Anti-corruption coalitions: Examples of success and capacity building

This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from the European Commission. The Anti-Corruption Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International and funded by the European Union.

Query

Can you provide a brief analysis of at least three coalitions that are active in the EU in the area of anti-corruption, preferably with links to Eastern European countries? The analysis should also include: (i) some success stories in terms of lobbying for fighting against corruption where the coalition had to challenge government representatives; (ii) capacity building skills and training techniques of the members of the coalition (or the lead member).

Content

1. Anti-corruption coalitions: can we measure success?

2. Examples of anti-corruption coalitions

3. Capacity building and training

4. References

Caveat

There is very limited publicly available information regarding successful anti-corruption coalitions. There is also limited information on training techniques and skills employed by these organisations.

Summary

Coalitions are considered to be an effective mechanism to achieve results in the fight against corruption. However, the literature highlights that there are no agreed-upon indicators to measure the success of a coalition. Existing studies show that their effectiveness and usefulness depend on a series of factors, such as the capacity of individual members, the capacity of the coalition per se, including its technical and managerial skills, and the outcomes/impact of the coalition’s work. 

Several Eastern European countries have operating anti-corruption coalitions, but for the great majority of them, there is insufficient evidence of their work and impact. Coalition 2000 in Bulgaria seems to be the most successful documented case in the region. While the coalition no longer exists, during its time, it managed to effectively build on the knowledge and expertise of its members to achieve important policy changes in the area of anti-corruption. In Poland, for more than a decade, the largest non-governmental organisations in the country have been working together to hold politicians to account with regard to their anti-corruption commitments. The coalition successfully put corruption on the election agenda, helping to make campaigns more competitive and transparent.

Authors

Reviewers

Date

11/05/2015

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