New U4 Theme
International Drivers of Corruption

A new theme page with resources on how to tackle illicit financial flows, money laundering, etc. Understand better how these international mechanisms impact upon corruption and how efforts taken by the international community may contribute to addressing the problems that arise in a more interconnected world. >>

U4 Theme: International Drivers of Corruption

International Drivers of Corruption
International anti-money laundering laws. Improving external accountability of political leaders

The full potential of anti-money laundering regimes (AML) as an anti-corruption tool is yet to be realised. At the international level, AML measures can provide a checks and balances mechanism for political figures who are ‘untouchable’ in their home jurisdictions. >>

U4 Theme: International Drivers of Corruption

New U4 Issue
An exception to the rule? Why Indonesia's Anti-Corruption Commission succeeds where others don't

Anti-corruption agencies have long been a principal strategy to fight corruption in many developing countries. Unfortunately, few of them have produced evident results and they are seen as being rather ineffective. Recently, however, the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia (KPK) seems to have emerged as an exception. Can this success be substantiated and, if so, how can it be explained? >>

New U4 Practice Insight
Police reform in Georgia. Cracks in an anti-corruption success story

The significant reduction of street-level police corruption has been hailed as one of the success stories of post-revolutionary Georgia. However, a closer look reveals that the broader reform of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has a number of shortcomings. >>

Natural Resource Management and Corruption
Shrinking oil - Does weak governance and corruption reduce volumes of oil produced?

Prominent contributions to the resource curse literature suggest that weak governance and corruption are key factors behind continued poverty in resource-rich countries. How poor governance and corruption influence revenue management and the possible welfare benefits derived from oil are widely discussed. How they impact upon volumes of oil produced, however, attracts little attention. This U4 Issue paper addresses the basic forms suboptimal solutions in oil production may take. >>

U4 Theme: Natural Resource Management

'What does not get measured, does not get done'. Methods of measuring illicit financial flows

Estimates of the size of illicit financial flows have been questioned because data used to measure the phenomenon is fraught with problems. However, such estimates are necessary to inform policy making on this issue. Improving the quality of data gathering in poor countries and asking questions beyond statistics can improve the understanding of and response to illicit flows. >>

U4 Theme: Political Corruption

U4 Brief
Unpacking the concept of political will to confront corruption

Quite often, "lack of political will" is identified as the culprit for poorly performing anti-corruption programmes. Yet despite the frequency with which it is used to explain unsatisfactory reform outcomes, political will remains under-defined and poorly understood. By applying a model of political will that specifies a set of action-based components that are observable and measurable, more clarity regarding the degree of political will can be achieved. >>

U4 Theme: UNCAC

U4 Issue Paper on Political Corruption:
Regulating conflicts of interest in challenging environments: The case of Azerbaijan

Implementation and evaluation of compliance with international standards might be modified to encourage more meaningful ethical regulation, especially in difficult contexts: by prioritising standards, achieving the right balance in the types of regulation enacted, and encouraging partial rather than across-the-board regulation. >>

U4 Theme: Political Corruption

U4 Practice Insight:
From Paris to the anti-corruption project: Examining the feasibility of ownership

This Practice Insight summarises lessons learned from four case studies conducted to examine what bearing the notion of ownership has on anti-corruption interventions involving the private sector. >>

U4 Theme: Private Sector and Corruption

U4 Brief on Health Sector:
Benefits and drawbacks of per diems: Do allowances distort good governance in the health sector?

Per diems, or daily allowances, are an important mechanism for reimbursing work-related expenses, encouraging participation in professional development activities, and motivating under-paid employees. >>

U4 Theme: Health Sector