Light in the Dark: Exploring the Causes, Concepts, and Consequences of Corruption

Circle. U PhD Summer School 2024 hosted by Aarhus University in Aarhus July 15, 2024 plus start-up online sessions in May and June

Light in the dark: An interdisciplinary field of study

Corruption, with its presence in various sectors of society, yields a plethora of detrimental consequences that extend far beyond individual transgressions. The impacts are pervasive, affecting the economy, wealth, social affairs, institutions, communities, and values. It undermines democracy both ex-ante and ex-post, is detrimental to public trust in institutions, and limits access to justice. Corruption increases inequality in terms of gender, ethnicity, and poverty. It hinders access to education and healthcare, leading to injustice and human rights violations, and carries global consequences – not least in terms of environmental degradation and the inability to solve the climate crisis.

Despite the detrimental effects and efforts to root it out, corruption has been present across time, societies, and cultures. Dante Alighieri, the Italian poet, wrote about corruption in the 14^th century. In ”Inferno,” Dante takes the reader on a journey through Hell, where different sins are punished in various circles. Among the sins depicted and condemned, corruption holds a significant place. Symbolizing the sticky nature of corruption, corrupt politicians are immersed in a burning tar pit. Further back in time, ancient Hindu legal and ethical texts, known as the “Dharmashastra,” provided guidelines for rulers on righteous governance, morality, and ethical behavior. Despite all the negative effects, moral condemnation, and policies against corruption, it remains with us, and today, only a few countries, judging by oft-cited indices, are relatively free from corruption, but it remains a concern in modern societies.

However, corruption is inherently difficult to research. In the context of studies on corruption, the term “dark figures” or “dark field” refers to the undisclosed or hidden aspects of corrupt activities that go unreported or are not officially documented. These are instances of corruption that escape detection, measurement, or inclusion in official statistics, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the true extent of corrupt practices within a given context.

The “dark figures of corruption” concept is analogous to the broader criminological term “dark figures of crime,” which refers to unreported or underreported criminal incidents. In the realm of corruption studies, the dark figure emphasizes the gap between the actual occurrences of corrupt behavior and the instances that come to the attention of authorities, researchers, or the public. Corruption is underreported and may not even be perceived as corruption or spoken about in social codes or cultural habits. For instance, in many cultures, gift-giving is not understood as bribery but is embedded in language and cultural behavior.

Solving wicked problems requires the ability to conceptualize and define them, map them, and establish causal relations before the necessary tools can be developed. To exemplify, estimating the true rate of corruption and its causes and effects is like finding the proverbial black cat in the dark room and not even knowing if it is a panther or a pet.

The black cat: The call for interdisciplinarity and multimethod approaches.

The study of corruption, and other social phenomena, call for interdisciplinary research involving collaboration and integration of insights, theories, methods, and perspectives from multiple academic disciplines to address complex problems or questions that cannot be adequately tackled within the confines of a single discipline. Different academic disciplines such as, but not limited to, criminology, organizational studies, development, equilibrium theory, economics, political science and public administration, investigative journalism, and sociology all contribute to the study of corruption but are often confined to the dominant approaches and methods within their fields.

Each approach comes with strengths and weaknesses. To exemplify, interviewing and focus groups hinge on selection but provide in-depth conceptualization and narratives. Surveys can measure an issue precisely but come up short if the wrong questions are asked or understood differently than intended by the researcher. Cases before the court bringing lawbreakers to justice may only be the tip of the iceberg. Without conceptions, empirical strategies are insufficient. Investigative journalism serves to break new stories but may turn out to be unfounded and inflate public perceptions. The bottom line is that no single approach is sufficient but that each method brings different dishes to the table. Political and normative theory provide necessary conceptions of corruption, justice, equality, and their relation to power. One question that business economics raises relates to firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, but what are the differences between policies and behavior?

Triangulation as an overall methodological approach accommodates interdisciplinary research and prescribes different combinations of methodologies according to the purposes, that is, the authenticity of context and concepts, the development of theories, and the test of these. The researcher also confronts the difficulty that purposes and instruments vary between the different phases of the project.

