Although both the problem of corruption and its detrimental effects on society, economy, and environment has widely been recognized, corruption remains one of the most challenging problems of today. In light of globalization, the exclusive focus on compliance-oriented measures such as sharpening laws seems to be more and more ineffective. 

The criminal justice system (CJS) is the ballast to a nation’s stability. By enforcing the rule of law, the police, courts and corrections provide citizens with security. However, when the system becomes so riddled with corruption, what was meant to be a protector becomes a predator. In many fragile states, the CJS is just that – another threat to the average citizen and a resource that the wealthy and powerful use to maintain their position.

This study presents an initial overview of key classifications of Collective Action initiatives, which it illustrates with a number of case studies from G20 countries and beyond, as well as regional and global projects.

It was commissioned by the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group and prepared on behalf of the B20 Task Force on Improving Transparency and Anti-Corruption