Back to selection
67511-01 - Seminar: Corruption and Development – Causes, Consequences and Approaches to Fight it (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers |
Claudia Baez Camargo Lujambio (claudia.baez-camargo@unibas.ch)
Jacopo Costa (jacopo.costa@unibas.ch) Saba Kassa (saba.kassa@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Corruption undermines global sustainable development. Scarce public resources are squandered, and citizens do not have access to good public services. Where politicians and bureaucrats seek personal gain, citizens lose trust in public institutions, and inequality increases. Corruption is a complex phenomenon, and we will work together to unravel it in this course. The course examines how corruption intersects with and amplifies major challenges to development and global progress while exploring approaches to understanding and combating corruption in different contexts. The course begins with core concepts about corruption and anti-corruption, including key definitions, theoretical frameworks, and measurement approaches. Building on this foundation, we explore how corruption manifests in and exacerbates critical issues facing our world today: How do different forms of corruption, from petty to grand, erode state capacity? What is the impact of corruption on society and vice versa how do societal norms shape corruption? How do corrupt networks affect illicit exchange, and what enables their transnational projection? How is corruption a driver and an effect of conflict and insecurity, and how does it connect with democratic backsliding? And what role does corruption play in undermining climate action and environmental protection? Throughout the course, we analyse both the corruption challenges and potential solutions, including technological innovations and behavioural interventions. Through case studies, discussions, and practical exercises, students develop a nuanced understanding of the complexity of corruption and the range of tools available to combat it in different contexts. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students should be able to: - Discuss competing conceptualisations of understanding and defining corruption; - Identify different types of corruption, and understand their drivers and implications; - Analyse how corruption manifests across different contexts; - Reflect critically on how to measure corruption; - Examine the relevance of (anti-)corruption in the development field; - Examine corruption's role in major contemporary challenges; - Have a differentiated understanding of the various anti-corruption approaches, their implementation and efficacy. |
| Bibliography | Reading list and more detailed course outline in the first course session |
| Comments | Advanced BA 5th semesters onwards Attention: All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Admission requirements | Advanced BA 5th semesters onwards Attention: All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Course application | Advanced BA 5th semesters onwards |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 20.02.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 27.02.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 06.03.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 13.03.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Fasnachstferien |
| Thursday 20.03.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 27.03.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 03.04.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 10.04.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 17.04.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Ostern |
| Thursday 24.04.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 01.05.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Tag der Arbeit |
| Thursday 08.05.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 15.05.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 22.05.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Thursday 29.05.2025 | 12.15-13.45 | Auffahrt |
| Modules |
Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften B.A. (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Regionaler Fokus B.A. (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft B.A. (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | The module is assessed at 30% with active class participation. Every session will start with a review of the 3 preparatory questions, and the session will end with an interactive group exercise and discussion. Students are expected to actively engage with these questions, as well as with group exercises and overall class discussion. 70% of the module grade is made up of a written assignment. Students are to write one essay with a maximum word count of 5000. Students will analyse a documentary explaining a corruption phenomenon and will be tasked with answering 4-5 questions on it: what is the problem, what are the drivers of corruption, what would be an approach to fight it, and what are the challenges? |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |