Category Archives: Announcement

Mitigating Corruption Risks in Ukrainian Reconstruction: Princeton University/Kyiv Anticorruption Research and Education Centre’s Joint Program

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Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful Societies program and Kyiv’s Anticorruption Research and Education Centre are together helping the Ukrainian government fight corruption during reconstruction. Their first output is a four-day program that began today to share experiences elsewhere in curbing corruption in construction projects. Attending are frontline staff from the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development, and other agencies and departments responsible for reconstruction.

Funded by the International Renaissance Foundation and USAID, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhiy Derkach opened the program. Princeton Professor Jenifer Widner, head of the Princeton program, Oskana Nesterenko, ACREC Executive Director, and representatives of AID and the Renaissance Foundation also spoke. Hamish Goldie-Scot, CoST Technical Director, and I will lead the discussions. The agenda is here, my opening remarks below.

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New Podcast Episode, Featuring John Githongo

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In this episode, host Liz David-Barrett interviews John Githongo, the legendary Kenyan anticorruption activist John Githongo about his extraordinary career, including his background in journalism, his government service as Kenya’s Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics in the early 2000s, and his role as a civil society activist, including his work with Transparency International. The conversation also covers recent developments in Kenya, and what lessons can be learned from Kenya’s anticorruption efforts, particularly the the role of anticorruption institutions. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Magnus Öhman

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. (This one actually came out a couple weeks ago, so it’s not so new–apologies for the tardiness in posting this announcement.) In this episode, hosts Nils Kobis and Christopher Starke, interview Magnus Öhman, senior political finance adviser at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, about challenges associated with the problem of illicit political finance, as well as broader issues concerning declining political trust and democratic backsliding. The interview also touches on the potential of artificial intelligence to improve political transparency. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Grant Walton

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Dan Hough interviews Grant Walton, Associate Professor at the Australia National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy. Their conversation focuses on corruption in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Professor Walton discusses his research on differences in how people in PNG understand the meaning of “corruption”  and how this understanding may differ from common Western understandings of the term. He also emphasizes his view that inattention to this disconnect has implications for how campaigners and reformers design anticorruption messaging. Professor Walton also discusses how PNG’s formal anticorruption institution and how external actors can effectively support those institutions. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Elizabeth Dávid-Barrett and Roxana Bratu

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Dan Hough interviews Liz Dávid-Barrett (Professor at the University of Sussex) and Roxana Bratu (Senior Lecturer at King’s College London) about corruption measurement debates. The conversation touches on a range of questions, including: How has measurement of corruption changed over the three decades? What are the best tools currently available for measuring corruption, and what are are the strengths and weaknesses of these tools? And what do users actually want from corruption measurement tools? You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Andrew Wedeman

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Dan Hough interviews Andrew Wedeman, Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University, about the politics of anticorruption campaigns in China, including the aggressive anticorruption campaign instigated by President Xi Jinping. Professor Wedeman discusses the effects this campaign has had on Chinese society at all levels, and assesses the evidence as to whether the campaign has made meaningful progress in getting corruptino under control. The conversation also touches on some of the challenges in researching these issues in China. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Cheri-Leigh Erasmus

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Dan Hough interviews Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, Global Director of Learning at the Accountability Lab. The convresation focuses principally on the Accountability Lab’s distinctive approach to building integrity in the civil service. Ms. Erasmus offers examples of this work from around the world, and suggests some lessons and insights for engaging new audiences in anticorruption work. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Claudia Baez Camargo

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Liz David-Barrett interviews Claudia Baez Camargo, the Head of Public Governance at the Basel Institute on Governance. In the episode, Ms. Carmago discusses her work on applying social norms theory corruption issues, using examples drawn from East Africa and Ukraine. She discusses some of the successes in altering social norms around corruption in health settings, but she also notes some of the challenges in sustaining these initiatives. She also discusses how we might use insights from behavioral science to improve anticorruption interventions. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Cecilia Müller Torbrand

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Liz David-Barrett interviews Cecilia Müller Torbrand, the CEO of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), a network of shipping businesses that has been working to address corruption risks in the maritime industry. Ms. Müller Torbrand explains how MACN has succeeded in framing its messaging around trade and commerce to engage government and the private sector in anticorruption work, and she also discusses how MACN has compiled extensive data on corruption incidents and risks in the sector, and how the organization uses that data to push for change. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations: KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!

New Podcast Episode, Featuring Luís de Sousa

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A new episode of KickBack: The Global Anticorruption Podcast is now available. In latest episode, host Robert Barrington interviews Luís de Sousa, who serves as the the Deputy Director of the Institute of Social Sciences (ICS) at the University of Lisbon, as well as Professor of Anticorruption Practice at University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. The wide-ranging interview covers a variety of topics, including the reasons that some anticorruption agencies have been more successful than others, concerns about the politicization of anticorruption measures, the role that external international actors can play in the reform process, and the importance of pursuing anticorruption at the municipal/local level. The discussion covers examples from around the world, and focuses in depth on Professor de Sousa’s home country of Portugal. You can also find both this episode and an archive of prior episodes at the following locations:

KickBack was originally founded as a collaborative effort between GAB and the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). It is now hosted and managed by the University of Sussex’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. If you like it, please subscribe/follow, and tell all your friends!