[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":1569},["ShallowReactive",2],{"tag-859":3,"tag-events-859-1":6,"tag-news-859-1":9,"tag-publications-859-1":648,"tag-stories-859-1":1423},{"id":4,"name":5},859,"Corruption risks",{"items":7,"total":8},[],0,{"items":10,"total":647},[11,134,265,386,584],{"id":12,"status":13,"date_created":14,"date_updated":15,"title":16,"type":17,"body":18,"date":19,"topic":20,"slug":22,"activity":23,"nid":25,"topics":26,"activities":27,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"language":29,"image":30,"translation_of":28,"countries":40,"tags":101,"authors":130,"images":131,"translations":132,"content":133},10613,"published","2026-06-04T21:13:42.000Z","2026-06-04T21:13:43.000Z","New international project targets corruption risks in carbon markets","News","Carbon markets are meant to help finance forest protection and climate action. Yet too often they are undermined by weak governance, corruption risks and a lack of transparency.\n\nConcerns over the credibility of some carbon credits erode trust in a system designed to channel climate finance and support forest-dependent communities.\n\nA new international project aims to address these challenges head-on by strengthening governance and anti-corruption safeguards across forest carbon markets. The Basel Institute on Governance is pleased to join this effort as a project partner, contributing its expertise through the Green Corruption programme.\n\n### A collaborative effort for better carbon market governance\n\nThe project, [Towards Inclusive Governance for Forest Carbon Markets](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.transparency.org\u002Fen\u002Fprojects\u002Ftowards-inclusive-governance-for-forest-carbon-markets), is led by Transparency International and funded by the UK Government through the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) [Forest Governance, Markets and Climate](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Finternational-development-funding\u002Fforest-governance-markets-and-climate-fgmc2-programme-accountable-grants) programme.\n\nRunning until March 2028, the initiative brings together a consortium including the Basel Institute on Governance, Resource Extraction Monitoring and local Transparency International chapters in focus countries. Together, the partners will work to reduce corruption risks in forest carbon markets and strengthen the integrity of carbon credit systems.\n\nThe project will focus on three key countries – Indonesia, Ghana and Cameroon – supporting governments, civil society organisations, certifiers, private sector actors and forest-dependent communities to better identify and mitigate corruption risks linked to carbon credit projects.\n\nCarbon markets are inherently transnational: credits may be generated in one country, verified in another and purchased in a third. This complexity creates opportunities for corruption networks to exploit regulatory gaps, conflicts of interest and weak oversight mechanisms. The project aims to close those gaps by combining evidence generation, national advocacy and international engagement.\n\n### Bringing anti-corruption expertise to forest carbon markets\n\nThe Basel Institute will play a central role through our [Green Corruption programme](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption), which focuses on tackling corruption linked to environmental crimes and natural resource governance.\n\nOur team is leading the project’s first major output: consolidating available data, gathering evidence to identify typologies of corruption risks in forest carbon markets and developing global, gender-sensitive guidelines to help prevent them.\n\n*   Working closely with partners and national stakeholders, we are leading the organisation of corruption risk identification workshops in Indonesia and Ghana. These workshops will bring together key actors across the carbon market ecosystem to map corruption vulnerabilities in carbon markets systems and identify practical actions to mitigate these risks. The findings will feed into country-specific risk assessments.\n*   In parallel, our team is conducting an assessment of global carbon markets governance dynamics and vulnerabilities to corruption.\n*   Ultimately national and international assessments will inform the development of global guidelines, which will be designed to strengthen anti-corruption safeguards across carbon markets.\n*   These global guidelines will then support advocacy and reform efforts led by Transparency International and its national chapters.\n*   We will also contribute to global advocacy efforts by advising international certification bodies and other actors on improving safeguards and governance standards in carbon markets.\n\nDr Amanda Cabrejo le Roux, Deputy Director of the Basel Institute’s Green Corruption programme, said:\n\n> _“Carbon markets hold real promise for forests, communities, and the climate_ _— but promise alone isn't protection. Like any system that moves money at scale, they are vulnerable to those who would bend the rules for personal gain. The first step is a rigorous analysis of corruption risks: mapping_ _scenarios and building clear typologies, through sector-wide workshops and consultations with all key stakeholders. From there, those same actors can work together to develop practical mitigation measures_ _— building a system that is genuinely resilient. That is exactly what this project sets out to do.\"_\n\n### Part of a wider “green” governance agenda\n\nThe project aligns with the Basel Institute’s Green Corruption strategy, which increasingly focuses on corruption and governance challenges linked to climate change and the global energy transition.\n\nForest carbon markets involve complex financial flows, transnational actors and high-stakes environmental outcomes, making strong governance and anti-corruption safeguards essential.\n\nWith years of experience analysing corruption risks in environmental and natural resource sectors and beyond, the Basel Institute is well placed to contribute to this work.\n\nBy contributing our expertise to the project, we aim to help ensure that carbon markets deliver on their promise: protecting forests, supporting communities and advancing credible climate action.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   View the full [project overview](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.transparency.org\u002Fen\u002Fprojects\u002Ftowards-inclusive-governance-for-forest-carbon-markets) on the Transparency International website.\n*   Interested in corruption and governance in the environmental space? Join the [Countering Environmental Corruption Practitioners Forum](https:\u002F\u002Fenvironmental-corruption.org\u002F), a global community of practitioners jointly led by the Basel Institute on Governance, Transparency International, WWF and TRAFFIC.","2026-05-27",[21],"Green Corruption","new-international-project-targets-corruption-risks-in-carbon-markets-2973",[24],"Partnerships",2973,[21],[24],null,"English",{"id":31,"storage":32,"filename_disk":33,"filename_download":34,"title":16,"type":35,"created_on":14,"modified_on":14,"charset":28,"filesize":36,"width":37,"height":38,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":28,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":39,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":14},"2c25ec09-133d-47b9-a236-7cdd888ae525","local","2c25ec09-133d-47b9-a236-7cdd888ae525.webp","tmp.webp","image\u002Fwebp",47244,800,533,{},[41,65,83],{"id":42,"news_id":43,"countries_id":59},7810,{"id":12,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":14,"user_updated":44,"date_updated":15,"title":16,"type":17,"body":18,"image":31,"date":19,"topic":45,"slug":22,"activity":46,"nid":25,"topics":47,"activities":48,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":49,"tags":52,"authors":55,"images":56,"translations":57,"content":58},"03bebfd8-0b40-4a2a-820d-b9d9c13b9de6",[21],[24],[21],[24],[42,50,51],7811,7812,[53,54],5998,5999,[],[],[],[],{"id":60,"name":61,"code":62,"latitude":63,"longitude":64},45,"Cameroon","CM",7.36972,12.35472,{"id":50,"news_id":66,"countries_id":77},{"id":12,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":14,"user_updated":44,"date_updated":15,"title":16,"type":17,"body":18,"image":31,"date":19,"topic":67,"slug":22,"activity":68,"nid":25,"topics":69,"activities":70,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":71,"tags":72,"authors":73,"images":74,"translations":75,"content":76},[21],[24],[21],[24],[42,50,51],[53,54],[],[],[],[],{"id":78,"name":79,"code":80,"latitude":81,"longitude":82},79,"Ghana","GH",7.94653,-1.02319,{"id":51,"news_id":84,"countries_id":95},{"id":12,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":14,"user_updated":44,"date_updated":15,"title":16,"type":17,"body":18,"image":31,"date":19,"topic":85,"slug":22,"activity":86,"nid":25,"topics":87,"activities":88,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":89,"tags":90,"authors":91,"images":92,"translations":93,"content":94},[21],[24],[21],[24],[42,50,51],[53,54],[],[],[],[],{"id":96,"name":97,"code":98,"latitude":99,"longitude":100},99,"Indonesia","ID",-0.78927,113.92133,[102,115],{"id":53,"news_id":103,"tags_id":114},{"id":12,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":14,"user_updated":44,"date_updated":15,"title":16,"type":17,"body":18,"image":31,"date":19,"topic":104,"slug":22,"activity":105,"nid":25,"topics":106,"activities":107,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":108,"tags":109,"authors":110,"images":111,"translations":112,"content":113},[21],[24],[21],[24],[42,50,51],[53,54],[],[],[],[],{"id":4,"name":5},{"id":54,"news_id":116,"tags_id":127},{"id":12,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":14,"user_updated":44,"date_updated":15,"title":16,"type":17,"body":18,"image":31,"date":19,"topic":117,"slug":22,"activity":118,"nid":25,"topics":119,"activities":120,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":121,"tags":122,"authors":123,"images":124,"translations":125,"content":126},[21],[24],[21],[24],[42,50,51],[53,54],[],[],[],[],{"id":128,"name":129},1303,"Environment",[],[],[],[],{"id":135,"status":13,"date_created":136,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"date":141,"topic":142,"slug":145,"activity":146,"nid":148,"topics":149,"activities":150,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"language":29,"image":151,"translation_of":28,"countries":157,"tags":201,"authors":245,"images":262,"translations":263,"content":264},10615,"2026-06-04T21:13:44.000Z","2026-06-04T21:14:56.000Z","How stronger borders can create smarter corruption: lessons from one of Europe's most strategic border crossings","Blog","When Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, many believed it would lead to more secure, transparent and less corrupt borders. New regulations, infrastructure modernisation and digitalised customs procedures all followed. European standards and money arrived together.\n\nYet corruption did not disappear at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, the main land crossing between Bulgaria and Türkiye and one of the busiest gateways between Europe and Asia. Instead, it evolved.\n\nThis is the central finding of a recent [article](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fevolution-corruption-and-crimes-kapitan-andreevo-border-checkpoint-impact-eu-accession) by the Prevention, Research and Innovation team of the Basel Institute on Governance – Dr Jacopo Costa, Dr Claudia Baez Camargo, Noémi Jäger and Dr Saba Kassa – published in the _Journal of Illicit Trade, Financial Crime, and Compliance_.\n\nThe article examines how criminal networks, smugglers, businesses and corrupt officials adapted to Bulgaria’s EU integration. It illustrates how corruption behaves like an adaptive ecosystem: when regulations and border control technologies change, corruption changes with them.\n\nA border built for opportunity – legal and illegal\n\nBorder spaces concentrate discretionary power in the hands of customs officers, border guards, inspectors and regulators, while bringing together also traders, transport companies, migrants, smugglers, criminal groups and political actors.\n\nKapitan Andreevo is a particularly instructive case due to its strategic location, with thousands of trucks, travellers and goods passing through the border checkpoint daily.\n\nBefore Bulgaria’s EU accession, corruption at the checkpoint was already deeply embedded. The 1990s brought economic crisis, shortages of consumer goods, weak state capacity and rapidly expanding informal markets. Smuggling became a profitable survival strategy.\n\nBorder officials could be bribed to overlook undeclared goods, counterfeit products and tax evasion. Duty-free shops in the \"no man's land\" between Bulgaria and Türkiye became hubs for smuggling cigarettes, alcohol and petroleum products.\n\nCorruption operated at multiple levels:\n\n*   everyday exchanges between traders, drivers and officials, often based on long-standing personal relationships, at the lower level\n*   connections between politicians, senior civil servants, business elites and organised crime at the higher level.