Paper short abstract:

Corruption is not black and white, and more nuanced approaches are essential to combat it effectively. Anti-corruption initiatives need to be more politically aware, better attuned to contextual realities, and more flexible and strategic. In other words, they need to ‘think and work politically’.

Paper long abstract:

Few challenges in international development ignite as much passion, emotion and even vitriol as corruption. But this does not mean that combating it is straightforward. Corruption is not only a moral problem that needs to be fought, but a social problem that needs to be better understood so as to address it effectively. This paper argues that it is essential to move away from an approach to corruption as the worst of all evils that can be eliminated without collateral damage, towards a more nuanced approach that moves beyond such oversimplified narratives. The causes and effects of corruption are far from black and white, and as difficult and uncomfortable as this might be, they need to be understood in the full complexity of their shading. As a growing body of evidence has begun to suggest, zero tolerance approaches to corruption can in fact cause more harm than good, and this should give pause for thought.

A crucial implication from existing research and practice this is that, if anti-corruption initiatives are to be effective, they need to be much more politically aware and attuned to contextual realities - which also means that they need to work quite differently from how they do now. Programmes and projects need to be smarter and more strategic: more flexible and adaptable, more humble and realistic about what they can accomplish, especially in light of extremely short time frames, and more willing to tolerate risks and setbacks. In other words, they need to 'think and work politically'.