2025: In the Midst of Global Disruption, Incisive Thinking Persists

Catherine Garson, Editor of the Corruption in Fragile States Blog

Looking back on 2025 and the ecosystem that Besa Global operates in, the impact of the US and its President on the world is inescapable. The convulsions from the Trump administration’s demolition of established aid and humanitarian institutions are still being felt.  

The anti-corruption field could not avoid being heavily hit by the slew of brutal executive orders of the new US administration. Around the world, programs were being slashed, heads were rolling, and livelihoods were being endangered. Apart from the termination of our Ugandan social norms change program, many of our partners and colleagues were also waking up to all forms of cancellations, terminations and freezing.  

February and March saw an ominous sector-wide silence: people were in a state of shock, paralysis and disbelief –– not knowing how to react to the sudden and far-reaching uncertainty. Things literally went dark. ‘Business as usual’ lost its meaning. We were not immune. Even in my small corner of ‘this’ world – the Corruption in Fragile States Blog – we were incapacitated.  

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But as April rolled around, we got our mojo back and published some high-quality pieces on diverse themes by guest authors and our own staff. (The full author list is here). 

Four Blogs stand out: Blogs 1 and 2 focus on the US, with one looking at the US and corruption ‘at home’ and the other looking at the US’s stance on corruption ‘abroad’. Blogs 3 and 4 reflect the bread-and-butter work of Besa Global –– that is, new and important thinking, findings, and practice in the anti-corruption field.

1. The United States and corruption in the United States

Once the immediate shock had subsided, we were fortunate to be able to draw on the expert thinking of one of our long-time contributors, Michael Johnston (Colgate University (Emeritus)). He and Oguzhan Dincer (Illinois State University) wrote this timely piece on the shifting checks and balances for dealing with corruption in the US. In a shift from the usual focus on corruption at the federal level, ‘Bribes, Gratuities… and Passing the Buck’ looks specifically at corruption at the state level.  

It starts off with this stark warning: 

'The United States is facing an emerging corruption problem that so far has drawn relatively little notice. Relying primarily upon federal prosecutors to check state and local corruption has always been a questionable strategy, and it is now about to become even less of a deterrent.'

(With all that went down in 2025, in hindsight this now looks like a significant understatement!)

The authors offer three useful and perhaps worrying cautionary tales when it comes to the criminal prosecution of corrupt acts and individuals. To give a taste, Cautionary tale #3: Partisan bias can arise in the prosecution of public officials by U.S. District Attorneys.  

After the full surgical exposition, the blog ends thus:  

'If the states are indeed to become even more important players in terms of corruption control, citizens and businesses in many parts of the country who seek honest and accountable government may well be in for a very rough ride.'

Sobering stuff indeed.  

2. The United States and its approach to corruption in the rest of the world

Seven months later, with the year coming to a close and more turbulent water under the bridge, in his blog Insights for Engaging the Trump Administration on Global Anti-Corruption Efforts Schuyler Miller helps practitioners make sense of the current landscape. Describing the administration’s approach to corruption, as ‘idiosyncratic’, ‘fluid by design,’ ‘diminishing anti-corruption efforts’ and ‘engaging in corrupt acts itself’, Schuyler says it is ‘no wonder that many practitioners within and outside of government continue to wonder: is there any way to effectively engage U.S. officials on countering corruption globally? Or is it a lost cause?'  

Drawing on his experience and insights from his time as a government official, Schuyler articulates three helpful guiding principles for practitioners to engage the administration on anti-corruption efforts. In short, these are:  

1. Link to U.S. interests. There should be strong and immediate ties to U.S interests. In Secretary Rubio’s words, ‘does it make us [America] stronger, safer, or more prosperous?’  

2. Streamline anti-corruption considerations. Because of the significant cuts to standalone anti-corruption efforts, ‘anti-corruption is better embedded within bilateral programs and initiatives, not as a separate effort.’   

3. Consider scoping and specificity…. [s]ome officials may spurn concerns with individual abuse of power unless critics can detail clear evidence of the unlawfulness and the urgency of addressing it. 

The principles are backed by in-depth research and strong evidence, and the whole Blog is well worth reading.  

3. Unpacking collective action as a strategy for change in the anti-corruption field

Moving from Concept to Action: The need for practical guidance to implement collective action as a strategy for change marks a return to Besa Global’s core business of identifying opportunities for innovation in the anti-corruption space. Here, Executive Director Cheyanne Scharbatke-Church and Senior Advisor Peter Woodrow collaborate once more, exploring a critical gap they see in the knowledge base on anti-corruption collective action.  

Conceptual understanding is not enough –– in this case that endemic corruption is a collective action problem––say the authors. There needs to be more emphasis on ‘collective action as an action strategy’. While there is some available guidance for implementing an action strategy, it appears to be largely inadequate.  

‘Effective collective action strategies require skillful tactics’ the authors note. Drawing on their experience over the past three years while serving as core instructors for the IACA Anti-Corruption Collective Action certificate program they arrived at these key questions that practitioners can ask themselves:  

• Are the conditions favorable for a collective action campaign?  

• Given who I am (my position and organization/agency), what am I able to do?  

• How do I go about building dedication among coalition partners? 

In characteristic fashion, the authors devote a good portion of the piece to practical implementation.  

So if you haven’t done so already, read the whole blog to see how practitioners can work with these questions to devise smarter tactics. 

4. Fascinating findings about social norms and corruption among women healthcare workers in Nigeria

This blog captures the key take-aways from a conversation between Besa’s Diana Chigas and PIC’s Isaac Oritogun. Women and Corruption: Navigating the Complex Interaction of Gender Norms and Social Norms explores a fundamental question about social norms and corruption: When social norms drive people’s corrupt behaviors, do different people experience them differently because of social expectations associated with their other social identities — like gender, religion, ethnicity, age, or geography?

Isaac’s comments illustrate how social norms shift and intersect differently as social and economic conditions change. He notes that with more women entering the workplace: 

'It’s complicated because this is where we see certain social norms and gender norms competing. It's a gender double bind. As breadwinners, female health workers, like men, are under enormous pressure to provide, but at the same time they are also expected to be kind and caring and honest. These tensions might make them more reluctant to boldly solicit a bribe, and to possibly go about it in a more covert way. Unlike men, who are expected to behave more aggressively and assertively.'

The whole conversation is well worth a read, as it flags other findings and considerations for practitioners from a collaborative research project between Besa Global and the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) in Nigeria, which looked at women health workers and corruption.  

Catherine Garson is an editorial consultant, advanced writing mentor, and communication coach. In all the services she offers, she helps people express themselves and their ideas with clarity and precision. She works with individuals and groups from organizations in the public and private sectors, and academia. Her list of top-notch clients includes international development organizations, think tanks, research institutes, and universities. In a career spanning over thirty years, she has acquired her high-level skills as a communication and language specialist through teaching and tutoring, writing and editing, and translating. Based in Madrid, she speaks Spanish and French. She also spends time in South Africa, her home country.