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Module details for 2022/23.

15 credits

FHEQ Level 7 (Masters)

Module Outline

Governments are increasingly making use of social marketing campaigns, social audits, and channels for whistleblowing in order to mobilize citizens to participate in the societal fight against corruption. While such citizen-directed initiatives aim to reinforce particular (pro-social) normative behaviours, their success has been hampered by a lack of critical reflection on their ethical foundations. Furthermore, anticorruption initiatives rarely take into account local institutional legacies, socio-cultural traditions, and political economies, relying instead on game theory to make sense of the behaviour of individuals. Consequently, citizen-directed initiatives often appear decontextualized, generic, and overly simplistic along key reform dimensions. This module aims to address these fundamental weaknesses by shifting the focus of the public policy agenda from anti-corruption to integrity. Instead of looking at what does not work in a particular setting the module effectively looks at what works by focusing on the integrity values, mechanisms and processes that hold together the social fabric of the society. This module explores the links between corruption and political legitimacy through a three dimensional model that connects the problem – corruption, the solution – integrity and the path from one to the other – ethics. We will look comparatively at complex political environments and sectors analysing the effectiveness of public policies related to anti-corruption and integrity. The students will be encouraged to problematize issues of ‘democratisation’, ‘transition’ and ‘good governance’ through the corruption-integrity-ethics nexus as revealed by analysis of policies as well as by the understanding of the social conditions in which these phenomena occur.

Module learning outcomes

Understand, assess and critically evaluate the major theoretical debates in law and social sciences regarding integrity and ethics

Critically appraise the policy approaches of private sectors and governments in developed, developing and emerging countries for enhancing integrity and curbing corruption in the public sector.

Demonstrate the analytical skills required to carry out independent and original research on the integrity in the private sector.

Develop and present a policy portfolio that diagnoses and suggests solutions relating to integrity and anti-corruption in specific key sectors, including the political and social context in which the policies operate.

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Timing

Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.

Weighting

Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.

How to read the week pattern

The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.

Prof Emily Robinson

Assess convenor
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