139. Áron Hajnal & József Péter Martin on systemic corruption in Hungary
Hungary, once seen as a democratic success story is now widely recognized as one of the EU's most corrupt member states. Regular KB host Liz David-Barrett sits down with József Péter Martin and Áron Hajnal to examine how Viktor Orbán built a system of state capture, and why the EU struggled to respond. They discuss their research evaluating the effectiveness of EU conditionality measures, the challenges of tackling corruption when it's built into the regime itself, and what might happen in Hungary's crucial April 2026 elections.
Find Áron and József’s article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10999922.2025.2554409?scroll=top&needAccess=true#d1e186
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138. Devi Pillay on the role of consulting firms in state capture
How do multinational consulting firms enable state capture? In this episode, regular KB host Liz David-Barrett chats with Devi Pillay about her research on the role of McKinsey & Co.'s involvement in the capture of South Africa under President Zuma. Drawing on evidence from the Zondo Commission, Devi describes how consulting firms worked with politically connected local partners to extract billions in fees from state-owned enterprises, while providing misleading advice that facilitated further corruption. Liz and Devi also discuss the vital role of investigative journalists and whistleblowers in exposing these arrangements, the devastating impact on South Africa's infrastructure and economy, and the mixed accountability outcomes for the firms involved.
Find Devi Pillay’s working paper for GI ACE here: https://giace.org/resources/consulting-firms-corruption-and-state-capture/
Find similar themes on South Africa's state capture in episode 129.
GI ACE is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and UK International Development. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the UK Government’s official policies.
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137. Nicola Bonucci on the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
Join regular KB host Liz David-Barrett in conversation with Nicola Bonucci, a veteran public international lawyer who has been involved in the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention since its creation. This episode traces the convention's journey from its 1993 origins to current challenges, exploring how peer review mechanisms have transformed international business practices and examining the implications of recent changes in US enforcement policy. Essential listening for anyone interested in international law, corporate compliance, and the ongoing fight against global corruption.
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136. Mo Ibrahim on Good Governance in Africa
This Kickback episode features Mo Ibrahim, who joins Liz David-Barrett to share his transition from entrepreneurship to philanthropy, by establishing the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to promote good governance and leadership in Africa.
Mo shares the primary mechanisms to achieving the Foundations goals, including the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, and the Africa leadership prize, which aims to highlight positive role models and support them post-office, asserting the importance of African-led initiatives and self-reliance in the face of declining foreign aid and internal conflicts.
Learn more about the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) here: https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/our-research/iiag
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135. Nicole Rose & AJ Brown on Corruption in Australia
For this episode, regular host Robert Barrington is joined by two anticorruption experts from Australia. Nicole Rose is the Deputy Commissioner at The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), and AJ Brown is a Professor of Public Policy and Law at Griffith University and the Chair of Transparency International’s (TI) Australian chapter.
Some of the main themes discussed in the episode include:
- The extent and nature of corruption in Australia
- The role of the newly-established NACC in addressing “grey corruption"
- Effective approaches to anticorruption measures
- The utility of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)
- Uniquely Australian concepts of corruption
- Top priorities in strengthening the anticorruption system.
For more on corruption in liberal democracies, check out the previous episode: 134. Oguzhan Dincer & Michael Johnston on Corruption in America.
Find out more about AJ’s work here: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/18540-a-j-brown
And the NACC here: https://www.nacc.gov.au/
This podcast series features in-depth interviews with a wide range of corruption experts, on questions such as:
What have we learned from 20+ years of (anti)corruption research?
Why and how does power corrupt?
Which theories help to make sense of corruption?
What can we do to manage corruption?
How to recovery stolen assets?
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