Publications
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Nesciunt, quibusdam molestiae, laudantium facere fugiat aut veniam amet qui dolor vel soluta ea iusto, esse placeat expedita! Voluptatem doloribus inventore nam.
Progress in Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts - July 2025 update
This document takes stock of recent progress (March to June 2025) in strengthening Ukraine’s anti-corruption ecosystem. It builds on a series of previous reports and is published ahead of the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Rome 10–11 July 2025.
The report highlights key developments, including in the context of Ukraine’s European integration, and touches on:
- the status of the national Anti-Corruption Strategy;
- the nascent reform of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency;
- the risks related to the selection of members for the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ);
- criminal justice developments, including the first audit of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau;
- the reform of the State Register of Corrupt Officials; and
- considerations in the area of recovery and reconstruction.
This document is a joint publication of Transparency International Ukraine and the Basel Institute on Governance.
Disclaimer: This publication has been produced with the support of Switzerland. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Basel Institute on Governance and TI Ukraine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the development partner.
Annual Report 2024
The 2024 Annual Report of the Basel Institute on Governance features selected stories and photos that highlight the impact of our work around the world to promote good governance and counter corruption. They illustrate how we work holistically to achieve real and lasting progress towards a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
The report highlights different ways in which we collaborate with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice and policy on our core areas of expertise: corruption prevention, asset recovery and enforcement, and business integrity and governance.
You’ll find out about how our dedicated teams:
- help take the profit out of corruption and crime through asset recovery assistance and support for law enforcement;
- develop and implement smart corruption prevention strategies, from the Amazon to the classroom;
- advance business integrity, individually and jointly through Collective Action;
- help to strengthen anti-corruption defences even in wartime; and
- empower practitioners with learning and training – including new postgraduate courses – plus tools like our Basel AML Index of money laundering risk.
The stories showcase how we adapt our approaches and bring allies together to help address critical challenges relating to the environment, healthcare, conflict and other challenges affecting citizens, countries and the world.
You’ll also get to meet our diverse global team, plus read about our research, publications and events in 2024, our financial situation and our gratitude to partners, donors and others who make our work possible.
Basel Institute newsletter - July 2025
The newsletter releases the Basel Institute’s 2024 Annual Report and covers highlights in June and early July 2025. It also features our latest news, blogs and other publications.
Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here.
Collective Action in practice: a game-changer for business integrity
La extinción de dominio desde sus principios
El Programa de la Gestión de Finanzas Públicas GFP Subnacional de la Cooperación Económica Suiza – SECO y el Basel Institute on Governance presentan la publicación académica: La extinción de dominio desde sus principios. Esta nueva edición ofrece una perspectiva jurídica rigurosa y actualizada sobre uno de los instrumentos más relevantes en la lucha contra el crimen organizado y la corrupción.
La extinción de dominio, regulada en el Perú por el Decreto Legislativo N.° 1373, se ha convertido en una herramienta clave para la recuperación de activos ilícitos. No obstante, su implementación ha generado debate sobre su compatibilidad con los principios del Estado constitucional de derecho. Esta publicación busca aportar a dicho debate, abordando los fundamentos jurídicos del decomiso sin condena y resaltando la importancia de su aplicación conforme a los valores democráticos y al debido proceso.
El volumen reúne los aportes de destacados especialistas que analizan, desde distintas aristas, los principales retos legales e interpretativos en torno a la extinción de dominio. Entre los temas tratados se incluyen los derechos en disputa dentro del proceso, la aplicación temporal de la norma, la protección del tercero, la autonomía frente a otras decisiones jurisdiccionales, la carga de la prueba, la cosa juzgada, el principio de prevalencia y los alcances de la publicidad y la reserva.
Con este aporte, el Programa GFP Subnacional reafirma su compromiso con el fortalecimiento de las capacidades institucionales y la promoción de una justicia más efectiva y transparente. La extinción de dominio desde sus principios está disponible en formato digital y de libre acceso.
Elaboración de contenidos: Jeampool Johnnatan Giampier Gonzales Córdova, Sergio Enrique Rodríguez Salinas, Sergio Jiménez Niño, Erick Vladimir Guimaray Mori, Joseph Celso Domínguez Miñano, Jhanira Yamali Morales Aniceto, Walther Javier Delgado Tovar, Deily Arlene Pereda Rodríguez.