\n\nSmuggling routes required political protection. Profits flowed upward through patronage systems.\n\nEU accession changed the rules of the game\n\nBulgaria’s EU accession radically transformed the legal and institutional environment. The country had to align its customs regulations, VAT rules, excise tax systems, phytosanitary standards and border procedures with EU standards – a gradual process requiring significant investment. The reforms affected almost every aspect of border governance.\n\nCustoms procedures became increasingly digitalised. New systems such as the VAT Information Exchange System (VIES) and the Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) improved cross-border monitoring.\n\nPhytosanitary and veterinary inspections became stricter. Migration controls tightened through alignment with Schengen rules and access to systems like the Schengen Information System (SIS) and international databases of stolen documents and vehicles.\n\nMeanwhile, new border control technologies – X-ray machines, scanners, thermal cameras and risk-analysis tools – expanded the state’s capacity to detect illicit activity.\n\nFrom a policy perspective, this appeared to be a modernisation success story. But criminal systems rarely remain static when the environment changes.\n\nCorruption did not decline – it adapted\n\nThe most striking finding is that stronger controls often increase the strategic value of corruption.\n\nAfter EU accession, crossing the border illegally became more difficult, risky and expensive. Corruption became necessary not only to speed up procedures but to bypass sophisticated control and regulatory systems.\n\nIn other words, modernisation transformed the function of corruption: Criminal actors began targeting specialised procedures, such as food safety inspections, VAT systems, automated license plate recognition, laboratory testing and digital customs controls.\n\nVAT fraud and the manipulation of digital systems\n\nVAT fraud illustrates this adaptation clearly. Within the EU, exports are often subject to a VAT rate of 0 (zero) percent, which means companies can reclaim any VAT they have already paid domestically. Criminal actors exploited this through \"carousel fraud\" schemes involving fictitious transactions chains.\n\nAt Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, for example, corruption allegedly enabled traders to manipulate customs procedures. One method involved corrupt officials manually entering fake truck registrations into customs systems to simulate border crossings, enabling fraudulent VAT refunds for exports that never occurred.\n\nEven more revealing was the manipulation of automated license plate recognition: corrupt actors reportedly disabled automated recognition and manually entered altered plates using Cyrillic characters resembling Latin letters, allowing smugglers to bypass alerts and inspections.\n\nThis illustrates a pattern seen in many modern corruption systems: digitalisation does not automatically eliminate corruption. Instead, corruption turns towards the technological systems themselves.\n\nFood safety, privatisation and rent-seeking\n\nEU food safety and phytosanitary regulations created new bottlenecks and forms of discretionary authority. The research describes two recurring manipulation strategies:\n\n*   selective sampling during inspections, where officials took samples only from \"clean\" sections of shipments; and\n*   falsification of laboratory tests to certify unsafe products as compliant.\n\nThese risks increased after some border functions were outsourced to private companies. At Kapitan Andreevo, food testing, parking operations and vehicle disinfection were privatised. This reform, intended to increase efficiency, allegedly created new opportunities for rent extraction.\n\nThe controversy surrounding Eurolab 2011, which reportedly obtained monopolistic control over food safety testing under questionable legal arrangements became emblematic of these tensions.\n\nThe broader implication: privatisation of public functions does not necessarily reduce corruption risks. It can shift them into hybrid public-private arrangements where accountability is weaker and oversight is more fragmented.\n\nThe rise of “routinised” corruption\n\nThe study highlights the increased organisation of corruption itself. Today, no single official can independently guarantee a smuggling route. Procedures involve multiple agencies, overlapping inspections and layered oversight.\n\nAs a result, corruption evolved towards collective coordination. Customs officers, border guards, supervisors, intermediaries and sometimes political actors participate in networks where bribes are pooled and redistributed.\n\nThese schemes resemble coordinated organisational systems with revenue-sharing mechanisms, internal hierarchies and protection structures rather than isolated rogue actors.\n\nThis reflects an important conceptual change: border corruption can function as an embedded institutional ecosystem sustained through cooperation, mutual dependence and political protection.\n\nDrug trafficking: when corruption becomes too risky\n\nInterestingly, corruption is not always the preferred strategy. In drug trafficking, for example, the risks are dramatically higher. Border officials caught facilitating drug trafficking could face severe criminal penalties, including organised crime charges and lengthy prison sentences.\n\nAs a result, traffickers increasingly invest in sophisticated concealment methods. One example is the \"twin trucks\" strategy: several nearly identical trucks carrying similar cargo cross the border simultaneously during heavy traffic, with only one of them containing drugs. Since inspection capacity is limited, the probability is high that the \"clean\" trucks are checked while the drug shipment passes undetected.\n\nThis shows that corruption and criminality do not always go hand in hand. Sometimes, stronger anti-corruption measures push criminals towards deception and concealment rather than bribery.\n\nThe bigger lesson: criminal systems are adaptive\n\nThe case study of the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing is not just about Bulgaria. Policymakers often assume that more technology, controls and regulation will automatically reduce corruption and illicit trade.\n\nBut criminal systems and corruption adapt. Informal networks reorganise around the vulnerabilities created by reforms. Every regulatory innovation creates new incentives, bottlenecks and opportunities for exploitation.\n\nThis does not mean reforms are useless. Many EU measures have clearly strengthened border management. However, reforms must be designed with an understanding of adaptive behaviour. Otherwise, states risk producing unintended consequences: stronger incentives for bribery, use of alternative trafficking routes, technological manipulation, new forms of collusion or opaque privatisation structures.\n\nI and my co-authors argue for a more integrated approach that combines anti-corruption and anti-crime strategies. We also emphasise the importance of anticipatory governance and foresight-oriented policymaking that try to predict how illicit actors will respond to institutional changes before reforms are implemented.\n\nThis may be the most important lesson from Kapitan Andreevo. Borders are not static lines defended by static institutions against static threats. They are evolving ecosystems where states, markets, technologies and criminal actors constantly adapt to one another.\n\nLearn more\n\n*   Access the full article, “[The Evolution of Corruption and Crimes at Kapitan Andreevo Border Checkpoint: The Impact of EU Accession](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fevolution-corruption-and-crimes-kapitan-andreevo-border-checkpoint-impact-eu-accession)”.\n*   Read our [Quick Guide 38 to border corruption](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg38) for a short introduction.\n*   Read our Working Paper 58, “Corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam” for a related analysis.","2026-05-26",[143,144],"Prevention"," Research and Innovation","how-stronger-borders-can-create-smarter-corruption-lessons-from-one-of-europe039s-most-strategic-border-crossings-2972",[147],"Insights",2972,[143,144],[147],{"id":152,"storage":32,"filename_disk":153,"filename_download":34,"title":154,"type":35,"created_on":136,"modified_on":136,"charset":28,"filesize":155,"width":37,"height":38,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":28,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":156,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":136},"693afaed-084c-4590-aafd-c2d51b28adf7","693afaed-084c-4590-aafd-c2d51b28adf7.webp","How stronger borders can create smarter corruption: lessons from one of Europe's most strategic border crossings",12144,{},[158,183],{"id":159,"news_id":160,"countries_id":177},7814,{"id":135,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":136,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"image":152,"date":141,"topic":162,"slug":145,"activity":163,"nid":148,"topics":164,"activities":165,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":166,"tags":168,"authors":172,"images":174,"translations":175,"content":176},"b0662e2a-864d-4888-a1b7-4342b7570b30",[143,144],[147],[143,144],[147],[159,167],7815,[169,170,171],6003,6005,6006,[173],1373,[],[],[],{"id":178,"name":179,"code":180,"latitude":181,"longitude":182},22,"Bulgaria","BG",42.73388,25.48583,{"id":167,"news_id":184,"countries_id":195},{"id":135,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":136,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"image":152,"date":141,"topic":185,"slug":145,"activity":186,"nid":148,"topics":187,"activities":188,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":189,"tags":190,"authors":191,"images":192,"translations":193,"content":194},[143,144],[147],[143,144],[147],[159,167],[169,170,171],[173],[],[],[],{"id":196,"name":197,"code":198,"latitude":199,"longitude":200},220,"Turkey","TR",38.96375,35.24332,[202,215,230],{"id":169,"news_id":203,"tags_id":214},{"id":135,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":136,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"image":152,"date":141,"topic":204,"slug":145,"activity":205,"nid":148,"topics":206,"activities":207,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":208,"tags":209,"authors":210,"images":211,"translations":212,"content":213},[143,144],[147],[143,144],[147],[159,167],[169,170,171],[173],[],[],[],{"id":4,"name":5},{"id":170,"news_id":216,"tags_id":227},{"id":135,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":136,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"image":152,"date":141,"topic":217,"slug":145,"activity":218,"nid":148,"topics":219,"activities":220,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":221,"tags":222,"authors":223,"images":224,"translations":225,"content":226},[143,144],[147],[143,144],[147],[159,167],[169,170,171],[173],[],[],[],{"id":228,"name":229},982,"Anti-corruption",{"id":171,"news_id":231,"tags_id":242},{"id":135,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":136,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"image":152,"date":141,"topic":232,"slug":145,"activity":233,"nid":148,"topics":234,"activities":235,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":236,"tags":237,"authors":238,"images":239,"translations":240,"content":241},[143,144],[147],[143,144],[147],[159,167],[169,170,171],[173],[],[],[],{"id":243,"name":244},1374,"Law enforcement",[246],{"id":173,"news_id":247,"authors_id":258},{"id":135,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":136,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":137,"title":138,"type":139,"body":140,"image":152,"date":141,"topic":248,"slug":145,"activity":249,"nid":148,"topics":250,"activities":251,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":252,"tags":253,"authors":254,"images":255,"translations":256,"content":257},[143,144],[147],[143,144],[147],[159,167],[169,170,171],[173],[],[],[],{"id":259,"name":260,"position":28,"image":261},550,"Dr Jacopo Costa","90469998-3598-471d-9499-48b19f557c7d",[],[],[],{"id":266,"status":13,"date_created":267,"date_updated":268,"title":269,"type":139,"body":270,"date":271,"topic":272,"slug":273,"activity":274,"nid":276,"topics":277,"activities":279,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"language":29,"image":280,"translation_of":28,"countries":286,"tags":312,"authors":354,"images":383,"translations":384,"content":385},10572,"2025-09-11T16:01:34.000Z","2026-05-07T21:29:57.000Z","How corruption helps drug traffickers adapt to strengthened border enforcement","Corruption at border points remains a pressing global issue, threatening not only border integrity but also the health, safety and security of our societies. It enables illicit trafficking, facilitates organised crime and undermines trust in public institutions.\n\nIn our _[Working Paper 58](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58)_, Saba Kassa and Jacopo Costa examine how corruption facilitates drug trafficking through the port of Rotterdam.