State Capture and Grand Corruption (868M9)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

This module looks at the mechanisms through which the state can be captured and compares patterns of capture across countries from all regions of the world. It also analyses ways of preventing capture, halting it in its tracks, and reversing it once it has happened.

The module examines:

• the definitions of state capture and grand corruption, exploring how they relate to similar concepts of kleptocracy and democratic backsliding
• transnational forms of state capture and their implications
• main mechanisms of capture
• the relationship with money laundering and international illicit financial flows
• methodological challenges of identifying and investigating state capture and grand corruption 
• ways in which academics have sought to measure state capture
• techniques used by law enforcement and investigative journalists to gather intelligence and evidence 
• the main policies used to prevent or build resilience against state capture
• the frontline of investigating and fighting state capture and grand corruption
• a range of cases seeking to utilise the methods, techniques and conceptual rigour to systematically analyse and compare cases. 

On this module you’ll:

• explore what distinguishes state capture and grand corruption from other forms of corruption, and how they relate to illicit financial flows
• study real-world cases which illustrate different patterns of capture, at the level of countries and organisations, and understand its impact on politics, economy and society
• learn about skills and techniques used by different stakeholders – including academics, law enforcement agencies, investigative journalists and policy-makers
• investigate state capture and grand corruption, to gather relevant data and evidence
• look at a range of different actors and policy responses aimed at preventing state capture, building resilience and reversing capture.

You’ll end the module with an appreciation of the importance of state capture and grand corruption for understanding contemporary debates relating to geopolitics, democracy and economic development.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.