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What Makes Anti-Corruption Enforcement Work? New BridgeGap Research Explores the Role of Deterrence
A new publication from the BridgeGap consortium examines one of the oldest assumptions in anti-corruption policy: do tougher penalties actually deter corruption, or does effective enforcement depend on something else? Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have published a new article in the Regulation & Governance special issue “Efforts to Map and Control Corruption”,…
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New Deliverable: Why Cross-Border Corruption is Built Into the System
Credits: GTR The “Historical Background Report on Cross-Border Corruption” (Deliverable 1.3) for the BRIDGEGAP project starts with a clear-cut statement: Cross-Border Corruption (CBC) is a systemic feature of the global economy. Authored by Michael Johnston and Ina Kubbe, this document sits inside ordinary financial, legal, and regulatory infrastructure, rather than appearing as an occasional governance…
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From our Experts:BridgeGap at the EU Network Against Corruption Plenary Meeting
In mid-October, Brussels was the focal point for the fight against corruption as the EU Network Against Corruption held its Plenary Meeting. The two-day event brought together leading policymakers, practitioners, and representatives from civil society to exchange best practices and strengthen Europe’s collective efforts to promote integrity. BridgeGap was proud to contribute to this critical…
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Disablers of Corruption: How Courts, Media, and Digital Citizens Shape Integrity in Europe
Massimo Privitera, University of Antwerp When it comes to curbing corruption, rules on paper are only part of the story. What truly matters is whether societies have the constraints—or “disablers of corruption”—that limit governments from abusing power or handing out public resources to favored groups. Recent research using the Index for Public Integrity (IPI) highlights…
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How Corruption Convictions Help Leaders Gain Support
by Manoel Gehrke & Feng Yang, The Loop July 9, 2025 We often attribute populism’s rise to structural factors — economic insecurity, digital technology, and cultural backlash. But Manoel Gehrke and Feng Yang reveal a more immediate trigger: former leaders’ conviction for corruption. In less democratic contexts, these rulings open the door for governments to…
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Europe: Guarding Integrity with Data-Driven Action Against Corruption
Against a backdrop of rising global tensions, Europe’s leadership in fighting corruption and defending democracy and public trust is more important than ever. As negotiations on a new anti-corruption directive progress, the European Union is stepping up with concrete actions—leveraging legal reforms and digital innovation to reinforce the rule of law and institutional integrity. Yet…
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New Deliverable: Report on Causes and Trends of Corruption Risk in Europe-41
The latest report by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi and Iva Parvanova from the Work Package 9 – Regulatory and Enforcement Gaps in Preventive Anticorruption Policies provides an evidence-based assessment of corruption trends across EU Member States (EUMS), accession candidates (EUCC), and neighboring countries (EUN), identifying key risks and proposing targeted policy interventions. KEY FINDINGS Defining corruption as…
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How policymakers use our work
The Index of Public Integrity (IPI), created by our partner ERCAS in 2016, assesses a society’s capacity to control corruption and ensure that public resources are spent with integrity, illustrating the most important dimensions of this equilibrium through 6 components: Administrative Transparency, Online Services, Budget Transparency, Judicial Independence, Press Freedom, and e-Citizenship. Evidence from comparisons across countries shows that establishing effective…
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Uncovering the Truth and Hidden Networks
Understanding the complexities of global corruption and power dynamics is challenging. Researchers often struggle to find effective tools to expose hidden networks of influence. Follow the Money, a search engine developed by YouControl, is designed to trace financial flows and uncover relationships, offering the ultimate solution to detect fraud, ensure transparency, and promote accountability. Start…
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DATA STORIES: Corruption in Ghana: The Cecilia Dapaah Case
Annalaura Viganò In July 2023, Ghana was rocked by the revelation of a corruption scandal involving Cecilia Dapaah, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources. This case attracted public attention due to the high profile of the accused and the startling sums of money involved. At the heart of this scandal are allegations of…
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Follow the Money and the T-Index: Mapping Political Power and Hidden Networks with BridgeGap
Join us for this special webinar organized under the Horizon Europe project BridgeGap, a key initiative driving innovative research and tools to combat corruption, enhance transparency, and promote good governance. In celebration of International Anti-Corruption Day, this event showcases two groundbreaking platforms—Follow the Money and the T-Index—that are reshaping the global fight against corruption, both…
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Follow the Money: Mapping Political Power and Hidden Networks
Understanding global corruption and power dynamics is a complex challenge, with researchers often struggling to find reliable tools to uncover hidden networks of influence. Follow the Money by YouControl is a search engine that helps trace financial flows, uncover connections, and analyse complex financial networks to promote transparency and accountability. It integrates data from various…
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Europe’s struggle with corruption showcased in The Economist
The Economist article “Squeaky-clean Europe is more corrupt than you think” highlights the pervasive corruption within the European Union, despite EU’s reputation for high governance standards. Lithuania is showcased as an EU success story, having dramatically improved its transparency and anti-corruption measures. However, the European Research Centre for Anti-corruption and State-building (ERCAS) notes that other…
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A fox in the hen house?
How Hungary’s EU presidency may affect corruption control in Hungary and the EU Under the Trumpian slogan Make Europe Great Again! Hungary – ruled by Viktor Orbán and his party FIDESZ since 2010 – took over the rotating EU presidency as of 1 July. Many, including EU officials, politicians, and observers fear this half-year period…
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Welcome to BridgeGap !
Have you asked yourselves if corruption in Europe is on the increase, decrease, or comfortably stable? Or if our European directives and rules really make an impact? And why did globalization not manage to reduce corruption, despite unleashing more competition than ever before? BridgeGap is the kind of project which will answer such questions, using…
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Call for papers: Historical Perspectives on Cross-Border Corruption
We are excited to announce a call for abstracts for the upcoming conference on “The History of Corruption and Anti-Corruption: Institutional Insights and Policy Instruments”, to be held in Barcelona over two days on October 07-08, 2024. This interdisciplinary conference is part of the Horizon Europe BridgeGap Project and seeks to explore the complex relationship…