English
This research paper covers the principles and practice of Extinción de dominio, Peru’s non-conviction based forfeiture law. It is a publication of the Subnational Public Finance Management Programme of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) – Economic Cooperation and Development division and the Basel Institute on Governance. It offers a rigorous and up-to-date legal perspective on one of the most important instruments in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
Extinción de dominio, a non-conviction based forfeiture law regulated in Peru by Legislative Decree No. 1373, has become a key tool for the recovery of illicit assets. However, its implementation has generated debate about its compatibility with the principles of the constitutional rule of law. This publication seeks to contribute to this debate by addressing the legal basis for non-conviction based forfeiture and highlighting the importance of its application in accordance with democratic values and due process.
The volume brings together contributions from leading experts who analyse, from different angles, the main legal and interpretative challenges surrounding the extinción de dominio law. Topics covered include the rights at stake in the process, the time-limited application of the rule, the protection of third parties, autonomy vis-à-vis other judicial decisions, the burden of proof, res judicata, the principle of prevalence, and issues around publicity and confidentiality.
With this contribution, the Basel Institute and Subnational PFM Programme reaffirm our commitment to strengthening institutional capacities and promoting more effective and transparent justice.
Authors: Jeampool Johnnatan Giampier Gonzales Córdova, Sergio Enrique Rodríguez Salinas, Sergio Jiménez Niño, Erick Vladimir Guimaray Mori, Joseph Celso Domínguez Miñano, Jhanira Yamali Morales Aniceto, Walther Javier Delgado Tovar, Deily Arlene Pereda Rodríguez.
Basel Institute newsletter - June 2025
The newsletter covers highlights at the Basel Institute in May and early June 2025. It also features our latest news, blogs and other publications.
Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here.
Basel Institute newsletter - May 2025
The newsletter covers highlights at the Basel Institute in April 2025. It also features our latest news, blogs and other publications.
Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here.
When You Have Corrupt Friends Abroad: The Impact of Strategic Corruption on Sudan’s Democratic Collapse
A new peer-reviewed journal article looks into how corruption undermines democracies, with a specific focus on a context of weak governance.
Abstract
Much attention on strategic corruption has focused on how corruption can be weaponised to undermine democracy. This article takes a different angle, namely to understand this phenomenon from the perspective of the country that is the “target” of strategic corruption in a context of weak governance. The focus is on Sudan, where, in 2019, the civilian-military government led by Prime Minister Hamdok began an ambitious transition to democratic governance and adopting anti-corruption reforms, but this transition ended in 2023 with state collapse and conflict.
Using desk research and media analysis, the article explains the key points of contention among key actors and how external actors, through strategic corruption, became part of this story, ultimately helping to perpetuate the negative downward cycle.
Critically, rather than framing countries in the Global South as passive victims of strategic corruption, the analysis shows that political actors are active antagonists and, in their efforts to resist reform, build alliances with external actors who can help them achieve their goals. What is exchanged is access to valuable resources, which fuels corruption and undermines governance.
Suggested citation
Karar, H., & Kassa, S. (2025). When You Have Corrupt Friends Abroad: The Impact of Strategic Corruption on Sudan’s Democratic Collapse. Public Integrity, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2025.2494910
High-level Corruption: an Analysis of Schemes, Costs and of Policy Recommendations
Policy Brief of Project FALCON
Corruption affects communities worldwide. It undermines civil, political and economic rights, erodes trust in institutions and impedes economic progress. A new Policy Brief by the FALCON (Fight Against Large-scale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project unveils new insights in the fight against high-level corruption.
It provides an in-depth examination of corruption schemes and their societal impacts, alongside actionable policy recommendations to enhance anti-corruption efforts across Europe. The analysis offers valuable resources for policymakers, law enforcement and legal professionals.
Within the FALCON project, the findings in the Policy Brief are being used to develop data-driven tools that enhance the analysis of corruption and help combat it more effectively.
The Basel Institute on Governance is an associated partner of the FALCON project. Claudia Baez Camargo and Jacopo Costa have contributed to the Policy Brief, covering the aspect of border corruption specifically and providing the policy recommendations for all four corruption domains analysed by FALCON.
