Next "Ecoonomics of Corruption" in October 2012

Prof. Graf Lambsdorff has been granted a sabbatical for the fall semester 2011. We thus regret that the lecture and workshop "the Economics of Corruption" will not be organized this year. This will disappoint many who were looking forward to the event. We can assure you the next event to take place in October 2012. So please mark your calender and consider to submit your application then.

Two New Discussion Papers Released

By help of a novel survey method approach households in 66 countries reveal their attitudes towards bribery. Read about the surprising results at the research area, contribution 30 of ICGG.

Another contribution 29 takes a Law and Economics perspective and links it to the problems of enforcing corrupt deal. It thus contributes to an anticorruption philosophy that provides cutting-edge insights for reform.

2010 Economics of Corruption

From October 9 to October 16, 2010 the University of Passau organizes "The Economics of Corruption: Lecture and Workshop in Good Governance and Reform". Around 100 participants are expected from around the world, including students, practitioners and doctoral scholars. Guest presentations by internationally reputable speakers will enrich the course to become truly interdisciplinary. Further information on the event here.

This course is part of a comprehensive Master's Program at the University of Passau .

2009 Anti-Corruption Course

From October 10 to October 17, 2009 the University of Passau organized the annual anticorruption training "The Economics of Corruption: A University Training in Good Governance and Reform". A group of more than 80 students, practitioners and doctoral scholars from around the world attended. Guest presentations by David Hawkes, Peter Graeff, Robert Esser and Declan Hill enriched the course to become truly interdisciplinary. David Leigh as the keynote speaker impressed the audience with his detailed account of how he uncovered the BAE systems scandal. "This was the best class we ever had" was the conclusion reached by Prof. Graf Lambsdorff after an exhausting and tremendously inspiring week. See the programm and further information on the event here . You can approach the Foto Gallery here

Three Reviews on The Institutional Economics of Corruption and Reform

The latest publication by Prof. Lambsdorff has been reviewed recently. Read the reviews in three leading journals. Public Choice, 2009, vol. 138 (1): 257-258, Comparative Economic Studies, 2009, Vol. 51 (1): 149-151, , Development and Change, 2008, Vol. 39(4): 711-712.

Publication by Prof. Graf Lambsdorff at Cambridge University Press released 2007

The Institutional Economics of Corruption and Reform: Theory, Evidence and Policy Corruption has been a feature of public institutions for centuries yet only relatively recently has it been made the subject of sustained scientific analysis. Lambsdorff shows how insights from institutional economics can be used to develop a better understanding of why corruption occurs and the best policies to combat it. He argues that rather than being deterred by penalties, corrupt actors are more influenced by other factors such as the opportunism of their criminal counterparts and the danger of acquiring a reputation of unreliabilty. This suggests a novel strategy for fighting corruption similar to the invisible hand that governs competitive markets. This strategy - the 'invisible foot' - shows that the unreliability of corrupt counterparts induces honesty and good governance even in the absence of good intentions. Combining theoretical research with state-of-the-art empirical investigations, this book will be an invaluable resource for researchers and policy-makers concerned with anti-corruption reform. Order this book now from Amazon

Chinese Version Passau, July 2007. A chinese translation of the book is now available. We would like to thank Guo Yong, Liu Guoxiang, Fan Xiaoyan and Qiao Jiying for translating and proofreading the book. Thanks are also due to Cai Wei, Cheng Wenhao and the Anti-Corruption & Governance Research Center, School of Public Policy & Management, Tsinghua University.