RC20 - Political Finance and Political Corruption

The RC20 made a significant impact at the recent World Congress in Seoul, hosting 8 thought challenging panels that tackled the most pressing issues in political finance and political corruption. The event drew together 50 scholars from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of perspectives and expertise. The panels featured 39 innovative papers that pushed the boundaries of knowledge in the field, sparking lively debates and discussions among participants and enabled further networking, leading to new cooperation projects. Through a wide range of topics such as political ethics regulation, anti-corruption governance, economic inequality and corruption, political finance regulation, AI and anti-corruption strategies, the RC 20 showed commitment and engagement in a wide range of topics.

We are thrilled by the level of enthusiasm and participation displayed by our members this year and we are grateful for the opportunity to bring together such a talented group of scholars from all around the world.

List of Panels:

• RC20.07 Understanding Political Ethics Regulation: Theory, Strategy, Practice, and Impact, Chair: Dr. Manuel Villoria
• RC20.05 Quantitative Perspectives on Corruption and Economic Inequality , Chair: Dr. Denis Ivanov
• RC20.06 Technological Revolution: The Role of Tech, AI and Machine Learning in Political Corruption, Chair: Ms. Paulina Goldman
• RC20.04 Political Finance in the 2020s: Regulation, Enforcement and Discontents, Chair: Prof. Graeme Orr
• RC20.08 Paradoxes in Anti-Corruption Governance, Chair: Dr. Giovanna Rodriguez-Garcia
• RC20.01 Critical Reflections on (Anti-)Corruption: Assessing Emerging Concepts, Metrics, and Theories, Chair: Dr. Manoel Gehrke
• RC20.02 Are Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) Contributing to Knowledge-Based Anti-Corruption? – A Tribute to Professor Jon S.T. Quah, Chair: Dr. Luis de Sousa
• RC20.03 Institutional Change in Anti-Corruption Policies, Chair: Prof. Guillaume Fontaine

Our next Workshop on "Political Finance and Political Corruption" will take place at the University of Lisbon next year and we look forwards for welcoming numerous papers on topics such as: Gender, Corruption and Political Representation; Corruption and Climate Politics; Illicit Economies and Political Finance; Digital Transparency vs. Digital Corruption; Citizen Oversight and Whistleblowing, Electoral Integrity, and so on. The concrete date of the workshop will be decided by the end of September. 

Stay tuned for further information regarding the workshop.

The RC20 after ther Business Meeting in Seoul, the 16th of July 2025