KB – Episode 145🎙️
@csc-barrington.bsky.social speaks with @marianizzero.bsky.social about research reframing kleptocracy as a transnational criminal enterprise, and the implications for UK asset recovery and national security.
🎧 Spotify bit.ly/SpotifyKBep145
🎧 SoundCloud bit.ly/SoundCloudKB...
It also reflects on South Africa’s response to state capture - including the Zondo Commission - and the personal costs of standing up to systemic corruption.
🎧 Listen now:
SoundCloud: bit.ly/KBep144sound...
Spotify: bit.ly/KBep144Spotify
#corruption #statecapture #illicitfinance #KickBack
The discussion examines:
• The role of global finance
• Professional enablers
• Neoliberal pressures shaping governance
• How grand corruption takes root after liberation
🎙️ New KickBack episode
Why do liberation movements that fight for freedom so often succumb to corruption once in power? 🧵
Read the full analysis here:
bit.ly/3M9SFz6
#Corruption #CPI #PoliticalIntegrity #Governance #UKPolitics #PublicTrust
Why is the UK now just scraping into the top twenty of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, when a decade ago it was comfortably in the top ten?
Political integrity - and perceptions of corruption - may be part of the answer.
🧵⬇️
❓ “Is Peter Mandelson corrupt (assuming the allegations against him are true)?”
In a new blog, @csc-barrington.bsky.social examines this question using corruption analysis rather than focusing solely on criminal liability.
🔗 Read now: bit.ly/3M9SFz6
📣 Online seminar
Join us 2pm to 3pm (GMT) tomorrow for a #GIACE seminar on using leaked and sensitive data to research illicit finance with @szakonyi.bsky.social and Tom Mayne, chaired by
@lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social.
Held in collaboration with the Illicit Finance Data Lab.
Register now 👇
🎧 Listen:
SoundCloud: bit.ly/SoundcloudKB...
Apple: bit.ly/AppleKB143
Spotify: bit.ly/SpotifyKB143
Join us on 5 Feb 2026 (2–3pm GMT) for a GI ACE seminar on using leaked & sensitive data to research illicit finance, with @szakonyi.bsky.social and Tom Mayne, chaired by @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social. In collaboration with the Illicit Finance Data Lab.
Register here: bit.ly/3ZkcV3U
Our first Kickback episode of 2026 🎙️
@lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social speaks with Anna Persson on why anticorruption reforms fail, systemic corruption as collective action, and why transparency alone isn’t enough.
🎧 bit.ly/SpotifyKB142
🎧 bit.ly/SoundCloudKB...
🎧 bit.ly/AppleKB142
Part 3 of #GIACE’s blog series is out! @devipillay.co.za unpacks the Zondo Commission’s 353 recommendations and why South Africa’s post-capture reforms remain uneven. Key gaps persist in law enforcement and whistle-blower protection. Read more: bit.ly/GIACEPart3
🚨New CSC blog: Prof. Dan Hough examines FIFA’s decision allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to play in all 2026 World Cup matches after his red card, and what this shows about disciplinary processes in football governance.
🔗Read more: bit.ly/4oy6tQR
🚨The Nov GI ACE Newsletter is out!
From real estate money laundering to sanctions evasion & a new blog on anti-money-laundering in the Global South — explore the latest from the GI ACE network.
🔗Read: bit.ly/GIACENewsletter_7
🔗SUB: bit.ly/NewsletterSUB
📢 CSC Seminar: From London to “Dubai-Kong” (1980–2024)
🗓 Mon 27 Oct, 12:00–13:00 UK | Online
How US-sanctioned networks shifted from Western hubs to a Dubai–Hong Kong axis.
Speaker: Daniel Haberly | Discussant: Tom Keatinge | Chair:
@csc-barrington.bsky.social
Register Here: bit.ly/CSC2webinar
We are delighted to announce the upcoming Research symposium on #BeneficialOwnership #transparency, co-organised with @openownership.bsky.social and the World Bank's Beneficial Ownership Transparency Thematic Working Group.
