Lessons from the History of British Corruption and Anti-Corruption
When:
—
Venue:
Online
We are pleased to announce the "2nd Seminar Series on Governance, Institutions, and Sustainability” jointly hosted by the Centre for Political Economy and Institutional Studies and by the Birkbeck Responsible Business Centre, within the Birkbeck Business School.
In our rapidly evolving world, the intricate web connecting governance, institutions, and sustainability has become increasingly prominent. We invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to enhance this very important debate and to join us in exploring the profound intertwining of these critical elements at our upcoming seminar series.
Abstract
Historical data can yield useful insights into governance, institutions and sustainability. Focusing on Britain and its empire, from the seventeenth century onwards, and on the issue of corruption/anti-corruption, the presentation will examine how quality of governance changed over time but also how certain features of corruption persisted. A number of aspects will be covered. First, the paper will show how the meaning of corruption changed over time and meant different things in different contexts. Second, the paper will highlight how social practices and cultures (such as gift-giving, friendship, patronage) meant that the line between good and bad governance was often blurred and contested. Similarly the role and legitimacy of self-interest produced (and arguably still produces) contest. Third, one important strand in the British story was the emergence of ‘trust’ as a key concept that led to mechanisms of accountability. Fourth, poor governance in transnational institutions, such as the East India Company, proved extremely difficult to remedy and the process of doing so took a long time. Indeed, when thinking about change in relation to governance, we might have to think about longer time frames than the literature currently expects.
Speaker
Mark Knights (University of Warwick, UK)
Convener/Organiser: Dr Luca Andriani
This event is organised in collaboration with the Birkbeck Criminology Seminar Series
Contact name:
Luca Andriani
- Mark Knights (University of Warwick, UK)