In general, triangulation consists of two approaches. First, holistic triangulation exposes the legitimization of the phenomenon and the spoken, written, and behavioral social codes, and second, convergent triangulation validates, establishes causal relationships, and measures theories. Another approach, nesting, can be understood as inserting a method within another and alternating between quantitative and qualitative methods. Nesting accomplishes more or less the same as triangulation but overlooks the importance of conceptual development and theorizing.

Learning objectives: Gains from participating

It is important to stress that participants may not exclusively have research questions related to corruption but will likely share the same difficulties with “dark numbers.” Furthermore, the call for interdisciplinarity and multimethod approaches does not imply that a single PhD dissertation must be interdisciplinary, nor employ more than one method. The interdisciplinary nature of studying corruption in this course emerges through collaboration with researchers from various fields and the involvement of peers who share a common interest.

Participants will discover that engaging with studies on corruption from diverse academic fields is not only crucial for a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of corruption, but the course also enhances the formulation of one’s research questions (RQ), the ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of chosen method(s), and the specific contribution to the literature that the dissertation makes.

Your center of attention is likely the advancement and completion of your dissertation. The course approach recognizes this, and the course is taught and led by internationally recognized scholars who facilitate your engagement with the literature and provide feedback on your work. This is also reflected in the exam form, where you have a range of options that allow you to tailor reflections and improve your dissertation.

Qualification description: Our primary objective is to equip you with the tools and perspectives needed to navigate the complex landscape of (corruption) research. At the end of the course, you will be able to

acquire knowledge of corruption in different expressions.
demonstrate and recognize insights concerning problems and possibilities in cross-disciplinary research relevant to all social science questions that share issues of underreporting but, in this case, with a particular emphasis on the study of corruption.
distinguish between different theoretical explanations of corruption and how the choice of method(s) influence(s) consensuses, near consensuses, or disagreements in the state of the art.
depending on your choice of examination, demonstrate the ability to apply theories and methods, improve your skills, such as research dissemination, writing a literature review, or comparing concepts and definitions.
demonstrate the ability to reflect on your research approach and identify strengths and weaknesses to better place our contribution within the literature.

You will meet several practitioners, and finally, but not least, you will meet young researchers from participating Circle. U universities, enabling you to build the foundations of an interdisciplinary network. You can catch someone on the way up.

Themes

Interdisciplinary methods.

Individual rationality vs. collective goods.

Concept formation & defining corruption.

International conventions against corruption: How a regime is built.

Criminal law and anti-corruption measures

Morality and ethics

Political & Administrative corruption

Anti-corruption policies and institutions

Artificial Intelligence

Private corruption

Whistleblowing

Teaching methods

The course will alternate between lectures, hands-on training, student presentations, discussions, and a written exam.

You will be asked to present your research and throughout the course include your research in the hands-on training such as the joint development of an interdisciplinary “map-of-research” that includes other participants' research.

Several practitioners are invited to give “real-life” examples of how anti-corruption policies are implemented and how investigative journalists seek to uncover illicit behavior and networks of corruption.

Preparation and active participation are required.

Lectures*

Claudia Candisani, Post-doc, PhD. Law, University of Pisa.
Lars V. Johannsen, Associate Professor, PhD. Political Science, Aarhus University.
Dušan Pavlović, Associate Professor, PhD. Public Administration, University of Belgrade.
Karin Hilmer Pedersen, Associate Professor, Ph.D. Sociology of Law, Aarhus University
Gert Tinggaard Svendsen, Professor, PhD. Political Science, Aarhus University.
Daniela Tafani, Professor, PhD. Political Science, University of Bologna, University of Pisa
Alberto Vannuci, Professor, Ph.D. Political Science, University of Pisa.

*Preliminary: Changes and additions may occur

Practitioners*

Unathi Mphendu, Director of Ethics and Anti-Corruption, Office of The Premier, Gauteng, South Africa
Julie Bach Jensen, Compliance, Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), Switzerland.
Michael Lund, investigative journalist at the Danish daily “Berlingske Tidende”

*Preliminary: Changes and additions may occur

Preliminary reading list

Example of case material for one of the workshops.
Expect up to 350 pages of readings + case material. A full reading list will be provided in primo May 2024.

Readings:

Barr, A., & Serra, D. (2010). Corruption and culture: An experimental analysis. Journal of Public Economics, 94(11-12), 862-869.