\n\nThrough in-depth interviews with stakeholders, a review of judicial cases and desk research, the paper shows how trafficking and corruption strategies are changing in response to strengthened enforcement at border spaces.\n\nIt contributes to the growing body of work that looks at corruption from a systemic viewpoint, analysing the relationships and adaptive capabilities that allow organised crime to thrive.\n\nThe Working Paper was written as part of the [FALCON](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002F) (Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project. The research supports efforts to develop more robust and forward-looking approaches to combat corruption and drug trafficking.\n\nRead the executive summary below.\n\n### Unintended consequences of strengthened enforcement\n\nThis Working Paper examines how corruption facilitates drug trafficking (specifically cocaine) through the port of Rotterdam, looking at the underlying drivers and strategies involved.\n\nLegal trade routes and commercial ports are especially attractive because of the high volumes of cargo, which make it possible to conceal illicit cargo under licit cargo. The spatial complexity of the port of Rotterdam also makes it difficult to fully secure it against criminal activity.\n\nDigging deeper into the facilitating factors of trafficking, the paper finds that, paradoxically, a main driver of rising border corruption is the increased political attention on and resources dedicated to fighting trafficking.\n\nDesk research and stakeholder interviews highlight that as authorities deploy new technology to improve detection, traffickers face more obstacles to operating effectively.\n\nHaving someone on the inside then becomes increasingly important. So, an unintended but important consequence of the strengthened fight against drug trafficking is that corruption becomes even more essential for the operational success of organised crime networks.\n\n### Customs officials are specifically vulnerable\n\nThis study focuses specifically on the role of customs. Tasked with monitoring the import and export of goods, customs officers are important actors in the fight against drug trafficking. However, their role also makes them vulnerable: they have crucial knowledge on processes and procedures, access to systems and discretionary power that can be exploited by criminals.\n\nThe desk research shows that corruption is used strategically to circumvent two important bottlenecks: the container screening and security as cargo enters the port, and the exit of drugs from the port. Traffickers may seek to obtain key information or direct assistance from customs officers.\n\n### Collusion – coercion – infiltration\n\nThese corrupt relationships and the emerging networks between members of crime groups and the customs officials are diverse. Some relationships can be characterised by collusion, where customs officials offer their services or are persuaded to cooperate. This collusion may be opportunistic or targeted.\n\nOther relationships can be characterised by coercion. Customs officials may be lured by financial reward, but this is accompanied by intimidation or the threat of violence to ensure that the officer cooperates and continues to cooperate. Our research highlights that the boundary between collusion and coercion is often blurred.\n\nBeyond collusion and coercion, we also see infiltration, which crosses the boundaries between the criminal, public and private. What emerges is less a matter of individual corruption and more akin to regulatory capture, where the public office position is held by a member of the criminal network.\n\nThe review of the judicial cases shows that bribes involved in these schemes can amount to millions. To hide and use the illicit gains, traffickers rely on money laundering, disguising its source as legitimate. They often enlist the help of family and friends, a trusted inner circle or professional specialists. They may also hide cash at home or invest it in assets and businesses in the Netherlands or abroad.\n\n### Adaptive corruption strategies\n\nA key finding of our research is that the criminal and corruption strategies used to facilitate drug trafficking are highly adaptive. The underlying driver of this adaptability is the unchanging demand for drugs and high profitability of the crime. This pushes traffickers to adopt new strategies to overcome hurdles in supplying the demand.\n\nCorruption strategies adapt in response to new enforcement measures. When control systems are changed and\u002For strengthened, corruption strategies evolve alongside them. This research identifies some key patterns:\n\n*   Stronger detection efforts increase the incentives for corruption.\n*   Evolving systems encourage a similar shift in corruption strategies.\n*   Anti-corruption and anti-trafficking measures may change the profile of those most vulnerable to being co-opted.\n*   The characteristics of corruption can also evolve, from collusion to coercion, to full infiltration of institutions and systems – with blurred lines in between.\n\n### Trafficking strategies evolve, too\n\nTrafficking strategies are similarly adaptive. There have been increased efforts by the port to combat trafficking through enhanced detection and technology. This was initially reflected by increased drug seizures. But since 2024, drugs seizures have declined.\n\nThe research findings provide an explanation for this: As detection strengthens, more drug seizures are made. But what may happen, too, is a response to these new measures. As the risk of detection increases, criminals may adapt their trafficking strategies to overcome the additional hurdles, including:\n\n*   changing concealment strategies; and\n*   changing modes of transport and trafficking routes, including to ports outside of the Netherlands.\n\n### Red flags and risk indicators\n\nThese developments highlight the complexity in understanding the impact of stronger anti-trafficking measures on both corruption and trafficking strategies.\n\nTrafficking and corruption are typically measured by detection, for example, by changes in the volume of drug seizures or the number of public officials caught engaging in corruption.\n\nBut the elephant in the room is that increasingly sophisticated criminal strategies can hide what is really happening. This underscores the need to continuously strengthen our ability to recognise “red flags” of corruption and trafficking. Data-driven tools and refined risk indicators are critical for understanding how crime and corruption strategies are changing.\n\n### A holistic understanding and improved foresight\n\nThe evolving nature of criminal strategies is often likened to a game of chess: enforcement makes a move, and criminal networks adapt. But what now seems to be emerging is more troubling.\n\nWhen barriers to drug trafficking increase while demand remains unchanged, crime and corruption strategies adapt in ways that can deepen their impact on society, leading for example to the hardening of crime and associated violence.\n\nThis makes anticipating how crime may adapt to changing anti-corruption and anti-trafficking strategies critical. Improved foresight and scenario-building capacities will be vital in order to develop more robust enforcement efforts against drug trafficking and mitigate the negative impact on society.\n\nA holistic approach is essential. Addressing corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking requires a broad view of crime that focuses on understanding vulnerabilities, leveraging data and harnessing collaboration.\n\nThe risk of trafficking routes changing are high, therefore, we must use every tool at our disposal to ensure effective and sustainable enforcement efforts.\n\n### Learn more\n\n*   Download the full _[Working Paper 58: Corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam: Drivers, strategies and implications](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58)_\n*   View related online workshop for enforcement and research communities: _[Red flags at the frontier: detecting and disrupting border corruption in the EU](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnode\u002F2844)_, 23 September 2025\n\n### _Acknowledgement and disclaimer_\n\n_FALCON is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance, as an associated partner without the right to receive funds directly from the European Research Executive Agency, has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The contents of the Working Paper are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or SERI._","2025-09-11",[143,144],"how-corruption-helps-drug-traffickers-adapt-to-strengthened-border-enforcement-2848",[275,147],"Research",2848,[278],"Prevention Research and 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Kassa",{"id":302,"news_id":371,"authors_id":382},{"id":266,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":267,"user_updated":290,"date_updated":268,"title":269,"type":139,"body":270,"image":281,"date":271,"topic":372,"slug":273,"activity":373,"nid":276,"topics":374,"activities":375,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":28,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":376,"tags":377,"authors":378,"images":379,"translations":380,"content":381},[143,144],[275,147],[278],[275,147],[288],[297,298,299],[301,302],[],[],[],{"id":259,"name":260,"position":28,"image":261},[],[],[],{"id":387,"status":13,"date_created":388,"date_updated":389,"title":390,"type":139,"body":391,"date":392,"topic":393,"slug":394,"activity":395,"nid":396,"topics":397,"activities":398,"programme":399,"area":400,"websites":402,"language":29,"image":404,"translation_of":28,"countries":412,"tags":413,"authors":542,"images":581,"translations":582,"content":583},10539,"2025-03-11T11:01:35.000Z","2025-08-31T23:12:02.000Z","How tackling green corruption can help us get ahead in the race to net zero","Juhani Grossmann and Amanda Cabrejo le Roux explain the strategic re-focusing of our Green Corruption programme on energy and climate:\n\n### What is “green” corruption and why does it matter?\n\nGreen corruption refers to corruption and other financial crimes and governance failures that harm the environment and hinder global efforts to combat climate change.\n\nIt’s the reason crimes such as illicit deforestation, mining and wildlife trade continue to be multimillion-dollar illegal industries making organised criminals rich at the expense of our planet and the livelihoods of local communities. Green corruption also diverts crucial investments intended for renewable energy and other climate-related projects.\n\nAdapting to humanity’s changing energy needs in a just and sustainable manner are challenging enough. We cannot afford to let corruption undermine these generational challenges.\n\n### What are some key achievements of the programme so far?\n\nWe are proud that since its launch in 2018, the Green Corruption programme has contributed to significant strides in tackling corruption affecting the environment.\n\nOur programme started with an enforcement focus: applying “follow the money” approaches to environmental crimes like illegal wildlife trade and illegal logging. In practice, that means mentoring and training law enforcement officers of national partner agencies to investigate financial transactions that fuel environmental crimes, including between criminal groups and corrupt facilitators. And ideally, to seize and confiscate illicit profits or assets used in the crimes.\n\nThat’s the only way to get beyond the low-level perpetrators – such as poachers – to the high-level facilitators and organised crime networks. And the only way to take the profit out of the crime, reducing the incentives to engage in it.\n\nAt the end of 2024, assets worth around CHF 29.6 million were being targeted in 56 cases directly supported by our advisors. We had quite a few “firsts” – like Uganda’s first ever indictment for tax evasion and money laundering against a wildlife trafficking syndicate, Malawi’s first ever corruption cases related to natural resource crimes, Peru’s confiscation of over CHF 3 million in assets related to forestry and gold trafficking, and Indonesia’s first ever conviction on money laundering in relation to an illegal logging case.\n\nBehind the headlines lie many more positive steps towards changing mindsets and the priorities of law enforcement agencies to go after the finances of environmental criminals.\n\nOur prevention work rapidly grew as we and our partners realised the chronic under-investment in building systems that strengthen resilience to corruption in the environmental sector.