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Corruption is widely considered as one of the primary bounds on economic growth. As a result, eradicating corruption takes top priority in development policy. Sadly, most anti-corruption efforts fail. In this policy brief, we explain why an overt focus on eradicating corruption is misguided. We address two problems. Firstly, there is insufficient proof that eradicating corruption is a necessity to kickstart or promote rapid economic growth, in contrast to a dominant view in development circles. An overt focus on combating corruption risks wasting funds in development policy. Secondly, most anti-corruption efforts in development fail because they treat the symptom instead of the root causes. Anti-corruption efforts can be improved by working much more holistically in development policy.

Our goal with this policy brief is to encourage those working in economic development to rethink their approach to anti-corruption. By highlighting relevant insights from the academic literature which have largely remained unrecognised in development policy, and adding concrete policy recommendations, we hope to spur change in the primacy which is often granted to anti-corruption efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the disclosure of information on the fight against corruption in the sustainability reports of Portuguese companies.

Anti-corruption disclosure in the sustainability reports for 2009 of Portuguese firms, published on the website of the Portugal’s Business Council for Sustainability Development, is analysed. Three hypotheses are tested about associations between such disclosure and firm-specific variables.

Companies with a high visibility in terms of risk of corruption (companies in sectors with higher risk and government-owned companies) and companies that engage in association with the United Nations Global Compact seem to exhibit greater concern to improve the corporate image through disclosure.

There may be content analysis issues associated with subjectivity in the coding process and the use of a limited content analysis method.

This paper adds to the scarce research on the fight against corruption in corporate social responsibility and the reporting thereof by providing new empirical data.

The purpose of this conference paper is to provide a contextual and better understanding of the nexus between corruption and money laundering, in order to enhance the role of anti‐money laundering (AML) in combating corruption.

This paper analyses the key elements of the linkage between AML and anti‐corruption, and provides Australia and China as examples, demonstrating the potential importance of using AML to combat corruption.

It is found that apart from the main financial sectors, designated non‐financial sectors and high‐risk customers involved businesses are also vulnerable for money laundering, such as non‐financial designated business and professions, and politically exposed persons. In the meantime, these factors are regarded as the key points to combat corruption.

This paper highlights the corruption risks hidden in designated non‐financial business and professionals, and the risks of laundering the proceeds of corruption by politically exposed persons and financially exposed persons (FEPs).

The purpose of this paper is to establish a microeconomics model of corruption based on the behavioural sciences.

The methodology is a practical exploration, first in the convergence of the economics of corruption and the behavioural sciences; based on these conclusions, the microeconomic model of corruption is formulated.

The paper concludes in a model of the microeconomics of corruption.

There are no limitations in the model.

The practical implications are calculating the rent for corruption in the different scenarios.

The social implications are knowing the income from corruption.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is original, and there is no microeconomics model of corruption formulated in the academic field, only in this work.

This paper aims to present an analysis of the nature and determinants of corruption, using recent data to clarify the nature of the corruption phenomenon and answer the question of whether corruption can categorically be said to be a problem requiring public sector reform, or is a consequence of it.

The paper analyses data on corruption in relation to the timing of the introduction of public sector reform in recent economic transitions, and examines the persistence of increased corruption following the introduction of reforms.

The theoretical model suggests that events that negatively affect administrators in positions of trust create some reactive tendency towards corruption, and this is supported by the evidence from transition economies. There is a significant increase in corruption following transitional economies' public sector reform, and this demonstrates an unusual degree of persistence even after general institutional reforms have been completed.

Further research could try alternative measures of corruption, instead of “perceptions” data analysed here, and examine the strength of persistence across a larger set of countries to test the confounding effect of other institutional reforms in the transition countries examined.

The costs of new public management reform programmes are broader than is currently suggested, and significant short‐ to medium‐term deterioration might be expected in the aftermath of reform.

The paper provides a new approach to corruption research examining the importance of the corruption “tipping points” of individual administrators and how these are significant in modelling corruption.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the shortfalls of the legal definition of corruption in Zimbabwe.

Defining corruption is a universal challenge. Thus, in reviewing Zimbabwes definition, this paper also draws on other common law system jurisdictions based on English traditions and Sharia law to make a comparative analysis. The paper also takes a multi-disciplinary approach that transcend fields of law and anthropology.

Although criminal law can be used as the normative basis in the fight against corruption, it can also be used by the powerful to shield themselves from corruption, through its indeterminacy and interpretation. Be this as it may, real and firm law can assist in curbing the vice.

The paper’s purview is limited both in terms of subject and scope. Although it starts by considering the definition of corruption to get a broad overview of this subject, it mainly focuses on the meaning of two popular concepts that are popularly identified with our understanding of corruption – abuse of power and public office.

The paper tries to establish a framework for understanding and curbing corruption through the use of statutory law.

Corruption is a serious problem in Southeast Asian countries. Based on the average ranking of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Malaysia is ranked as the second least corrupt country among Southeast Asian countries. However, this country is still facing problems in its fight against corruption, in which efforts undertaken to prevent corruption have been said to be “unsatisfactory.” The purpose of this paper is hence to examine previous literature for the possible factors affecting the success of anti-corruption efforts in Malaysia.

This study analyzes previous studies conducted on Malaysia’s experiences in its fight against corruption.

The findings of this paper indicate four attributes that lead to the failure of anti-corruption efforts in Malaysia.

This paper will be useful for scholars, policymakers and anti-corruption practitioners who are interested in Malaysia’s experiences in fighting corruption.

The aim of this paper is to examine public awareness and perceptions on corruption in Australia, a country that traditionally has been viewed as having relatively low levels of corruption.

The paper presents the findings of a random telephone survey of 300 people aged 16 and above, across the three most populated Australian states.

The paper suggests that corruption may be a greater issue of concern for the Australian public than has been assumed in the past, given the relatively low levels of reported systematic corruption in Australia. Moreover, while there may be widespread agreement that corruption in Australia is harmful and perhaps inevitable, people can find it difficult at times to differentiate between what is corrupt and what is not.

The findings presented in this paper illustrate that corruption is an issue of concern for members of the Australian public, with the majority of respondents agreeing that corruption seems to be increasing in Australia. These findings should be considered by state and federal anti‐corruption bodies as they frame their policies and processes.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships of different types of corruption and selected economic measures that appear to contribute to a country’s sustainable economic development.

The research used selected data from the World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey on corruption activities (Irregular Payments and Bribes, the Diversion of Public Funds, Organised Crime, and Favouritism in Decisions of Government Officials) and Ethical Behaviour of Firms. The economic data (FDI, GDP, GDP Growth and Capital Formation among others) is from the World Bank database. A series of statistical models were developed to examine the relationships among different types of corruption and a country’s economic development.

The findings are mixed, showing that some types of corruption have greater negative impact on specific aspects of economic development.

The research is limited by the availability of data from reliable sources and the availability of data on a limited number of corruption activities. Only four aspects of corruption are examined in this paper. Only selected aspects of a country’s economy were examined. The variables analysed in the study were not available for each of the 179 countries.

A country may learn the types of corrupting activities that must be controlled to aid in the targeted growth of specific economic development, such as Direct Foreign Investment.

This study builds on previous work by Anderson (2012, 2013) that used Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) as a global measure of corruption. This study, in contrast, uses the results of the World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey, to indicate the perceived level of different types (components) of corruption. By using more specific measure of corruption, there is a better understanding of the relationships between corruption and economic development.