Best of 2020
Research Assistant Malavika Krishnan recaps the top five most read posts on the Corruption in Fragile States Blog in 2020. Read more to see which posts caught our readers’ eyes!
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Integrating (Anti-)Corruption
Edutainment for anti-corruption? A three-step approach based on behavioral science to make it more effective
In this post, Alexandra De Filippo and Humma Sheikh talk about how practitioners can make edutainment effective to change corrupt behaviors with underlying complex motivations. The post throws light on a three step based approach based on behavioral science to develop effective communication content aimed at shifting behaviors.
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Fighting Organized Crime: What Works in Law Enforcement and Beyond
By Phyllis Dininio. Transnational organized crime has expanded dramatically in size and scope in the 21st century and now poses threats to security, politics, commerce and communities. Countering it effectively is not just a job for law enforcement. Policymakers and practitioners need to pull their weight to enable effective responses. This blog post offers a snapshot of what works to counter transnational organized crime based on expert remarks presented at a series of USAID-hosted roundtable discussions on rule of law and organized crime.
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Top Three Challenges and Good Practices in Anti-Corruption
CJL Co-Directors answer the question: what are the three main challenges in fragile and conflict affected states and developing countries. Read more on these challenges, as well as “good practices” for addressing them.
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The Cinderella of the Sensitivity Fields: Why Corruption Mainstreaming Has Been Ignored in Development Programming
By Hope Schaitkin. Research tells us that that corruption-mainstreaming amplifies the impact of our development programming, and helps us avoid unwittingly contributing to or encouraging corrupt behavior. But why hasn’t corruption-mainstreaming gained the same ground as conflict sensitivity or gender within development organizations and programming? Read on to learn about three entry points for mainstreaming corruption in your organization’s development programming – from the perspective of a young development professional.
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Broad Anti-Corruption Programs Are the Wrong Approach
By Mark Pyman. In countries enduring high levels of corruption, whether related to conflict or instability, it is easy to see endemic corruption as something overarching, requiring similarly broad reform strategies. However, my experience in Afghanistan suggests the opposite; anti-corruption strategies need to be tailored to the specific enablers and drivers of each particular sector.
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Changing Social Norms: What Anti-Corruption Practitioners Should Read
By Hope Schaitkin. New material on social norms change seems to be appearing every week. It can be hard to keep up with it, let alone adapt an ongoing program based on new insights. Here is our short list of recently published and evidence focused must-reads.
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The Elementary Problem That Undermines Social Change Programming: A Word of Warning to Anti-Corruption Practitioners
By Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church and Hope Schaitkin. There is increasing interest in understanding the role social norms play in maintaining corrupt patterns of behavior. Research from other fields has shown that social norms can act as the brake on behavior change, thus acting as the block to enduring change. While less is known about how to integrate social norm change into effective anti-corruption programming, other sectors are advancing this practice and anti-corruption practitioners can benefit from what they have learned.
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Why We Need to Connect Peacebuilding and Illicit Financial Flows: A Global Approach for a Global Problem
By James Cohen. Are new lines of communication needed between peacebuilding operations and financial centers?
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When Not to Call a Spade a Spade: The Importance of Quiet Anti-Corruption Initiatives
By Sabina Robillard with Louino Robillard
Many anti-corruption campaigns aim to target corruption directly and publicly. They are clear in their mission and have project titles that include the words “anti-corruption.” This directness is important in many respects, but being so visible makes it easy for people in power to applaud these initiatives in public – and to avoid them, or even undermine them, in private.
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