Agenda 2030: Trends and Gaps in (Anti-)Corruption and Integrity Research

As the study of (anti-)corruption and integrity continues to increase in popularity and international stance—leaving behind the mantle of obscurity under which it mostly remained during the 20th century, its institutionalization alongside more traditional areas of academic inquiry seems inevitable. Yet, for all the progress experienced in regard to analytical models, quantification strategies, conceptual clarification, and other prominent issues which have been (albeit informally) at the forefront of the research agenda over the past two-and-a-half decades, the breadth of new scholarship has yet to improve. A reduced clarity in the way researchers perceive the general contours of the field limit the production of coherent and necessary accounts. The branching out of research into new scientific territory proves the increasing importance of the study of (anti-)corruption and integrity. However, it also hinders the development of synergies between those branches, facilitating the rise of pockets of knowledge without sufficient forms of articulation. This situation risks the duplication of efforts, on the one side, and the atomization of research agendas and the isolation of potentially prominent avenues of inquiry, on the other side. In this context, the new decade should bring about the construction of much-needed bridges between specific areas of (anti-corruption) work, and foster links between policy needs and professional activities. As the study of (anti-)corruption and integrity is an exploration into the sources of decay of the political, economic, and social systems at all levels of government and private enterprise, the clarity with which the members of this field perceive demands for knowledge is of crucial importance. Thus, the construction of a research agenda on (anti-)corruption and integrity for the year 2030 calls for the recognition of trends and gaps present in today’s field, reflecting on their history and opening a space for debate about their mid-term evolution. Addressing the present condition of the field, this Section aims to foster conversations around prominent trends that has been built over the previous decade, with the goal of proposing a road ahead and offering an idea of what the field might look like by the year 2030. Thus, this Section is open to contributions dealing with the state-of-the-art in (anti-)corruption and integrity, reflecting on past scholarship and building on recent development to offer an image of what the next ten years of academic efforts might bring to our shared understanding of the problem and its solutions. Preliminary panels being proposed: 1. New and Emerging Technologies as Enablers of (Anti-)Corruption and Integrity: This panels aims to introduce cutting-edge scholarship on new data, tool and applications available or being explored for the study of corruption as well as its control. 2. Anti-Corruption as a Contentious Arena in International Affairs: Increasingly, (anti-)corruption is being employed as a new platform for dispute among powerful international actors. This panel aims to host discussions on the nature of such utilization and the consequences for the global control of corruption. 3. The Dynamics of Corruption and Crisis: Human and national security issues are both a cause and consequence of corruption, with particular incidence in the developing world. This panel explores the relationship between corruption and internal conflicts, natural and man-made disasters, and others event damaging the integrity of individuals and systems. 4. Corruption through the Lens of Gender Studies: This panel addresses the commonly-held beliefs regarding gender roles and impacts on the perpetuation of corrupt environments. Co-chair Joseph Pozsgai-Alvarez: Joseph Pozsgai-Alvarez is Assistant Professor at Kyoto University (Japan) and founder of the Japan Network of Anti-Corruption Researchers (JANAR). He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Tsukuba (Japan). He has served as External Consultant on ethics, transparency, and access to public information at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Peru. His research activities focus on (anti-)corruption, public integrity, government transparency, political accountability, social norms, employing interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approaches. Co-chair Felix Goldberg: Felix Goldberg is Research Assistant and PhD Student at the University of Stuttgart. He is researching on corruption, lobbying and interest groups in comparative perspective as well as on representation.