Global Corruption

13 May 2013

Laurence Cockcroft: Corruption is a key issue which relates to economic development, income distribution and the credibility of political institutions. LC will ask the question : why is corruption so prevalent after fifteen years of  international action, much of which has translated into legislation  and regulation at the national level ?  In response he will analyse the main drivers of corruption at the small scale and national level, including particularly the roles of political finance, organised crime and the local and international corporate sector.  He will identify the main roadblocks to making progress (including the roles of the shadow economy, secrecy jurisdictions and geo politics) and suggest that real progress depends on addressing these amongst other issues. He will show how the current agenda of the G8 and G20 covers some key corruption related questions, and will discuss how the far this is likely to translate into  practical action.

Laurence Cockcroft is the author of Global Corruption : Money, Power and Ethics in the Modern World (I. B Tauris  UK and Penn Press US, 2012)

Susan Rose-Ackerman (Yale): International Actors and the Promises and Pitfalls of Anti-Corruption Reform Policies to control corruption will always be controversial and contested, especially when anti-corruption measures are imposed or supported by international actors-most notably aid and lending bodies, global non-profits, or international treaty regimes.  Modern states face fundamental political/economic problems, and corruption can exacerbate these problems.  Reductions in corruption are part of the global focus on improving human well-being and government functioning. The talk will consider feasible options for international bodies operating under severe political and financial constraints.  Under some conditions, neither domestic governments nor donor representatives see benefits from documenting corruption and from taking concrete steps to reduce its impact.  Investors may share this reluctance.  Here is where independent groups and the media need to concentrate attention by prodding donors and governments to take corruption seriously. We also need more research that documents successes and failures of policy efforts.  Corruption is a complex phenomenon that is difficult to measure, but in recent years researchers have developed a number of clever strategies to measure corruption or its impact. Stronger links should be formed between aid projects and information provision so that governments can learn from others' experiences.  The system of international dispute resolution should consider corruption and self-dealing.  Arbitrators are beginning to acknowledge that their decisions can affect the citizens of host countries-as well as the integrity of the international trade and investment regime.  Criminal prosecutions are likely to remain the province of domestic courts for the foreseeable future, but international bodies can do more to help develop criminal cases and to support reform of criminal justice systems.  Anti-corruption initiatives need to take a more holistic approach.  There appears to be too much specialization of function among international bodies, permitting corruption to flourish in the grey zones where no agency can act, or worse, where no one has an interest in acting.  

With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union.