\n\nGovernment agencies and state-owned enterprises in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Malawi, Ukraine and Bolivia have now begun to systematically assess and address corruption risks that are affecting their ability to carry out their important functions of protecting the environment and natural resources. Our prevention specialists supported these in applying our bespoke [methodology](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fguide-conducting-corruption-risk-assessments-wildlife-law-enforcement-context) of assessing and prioritising corruption risks and implementing targeted mitigation measures. We developed a customised internal controls maturity assessment tool to reflect the historic lack of investment in this space, which meant that mainstream assessment tools were insufficiently granular at the first stage of maturity to reflect nuances and chart paths to growth.\n\nAs result of our partnerships, mitigation measures have been institutionalised in many agencies – for example:\n\n*   in Malawi through the creation of Internal Integrity Committees in environmental agencies;\n*   in Ukraine through the empowerment of anti-corruption officers to participate in key decision-making processes;\n*   in Ecuador by reducing unsupervised discretion in environmental inspections;\n*   in Indonesia in the adoption of conflict of interest regulations in the management of timber sales; and\n*   in Peru through the automation and digitalisation of numerous permitting and licensing processes related to the wood value chain.\n\nAlso pleasing to see are the many collaborations and partnerships that have sprung from our work. In Latin America, for example, forestry officials in [Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fnews\u002Fprotecting-forests-through-corruption-prevention-videos-promising-initiatives-bolivia-ecuador) are now collaborating on protecting the Amazon rainforest through corruption prevention.\n\nStill, targeting and preventing corruption tends to be a lonely effort. So, we have established the [Countering Environmental Corruption Practitioners Forum](https:\u002F\u002Fenvironmental-corruption.org\u002F) together with WWF, TRAFFIC and Transparency International as a support network, and it has now grown to over 800 members and four working groups. There are frequent meetings and collaborations between practitioners dedicated to tackling corruption and improving governance, and those specialised in environmental conservation or climate initiatives.\n\nIt’s a sign there’s much appetite and energy for action against green corruption!\n\n### Why is now the time to focus on the energy transition?\n\nWhatever happens in these volatile times, one thing is certain: we’ll continue to see growing demands for energy transition and climate mitigation and adaptation.\n\nThe urgency of tackling the energy transition, and the rapid increase in investments from both the public and private sectors, leaves the door wide open to criminals and the corrupt seeking to profit at the expense of investors and donors – as well as the planet.\n\nA clear example in this space is the growing geopolitical centrality of critical minerals and rare earths. The rapid rise in demand has been accompanied by particularly fragile governance structures, intense political and economic subsidies, and even warfare. Our experience shows that these are all breeding grounds for corruption. We are therefore prioritising efforts to analyse and mitigate corruption risks in this space in Bolivia, Indonesia and Ukraine.\n\nEnsuring that the energy transition is safeguarded from corruption is essential for achieving net-zero goals. As outlined in our Working Paper on [good governance and the just transition](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-53), corrupt practices can jeopardise renewable energy investments and hinder the development of clean energy infrastructure.\n\nRapidly emerging market-based solutions to stimulate responsible behaviour, such as carbon offsets, are also affected by weak governance systems and opportunities for corruption. The fast-evolving and highly technical nature of these activities only increases this risk.\n\nCorruption risks similarly threaten the effectiveness of climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. If funds are embezzled, used fraudulently or diverted to benefit powerful elites, that’s bad for donors and investors. And it’s bad for local communities, many of which are also directly affected by climate change.\n\nOn the other hand, there are opportunities. Using corruption risk management tools and enhancing enforcement capabilities can help companies and governments to create thriving, profitable supply chains of critical minerals needed for renewable energy facilities, electric vehicles and the like.\n\n### What does this shift in priorities mean in practice?\n\nThrough our Green Corruption programme, we are adapting to this evolving landscape by sharpening our focus on transition minerals and the renewable energy sector.\n\nWe will continue our dual approach of prevention and enforcement, working closely with long-standing partners in Ukraine, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malawi, Uganda, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.\n\nSome things you might see us doing in the next years:\n\n*   Strengthening transparency and anti-corruption measures in the extraction and trade of lithium, nickel, germanium and other minerals and rare earths essential for the energy transition.\n*   Customising financial investigation and asset recovery tools to the specifics of the energy transition.\n*   Working with governments, financial institutions and civil society to safeguard energy transition and climate mitigation funds from corruption, fraud and related crimes.\n\nWe will continue full force our ongoing engagement related to metals (gold in particular) and the forestry sector, which remain highly strategic.\n\nIn other areas, such as illegal wildlife trade, fisheries and waste, we will be more discerning, carefully assessing the potential of engagements prior to pursuing them.\n\n### What impact do we hope to achieve?\n\nBy applying our expertise to emerging climate and energy challenges, we want to contribute to measurable improvements in the energy transition, environmental conservation, climate change mitigation and equitable economic development.\n\nThrough these efforts, our Green Corruption programme will continue to play a vital role in ensuring that the green transition is not only sustainable but also just, transparent and a win-win for all: businesses, local communities and society at large – as well as our planet.","2025-03-11",[21],"how-tackling-green-corruption-can-help-us-get-ahead-in-the-race-to-net-zero-2781",[147],2781,[21],[147],[21],[401],"Anti-Corruption & Prevention",[403],"Main 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investigations",[543,562],{"id":433,"news_id":544,"authors_id":558},{"id":387,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":388,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":389,"title":390,"type":139,"body":391,"image":405,"date":392,"topic":545,"slug":394,"activity":546,"nid":396,"topics":547,"activities":548,"programme":549,"area":550,"websites":551,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":552,"tags":553,"authors":554,"images":555,"translations":556,"content":557},[21],[147],[21],[147],[21],[401],[403],[],[415,426,427,428,429,430,431],[433,434],[],[],[],{"id":559,"name":560,"position":28,"image":561},299,"Juhani Grossmann","f6e8d3b4-6d55-423e-bf4d-2da3f5ea6b46",{"id":434,"news_id":563,"authors_id":577},{"id":387,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":388,"user_updated":161,"date_updated":389,"title":390,"type":139,"body":391,"image":405,"date":392,"topic":564,"slug":394,"activity":565,"nid":396,"topics":566,"activities":567,"programme":568,"area":569,"websites":570,"translation_of":28,"language":29,"countries":571,"tags":572,"authors":573,"images":574,"translations":575,"content":576},[21],[147],[21],[147],[21],[401],[403],[],[415,426,427,428,429,430,431],[433,434],[],[],[],{"id":578,"name":579,"position":28,"image":580},561,"Dr Amanda Cabrejo le Roux","46287e4a-0832-48cc-8cc3-02884e72eedf",[],[],[],{"id":585,"status":13,"date_created":586,"date_updated":587,"title":588,"type":17,"body":589,"date":590,"topic":591,"slug":592,"activity":593,"nid":595,"topics":596,"activities":597,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":598,"language":28,"image":599,"translation_of":28,"countries":610,"tags":628,"authors":643,"images":644,"translations":645,"content":646},10510,"2024-11-28T17:01:46.000Z","2026-05-08T21:11:13.000Z","How integrity risk assessments can support Indonesian SOEs in reaching their goals","Integrity risk assessments help shine a light on a significant category of threats to the operations or reputation of a private company or state-owned enterprise (SOE). They enable these risks to be prioritised and mitigated in a controlled and strategic way.\n\nWith this in mind, and with the support of USAID INTEGRITAS, we recently conducted a two-day training on integrity risk assessments for Indonesia's state-owned enterprises. A separate three-day training was designed specifically for Perhutani, an SOE that manages forest resources on Java and Madura islands and that is our main SOE partner in Indonesia.\n\n### An innovative risk assessment methodology\n\nOur integrity risk assessment methodology was designed in-house based on our experience in different fields, such as corruption prevention, law enforcement and prosecution. In brief the methodology focuses on:\n\n*   mapping processes inside an organisation;\n*   analysing the degree to which they are subject to integrity risks;\n*   assessing the severity and impact of the risks by quantifying them;\n*   prioritising these risks; and\n*   developing mitigation measures to address them.\n\n### Indonesia’s strategic sectors represented\n\nA total of 62 participants from 15 SOEs participated in the two parallel trainings. The SOEs in attendance represent a diverse range of Indonesia’s strategic sectors, including finance (Danareksa, Indonesia Financial Group – IFG, Bank Rakyat Indonesia – BRI), energy and infrastructure (Perusahaan Listrik Negara – PLN, PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur – SMI), and forestry and plantations (PT Perkebunan Nusantara III – PTPN, Pupuk Indonesia, Perhutani).\n\nTwo SOEs owned by provincial\u002Fcity governments (PT MRT Jakarta and Perumda Air Minum Kota Kupang) also joined the event.\n\nThe training served as an introduction to our integrity risk assessment methodology, highlighting its potential to be used across Indonesia.\n\n### Feedback highlighed practical value\n\nThe training received positive feedback: participants found it both engaging and informative, as well as useful for their day-to-day compliance work. It provided valuable insights into assessing and mitigating risks, ultimately contributing to corruption prevention efforts.\n\nOne participant from an energy-related SOE said:\n\n> The training is very useful in increasing knowledge of compliance management and also a solid platform for sharing experiences between SOEs in managing and mitigating risks.\n\nA participant from a banking SOE also praised the training, stating that it was highly beneficial for enhancing compliance and risk mitigation within her company. They also expressed interest in participating in future sessions and said they hoped to delegate more staff to attend upcoming trainings.\n\nThe two trainings were made possible through the support of USAID INTEGRITAS. In his opening remarks, INTEGRITAS Agreement Officer’s Representative Ahmad Qisa'i emphasised the consortium's commitment to supporting SOEs in their efforts to prevent corruption in Indonesia. He highlighted that the integrity risk assessment methodology can help SOEs effectively identify and mitigate corruption risks that arise in vulnerable business processes.