Following the recent EU referendum result (Brexit), across the UK almost everyone seems to agree \u2013 whatever their political bent \u2013 that something is rotten in the state of British politics.<\/p>\n
The appalling campaigns that led up to Brexit, including the misleading statements of the Leave campaign<\/a>, the so called \u201cProject Fear<\/a>\u201d of the Remain campaign and the apparent media bias in favour of Leave<\/a>, all mean that not only has the referendum\u2019s legitimacy<\/a> been questioned, but we face an existential crisis about the nature and character of the UK and its political system.<\/p>\n But, what has corruption got to do with any of this? Isn’t this just the hustle of real world politics? Can we really identify corruption at the heart of the conflict we see today in Westminster and beyond?<\/p>\n In this post I present some ideas to promote debate on these important questions. I suggest that corruption could prove essential to understanding how we arrived at the Brexit decision and how we might proceed from here, and that Brexit could lead to a more refined definition of corruption itself and how it functions in the UK context. Corruption certainly has very much to do with Brexit, even if it is simply as a beneficiary of the uncertainty that has ensued. A great concern for corruption experts is that Brexit will signal a retreat for anti-corruption legislation and policy: with David Cameron\u2019s resignation as PM, anti-corruption might fall off the political agenda<\/a> and the commitments made at the 2016 London Anti-Corruption Summit<\/a> could come to naught. These challenges are rich seams for corruption research and should be pursued to ensure that the anti-corruption efforts of the last 20 years are not swallowed up in the post-Brexit turmoil.<\/p>\n Corruption as a lens to analyse Brexit and post-Brexit negotiations<\/strong> However, a corruption perspective has the potential to supplement this work and contextualise and clarify more mainstream accounts. This might include investigating the Brexit vote as a revolt against perceived corruption and elitism, or analysing the impact of the lobbying power wielded by media moguls and big business.<\/p>\n A corruption approach can also inform our analyses of the post-Brexit negotiations. These will be a critical opportunity to apply corruption research techniques to a complex yet distinct policy-making context. What kind of transparency provisions will be in place? Who will participate or be excluded? What kind of accountability mechanisms will ensure that private or corporate interests do not capture the process?<\/p>\n Brexit as a way to expand our understanding of corruption<\/strong>
\nBrexit as an impact on anti-corruption progress<\/p>\n
\nTransparency International and Corruption Watch have both provided insight into the potential threats to anti-corruption progress, including resource pressure<\/a> on anti-corruption institutions affecting prevention and enforcement; the increased risk of regulatory capture<\/a> as the UK seeks to retain its economic competitiveness; and bribery risks<\/a> associated with entering new markets.<\/p>\n
\nThe EU referendum took place within the turbulence and complexity of real world politics and there will inevitably be many ways to understand the outcome. For example, there are convincing arguments to suggest Brexit was in part the result of inequality and political unrest<\/a> in a skewed economic landscape that has not fairly distributed the benefits of globalisation, and that the unpleasant rhetoric against immigration<\/a> also played a role in convincing voters to reject EU membership.<\/p>\n
\nIf a corruption lens is a useful analytical tool for Brexit, we might also consider whether Brexit can teach us something new about corruption. In the UK, there have been calls to reinvigorate analysis and move beyond more traditional approaches to defining corruption (see Whyte 2015; Beetham 2015). I suggest that as policy and politics in the UK is remade post-Brexit, it could provide a unique opportunity to develop our understanding of corruption and its shape and force in UK politics.<\/p>\n