Blog Archives

Do we still need the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group?

The G20’s ACWG has been around for a decade. In this post, Professor Robert Barrington argues that on balance it is more useful than not, but that is hardly a ringing endorsement.  If it is to survive a further decade, he argues, some

Posted in G20 Anti-Corruption Agenda, Governance, International Development

Ambitious, collaborative, accountable: to deliver change, the G20 must first empower a wide array of anticorruption actors

It is too easy to sigh that ‘more must be done’ by international fora such as the G20, writes Maggie Murphy. Rather than to deliver a breakthrough intergovernmental agreement, Murphy argues that the point of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group

Posted in G20 Anti-Corruption Agenda, Governance, International Development

An Anti-Corruption A20: The case for an Academic Roundtable to support the G20’s Anti-Corruption agenda

Fighting corruption is both a technical and a political process. In this post, CSC Director Liz David-Barrett argues that an ‘A20’ group of academics could inject much-needed evidence and learning into the work of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, providing

Posted in G20 Anti-Corruption Agenda, International Development

G20 and anti-corruption: Time to follow through, rather than generate more hot air

Assessing the 11-year-long experience of the G20’s Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) M. Emilia Berazategui argues that it is time for the G20 ACWG to focus on implementation. As she writes, the anti-corruption commitments made are often not new, repeating promises

Posted in G20 Anti-Corruption Agenda, International Development

Making strides in anti-corruption cooperation: the establishment of the GlobE network

Informal cooperation between law enforcement authorities is crucial in countering different forms of crime, including corruption. But, as Dr Nassar Abaalkhail writes, authorities in many countries are not empowered enough to engage in such cooperation. The Riyadh Initiative towards the

Posted in G20 Anti-Corruption Agenda, International Development

The G20 as an engine of quiet change: Reaching a summit is crucial to success, but coming back down is even more so

In reflecting on the work of the G20’s Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG), Phil Mason explains that while grand international summits often consist in more ‘theatre’ than substance, they can nevertheless provide important avenues for reform. As he writes, “these processes

Posted in G20 Anti-Corruption Agenda, International Development

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI): Much ado about nothing?

Earlier today Transparency International, arguably the world’s most well-known anti-corruption NGO, published the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Despite taking plenty of criticism over the years, the CPI has become an integral part of the global anti-corruption discussion. Proponents and

Posted in International Development

Foreign Aid and Corruption; Sussex investigates

New SCSC research explores how and why aid goes astray This week tabloid headlines screamed that the UK spends too much on foreign aid. Oh, and by the way, it is all either wasted or siphoned off by corrupt elites.

Posted in International Development