Corruption prevention: Strategic challenges, tactical solutions
This project explored what works in reducing corruption by developing case studies and cross-cutting analysis in three key areas: land administration, national anti-corruption strategies, and commodity certification systems, to support policy learning and innovation in ODA-eligible countries.
Project Summary
This project set out to generate actionable evidence on anti-corruption reforms by producing 15 case studies and a series of analytical briefs across three themes: land tenure and land administration, national anti-corruption strategies, and supply chain certification schemes.
By drawing lessons from diverse countries, the research provided insights on implementation barriers and success factors, with a strong focus on relevance for DFID’s work in priority countries. The team engaged policymakers, civil servants, and development professionals through workshops, newsletters, and targeted outreach.
The project ran from 2016 to 2017, with some elements supported by the Omidyar Network to expand the land-focused research.
Key Findings
- Land administration: Community-led and tech-based land registration (e.g. in Mozambique and Kyrgyzstan) can boost tenure security but require tailored outreach and institutional reforms.
- Anti-corruption strategies: National plans succeed when they are prioritised, decentralised effectively (e.g. Mauritius), and supported by coordinated implementation.
- Supply chain certification: Effective engagement of smallholders is critical. Kenya’s tea certification succeeded thanks to strong market structure, while Colombia (coffee) and Indonesia (palm oil) offer lessons on overcoming adoption challenges.
Impact highlights
- Case studies used by UNODC and the International Anti-Corruption Academy in training.
- Uptake by anti-corruption bodies in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Kenya.
- Over 2,000 downloads and extensive dissemination via newsletters, blogs, and workshops.
- Featured in high-level policy forums, including an anti-corruption summit in Oslo and a land security symposium in Washington, D.C.
Methodology
The team conducted desk research, stakeholder interviews, and field visits to develop in-depth, comparative case studies. Findings were synthesised into accessible briefs and actively disseminated to practitioners in DFID priority countries and beyond.
Publications
Registering Rural Rights: Village Land Titling in Tanzania, 2008-2017
In the early 2000s, Tanzania struggled to protect the land rights of the 75% of its citizens who lived in rural areas. Rapid population growth and rising investment in commercial agriculture had increased land scarcity and created the potential for…
Cementing the Right of Ownership: Land Registration in Kyrgyzstan, 1999–2009
In 1999, eight years after emerging from decades of Soviet domination, Kyrgyzstan began an ambitious effort to officially recognize property ownership throughout the country and lay the groundwork for a vibrant real estate market. During five and a half decades…
Working Toward Sustainable Coffee: Rainforest Alliance Certification in Colombia, 2006–2017
In the early 2000s, the 500,000 smallholder farmers who collectively produced more than three-quarters of Colombia’s coffee gave little thought to the impact of their activities on the environment, as they struggled to earn a living. Many carelessly used dangerous…
A Step Toward Supply Chain Sustainability: The Round Table on Responsible Soy in Brazil, 2005-2017
In the early 2000s, deforestation accelerated in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and global environmental groups began to raise the alarm. Greenpeace, one of the most vocal groups, published a report that placed the blame partly on the soy industry, which had…
Brewing a Sustainable Future: Certifying Kenya’s Smallholder Tea Farmers, 2007-2017
In 2007, multinational consumer goods company Unilever launched a partnership with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) to help bring Kenya’s more than 500,000 small-scale tea farmers up to the certification standard set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a global…
Securing Land Rights: Making Land Titling Work in Rwanda, 2012-2017
In June 2012, Rwanda’s national land registry completed a nearly four-year project that mapped every one of the country’s 10.4 million parcels and prepared title documents for 8 million landholders. It was an unprecedented accomplishment in a country in which…
Putting Rural Communities on the Map: Land Registration in Mozambique, 2007–2016
In April 2006, six international donor agencies established a program to help Mozambique’s government register community land rights and improve tenure security for rural residents. Under Mozambique’s constitution, the state owned all land. A 1997 law, adopted after a 15-year…
Forest-Friendly Palm Production: Certifying Small-Scale Farmers in Indonesia, 2011–2016
In 2011, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a global environmental group, launched a pilot project to help 349 Indonesian palm oil farmers reduce the environmental impact of their farms. The initiative was a first step towards ushering more…
Case Study: Heading Off Corruption: Indonesia Acts to Meet UN Standards, 2010-2016
Case study on Indonesia's obligations to meet UN standards to expand the government's anti-corruption measures and align with the UN's Convention against Corruption. By 2014, the agencies had met 88% of the targets they had committed to. Civil society observers…
Case Study: Contested Terrain: Reforming Procurement Systems in South Africa, 2013-2016
Case study based on interviews conducted in South Africa in 2017. The study assesses the reform efforts of procurement systems, specifically after the appointment of finance ministers and procurement officers bent on making procurement processes more efficient and rooting out…
Case Study: Tackling Corruption from the Bottom Up: Decentralized Graft Prevention in Mauritius, 2009-2016
Case study based on interviews conducted in Mauritius in December 2016 to examine decentralized graft prevention in Mauritius and the efficacy of a corruption prevention program that proposed a bottom-up strategy to reduce opportunities for bribe taking, nepotism, and conflicts…
Case Study: The Sum of its Parts: Coordinating Brazil’s Fight Against Corruption, 2003-2016
Case study based on interviews conducted in Brazil from 2016-2017 to identify the factors at play during the prosecution of the country's biggest corruption case. The case study defines the actors, history and legal ramifications of this historic legal battle.
Case Study: The Drive to Protect Forests: Introducing Sustainable Cattle Certification in Brazil, 2009–2016
Case study based on interviews conducted in São Paulo, Brazil during August and September 2016 to assess the sustainable ranching movement and cattle certification process in Brazil in order protect forests. The case study was published in Innovations for Successful…
Research Team Members
Jennifer Widner
Blair Cameron
Leon Schreiber
Maya Gainer
Tristan Dreisbach
Gordon LaForge