\n\nQisa'i also reiterated USAID INTEGRITAS' openness to collaborating with a broader range of SOEs to enhance integrity measures, particularly by addressing conflict of interest issues in the hopes of achieving a corruption-free Indonesia.","2024-11-28",[21],"how-integrity-risk-assessments-can-support-indonesian-soes-in-reaching-their-goals-2727",[594],"Training",2727,[21],[594],[403],{"id":600,"storage":32,"filename_disk":601,"filename_download":602,"title":603,"type":604,"created_on":605,"modified_on":605,"charset":28,"filesize":606,"width":607,"height":608,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":28,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":609,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":605},"8622dea3-298f-4da5-81e4-a2df3356e272","8622dea3-298f-4da5-81e4-a2df3356e272.jpg","pic (1).jpg","Pic (1)","image\u002Fjpeg","2025-06-03T21:58:09.000Z",341784,2000,1500,{},[611],{"id":612,"news_id":613,"countries_id":627},7076,{"id":585,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":586,"user_updated":614,"date_updated":587,"title":588,"type":17,"body":589,"image":600,"date":590,"topic":615,"slug":592,"activity":616,"nid":595,"topics":617,"activities":618,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":619,"translation_of":28,"language":28,"countries":620,"tags":621,"authors":623,"images":624,"translations":625,"content":626},"dfef11db-1bc6-47e9-a61d-93443995484b",[21],[594],[21],[594],[403],[612],[622],5684,[],[],[],[],{"id":96,"name":97,"code":98,"latitude":99,"longitude":100},[629],{"id":622,"news_id":630,"tags_id":642},{"id":585,"status":13,"user_created":44,"date_created":586,"user_updated":614,"date_updated":587,"title":588,"type":17,"body":589,"image":600,"date":590,"topic":631,"slug":592,"activity":632,"nid":595,"topics":633,"activities":634,"programme":28,"area":28,"websites":635,"translation_of":28,"language":28,"countries":636,"tags":637,"authors":638,"images":639,"translations":640,"content":641},[21],[594],[21],[594],[403],[612],[622],[],[],[],[],{"id":4,"name":5},[],[],[],[],17,{"items":649,"total":178},[650,812,924,1168,1258],{"id":651,"status":13,"sort":28,"date_created":652,"date_updated":653,"nid":654,"slug":655,"title":656,"body":657,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":28,"date_published":659,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":661,"link_external":662,"featured":660,"topics":666,"languages":667,"type":668,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"image":670,"countries":679,"tags":701,"pdf":728,"authors":749},2437,"2026-06-01T22:10:25.000Z","2026-06-01T22:34:25.000Z",2960,"evolution-corruption-and-crimes-kapitan-andreevo-border-checkpoint-impact-eu-accession","The Evolution of Corruption and Crimes at Kapitan Andreevo Border Checkpoint: The Impact of EU Accession","Published in the _Journal of Illicit Trade, Financial Crime, and Compliance_, this article examines how Bulgaria’s 2007 accession to the European Union transformed illegal activities and corruption at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint.\n\nWhile the introduction of stricter EU regulations and advanced surveillance technology aimed to secure the border, these measures had the effect of transforming criminal strategies and corruption. The authors detail a shift from blatant smuggling to more sophisticated financial frauds, VAT carousel schemes and the illicit privatisation of public border functions.\n\nThe article highlights that in some cases, it was the bribery schemes that evolved to bypass new standards. In other cases – particularly involving drug trafficking and the smuggling of human beings – it was the criminal strategies that transformed, including advanced concealment methods or new smuggling routes.\n\nThe study also offers a nuanced perspective on the relationship between corruption and criminal activites at border checkpoints: stronger capacity to counter criminal activities could lead to an increase in the risk of corruption, while a more coherent anti corruption framework could trigger criminal activities to evolve. Ultimately, the article argues that anti-crime and anti-corruption policies must account for this evolutionary nature.",2026,"2026-05-01",false,[],[663],{"url":664,"caption":665},"https:\u002F\u002Fjitfccjournal.com\u002Findex.php\u002Fjitfcc\u002Farticle\u002Fview\u002F16","View on Journal 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Camargo","efaca248-6b57-4e2e-af40-614056eb022c",{"id":698,"publications_id":782,"authors_id":793},{"id":651,"status":13,"sort":28,"user_created":290,"date_created":652,"user_updated":290,"date_updated":653,"nid":654,"slug":655,"image":671,"title":656,"body":657,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":28,"date_published":659,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":783,"link_external":784,"featured":660,"topics":786,"languages":787,"type":788,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"countries":789,"tags":790,"pdf":791,"authors":792},[],[785],{"url":664,"caption":665},[278],[29],[669],[681],[691,692],[694],[696,697,698,699],{"id":794,"name":795,"position":28,"image":28},584,"Noémi Jäger",{"id":699,"publications_id":797,"authors_id":808},{"id":651,"status":13,"sort":28,"user_created":290,"date_created":652,"user_updated":290,"date_updated":653,"nid":654,"slug":655,"image":671,"title":656,"body":657,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":28,"date_published":659,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":798,"link_external":799,"featured":660,"topics":801,"languages":802,"type":803,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"countries":804,"tags":805,"pdf":806,"authors":807},[],[800],{"url":664,"caption":665},[278],[29],[669],[681],[691,692],[694],[696,697,698,699],{"id":809,"name":810,"position":28,"image":811},303,"Saba Kassa","a34de431-6c31-4ddd-8727-12c10dfed9ad",{"id":813,"status":13,"sort":28,"date_created":652,"date_updated":814,"nid":815,"slug":816,"title":817,"body":818,"citation":819,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":820,"date_published":821,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":822,"link_external":826,"featured":660,"topics":827,"languages":828,"type":829,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":831,"subtitle":28,"image":832,"countries":841,"tags":842,"pdf":876,"authors":895},2438,"2026-06-02T14:08:57.000Z",2953,"how-technology-can-support-border-corruption-investigations","Tackling the complexity of border corruption: How technological tools such as the project FALCON dashboard can support investigations","Corruption at land and sea borders facilitates smuggling, sanctions evasion, tax offences and the entry of counterfeit, substandard or unsafe goods into countries including EU member states. This report conceptualises border corruption as a complex system of actors, events and illicit exchanges that is difficult to detect and investigate.\n\nDrawing on research from the Horizon Europe FALCON (Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project, it explores how innovative technological tools – illustrated by the “FALCON dashboard” – can help investigators manage, visualise, interpret and report large volumes of heterogeneous data in support of more effective investigations.\n\n### About this report\n\nYou may share or republish this report under a Creative Commons [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-nc-nd\u002F4.0\u002Fdeed.en) licence.\n\nThis report was written as part of the FALCON project. FALCON is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance, as an associated partner without the right to receive funds directly from the European Research Executive Agency, has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).\n\nThe contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or SERI.","Costa, Jacopo, and Marco San Biagio. 2026. “Tackling the complexity of border corruption: How technological tools such as the project FALCON dashboard can support investigations”. Basel Institute on Governance. Available at: https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fhow-technology-can-support-border-corruption-investigations","Basel Institute on Governance","2026-04-20",[823],{"url":824,"caption":825},"\u002Fresources\u002Fpublications\u002Fqg38","Read Quick Guide to border corruption",[],[278],[29],[830],"Report","Corruption at land and sea borders facilitates smuggling, sanctions evasion, tax offences and\nthe entry of counterfeit, substandard or unsafe goods into countries including EU member\nstates. It is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that poses significant challenges to law\nenforcement. Based on a literature review and empirical research including interviews and\ncase studies, this report conceptualises border corruption as a dynamic system of actors,\nevents and illicit exchanges. It also assesses how new technologies and innovations can\nstrengthen investigations.\n\nBorder areas are spaces that bring together a variety of public and private actors, regulatory\nfunctions and illicit activities. Corruption is structurally embedded, making it difficult to detect\nand investigate. Investigations in this context require the integration and interpretation of large\nvolumes of heterogeneous data spanning administrative records, financial transactions,\ncorporate structures, border crossing data and information from social media.\n\nThis level of complexity can result in information overload, fragmented analysis and limited\ncapacity to extract actionable insights for planning law enforcement operations. Additionally,\nissues with reporting and information sharing can hinder collaboration between field operatives\nand their line managers and superiors, who have critical responsibilities in terms of case\nmanagement and financial planning.\n\nBuilding on research conducted within the Horizon Europe FALCON (Fight Against Largescale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project, the report presents one of the\nproject’s technological outputs as an example of how technology can be leveraged: the\nFALCON dashboard. Currently in the piloting phase, this innovative tool has been designed to\nsupport investigations into border corruption and related offences by enabling the systematic\ncollection, integration, visualisation and analysis of investigative information and evidence.\nThis report demonstrates how the FALCON dashboard can assist investigators in managing\nhybrid data sources (manual and automated), constructing and navigating evidence graphs,\nand identifying key actors and relational patterns. The tool also lets investigators track the\nevolution of their investigations over time. Particular attention is paid to the dashboard’s\ncapacity to reduce visual saturation, enable multi-level analysis and facilitate targeted queries,\nthereby enhancing sense-making and investigative prioritisation.\n\nAlthough the FALCON dashboard itself is not yet publicly available, its presentation in this\nreport provides inspiration for similar technological innovation. The report argues that tools\nsuch as the FALCON dashboard can bolster investigative capabilities by enhancing analytical\nclarity, operational efficiency and communication between investigators, supervisors,\nprosecutors and other relevant stakeholders. However, it also prompts the need for further  reflection on broader challenges relating to data quality, interoperability, institutional\ncoordination and data protection.\n\nOverall, the study provides a conceptual and practical framework for understanding how\ntechnological platforms can support evidence-based, adaptive responses to border corruption.",{"id":833,"storage":32,"filename_disk":834,"filename_download":835,"title":836,"type":604,"created_on":674,"modified_on":674,"charset":28,"filesize":837,"width":838,"height":839,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":28,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":840,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":674},"83e615dd-a58e-4dec-a3d3-40b0cfe4cd32","83e615dd-a58e-4dec-a3d3-40b0cfe4cd32.jpg","260416_FALCON dashboard report_cover.jpg","FALCON dasboard 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San Biagio",{"id":925,"status":13,"sort":28,"date_created":652,"date_updated":926,"nid":927,"slug":928,"title":929,"body":930,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":820,"date_published":931,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":932,"link_external":939,"featured":660,"topics":940,"languages":941,"type":942,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":943,"subtitle":28,"image":944,"countries":954,"tags":1024,"pdf":1067,"authors":1087},2439,"2026-06-02T21:18:25.000Z",2927,"corruption-risk-management-latam-timber-value-chain","Preventing corruption in the timber value chain: Risk management experiences in Latin America","Corruption in the timber value chain is a major challenge for environmental sustainability and governance in Latin America.\n\nThis report presents the application of a corruption risk management approach by environmental authorities in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, implemented through technical assistance from the Basel Institute on Governance’s [Green Corruption programme](http:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fgreen-corruption).\n\n[**Download the report here**](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2026-04\u002F260401_Preventing-corruption-in-the-timber-value-chain_Latam.pdf)\n\n### Key corruption risks\n\nThe report describes the main corruption risks identified in collaboration with five environmental authorities responsible for integrity in the timber value chain, covering:\n\n- The granting of forestry rights\n- The issuance and use of timber transport waybills\n- The control and supervision of authorised actors.\n\nThe main corruption risks identified involve:\n\n- Improper agreements between public servants and third parties\n- Abuse of authority\n- Undue influence or pressure from superiors\n\n### Mitigation measures\n\nPlanned mitigation measures fall into four main categories:\n\n- Regulatory improvements, including updating procedures, closing implementation gaps and improving efficiency\n- Strengthened supervision, such as file tracking systems and alerts to reduce discretion\n- Enhanced communication, including multicultural approaches for Indigenous and rural communities\n- Cross-cutting measures to promote integrity such as awareness-raising, ethical reflection and training\n\nGiven common patterns across natural resource sectors, these measures may be relevant for other environmental agencies, though they should be adapted to local contexts.