FALCON is funded under the Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance receives funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Quick Guide 40: Financial investigations in a cash economy
Despite the increasing use of digital payment methods, cash is still king in many economies – including criminal economies. It remains the most-used payment option across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, and accounted for over USD 7.6 trillion in consumer expenditures throughout 2022.
That’s a challenge when investigating financial crimes. How can you “follow the money” without records of bank transfers, debit or credit card payments, or digital wallet transactions?
This Quick Guide explains the specific challenges involved in conducting financial investigations in a cash economy. It outlines how law enforcement can use traditional investigative methods to successfully uncover the financial affairs of a suspect.
About this Quick Guide
You are free to share and republish this work under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence. It is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Quick Guide series, ISSN 2673-5229.
Basel Institute newsletter - April 2025
The newsletter covers highlights at the Basel Institute in March 2025. It also features our latest news, blogs and other publications.
Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here.
Progress in Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts - March 2025 update
This document takes stock of recent progress (June 2024 to February 2025) in strengthening Ukraine’s anti-corruption ecosystem. It is published ahead of the Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, hosted by the OECD in Paris in March 2025.
Despite the turbulent geopolitical context and the drastic reduction of US government assistance, Ukraine has maintained a strong commitment to anti-corruption efforts. This report highlights key developments, including:
- impressive enforcement achievements;
- the development of Ukraine’s new Anti-Corruption Strategy;
- slow progress in delineating the functions of the Accounting Chamber and the State Audit Service;
- tools that could be utilised more fully to raise resources for the state; and
- promising draft legislative reforms regarding Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency.
This document is a joint publication of Transparency International Ukraine and the Basel Institute on Governance.
Disclaimer: This publication has been produced with the support of Switzerland. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Basel Institute on Governance and TI Ukraine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the development partner.
Working Paper 56: Anti-corruption Collective Action: A typology for a new era
Since its first use by the World Bank in 2008, the concept of “anti-corruption Collective Action” has evolved into a well-established best practice to prevent corruption and strengthen business integrity.
This paper captures the specific characteristics of anti-corruption Collective Action that have emerged over time and translates them into an easy-to-grasp typology that reflects both the variety and unifying principles that make up the Collective Action ecosystem. It aims to:
- spark new impetus for engagement;
- open the concept to new stakeholders, topics and environments; and
- support existing initiatives in developing their long-term visions and aims.
In addition to supporting practitioners, updating the typology will also help strengthen the case for Collective Action as a normative corruption prevention practice.
About this report
The paper is published as part of the Basel Institute on Governance Working Paper series, ISSN: 2624-9650. You may share or republish it under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International Licence.
The contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Basel Institute on Governance, its donors and partners, or the University of Basel.
Suggested citation: Wannenwetsch, Scarlet. 2025. ‘Anti-corruption Collective Action: A typology for a new era.’ Working Paper 56, Basel Institute on Governance. Available at: baselgovernance.org/publications/wp-56.
Quick Guide 39: Business integrity and ethics
The changing landscape of anti-corruption regulation and enforcement has triggered important discussions around the role of ethics and compliance in business strategies and in the economy as a whole. It has also given impetus to the narrative that anti-corruption compliance programmes are inevitably costly, potentially ineffective and bureaucratic.
This ignores many of the positive advances in compliance that have been made in recent years, as well as the growing body of evidence supporting the business case for compliance.
This Quick Guide covers five broad areas in which mature and well-constructed ethics and compliance systems can benefit businesses even in the face of an uncertain regulatory and enforcement framework. It is based on a roundtable convened by the Basel Institute on Governance and bilateral discussions with key figures in the business and anti-corruption community.
About this Quick Guide
You are free to share and republish this work under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence. It is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Quick Guide series, ISSN 2673-5229.
Companies’ assessments of anti-corruption compliance
In the last decade, companies around the globe have significantly invested in the development of anti-corruption compliance programmes. Assessing the effectiveness of these programmes has proven challenging and requires that companies go beyond a box-checking approach, set clear objectives, measure progress and impact and foster a culture of integrity.
