Corruption and the COVID-19 Pandemic | World Justice Project

Corruption and the COVID-19 Pandemic

This policy brief is part of a multidisciplinary initiative from the World Justice Project to expand knowledge of the relationship between public health and the rule of law, and to identify measures to tackle the twin crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rule of law where they intersect. Learn more about this initiative here, and look for additional policy briefs to be published at worldjusticeproject.org/news in the coming weeks.

The COVID-19 pandemic gives rise to very significant risks of corruption. Massive resources mobilized to respond to the health and economic crises create opportunities for corruption, while many corruption prevention and enforcement mechanisms are suspended due to the emergency. This corruption risk is a rule of law problem in itself. It also compromises the pandemic response, undermining much-needed trust in public institutions, squandering supplies and resources, and impeding their flow to those in need.

While the risk of corruption is high in the context of the pandemic, it is not inevitable. Lessons learned from past emergencies can inform smart strategies for preventing corruption. Anti-corruption laws, regulations, and best practices provide guidance for taking swift action without compromising integrity. Technology and principles of open and accountable governance can provide invaluable checks and hold corrupt actors to account. Over the longer term, a recovery that includes measures to curb corruption promises to be more equitable and sustainable.

This policy brief outlines the principal corruption risks posed by the pandemic and highlights relevant norms, best practices, and resources to combat corruption in the pandemic response and recovery period.

Corruption and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Corruption and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Download (PDF)

title bar

Read More

title bar

A finger pushing back against blocks that say "autocracy" so that they say "democracy"

The American Bar Association’s International Law Section recently convened a panel to discuss the global impact of U.S. Democracy under fire as part of its annual “Rule of Law Webathon.” World Justice Project Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen joined the Hon. Andre M. Davis, U.S. Circuit Judge (ret.), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Cass R. Sunstein, professor at Harvard Law School, and Scott Carlson, associate executive director of global programs for the American Bar Association in a robust discussion about how lawyers can help prevent further backsliding of democracy. The panel was moderated by the Hon. Delissa A. Ridgway of the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Read More

An illustration of people interacting with the justice system

WJP Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen recently addressed the American Bar Association’s “Putting People first: People-Centered Justice at Home and Abroad” conference in Washington DC. Andersen used her remarks to define the unmet justice needs experienced by billions around the world and explain how people-centered justice can bridge the justice gap.

Read More

Gente sale a la calle para protestar en Guayaquil, Ecuador en 2015. Crédito de la foto Michael Müller/iStock

WASHINGTON, 17 de mayo de 2023 - La mayoría de la población de América Latina y el Caribe consideran que su gobierno utiliza la desinformación para moldear la opinión pública a su favor. Este es sólo un indicio del autoritarismo y de la desconfianza generalizada en los gobiernos de la región, según se desprende de 26 nuevos reportes nacionales sobre el Estado de Derecho publicados hoy por el World Justice Project (WJP). "Estos reportes representan las voces de las personas en toda América Latina y el Caribe y en cómo perciben y experimentan el Estado de Derecho", dijo Elizabeth Andersen, Directora Ejecutiva del WJP. "Estamos más contentos que nunca de compartir más datos de nuestras encuestas para ayudar a las diversas partes interesadas a identificar las debilidades del Estado de derecho y desarrollar políticas para hacerles frente."

Read More

People marching in protest in central streets of Córdoba, Argentina, 2014. Credit: Andres Ruffo/iStock

WASHINGTON May 17, 2023 – The majority of people in Latin America and the Caribbean believe their government is using misinformation to shape public opinion in their favor. That’s just one indication of authoritarianism and widespread mistrust of government in the region, as captured in 26 new Rule of Law country reports released today by the World Justice Project (WJP). “These reports represent the voices of the people across Latin America and the Caribbean and how they perceive and experience the rule of law,” said WJP Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen. “We are excited to share more of our survey data than ever before, to help diverse stakeholders pinpoint rule of law weaknesses and develop policies to address them.”

Read More