\n\n### Lessons learned\n\nThe experiences in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru highlight the importance of tailoring risk management approaches to national contexts, ensuring institutional leadership and fostering inter-institutional collaboration. They also underline the value of peer learning and cross-border exchange.","2026-04-02",[933,936],{"url":934,"caption":935},"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fprotecting-forests-through-corruption-prevention-videos-on-promising-initiatives-in-bolivia-ecuador-and-peru-2726","Learn more about protecting forests through corruption prevention",{"url":937,"caption":938},"\u002Fresources\u002Fnews\u002Fjoining-forces-to-protect-the-amazon-forest-and-its-communities-from-corruption-2717","Read related news",[],[21],[29],[830],"Corruption in the timber value chain represents a major challenge for environmental sustainability\nand governance in Latin America. This report introduces the application of a **corruption risk\nmanagement approach** by environmental authorities in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. This\napproach was implemented within the framework of technical assistance provided by the Green\nCorruption programme of the Basel Institute on Governance.\n\nCorruption refers to the misuse of entrusted power for private gain, often leading to increased\ninequality, poverty and social division. The concept of “green corruption” addresses the impact of\ncorruption as a major driver of environmental devastation and increased risk of harm to the\nenvironment and natural resources. Corruption risk refers to the possibility of a corrupt act\noccurring, but does not necessarily mean that a corrupt act has taken place. Mitigation measures\n– based on identified corruption risks, their impacts and likelihoods – are typically a prioritised set\nof recommended actions to address weaknesses, allocate resources, seek external support or\noffset the impact of negative conditions.\n\nUtilising the Green Corruption programme’s corruption risk management approach,\nrepresentatives of the environmental authorities identified corruption risks within the timber value\nchain related to **three key risk contexts**:\n1. The granting of forestry rights\n2. The issuance and use of timber transport waybills\n3. The control and supervision of authorised actors.\n\n**Priority areas of concern** included documentary procedures, physical inspections and the\nadministrative sanctioning procedure.\n\n**Specific corruption risks** identified involved:\n- the potential for improper agreements between public servants and third parties;\n- abuse of authority; and\n- undue influence or other improper pressures from hierarchical superiors within organisations.\n\nThe majority of planned **mitigation measures** can be grouped into four categories:\n- **Regulatory improvement**, to be accomplished by reviewing and updating administrative procedures, closing implementation gaps and other opportunities for corruption and improving operating efficiency.\n- **Strengthened supervision** through the implementation of file tracking systems and alerts as well as the use of verification formats in the approval of forestry rights and the issuance of timber transport waybills, and other practices that reduce the discretion of operational units.\n- **Enhanced communication strategies** to support information exchange and joint action within the timber value chain. Specifically, a multicultural strategy was developed as a way of reducing the vulnerability to corruption for Indigenous and rural farming communities.\n- **Cross-cutting measures** to promote integrity through awareness-raising, ethical reflection and training for public servants and other actors in the timber value chain.\n\nThis document concludes with lessons learned and recommendations, highlighting the\nimportance of tailoring the approach to recognise the unique context of each country, its\ninstitutional leadership in risk management and the contribution of inter-institutional collaborative\nwork. The risk management experiences in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru also highlight the value of\npeer learning and the exchange of experiences, including across national borders.\n\nIn summary, this publication offers a practical approach for implementing corruption risk\nmanagement as an effective tool to reduce the likelihood of corrupt or unethical behaviour and to\nstrengthen the institutional framework for the timber value chain in Latin America.",{"id":945,"storage":32,"filename_disk":946,"filename_download":947,"title":948,"type":604,"created_on":949,"modified_on":949,"charset":28,"filesize":950,"width":951,"height":952,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":28,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":953,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":949},"a4345633-502b-4784-b391-b3ca6bafb2c5","a4345633-502b-4784-b391-b3ca6bafb2c5.jpg","260401_Preventing-corruption-in-the-timber-value-chain_Latam_cover.jpg","Preventing corruption in the timber value 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Bustamante",{"id":1169,"status":13,"sort":28,"date_created":1170,"date_updated":1171,"nid":1172,"slug":1173,"title":1174,"body":1175,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":1176,"date_published":1177,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":1178,"link_external":1184,"featured":660,"topics":1188,"languages":1189,"type":1190,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"image":1191,"countries":1201,"tags":1202,"pdf":1236,"authors":1257},2444,"2026-06-01T22:10:26.000Z","2026-06-02T14:08:58.000Z",2946,"recommendations-combatting-border-corruption-falcon-policy-brief","Recommendations for combatting border corruption (FALCON Policy Brief)","Corruption at borders poses a significant threat to the integrity of the European Union’s external borders, undermining security, trust, and governance. And border corruption is not static — it evolves in response to new controls, technologies and enforcement strategies. This means that even well-designed measures may lose effectiveness over time.\n\nA new Policy Brief by the FALCON (Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project outlines actionable recommendations for EU policymakers and officials involved preventing and combatting border corruption.\n\nThe brief identifies four priority areas:\n\nreducing discretionary face-to-face interactions at border crossing points through digitalisation;\\\ndeveloping harmonised, risk-based digital infrastructures that can detect corruption-prone patterns;\\\nlimiting manual data handling to close opportunities for manipulation; and\\\nstrengthening the conceptual alignment between anti-trafficking and anti-corruption strategies.\n\nIt argues that effective reform requires corruption-sensitive implementation frameworks, enhanced inter-agency coordination and a shift toward anticipatory governance.\n\nThe Basel Institute on Governance is an associated partner of the FALCON project. [Jacopo Costa](https:\u002F\u002Fbaselgovernance.org\u002Fabout-us\u002Fpeople\u002Fdr-jacopo-costa) contributed to the Policy Brief and related research.\n\n_FALCON is funded under the Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance receives funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)._","FALCON - Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks","2026-03-25",[1179,1181],{"url":824,"caption":1180},"Related Quick Guide to border corruption",{"url":1182,"caption":1183},"\u002Fresources\u002Fpublications\u002Fwp-58","Related Working Paper on corruption at the port of Rotterdam",[1185],{"url":1186,"caption":1187},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.falcon-horizon.eu\u002F2026\u002F03\u002Ffalcon-policy-brief-recommendations-for-combatting-border-corruption\u002F","Related FALCON news",[278],[29],[830],{"id":1192,"storage":32,"filename_disk":1193,"filename_download":1194,"title":1195,"type":604,"created_on":1196,"modified_on":1196,"charset":28,"filesize":1197,"width":1198,"height":1199,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":28,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":1200,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":1196},"bc5fa519-a9aa-472c-aed6-91849cddb2aa","bc5fa519-a9aa-472c-aed6-91849cddb2aa.jpg","2026_03_18-FALCON-Policy-Brief-04_Border-Corruption_Cover-page.jpg","FALCON Policy Brief 4 on border corruption_cover page","2026-06-01T22:18:31.000Z",327770,1654,2327,{},[],[1203,1221],{"id":1204,"publications_id":1205,"tags_id":1220},5230,{"id":1169,"status":13,"sort":28,"user_created":290,"date_created":1170,"user_updated":290,"date_updated":1171,"nid":1172,"slug":1173,"image":1192,"title":1174,"body":1175,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":1176,"date_published":1177,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":1206,"link_external":1209,"featured":660,"topics":1211,"languages":1212,"type":1213,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"countries":1214,"tags":1215,"pdf":1217,"authors":1219},[1207,1208],{"url":824,"caption":1180},{"url":1182,"caption":1183},[1210],{"url":1186,"caption":1187},[278],[29],[830],[],[1204,1216],5231,[1218],2498,[],{"id":4,"name":5},{"id":1216,"publications_id":1222,"tags_id":1235},{"id":1169,"status":13,"sort":28,"user_created":290,"date_created":1170,"user_updated":290,"date_updated":1171,"nid":1172,"slug":1173,"image":1192,"title":1174,"body":1175,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":1176,"date_published":1177,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":1223,"link_external":1226,"featured":660,"topics":1228,"languages":1229,"type":1230,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"countries":1231,"tags":1232,"pdf":1233,"authors":1234},[1224,1225],{"url":824,"caption":1180},{"url":1182,"caption":1183},[1227],{"url":1186,"caption":1187},[278],[29],[830],[],[1204,1216],[1218],[],{"id":228,"name":229},[1237],{"id":1218,"publications_id":1238,"directus_files_id":1251},{"id":1169,"status":13,"sort":28,"user_created":290,"date_created":1170,"user_updated":290,"date_updated":1171,"nid":1172,"slug":1173,"image":1192,"title":1174,"body":1175,"citation":28,"language":28,"year":658,"publisher":1176,"date_published":1177,"external":660,"topic":28,"link_internal":1239,"link_external":1242,"featured":660,"topics":1244,"languages":1245,"type":1246,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":28,"main_points":28,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"countries":1247,"tags":1248,"pdf":1249,"authors":1250},[1240,1241],{"url":824,"caption":1180},{"url":1182,"caption":1183},[1243],{"url":1186,"caption":1187},[278],[29],[830],[],[1204,1216],[1218],[],{"id":1252,"storage":32,"filename_disk":1253,"filename_download":1254,"title":745,"type":746,"folder":747,"uploaded_by":290,"created_on":1255,"modified_by":28,"modified_on":1255,"charset":28,"filesize":1256,"width":28,"height":28,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":745,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":28,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":1255},"f9d137b9-84ae-4b9d-b28b-378db8754489","f9d137b9-84ae-4b9d-b28b-378db8754489.pdf","2026-03-18-FALCON-Policy-Brief-04-Recommendations-for-Combatting-Border-Corruption.pdf","2026-06-01T22:34:27.000Z",174455,[],{"id":1259,"status":13,"sort":28,"date_created":1260,"date_updated":1261,"nid":1262,"slug":1263,"title":1264,"body":1265,"citation":1266,"language":29,"year":658,"publisher":1267,"date_published":1268,"external":660,"topic":1269,"link_internal":1271,"link_external":1272,"featured":660,"topics":1276,"languages":28,"type":1277,"area":28,"programme":28,"websites":28,"summary":28,"pdf_text":1278,"main_points":1279,"short_version":28,"subtitle":28,"image":1280,"countries":1289,"tags":1316,"pdf":1372,"authors":1392},2432,"2026-01-28T17:05:36.000Z","2026-06-02T21:22:46.000Z",2910,"political-economy-weeds-embracing-complexity-anti-corruption-work-lessons-learned-anti","Political economy in the weeds: Embracing complexity in anti-corruption work – lessons learned from anti-corruption programme in Malawi","In this joint paper with Adam Smith International, authors Claudia Baez Camargo and Renee Kantelberg show how anti-corruption efforts require more than mere technical fixes, such as capacity building for civil society alone, to drive lasting change.\n\nAnti-corruption work is often embedded in complex, politically charged environments. This requires thinking and working politically. Engaging with complex social and economic systems also means recognising that change is not linear or even predictable. What to do then?\n\nOur years of anti-corruption research have demonstrated the centrality of having local stakeholders be in the driver’s seat for identifying priorities and finding solutions. This is how we have worked in Malawi in the Malawi Anti-Corruption Civil Society Support (MACCSS) project, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and implemented with Adam Smith International.