This paper published by the OECD aims to support companies in their assessment efforts by taking stock of methodologies and tools − such as key performance indicators, culture surveys, data analytics, audits and peer learning − that companies use to assess and enhance the effectiveness of their anti-corruption programmes.
Drawing on desk research and data collected by the OECD and the Basel Institute on Governance including in months of consultations with the private sector, this paper contributes to promoting strong anti-corruption norms and standards within the public and private sector.
Corruption risks in the forestry sector in Ukraine
This report identifies the most widespread corruption risks affecting Ukraine’s forestry sector and the state-owned enterprise Forests of Ukraine. It also formulates recommendations to mitigate the key risks.
It is based on a comprehensive analysis of corruption risks in the forestry sector conducted by experts from the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, together with the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Basel Institute on Governance and WWF Ukraine.
The complete report is available in Ukrainian and the summary in English (forthcoming).
About this report and acknowledgments
This publication has been made possible with the support of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Basel Institute on Governance, its donors and partners, or the University of Basel
Basel Institute newsletter - February 2025
The newsletter covers highlights at the Basel Institute in February 2025. It also features our latest news, blogs and other publications.
Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here.
Quick Guide 38: Border corruption
Border corruption – defined simply as an illegal exchange between border officials and private actors – is a complex phenomenon with serious impacts on safety, health and security. And stopping it isn’t as easy as just stepping up enforcement.
This Quick Guide covers the what, who and why of border corruption. It is based on deep research for the EU-funded FALCON project. More such research is needed to help design effective strategies to prevent corruption from undermining border security.
About this Quick Guide
You are free to share and republish this work under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence. It is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Quick Guide series, ISSN 2673-5229.
Working Paper 55: Compensating the victims of foreign bribery: UK legislation, practice and recommended reforms
The UK is a global leader in its efforts to target foreign bribery. It is one of the only countries worldwide to use negotiated settlements such as deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) to resolve cases and extract penalties from corporations that commit corruption abroad. The UK has also laudably committed to using the proceeds of DPAs in foreign bribery cases to compensate the victims of corruption, particularly in countries that suffer its worst effects.
This paper explores why the UK’s policy of compensating the victims of foreign bribery is not achieving its intended results in practice, and proposes realistic suggestions for improvement to the extant DPA regime.
It examines the conceptual, practical and political difficulties inherent in this undertaking, shining a light on how victim compensation operates in the UK and analysing judicial decisions on this issue. Finally, the paper proposes reform recommendations to strengthen the DPA regime to ensure appropriate compensation is made in foreign bribery settlements.
About this report
The paper is published as part of the Basel Institute on Governance Working Paper series, ISSN: 2624-9650. You may share or republish it under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International Licence.
The paper is intended for general informational purposes and does not constitute and/or substitute legal or other professional advice. The contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Basel Institute on Governance, its donors and partners, or the University of Basel.
Suggested citation: Hickey, Sam. 2025. ‘Compensating the victims of foreign bribery: UK legislation, practice and recommended reforms.’ Working Paper 55, Basel Institute on Governance. Available at: baselgovernance.org/publications/wp-55.
A version of this paper is also published by the Transnational Criminal Law Review.
Quick Guide 37: Strategic corruption
This quick guide is the second in a two-part series on the tangible yet under-addressed impacts of corruption on security and the complex power dynamics at play.
This second guide goes deeper into a specific security threat: when states use corruption to gain power and influence over other states and even as a geopolitical tool.
It looks at common features characterising strategic corruption cases, explores what is strategic about it and what this means for governance and security. It highlights the usefulness of “strategic corruption” as an analytical concept, but also urges caution in using it to guide domestic security or foreign policy decisions, or approaches to countering corruption.
About this Quick Guide
You are free to share and republish this work under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence. It is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Quick Guide series, ISSN 2673-5229.
Quick Guide 36: Corruption and security
How does corruption threaten national and international security, both directly and indirectly? Can viewing it through the lens of power offer deeper insights? And what might we achieve by framing corruption as a security concern?
This quick guide gives a short introduction to this complex issue as part of a two-part series on corruption, security and strategic corruption.
About this Quick Guide
You are free to share and republish this work under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence. It is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Quick Guide series, ISSN 2673-5229.
Basel Institute newsletter - January 2025
The newsletter covers highlights at the Basel Institute from December 2024 to January 2025. It also features our latest news, blogs and other publications. We take this chance to welcome four new staff members to the team.
Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here.
Quick Guide 35: Sexual corruption
Sexual corruption is a serious and under-recognised form of both corruption and sexual abuse. A particularly harmful form of corruption, it is difficult to measure and prosecute, and can have devastating physical and psychological impacts on survivors/victims.
As it disproportionately affects women and marginalised groups, sexual corruption has an important impact on the advancement of gender equality and minority rights.
This Quick Guide explains the basics of sexual corruption: what it is, its prevalence and why it persists. It takes a brief look at strategies to combat sexual corruption, with a focus on challenging the underlying social norms that help to sustain it.
About this Quick Guide
You are free to share and republish this work under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence. It is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Quick Guide series, ISSN 2673-5229.
Policy Brief 14: Cibler la fortune inexpliquée : Implications de la Directive de l’UE de 2024 relative au recouvrement d'avoirs
La Directive de l’Union européenne de 2024 relative au recouvrement et à la confiscation d’avoirs oblige les États membres, entre autres, à adopter des mesures législatives pour permettre la confiscation de la « fortune inexpliquée ».
Cette Note de politique examine l’article 16 de la Directive qui énonce cette obligation, ainsi que les pouvoirs et restrictions que les États membres devront inclure dans les mesures relatives à la « fortune inexpliquée » pour garantir la conformité à la Directive.
En bref, cela démontre la grande flexibilité accordée par le texte de la Directive aux États membres pour déterminer le champ d’application de leurs propres mesures en matière de fortune inexpliquée. Au minimum, les États seront requis d’introduire des mesures susceptibles d’être utilisées pour cibler la fortune inexpliquée liée au crime organisé.
Cependant, les États membres peuvent toujours décider d’introduire des mesures de plus grande portée ciblant la fortune inexpliquée liée à toutes les activités criminelles, y compris la corruption.
À propos de cette Note de politique
La présente publication fait partie de la série de Notes de politique (Policy Briefs) du Basel Institute on Governance, ISSN 2624-9669. Elle est sous licence Creative Commons Attribution BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence internationale.
Citation proposée : Dornbierer, Andrew. 2024. « Cibler la fortune inexpliquée : Implications de la Directive de l’UE de 2024 relative au recouvrement d’avoirs. » Note de politique 14, Basel Institute on Governance. Disponible sur: baselgovernance.org/pb-14-fr.
Il s’agit d’une publication de l’International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) au Basel Institute on Governance. ICAR reçoit un financement principal des gouvernements de Jersey, du Liechtenstein, de la Norvège, de la Suisse et du Royaume-Uni.
Addressing Bribery and Associated Social Norms in Healthcare: Results of a Behaviour Change Intervention in Tanzania
This open-access, peer-reviewed journal article examines the results of a pilot behavioural intervention in Tanzania. The project tested a behavioural anti-corruption intervention to reduce bribery in a hospital. It targeted deeply ingrained social norms while also leveraging the social networks and influence of key staff members.
The research was funded by the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It was a collaboration between the Basel Institute on Governance, the UK Behavioural Insights Team, the University of Dar es Salam and the University of Utrecht.
Abstract
Practices of bribery in the delivery of public services become entrenched when they are driven by social norms of reciprocity.
The resulting economies of favours, which are common across diverse geographical regions, are resilient to conventional anti-corruption measures because they are underpinned by strong social pressures.
This article describes the results of a behaviour change intervention to address gift-giving as a form of bribery in a Tanzanian hospital. The intervention utilised environmental cues and a peer-led network approach to deliver messages aimed at disincentivising bribery.
An exit survey of hospital users indicates a reduction of the ‘gift-offering propensity score’, capturing self-declared behaviour, from 23% before implementation of the intervention to 13% afterwards. We find similar changes in the enabling norms score.
Semi-structured interviews with hospital users and health workers further support these findings.
These results suggest that practices and norms around bribery might be changed through a multi-pronged approach that addresses both the ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ side of bribery.
