Today’s guest post is from Till Hartmann, Governance Specialist with the World Bank, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and positions of the World Bank.

The global anticorruption field has in recent years had more reason to play defense than offense. In several jurisdictions, earlier gains have come under pressure, including through shifts in enforcement priorities and legal constraints on transparency measures. A recent analysis documents a significant reversal in U.S. anticorruption policy. At the same time, earlier momentum on public beneficial ownership transparency in Europe has been curtailed following a 2022 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union—an issue discussed on this blog shortly after the decision.

Against this backdrop, it is worth examining cases where reform momentum—though fragile—has translated into concrete institutional change. Sri Lanka is one such case. An earlier post on this blog described how civil society engagement helped shape the IMF’s 2023 Governance Diagnostic Assessment and the country’s post-crisis reform agenda. The question now is what has followed—and whether it has resulted in tangible progress.