\n\nThis publication shares practical lessons and successes in applying this approach in the MACCSS project. It illustrates our joint efforts to navigate uncertainty and ground anti-corruption efforts in trust, resilience and local leadership. The key takeaways for practitioners who design or implement anti-corruption programmes (paraphrased) are:\n\n\n- **Embrace complexity.** Change is adaption and pivoting to reality, which is not linear. In governance programmes, unexpected developments and temporary reversals are signs that systems are shifting.\n- **Local ownership matters.** When partners are in the driver’s seat, impact and sustainability improve. This is true even if the route diverges from initial plans.\n- **Facilitation over funding.** Hands-on mentoring and relationship brokering build deeper capabilities than unidirectional training, grants and results frameworks.\n- **Learning by doing.** Regular reflection converts experience into strategy; failures become data for adaptation.\n- **Build trust and coalitions.** Reform depends on a collective effort with credible institutions and sister anti-corruption programmes. It also requires nurturing emergent anti-corruption networks, rather than merely building the capacity of individual actors.\n- **Resilience grows from below.** Sustainable accountability takes root when communities see anti-corruption as linked to livelihoods and services, not as an abstract governance agenda.\n- **Gender and inclusion strengthen legitimacy.** Integrating gender and social inclusion (GESI) principles by addressing corruption in mining, infrastructure and agriculture – sectors critical for women and marginalised groups – broadens both the reach and credibility of anti-corruption efforts.\n\n\nUltimately, the MACCSS experience reinforces a simple but profound insight: **anti-corruption work is not about perfect plans but about adaptive partnerships.** Change happens through relationships, experimentation and persistence. The task is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to navigate it with integrity and learning at the core. ","","Adam Smith International","2026-01-28",[143,1270],"Research and Innovation",[],[1273],{"url":1274,"caption":1275},"https:\u002F\u002Fadamsmithinternational.com\u002Farticles\u002Fpolitical-economy-in-the-weeds-embracing-complexity-in-anti-corruption-work\u002F#resource:all"," View on Adam Smith International website",[278],[830],"\u003C!-- image -->\n\n## POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE WEEDS\n\n## EMBRACING COMPLEXITY IN ANTI-CORRUPTION WORK\n\nBy Renee Kantelberg and Claudia Baez-Camargo\n\n## Introduction\n\nThe Malawi Anti-Corruption Civil Society Support (MACCSS) programme provides a powerful case for understanding how anti-corruption  (AC)  efforts  unfold  in  complex,  politically  charged  environments.  Jointly  funded  by  the  UK  Foreign, Commonwealth  and  Development  Office  (FCDO)  and  USAID,  MACCSS  (2024-2026)  combines  grants  and  technical assistance worth £1.75 million to strengthen civil society's role in promoting accountability. The initiative works through a  portfolio  of  civil  society  issue-focused  interventions  with  national  and  district  partners  across  sectors  such  as agriculture, mining, constituency development funds, justice and infrastructure.\n\nMalawi serves as both an opportunity-rich testing ground for systems-change initiatives and a cautionary case illustrating the constraints and pressure points such reforms face. This blend of promise and challenge renders Malawi pivotal for understanding governance transformations in comparable contexts. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with corruption deeply embedded in its political and bureaucratic systems. Decades of clientelist politics, weak enforcement institutions  and  low  public-sector  pay  have  entrenched  behaviours  where  access  to  state  resources  is  viewed  as  an entitlement to extract rents for their own benefit and that of particular interests. In the wake of the September 2025 elections, these longstanding dynamics continue to shape the operating environment. Consequently, MACCSS's mandate remains unchanged: to equip committed civil-society organisations from national bodies to rural district groups with the knowledge, networks, and confidence to serve as policy-reform champions, watchdogs, and mobilisers of citizen voice and national advocacy priorities.\n\nAt first glance, the logic of working with civil society in contexts where state capacities are weak is straightforward: if CSOs are  trained  in  strategic  advocacy,  intervention  design,  operational  planning  and  media  engagement,  they  will become  effective  in  exposing  and  preventing  corruption,  thus  fulfilling  their  assumed  watchdog  function.  Yet  the experience of implementation shows that capacity alone does not guarantee influence and that change is difficult and non-linear. The real story of MACCSS lies in how its partners are learning to 'work in the weeds' - embracing uncertainty, adapting to shifting power dynamics, and building alliances that make accountability and anti-corruption transformation possible.\n\n## The Strategy: Ambition and Assumptions\n\nMACCSS's design draws from the classic anti-corruption playbook, which is reflected in the programme's strategy (Theory of  Change),  which  suggests  that  enhancing  CSO  technical  and  organisational  capacity  results  in  greater  citizen engagement and oversight and, ultimately, in reduced opportunities and incentives for corruption.\n\nConsequently, capacity building is pursued through three interdependent strands:\n\n- ∞ Financial resources - seed funding \u002F grants £10,000 - £50,000 to locally designed interventions.\n- ∞ Technical support -  training and mentoring in advocacy, media work, Political Economy Analysis, Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI), and thematic areas such as mining or procurement.\n- ∞ Organisational strengthening -  support  for  financial  management,  grant  compliance,  safeguarding,  MEL,  and other core systems essential for sustainable CSO operations.\n- ∞ Learning - facilitation and convening of peer exchanges where national and district level partners jointly reflect, share evidence and refine strategies.\n\nJust observing the above, it would be tempting to assume that technical support and trainings are enough to build stronger organisations and that the recipients of the support will automatically be able to translate skills into action and\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\n## ASI\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\nresults.  Experience,  however,  shows  that  this  logic  fails  to  grasp  the  incremental  and  iterative  nature  of  building competencies, while also underestimating the political nature of corruption and the depth of systemic inertia. What MACCSS is revealing is that effectiveness depends less on training or resources than on learning by doing, building relationships, moving with opportunities and the capacity to adapt.\n\n## Working in the Weeds: Navigating Complexity and Adapting Practice\n\nAn overarching lesson from the MACCSS programme is that in practice, progress is messy and contested, which should not be surprising. As in many other countries, power in Malawi is acquired, shared and maintained through networks of patronage,  built  and  cemented  on  non-transparent  deals  that  cut  across  the  state,  business  and  political  parties. Corruption  trickles  down  to  the  grassroots,  where  public  service  providers  and  street  level  bureaucrats  routinely manoeuvre the prerogatives stemming from their official mandates to extract benefits and resources for themselves and their social networks.  Therefore, corruption in Malawi is woven into the political settlement itself and embedded in social norms that normalise and lend acceptability to corruption. As a result, when anti-corruption efforts begin to bite, they often provoke pushback: investigations stall, whistle-blowers face intimidation, and reform champions are side-lined or even threatened. The experience of the Zuneth Sattar case, in which high-level prosecutions led to institutional backlash, illustrates how success can generate its own resistance.\n\nCivil society faces additional constraints. Many organisations operate on shoestring budgets and remain dependent on donor funding, which is often project-based and problematises the continuity of their endeavours. Corruption fatigue also reflects public scepticism among intended beneficiaries that activism will not change anything. Legal restrictions on public-interest litigation, slow access to information, and the risk of regulatory reprisals further limit civic space. At district level, organisational inertia is strong: as one partner admitted, 'this is how we have always done things.'\n\n## From capacity building to facilitated partnership\n\nHere the lessons of MACCSS validate those of many other FCDO governance programmes in that conventional grant making  and  capacity  building  too  often  produces  donor-compliant  but  citizen-disconnected  CSOs.  Grants  managed without attention to the contextual conditions and needs can constrain flexibility, distort incentives, and monetise the engagement. MACCSS learned from this and adopted a facilitated partnership approach , deploying mixed local teams to broker relationships among civil society, media and AC institutions, and FCDO sister programmes while encouraging CSO implementing partners to be in the driver's seat in deciding priorities, providing them a safe space to innovate and to build their capacities through learning by doing. The focus shifted from funding activities to nurturing trust, reflection and adaptive learning within a cohort of champions.\n\nERROR! NO The Accountability Working Group (AWG) - made up of our core partner organisations, together with regular learning exchanges, sits at the centre of our work. MACCSS understands its role as a facilitation hub; encouraging trust building, peer exchanges and the emergence of coordinated action, decidedly moving away from focusing and insisting on preestablished  good  governance  practices  and  an  emphasis  on  procedures  and  delivery  mechanisms.  MACCSS-hosted convenings bring together partner CSOs, journalists \u002F media, communities and duty bearers to co-create interventions, share evidence and reflect on progress along with challenges. The emphasis is on brokering relationships and supporting iterative experimentation, not on enforcing rigid workplans. Mentoring and technical accompaniment are complemented by targeted and demand-led training, and small, flexible funding support is provided to pilot critical ideas whose design evolves as lessons and proof of concept emerge. Learning by doing and reflection\n\nFor MACCSS and its partners real capacity is being built iteratively, through cycles of action and reflection. The MACCSS Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation and Learning (MREL) system promotes 'utilisation-focused' learning loops following the self-reinforcing logic of implementation, analysis, discussions and, adaptation. Quarterly Pause and Reflect meetings with the AWG provide a collective space to share not only achievements but also setbacks, echoing MACCSS core principle that mistakes are data and information that tell us something to consider . These reflection processes strengthen partners' confidence  and  sense  of  agency.    Gradually,  shifts  are  becoming  visible:  district  networks  collaborating  instead  of competing;  local  journalists  and  activists  pooling  evidence  from  civil  society  work;  civil  servants  recognising  that transparency can strengthen, not threaten, their legitimacy. These may seem like small wins, yet they build the bottomup resilience that sustains reform beyond donor and MACCSS project cycles.\n\nEmbracing uncertainty\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\n## ASI\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\n\u003C!-- image -->\n\nWorking this way demands tolerance for ambiguity and deviation from plans. Anti-corruption work that matters will always provoke contestation. MACCSS is still unfolding, but it demonstrates that technically skilled support and facilitation, pace that  is  set  by  the  stakeholders  themselves,  moving  on  needs  and  emerging  gaps  as  well  as  patience  and  political awareness are all more effective than rigid top-down management. Progress depends less on control than on cultivating curiosity and responsiveness with a relational approach that puts partners always in the driving seat. MACCSS recognises that grants alone can distort incentives encouraging compliance rather than collaboration.