Side Event: Tackling State Capture: Practical approaches to building integrity and resilience
Mar 24, 2026 | 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
CC24
Description
State capture is a form of systemic corruption where interest groups take control of the institutions and processes through which public policy is made, and disable the institutions meant to hold them to account. It undermines competition, stifles innovation and worsens inequality. Even democratic societies are increasingly afflicted by state capture. Experience from several countries shows that even when the people succeed in ousting captor governments, it is not straightforward to prevent it from recurring.
In this session, we will hear from academic experts and practitioners who work on building resilience to state capture. We examine the challenges of dismantling capture when vested interests fight back, discuss how to prioritise among competing objectives, and debate the role of international actors in assisting reform.
SPEAKERS:
• Liz David-Barrett, Director, Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex (moderator)
• Jesper Johnson, Deputy Head of Division, Anti-Corruption and Integrity, OECD
• Jozsef Peter Martin, Executive Director, Transparency International Hungary
• Viktor Pavlushchyk, Head, National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Ukraine
• • Marie-Helene Boulanger, Deputy Director, Head of Unit, Democracy, Union citizenship and anti-corruption, European Commission
• Tina Burjaliani, Senior Counsel in the Governance and Anti-Corruption Division of the Legal Department at the IMF
