THE CORRUPTION, JUSTICE & LEGITIMACY Program

our story

Originally working as practitioner-scholars in conflict settings, we saw traditional anti-corruption efforts being replicated, regardless of context or evidence of effectiveness. We believe these traditional strategies for combating corruption, largely derived from Western contexts, do not align with the complex nature of the problems in contexts of endemic corruption. 

This mismatch is often partially derived from corruption analysis that focused on risks or assessing the degree of corruption, instead of exploring what drives and enables corrupt patterns of behavior. Only with the latter understanding can nuanced, context-sensitive theories of change be designed. 

Our early work in Uganda, Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of Congo developed and tested an alternative analytic method. Our approach situated corruption in a dynamic, adaptive system that reflects the full range of influential factors, from political dynamics to social norms. Our work has expanded from developing this Corruption as a System methodology to exploring how Social Norms affect that system, to studying the intersection of Corruption and Peacebuilding. We engage with practitioners, policymakers and academics across sectors and regions, all with the goal of unlocking the barriers to effective and durable development caused by corrupt patterns of behavior.