACE programme.\n\nThis text appears in the Basel Institute's [Annual Report 2018](\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2019-07\u002FBasel%20Institute%20Annual%20Report%202018.pdf).","2019-07-21","reflections-on-2018-public-governance-and-research-division-953","Reflections on 2018: Public Governance and research division","https:\u002F\u002Fjam.baselgovernance.org\u002Fapi\u002Fassets\u002F82eac6f4-dbe7-4cbc-a6fa-98c409a10e15?width=1000&height=650&format=webp&quality=80",[],[60,61],[129,303],"Reports",[],953,[67],[129,303],[309],1267,[],[23],[],"2022-05-26T22:56:21.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:45.000Z",[],"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Freflections-on-2018-public-governance-and-research-division-953",{"left":318,"top":318,"width":319,"height":319,"rotate":318,"vFlip":320,"hFlip":320,"body":321},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>",1780676454894]