Integrity and Anti-Corruption

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Introduction

Corruption is a fundamental cause of poverty, conflict, and state fragility. It undermines a state’s ability to effectively deliver public services, uphold the rule of law, and foster a conducive business environment. Furthermore, corruption presents a significant obstacle to sustainable economic and social development. Research has consistently demonstrated that marginalised communities are disproportionately affected by its consequences.

The course examines the underlying factors driving corruption and their impact on development. Participants will explore strategies to address these root causes and gain insights into international initiatives, legislation, and agreements aimed at combatting corruption. The course presents examples of integrity policies that prevent corrupt practices by fostering a culture of ethics within public institutions, and ensuring that governments operate in the best interest of their citizens. Additionally, various policy instruments, including codes of conduct and whistleblower protection regulations, will be discussed.

The programme includes a workshop on integrity dilemmas, in which participants share experiences, challenges, and practical insights from their professional environment. By engaging with fellow professionals from diverse backgrounds, participants will broaden their perspective on integrity and anti-corruption efforts worldwide.

Key Information

This course is aimed at professionals involved in anti-corruption, transparency and accountability processes concerning development and governance. Participants come from national, regional and local government, knowledge institutes, NGOs and donor and development organisations.

The course fee is € 3,895*. This includes all training related costs as well as drinks and warm lunches during the training days. Group discounts are available if you participate with three or more colleagues.

After this course, you will receive a professional certificate of completion from The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

*Professionals working in local government or for local NGOs on the DAC list of ODA-recipient countries (OECD) may qualify for a reduced course fee. Contact us for details.

Learning objectives

The Integrity & Anti-corruption course will help you:

• Define key concepts and international frameworks for the promotion of integrity and prevention of corruption;
• Explore the widespread nature of corruption and its effects on social and economic development, as well as the rule of law;
• Identify and practice with methodologies for corruption analysis;
• Understand integrity systems in organisations, and the tools needed to design them;
• Recognise and respond to ethical dilemmas in their work;
• Review integrity and anti-corruption policies from their local context, and identify actionable steps to address gaps and drive positive change.

Experience

Participants will engage with leading practitioners and experts in the field of integrity and anti-corruption, gaining insights into global trends, best practices, and challenges. They will analyse real-life cases, learning how different policies and interventions have been applied in various contexts.

Interactive exercises help participants develop practical skills for handling integrity-related challenges in their own work environments. In a dilemma-workshop, participants will discuss ethical dilemmas from real-life cases and explore decision-making scenarios. Through role-plays and simulations, they learn how to deal with the complexities of enforcing integrity policies and corruption risks in a controlled setting.

Study visits to the city of Rotterdam and the Ministry of Defense show how public authorities in The Netherlands develop integrity policies and work towards a culture of integrity in their organisations. Participants will also experience transparency of government data during an open data tour in the city of Utrecht. Furthermore, the Public Prosecutor for Anti-corruption of The Netherlands shares experiences with the enforcement of anti-corruption policies.