U4 helpdesk/policy

The U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre and Helpdesk

Since 2002, TI has cooperated with the Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI) in Bergen, Norway, in the development of an Anti-Corruption Resource Centre for the U4 group of ministries of international development. The U4 group is supported by the government development agencies of Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The U4 promotes informed approach to anti-corruption policy development through training, knowledge management and research activities. TI has contributed to several aspects of the Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, such as developing a set of FAQs on corruption, compiling selected annotated literature and assisting in preparation of an anti-corruption training course curriculum for anti-corruption practitioners.

The U4 Anti-Corruption Helpdesk

From 2003 to present, TI has also operated the U4 Anti-Corruption Helpdesk in collaboration with CMI. The U4 Helpdesk provides targeted, timely and evidence-based advice on anti-corruption issues to the staff of member international development agencies - both at their headquarters and field offices worldwide - on a demand driven basis. Queries are answered within 10 working days in the form of “U4 Expert Answers”. Each answer provides a synthesis of the state of research on a specific topic, lessons learnt from case studies as well as practical recommendations for anti-corruption approaches. They are published on the public access website www.u4.no. More than 150 U4 Expert Answers have been prepared to date, drawing on the expertise of the U4 Panel of Experts as well as the TI network. Topics cover a wide range of corruption related issues, from the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies to how to tackle corruption in post-conflict situations.

A searchable data base of all published Expert Answers is available at www.U4.no

Read recent expert answers:

Overview of Corruption in Pakistan
Can you provide:
(1) A description of the present status of corruption in Pakistan with past and future
trends. This would include details of any previous scandals; the present political
interests and institutional structure; and present systems weakness; including
assessment of whether the risk to funds is greater at the federal, provincial or local
government levels
(2) A summary of the key reforms proposed and implemented by the Government of
Pakistan that have effectively mitigated, and, more importantly, will mitigate future
corruption both in the private and public sectors. Focus should be on the trackrecord
of respective governments over the last 10 years and in particular any
measures proposed by the present government since taking office in March 2008.

Corruption in Land Administration / Land Management in Kosovo
What are the largest risks of corruption in the land administration/land management sector in a post conflict situation such as Kosovo?

Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties and Money Laundering
How a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty can help in dealing with money laundering?

Organised crime and corruption
What literature/evidence exists on the linkages between organised crime and state corruption (at all levels) in developing countries?

Hawala remittance system and money laundering
What are the risks of corruption involved with the Hawala remittance system and how far is it thought to be connected with money laundering?

Supporting Zambian judicial capacity to handle corruption cases
Can you provide examples of initiatives that have supported the capacity of the Judiciary in handling corruption cases and fast tracking of corruption cases in courts?

Corruption and Public Sector Reform Monitoring Systems
Can you provide any examples of public sector and parliamentary reforms monitoring and evaluation systems that have integrated relevant corruption indicators?

Donor Responses to Corruption in Deteriorating Governance Environments
Are there any case studies or empirical works on the reaction of donors when faced with corruption or deteriorating governance situations?

Corruption in Fast-Growing Markets: Lessons from Russia and Vietnam
What is the nature of corruption in fast-growing markets? How can we combat corruption in this context?

Overview of Corruption in Rwanda
Please provide an update on the extent and type of corruption in Rwanda.

Comparative Assessment of Anti-Corruption Conventions' Review Mechanisms
Please provide a comparative assessment of review mechanisms currently used to assess progress against UN or other conventions.

Corruption and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
Are there any anti-corruption elements inherent in the policy design and/or accession arguments for neighbouring states to the European Neighbourhood Policy?

African Experience of Asset Declarations
Can you please describe experience of wealth declaration processes in Africa, providing details of challenges, impact and ways to overcome potential opposition to such schemes?

Overview of Corruption and Government’s Efforts against Corruption in Mali
Please provide an overview of corruption in Mali as well as efforts made by the Government of Mali to fight it.

Corruption and the Renegotiation of Mining Contracts
Please provide an overview of the corruption dynamics in the negotiation and renegotiation of mining contracts, including successful examples of renegotiation processes.