Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RESPOND (RESPOND- Rescuing Democracy from Political Corruption in Digital Societies)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-05-01 do 2025-04-30
Democracy today is being put to the test. Confidence in democracy is at a low point and illiberal democracies are on the rise in many countries, including the EU, which, according to some, may be facing its own wave of autocratization. A critical driver of this erosion is political corruption - both real and perceived - which undermines citizens' trust in democratic processes and institutions. However, current corruption studies have significant gaps. They focus primarily on criminal offences while overlooking legitimate forms of political influence that can distort democratic decision-making without necessarily breaking laws. At the same time, they do not pay enough attention to the digital transformations that have fundamentally changed and will continue to change how corruption operates and how anti-corruption, both within and outside institutions, can be carried on. Finally, while cross-border corruption has become increasingly sophisticated, we lack a systematic understanding of how it works, especially concerning its connection with legitimate forms of political influence and considering how digital technologies enable and combat these practices.
RESPOND is a five-year, large-scale collaborative project that aims to fill these critical gaps in our knowledge of political corruption and its impact on democracy. It does so by reaching four objectives: 1) Expanding our understanding of political corruption beyond criminal definitions to include five key forms of political influence that can lead to political corruption: political finance, lobbying, personal ties, revolving doors, and media capture; 2) Investigating how digitalization and datafication processes, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, both sustain and combat corruption; 3) Examining how key forms of political influence in societies, when leading to political corruption, have an impact on citizens' understanding of democracy and their political participation; 4) Co-creating concrete solutions with stakeholders to increase integrity and curb political corruption, with a specific focus on key forms of political influence in societies.
To reach these four objectives, RESPOND employs mixed-method comparative research across all 27 EU member states and 11 neighbouring countries, with in-depth qualitative analysis in 9 strategically selected countries representing diverse democratic contexts (Sweden, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria). This comprehensive approach combines computational, quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods.
At the policy level, RESPOND will provide evidence-based recommendations to EU institutions, national governments, and international organisations (OECD, UNODC) to strengthen anti-corruption frameworks and democratic governance. The project will train law enforcement officers across EU member states in advanced corruption detection methods and empower representatives from civil society organisations with new digital analytical tools. Educational impact includes reaching students across three EU member states with enhanced democracy education and potentially raising awareness among 1European citizens through media campaigns and public engagement activities. Technologically, the project will democratize access to anti-corruption tools through user-friendly interfaces co-created with stakeholders while contributing to the human-centred development of digital technologies for integrity promotion.
RESPOND is a five-year, large-scale collaborative project that aims to fill these critical gaps in our knowledge of political corruption and its impact on democracy. It does so by reaching four objectives: 1) Expanding our understanding of political corruption beyond criminal definitions to include five key forms of political influence that can lead to political corruption: political finance, lobbying, personal ties, revolving doors, and media capture; 2) Investigating how digitalization and datafication processes, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, both sustain and combat corruption; 3) Examining how key forms of political influence in societies, when leading to political corruption, have an impact on citizens' understanding of democracy and their political participation; 4) Co-creating concrete solutions with stakeholders to increase integrity and curb political corruption, with a specific focus on key forms of political influence in societies.
To reach these four objectives, RESPOND employs mixed-method comparative research across all 27 EU member states and 11 neighbouring countries, with in-depth qualitative analysis in 9 strategically selected countries representing diverse democratic contexts (Sweden, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria). This comprehensive approach combines computational, quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods.
At the policy level, RESPOND will provide evidence-based recommendations to EU institutions, national governments, and international organisations (OECD, UNODC) to strengthen anti-corruption frameworks and democratic governance. The project will train law enforcement officers across EU member states in advanced corruption detection methods and empower representatives from civil society organisations with new digital analytical tools. Educational impact includes reaching students across three EU member states with enhanced democracy education and potentially raising awareness among 1European citizens through media campaigns and public engagement activities. Technologically, the project will democratize access to anti-corruption tools through user-friendly interfaces co-created with stakeholders while contributing to the human-centred development of digital technologies for integrity promotion.
During the first reporting period, RESPOND has made substantial progress in establishing the scientific foundations required to achieve its four main research objectives. The main achievement to date has been the preparation and initiation of most of the activities related to the project's empirical research.
More specifically, Work Package 2 advanced systematic literature reviews and historical-legal analyses. It also began constructing a large-scale dataset on cases of political corruption involving undue influence. This lays the groundwork for producing new data on political corruption and its links to political finance, lobbying, personal ties and media capture. Work Packages 3 to 6 organised co-creation workshops to identify how specific forms of political influence shape key political and administrative decisions, and began developing proxy measures and risk indicators related to the role of undue influences in political corruption. Work Package 7 began exploring the cross-border dynamics of political corruption, particularly those involving multinational firms and foreign state actors.
Meanwhile, Work Packages 8 and 10 began investigating the role of digital technologies in enabling anti-corruption initiatives. Case studies, data collection and initial analyses have been launched to examine investigative journalists' and civil society actors' practices involving the use of established and emerging technologies across nine European countries. Activities under Work Packages 8, 9 and 10 also initiated research into how political corruption is represented in the public sphere, and its influence on citizens' perceptions of democratic legitimacy and participation.
Finally, WP12 launched a baseline survey to assess the needs and knowledge gaps of RESPOND participants, setting the groundwork for evaluating the impact of co-creation activities.
More specifically, Work Package 2 advanced systematic literature reviews and historical-legal analyses. It also began constructing a large-scale dataset on cases of political corruption involving undue influence. This lays the groundwork for producing new data on political corruption and its links to political finance, lobbying, personal ties and media capture. Work Packages 3 to 6 organised co-creation workshops to identify how specific forms of political influence shape key political and administrative decisions, and began developing proxy measures and risk indicators related to the role of undue influences in political corruption. Work Package 7 began exploring the cross-border dynamics of political corruption, particularly those involving multinational firms and foreign state actors.
Meanwhile, Work Packages 8 and 10 began investigating the role of digital technologies in enabling anti-corruption initiatives. Case studies, data collection and initial analyses have been launched to examine investigative journalists' and civil society actors' practices involving the use of established and emerging technologies across nine European countries. Activities under Work Packages 8, 9 and 10 also initiated research into how political corruption is represented in the public sphere, and its influence on citizens' perceptions of democratic legitimacy and participation.
Finally, WP12 launched a baseline survey to assess the needs and knowledge gaps of RESPOND participants, setting the groundwork for evaluating the impact of co-creation activities.
As the RESPOND project is still in its early stages, with current efforts focused on data gathering across multiple work packages using computational, quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods, it is premature to report concrete results or impacts beyond the state of the art. The diverse methodological approach that RESPOND started developing in its first year is essential to ensure the production of interdisciplinary, evidence-based insights that will inform both academic debates and policy development. The project's full potential to contribute to advancing knowledge and practice in the field of anti-corruption and democratic governance will emerge in the subsequent phases when analysis and synthesis across empirical strands will take place.