Budsaratragoon, P., & Jitmaneeroj, B. (2020). A critique on the Corruption Perceptions Index: An interdisciplinary approach. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 70, 100768.

Confederation of Danish Industry (undated), “The Anti-Corruption Journey: Anti-corruption from a Danish business perspective – recommendations based on a survey of 47 Danish companies,” (edited by Christine Jøker Lohmann and Judith Canning), Confederation of Danish Industry, DI ANALYSIS, 16 pp. https://www.danskindustri.dk/DownloadDocument?id=90493&docid=90562

Druckman, J. N., Green, D. P., Kuklinski, J. H., & Lupia, A. (2006). The growth and development of experimental research in political science. American Political Science Review, 100(4), 627-635.

Feldman, D. L. (2020). The efficacy of anti-corruption institutions in Italy. Public Integrity, 22(6), 590-605. Feldman, D. L. (2020). The efficacy of anti-corruption institutions in Italy. Public Integrity, 22(6), 590-605.

Johannsen, L., & Pedersen, K. H. (2020). Tell-tale tit: retaliation on whistleblowers in public administration. Crime, Law and Social Change, 73(4), 457-473.

Johannsen, L., Pedersen, K. H., Vadi, M., Reino, A. & Sööt, M-L. (2016). Private-to-Private Corruption: A survey on Danish and Estonian business environment, Tallinn: Estonian Ministry of Justice. (excerpts).

Lieberman, E. S. (2005). Nested analysis as a mixed-method strategy for comparative research. American Political Science Review, 99(3), 435-452.

McCoy, J. L. (2001). The emergence of a global anti-corruption norm. International Politics, 38, 65-90.

Pavlović, D. (2023). How to approach state capture in post-communist Europe. A new research agenda. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 31(3), 960-978.

Pedersen, K., & Johannsen, L. (2023). When corruption hits the judiciary: A global perspective on access to justice and corruption. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 13(4), 1258-1280.

Serritzlew, S., Sønderskov, K. M., & Svendsen, G. T. (2014). Do corruption and social trust affect economic growth? A review. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 16(2), 121-139.

Snyman, R. A. (2022). Games of Truth in the Age of Transparency: International Organisations and the Construction of Corruption. Journal of Business Ethics, 181(1), 83-96 McCoy, J. L. (2001). The emergence of a global anti-corruption norm. International Politics, 38, 65-90.

Snyman, R. A. (2022). Games of Truth in the Age of Transparency: International Organisations and the Construction of Corruption. Journal of Business Ethics, 181(1), 83-96

Turner, S. F., Cardinal, L. B., & Burton, R. M. (2017). Research Design for Mixed Methods: A Triangulation-based Framework and Roadmap. Organizational Research Methods, 20(2), 243-267.

Case (workshop) example:

In this workshop, the intention is to compare international conventions. We address the questions of how anti-corruption conventions came about, which values and possible changes in values and concepts that have emerged across time and regional context, which anti-corruption policies are recommended, and finally how the conventions are to be enforced.

Organization of American States (OAS) Convention against Corruption (Adopted 1996; Entered into Force: 1997). https://www.oas.org/en/sla/dil/inter_american_treaties_B-58_against_Corruption.asp

OECD Anti-Bribery Convention (Adopted 1997; Entered into Force: 1999). https://www.oecd.org/corruption/oecdantibriberyconvention.htm

Council of Europe Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (Adopted 1999; Entered into Force: 2002). https://www.coe.int/en/web/impact-convention-human-rights/criminal-law-convention-on-corruption#/

Council of Europe CIVIL Law Convention on Corruption (Adopted 1999; Entered into Force: 2007). https://www.coe.int/en/web/impact-convention-human-rights/civil-law-convention-on-corruption#/

United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) (Adopted 2003; Entered into Force: 2005). https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/

African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (adopted 2003; Entered into Force 2006). https://au.int/en/treaties/african-union-convention-preventing-and-combating-corruption

ASEAN Declaration Against Corruption (Adopted 2004) https://www.asean-csr-network.org/c/images/AIMPublication-CollectiveActionAgainstCorruptionRVR-CVStarr-1.pdf

EU Conventions: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/convention-against-corruption-involving-public-officials.html

EU Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu/index_en

ECTS and number of hours for Ph.D. students

ECTS = 5. One ECTS equals 28 hours (class, preparation, exam) * and is given upon satisfactory completion of the course (see exam information). The course roughly consists of 38 class hours and individual supervision/feedback. 65 hours for preparation, and 37 hours to write the exam paper. Total = 140 hours.