Read More: bit.ly/oo-wb-csc-symposium
New on the CSC blog: the 4th post in our Tasmania series by @robynlewis.bsky.social & Michael Johnston examines “quiet capture” and outlines reforms - independent ACA, stronger transparency/lobbying oversight, public-service capacity, meaningful participation. Read: bit.ly/Tasmania4
How do consulting giants enable state capture?
@lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social talks to @devipillay.co.za on McKinsey’s role in South Africa, drawing on the Zondo Commission.
🔗Listen: bit.ly/KBspotify138
🔗Paper: lnkd.in/eczS5NAM
#StateCapture #SouthAfrica #AntiCorruption
🎙️ New #KickbackPodcast! @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social talks with Nicola Bonucci on the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention - its 1993 origins, peer review’s impact on business, and shifts in US enforcement.
🎧 Listen:
Soundcloud: bit.ly/421B15h
Spotify: bit.ly/421B15h
#AntiCorruption #OECD
New blog by Robert Barrington explores the risks of applying anti-terror laws to protest groups & what it could mean for civil society’s role in anti-corruption. Reflects on UK & global trends.
🔗 Read more: bit.ly/3UjVK04
#Governance #CivilSociety #RuleOfLaw
📢 New on the CSC blog: @csc-barrington.bsky.social explores what the upcoming Lammy Summit might signal for UK leadership on illicit finance and anti-corruption—opportunity or missed chance?
🔗 bit.ly/CSCBlog10
#IllicitFinance #Anticorruption #Governance #UKPolicy #CSC #LammySummit #Transparency
New on the CSC blog: @robynlewis.bsky.social & Michael Johnston explore how informal elite networks - what they term Elite Cartels - may shape governance and development outcomes in Tasmania.
🔗 bit.ly/CSCblog11
#Governance #CSC #EliteCartels #Tasmania #PublicPolicy
A grounded, thoughtful conversation that challenges a lot of assumptions!
Mo Ibrahim offers clear and compelling insights on leadership, governance, and the importance of African-led solutions - especially as global aid dynamics continue to change.
Worth a listen! bit.ly/KB136Soundcloud
🎙️ New Kickback episode: Mo Ibrahim joins @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social to talk about founding the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, African-led governance, the IIAG & leadership prize. Inspiring insights on self-reliance & reform.
🎧 Listen: apple.co/46MHZOD | bit.ly/4eWj9Ot | bit.ly/KB136Soundcloud
📢 Now hiring! Join the University of Sussex as a Lecturer in Politics (part-time, fixed-term) and help teach on our renowned MA in Corruption and Governance.
Remote teaching possible (UK-based only).
Apply by 21 July: jobs.sussex.ac.uk/job/08e2705d...
New KickBack episode out now:
@csc-barrington.bsky.social speaks with Nicole Rose (NACC) and AJ Brown (TI Australia) about corruption in Australia, the rise of “grey corruption,” and how new institutions are responding.
🎧 Listen here:
SoundCloud: bit.ly/Soundcloud135KB
#KickBack #AntiCorruption
🚨New Kickback episode out now!
Oguzhan Dincer and Michael Johnston join @csc-barrington.bsky.social to discuss their book Corruption in America, exploring how corruption operates across all 50 U.S. states.
🎧 Listen: bit.ly/Soundcloud134KB
📘 Book: www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...
#Governance #KB
Some snapshots from the #ICRNForum2025
Powerful insights from the GIACE community in today's sessions:
🛠️ Tools of Change, spotlighting innovation from the Global South in tackling corruption (Fellows)
🗳️ Joint Session: Corruption & Democracy,with @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social as one of the speakers.
Our Governance & Integrity Fellowship is a pioneering collaboration between GI ACE & the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN).
Click to learn how the 12 researchers & practitioners are advancing transparency, equity, and institutional reform in their regions: giace.org/fellowship/
🚨The latest GI ACE newsletter is out now—featuring new research on civil society & state capture, events on Congo Hold-Up and shifting financial hubs, plus a deep dive into South Africa’s Zondo Commission.
🔗Read & subscribe: bit.ly/giacenewslet...
#AntiCorruption #CorruptionResearch #StateCapture