The bribery of public officials was once thought to ‘grease the wheels of commerce’ in ‘modernizing’ states. Now, bribery (and corruption in all forms) is decried as a source of economic inefficiency, distributive injustice, and social and political instability in ‘emerging markets’ and ‘developing countries’. Through international treaties and soft laws, traditional export powers have committed to sanctioning legal entities that bribe foreign public officials in international business transactions. This project explores the governance implications of globalised standards on corporate liability for the crime of foreign bribery, probing the legitimacy of transnational efforts to combat corruption in the global South by delegating law enforcement powers to large corporations in the North. It suggests a multi-dimensional approach to assessing the effectiveness of transnational legal orders on economic crime and proposes an empirical study of their perception among regulating and regulated groups.

Project members

Associate Professor Radha Ivory

Associate Professor
TC Beirne School of Law