This module presents a number of remedies that scholars have put forward in the fight against corruption.

You will gain a grounding in the cost of corruption and learn about potential solutions.

Corruption is widely accepted as a fundamental social, political and economic problem. As a result, governments throughout the world, along with donor agencies, businesses, citizens and specialist anti-corruption groups, often set out to fight corruption – though with varying levels of political will and resources.

This module looks at the different approaches, techniques and tools that have been used around the world.

From anti-corruption agencies in developing countries, to anti-bribery laws and international conventions, and from good governance to collective action, we will look at different approaches and the logic that underpins them.

We will also examine what has worked and why – as well as the fierce debate about whether the anti-corruption movement to date has broadly been a success or failure.

Module Lead: Dr Sam Power

What you’ll learn

Over the past 30 years, much of the academic literature on corruption has been concerned with the question of how best to tackle corruption. This module will familiarise you with the key strands of thought and help you make your own judgement.

You will learn about the wide variety of anti-corruption approaches in international, national and local arenas, as well as gaining an insight into what kind of approaches have and have not worked, and the conditions for success (and failure).

Alongside a theoretical framework which tells us what could or should work, and in what circumstances, we will look at real-life cases. This will give you the tools to analyse a situation and understand what kinds of approach might or might not be appropriate in tackling corruption in different situations – helping you to apply academic analysis to a real-life context.

On our global tour of this topic, we will look at a wide range of practical approaches to fighting corruption, including laws like the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, global conventions like UNCAC, anti-corruption agencies like those in Hong Kong and Singapore, and anti-corruption approaches in business and civil society.

By the end of the module, you’ll be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the debate around what constitutes success in tackling corruption, as well as a broad knowledge of different approaches.
  • use the skills you gain to assess why a given approach might or might not work in different contexts, and what the alternatives might be.

Types of assessment may include:

  • a written case study (20%) – you’ll write a case study on fighting corruption
  • a written evaluation (80%) – you’ll assess what works when fighting corruption.