Corruption is a highly complex and wide-reaching challenge for policymakers, and therefore offers fertile ground for research. In the last few weeks Bo Rothstein, Professor of Government and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School, has shone light on the issue in two important publications.

Together with Aiysha Varraich of the University of Gothenburg, Professor Rothstein has co-authored Making Sense of Corruption. The book investigates the evolution of our understanding of corruption, and argues that a universal understanding of corruption is possible, thus proposing an innovative solution.

Making Sense of Corruption is published by Cambridge University Press, and the School hosted a launch event in which the authors and guest speakers discussed the issue of defining corruption.

Additionally, Professor Rothstein wrote “To tackle corruption, we need to understand it”, an article for CapX in which he presents the idea that corruption is not merely an incentive problem, but rather rests on the idea that others are already doing it.

Above: Bo Rothstein (centre) at the Challenges of Government Conference 2016. Image credit: John Cairns