RSA Fellow leads on new global anti-corruption project

The British Academy has just appointed Paul Heywood FRSA (Sir Francis Hill Professor of European Politics at the University of Nottingham) to lead on its global anti-corruption research project.

The circa £4 million scheme was launched in 2015 in partnership with the Department for International Development (DFID). It will enable outstanding research teams to identify new initiatives that can help developing countries to tackle the scourge of corruption and the negative impact it has on millions of people's lives. This DFID-British Academy partnership is one component of the DFID-funded 'Anti-Corruption Evidence' (ACE) programme. 

Paul Heywood said: "Everybody agrees corruption is hugely damaging, especially in the developing world. But efforts to combat corruption over recent decades have seen very disappointing results. One reason is that too often we have adopted a rather simplistic approach to corruption, trying to find some kind of measurable 'amount' or 'level' in particular countries and suggesting 'one size fits all' solutions. But corruption is complex, and takes different forms in different places, both within countries and also transnationally.

"Only through more detailed and focused interdisciplinary work, involving academic researchers working closely with anti-corruption policy-makers and activists, will we develop the kinds of insights we need to make a real difference. The projects in this programme are designed to help us understand how anti-corruption interventions can work better." 

Find out more 

Fellows with an interest in the topic are invited to contact Paul Heywood. Further information on the scheme can be found here on the British Academy website.