Obligatory readings will amount to approximately 350 pages. The reading list will be distributed well in advance.

*An hour is calculated as 45 minutes session + 15 minutes break.

Exam

Exam paper to be completed by 16. September 2024 CET: 12.00

Given that one of the purposes of the course is to support participants in research, completion, and furthering their career the participants are given the choice between the following forms of exam:

Literature review of no less than four central contributions to the debate (maximum 1.200 words)
An op-ed article tailormade for public debate.
Three-page paper either
1. Fleshing out the central theoretical contribution of the prospective Ph.D.
2. Comparing definitions of corruption
3. Short analytical paper on how the study of corruption has evolved with the field of study (maximum 1.200 words).
4. A reflection on how “dark figures/dark matter” influences the study of corruption and/or your research.
A discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen method (maximum 1.200 words).

Grading: Pass/not passed. Feedback will be given by the academic coordinator.

Practical information

Who should apply?

We welcome up to 21 PhD students from Circle U. Universities. Ideally participants research corruption but research that shares similar methodological challenges concerning “dark figures” are also welcome to apply. Ph.D. students on the Private-Public track, i.e., write their PhD while employed must apply with a recommendation from their academic supervisor and nearest manager.

Talented MA students in their final year writing their dissertations with an emphasis on corruption can apply and include a recommendation from their supervisor. MA students will be accepted if slots are available.

How to apply

Prospective participants should write a letter of motivation consisting of:

1 - 1.5 pages letter of motivation including the following:
1. Briefly introduce your academic self, including your academic background,
2. Your project includes the main research question/hypothesis; key theoretical approaches; methods; empirics; which social science discipline you feel your PhD is mainly situated within; and how far in my PhD research you are.
3. Outline why you want to participate in the course, and how you expect that the program will enhance your research.
4. Why do you believe interdisciplinary research in the social sciences is important?
Please enclose the Enrolment certificate from the home university’s PhD School.
PhD Students on the Private-Public track must in addition include a recommendation from their academic supervisor and the nearest manager.
Talented MA students must in addition include a letter of recommendation from their supervisor.

You can use the template in the annex or make your own if your letter of motivation does not exceed 1 - 1.5 pages.

Due date for applications: 2. April 2024 CET: 12.00

Applications should be mailed to:

Lars V. Johannsen, Aarhus University

Successful applicants will be notified after 5. April 2024.

Travel and subsistence for PhD students

Each home university will apply for Erasmus+ mobility funding to cover participants' travel and subsistence costs. Coffee/tea/water and fruit will be covered by AU and a joint dinner (excluding drinks).

Your home university will be informed about your acceptance and will get in touch with you regarding a travel grant for the summer school (not applicable for AU participants)

Getting there and away:

You must book and pay for your tickets for travel to Aarhus. See the section on travel and subsistence for mobility funding. You can find travel recommendations on these pages.

Where to stay: Housing in Aarhus.

You must book your own accommodation in Aarhus. We have created a page where you can browse short term housing options. Please note that you get a discount on some of the offers.

Visa:
If you are a UK or EU national or have a residence permit in Schengen country, you will not need a visa. Non-EU/UK students may have to apply for a visa. You can read more about visas and nationalities requiring a visa to Denmark here. Do not hesitate to contact us in case there are any questions about visa requirements.

If you require a visa, please let us know and we will send you an invitation letter. Bear in mind that the processing time can be up to 2 months, so please do not wait.

Connect via Facebook group:
When accepted you will be asked to join a Facebook group. You are encouraged to join, to make the most of your stay at AU. The group is for student-student communication on various practical matters.

Your to-do list when accepted:

Book your travel and accommodation.
Check visa requirements if you are a non-EU/UK national.
Join the Facebook group.
Await further information from us on academic matters and how to access our LMS in June