140. Emily Elia on gender and electoral accountability in Latin America
Why do voters sometimes support corrupt politicians? And can putting forward women candidates help parties recover from corruption scandals? In this episode, regular host Liz David-Barrett speaks with Emily Elia about her experimental research on voter behaviour and corruption in Latin American democracies. The conversation delves into the "feminization strategy", examining the level to which deploying women candidates after corruption scandals actually works to restore party credibility. The conversation also explores emerging questions about who becomes an anti-corruption fighter in politics and whether voters can tell genuine reformers from those just paying lip service to clean government.
Read more about Emily's research into gender stereotypes and electoral accountability here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-024-09943-9
And on the role of ideological proximity to the opposition in "corruption voting" here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379422001019?via%3Dihub
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139. Áron Hajnal & József Péter Martin on systemic corruption in Hungary
Hungary, once seen as a democratic success story is now widely recognized as one of the EU's most corrupt member states. Regular KB host Liz David-Barrett sits down with József Péter Martin and Áron Hajnal to examine how Viktor Orbán built a system of state capture, and why the EU struggled to respond. They discuss their research evaluating the effectiveness of EU conditionality measures, the challenges of tackling corruption when it's built into the regime itself, and what might happen in Hungary's crucial April 2026 elections.
Find Áron and József’s article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10999922.2025.2554409?scroll=top&needAccess=true#d1e186
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138. Devi Pillay on the role of consulting firms in state capture
How do multinational consulting firms enable state capture? In this episode, regular KB host Liz David-Barrett chats with Devi Pillay about her research on the role of McKinsey & Co.'s involvement in the capture of South Africa under President Zuma. Drawing on evidence from the Zondo Commission, Devi describes how consulting firms worked with politically connected local partners to extract billions in fees from state-owned enterprises, while providing misleading advice that facilitated further corruption. Liz and Devi also discuss the vital role of investigative journalists and whistleblowers in exposing these arrangements, the devastating impact on South Africa's infrastructure and economy, and the mixed accountability outcomes for the firms involved.
Find Devi Pillay’s working paper for GI ACE here: https://giace.org/resources/consulting-firms-corruption-and-state-capture/
Find similar themes on South Africa's state capture in episode 129.
This research is part of the Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) programme which generates actionable evidence that policymakers, practitioners and advocates can use to design and implement more effective anti-corruption initiatives. This GI ACE project is funded by UK International Development. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the UK Government’s official policies.
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137. Nicola Bonucci on the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
Join regular KB host Liz David-Barrett in conversation with Nicola Bonucci, a veteran public international lawyer who has been involved in the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention since its creation. This episode traces the convention's journey from its 1993 origins to current challenges, exploring how peer review mechanisms have transformed international business practices and examining the implications of recent changes in US enforcement policy. Essential listening for anyone interested in international law, corporate compliance, and the ongoing fight against global corruption.
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136. Mo Ibrahim on Good Governance in Africa
This Kickback episode features Mo Ibrahim, who joins Liz David-Barrett to share his transition from entrepreneurship to philanthropy, by establishing the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to promote good governance and leadership in Africa.
Mo shares the primary mechanisms to achieving the Foundations goals, including the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, and the Africa leadership prize, which aims to highlight positive role models and support them post-office, asserting the importance of African-led initiatives and self-reliance in the face of declining foreign aid and internal conflicts.
Learn more about the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) here: https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/our-research/iiag
Acerca de KickBack - The Global Anticorruption Podcast
This podcast series features in-depth interviews with a wide range of corruption experts, on questions such as:
What have we learned from 20+ years of (anti)corruption research?
Why and how does power corrupt?
Which theories help to make sense of corruption?
What can we do to manage corruption?
How to recovery stolen assets?
Colombia