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.
In this article, Celia Lourens examines the role of cross-sectoral trust for a functional business environment. Collective Action, she argues, can be an approach to overcoming trust deficits between relevant stakeholders. Celia Lourens supports the organisation of our 6th International Collective Action Conference.
This U4 Issue analyses Indonesia's ambitious energy transition and highlights how political finance, weak regulations and a "revolving door" of personnel between public office and the private sector create vulnerabilities. The publication was produced by U4 and the Basel Institute on Governance through its Green Corruption programme.
In a new peer-reviewed journal article, Jacopo Costa and Claudia Baez Camargo look into why and how corruption evolves over time, drawing on an empirical analysis from Italy. The article was published in Trends in Organized Crime.
Corruption evolves over time. This paper investigates why and how this evolution happens. The analysis has employed a combination of qualitative network and document analysis to explore the configuration of corruption in two moments in Italy and the changes that have happened in between them.
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.
Anti-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?
Professor Anne Peters, a renowned scholar of international law and governance, stepped down from her role as Vice President of the Basel Institute on Governance at the end of 2025. In this Q&A she looks back at her involvement with the Basel Institute since its inception more than 23 years ago.
Our colleague Límberg Chero has played an important role in establishing the Basel Institute’s strong presence in Peru. From the early years – even before a formal office existed in Lima – to his current work with the Subnational Public Finance Management Programme (Programa GFP Subnacional), his journey reflects a great passion for fighting corruption.
Nuestro colega Límberg Chero ha desempeñado un rol importante en la consolidación de la presencia del Basel Institute en Perú. Desde los años previos a la apertura de la oficina en Lima hasta su trabajo actual en el Programa GFP Subnacional, su trayectoria refleja un profundo compromiso con la integridad pública y la lucha contra la corrupción. Su camino comenzó lejos de la capital, en un pueblo milenario del norte del país, y se fue forjando a través de una rigurosa formación académica y años de servicio público.
Corruption is not simply about individual misconduct. It is a networked phenomenon that arises from entrenched social, economic and political interactions. It is orchestrated through coordination between groups and clusters of individuals.
This Working Paper explores the networked nature of corruption and the opportunities this presents for anti-corruption efforts. The aim is to understand how shifting the unit of analysis from individuals to networks helps to understand the persistence and resilience of corruption, while opening up new anti-corruption perspectives.
Corruption corrodes trust, weakens institutions, and undermines societies. Few people understand this better than our Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen. With more than two decades of experience advancing the rule of law around the world, Betsy brings a wealth of insight into why corruption matters and how to confront it.