\n\nBy combining seed funding with tailored technical mentoring and facilitation, partners gain the freedom to adapt their strategies as contexts shift, as was experienced during the September 2025 election period when political will and action waned. Yet,  partners  acted  strategically  during  that  election  period  to  influence  the  Anti-Corruption  agenda  through political manifestos, providing evidence where doors opened by politicians. An indicative example of the success achieved through these means was the fact that the AWG was able to get several key questions into the 2025 Presidential Debate that reflected on issues related to corruption in specific sectors.\n\nSetbacks and detours are expected in the process, just as opportunities are; embracing the political landscape mix (and pivoting) is what partners know and do so well.\n\n## Key Lessons Learned\n\n- 1. Embrace complexity. Change is adaption and pivoting to reality, which is not linear. In governance programmes, unexpected developments and temporary reversals are signs that systems are shifting.\n- 2. Local ownership matters. When partners are in the driver's seat, as in MACCSS's co-creation of interventions, impact and sustainability improve, even if the route diverges from initial plans.\n- 3. Facilitation over funding. Hands-on mentoring and relationship-brokering build deeper capabilities than unidirectional training, grants and results frameworks.\n- 4. Learning by doing. Regular reflection converts experience into strategy; failures become data for adaptation.\n- 5. Build trust and coalitions. Engagement with credible institutions such as the Ombudsman, with champions in the state and in FCDO sister programmes, and leaning on the collective experience of the AWG, altogether shows that reform depends on collective effort, on nurturing emergent anti-corruption networks, rather than on building the capacity of individual actors.\n- 6. Resilience  grows  from  below. District  alliances  illustrate  that  sustainable  accountability  takes  root  when communities see anti-corruption as linked to livelihoods and services, not as an abstract governance agenda.\n- 7. Gender and inclusion strengthen legitimacy. Integrating GESI principles by addressing corruption in mining, infrastructure,  agriculture,  sectors  critical  for  women  and  marginalised  groups  broadens  both  the  reach  and credibility of anti-corruption efforts.\n\nERROR! NO Implications for Malawi and Beyond MACCSS demonstrates the  value  of working  politically  and  adaptively in  anti-corruption  programming  with  local stakeholders driving the agenda and the development of local approaches that work in Malawi for and by Malawians. Technical solutions and training alone cannot overcome entrenched incentives; transformation emerges from iterative learning, trust-building, and responsiveness to context. For donors, this means funding models that prioritise flexibility, process,  reflection  and  a  willingness  to  be  surprised  by  unexpected  gains  as  much  as  outputs  and  indicators.  For practitioners, it means patience, humility and a willingness to depart from the usual approaches and find out how to 'work with the grain' of local systems rather than against them.\n\nAs Malawi moves ahead of the 2025 elections result, the programme continues to focus on citizen energy with CSOs and media bringing collectively concrete accountability demands. The long-term vision is a network of capable, connected CSOs and local champions who can sustain anti-corruption momentum with decreasing external support.\n\nUltimately, the MACCSS experience reinforces a simple but profound insight: anti-corruption work is not about perfect plans but about adaptive partnerships. Change happens through relationships, experimentation and persistence. The task is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to navigate it with integrity and learning at the core.\n\n\u003C!-- image -->","- **Embrace complexity.** Change is adaption and pivoting to reality, which is not linear. In governance programmes, unexpected developments and temporary reversals are signs that systems are shifting.\n- **Local ownership matters.** When partners are in the driver’s seat, impact and sustainability improve. This is true even if the route diverges from initial plans.\n- **Facilitation over funding.** Hands-on mentoring and relationship brokering build deeper capabilities than unidirectional training, grants and results frameworks.\n- **Learning by doing.** Regular reflection converts experience into strategy; failures become data for adaptation.\n- **Build trust and coalitions.** Reform depends on a collective effort with credible institutions and sister anti-corruption programmes. It also requires nurturing emergent anti-corruption networks, rather than merely building the capacity of individual actors.\n- **Resilience grows from below.** Sustainable accountability takes root when communities see anti-corruption as linked to livelihoods and services, not as an abstract governance agenda.\n- **Gender and inclusion strengthen legitimacy.** Integrating gender and social inclusion (GESI) principles by addressing corruption in mining, infrastructure and agriculture – sectors critical for women and marginalised groups – broadens both the reach and credibility of anti-corruption 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Kantelberg",{"items":1424,"total":1452},[1425],{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1431,"area":1433,"image":1435,"content":1448,"tags":1508,"countries":1555},9,"Applying behavioural insights to reduce corruption in a Tanzanian hospital","How a behavioural anti-corruption pilot in a Dar es Salaam hospital reduced gift-giving and generated evidence on how social norms interventions can tackle corruption in public services.","tz-hospital","- **Direct impact:** Reduced gift-giving intentions, attitudes and positive beliefs among hospital users by 14–44 percent within eight weeks.\n- **Behaviour change mechanism:** Trained peer champions, visible leadership support and workplace messaging shifted social norms around gift acceptance among health workers.\n- **Systemic impact:** Generated practical evidence showing that social norms and behaviour change interventions can complement traditional anti-corruption controls in frontline public services.",[1432],"Africa",[1434],"Anti-corruption and prevention",{"id":1436,"storage":32,"filename_disk":1437,"filename_download":1438,"title":1439,"type":35,"created_on":1440,"modified_on":1441,"charset":28,"filesize":1442,"width":1443,"height":1444,"duration":28,"embed":28,"description":1445,"location":28,"tags":28,"metadata":1446,"focal_point_x":28,"focal_point_y":28,"tus_id":28,"tus_data":28,"uploaded_on":1447},"3db2e132-5c95-4e29-87ef-141047e12dc0","3db2e132-5c95-4e29-87ef-141047e12dc0.webp","Gemini_Generated_Image_prumrlprumrlprum.webp","Gemini Generated Image Prumrlprumrlprum","2026-05-22T13:46:54.000Z","2026-05-29T21:37:53.000Z",114158,2752,1536,"Anti-gift giving poster as part of a pilot anti-corruption intervention in a public hospital in Tanzania.",{},"2026-05-22T13:46:55.000Z",[1449,1472,1484,1496],{"id":1450,"collection":1451,"sort":1452,"stories_id":1453,"item":1468},35,"text",1,{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1454,"area":1455,"content":1456,"tags":1460,"countries":1466},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],36,37,38,[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],12,13,14,15,16,[1467],8,{"id":1469,"text":1470,"class":28,"title":1471,"anchor":28},73,"In many public service settings, including health facilities, users offer unofficial “gifts” to frontline staff to build social relationships and secure better treatment. Rooted in social norms of reciprocity, this practice can fuel petty corruption, entrench inequality and distort access to essential services like healthcare. Traditional anti-corruption measures like training or controls are often insufficient in such contexts, but approaches that target social norms and behaviour change show promise.","The situation",{"id":1457,"collection":1451,"sort":1473,"stories_id":1474,"item":1480},2,{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1475,"area":1476,"content":1477,"tags":1478,"countries":1479},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1481,"text":1482,"class":28,"title":1483,"anchor":28},74,"We piloted a behavioural anti-corruption intervention in a public hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in collaboration with the UK Behavioural Insights Team, the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Utrecht. The intervention targeted social norms underpinning gift-giving and leveraged the social networks of health workers.\n\nUsing a peer-driven model, we recruited and trained anti-corruption champions from multiple professional groups. These champions shared messages discouraging gift acceptance in staff meetings and personal conversations. \n\nPosters and desk signs reinforced the messages, stating that staff do not accept bribes. Desk signs also provided guidance on tactfully refusing gifts and appealed to professional ethics, with endorsement from hospital management and the national medical association.","What we did",{"id":1458,"collection":1451,"sort":1485,"stories_id":1486,"item":1492},3,{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1487,"area":1488,"content":1489,"tags":1490,"countries":1491},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1493,"text":1494,"class":28,"title":1495,"anchor":28},75,"**Direct impact: measurable behaviour change**\nWithin eight weeks, the pilot recorded a 14–44 percent reduction in gift-giving intentions, attitudes and positive beliefs among hospital users. Posters and peer messaging proved more effective than written guidance on how to refuse gifts. Some beliefs – particularly around gifts given as “gratitude” after services – were more resistant to change.\n\n**Indirect impact: evidence and models for wider reform**\nBeyond the measurable results, the pilot generated practical insights for tackling corruption rooted in social norms. It demonstrated the importance of clearly communicating that all forms of gift-giving constitute corruption, highlighting the negative consequences and using trusted peer networks and visible leadership support to reinforce behaviour change.\n\nThe intervention also showed the value of locally adapted, participatory approaches that complement traditional compliance measures. These lessons provide a foundation for applying similar social norms interventions in other hospitals and adapting the approach to address corruption risks in other public service sectors.","The impact",{"id":1459,"collection":1451,"sort":1497,"stories_id":1498,"item":1504},4,{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1499,"area":1500,"content":1501,"tags":1502,"countries":1503},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1505,"text":1506,"class":28,"title":1507,"anchor":28},76,"The Tanzania hospital pilot reflects the Basel Institute’s broader approach of linking research with practical anti-corruption action. Our Prevention, Research and Innovation team examines how corruption is shaped by social norms, informal practices and political realities, recognising that behaviour change is central to sustainable reform.\n\nBy piloting innovative interventions in real-world settings, we generate evidence on what works in practice. These insights inform anti-corruption strategies used by governments, development partners and civil society organisations, and support the design of behaviour-focused interventions alongside traditional compliance and enforcement measures.","Wider context",[1509,1519,1527,1535,1545],{"id":1461,"stories_id":1510,"tags_id":1516},{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1511,"area":1512,"content":1513,"tags":1514,"countries":1515},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1517,"name":1518},848,"Behavioural science",{"id":1462,"stories_id":1520,"tags_id":1526},{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1521,"area":1522,"content":1523,"tags":1524,"countries":1525},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":4,"name":5},{"id":1463,"stories_id":1528,"tags_id":1534},{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1529,"area":1530,"content":1531,"tags":1532,"countries":1533},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":228,"name":229},{"id":1464,"stories_id":1536,"tags_id":1542},{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1537,"area":1538,"content":1539,"tags":1540,"countries":1541},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1543,"name":1544},1309,"Informality",{"id":1465,"stories_id":1546,"tags_id":1552},{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1547,"area":1548,"content":1549,"tags":1550,"countries":1551},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1553,"name":1554},1381,"Health",[1556],{"id":1467,"stories_id":1557,"countries_id":1563},{"id":1426,"status":13,"sort":28,"title":1427,"image":1436,"description":1428,"slug":1429,"highlights":1430,"region":1558,"area":1559,"content":1560,"tags":1561,"countries":1562},[1432],[1434],[1450,1457,1458,1459],[1461,1462,1463,1464,1465],[1467],{"id":1564,"name":1565,"code":1566,"latitude":1567,"longitude":1568},224,"Tanzania","TZ",-6.36903,34.88882,1780676624589]