The BIT-ACT team at the ECPR 2023 General Conference in Prague

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The 2023 General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) will receive the contributions of the BIT-ACT team, who will present papers and chair panels on crucial issues related to corruption, integrity, and global security threats.

Fernanda Odilla, a BIT-ACT research fellow, is co-chairing with professor Alina Mungiu-Pippidi the section titled "Corruption: From Development Problem to Global Security Threat," hosting an impressive lineup of 11 panels.

Odilla also takes on the role of chair for two panels during the conference. The first panel, "Trust, honesty, power, and rhetoric: exploring links with corruption," delves into this complex interplay to offer fresh perspectives on understanding and addressing this pervasive issue that is corruption. The second panel, "Benefits and risks of AI and other emerging technologies in anti-corruption and integrity," examines the potential impacts of cutting-edge technologies on anti-corruption efforts and integrity maintenance in various sectors. The AI panel has also the contribution of BIT-ACT-associated researcher Carolina Gerli, who will present the paper “Artificial Intelligence in Public Organizations to Tackle Public Procurement Corruption: Towards a Theoretical Understanding”.  

In addition to her chairing responsibilities, Fernanda Odilla presents her paper "Unfairness in AI anti-corruption tools: main drivers and consequences", using Brazil as a case study, as well as her exploratory research on the Brazilian far-right tactics with the paper titled "Making a right turn: spatiality and symbolic elements of 'patriot' camps in Brazil". The latter will be presented in the panel on "Democratic backsliding and its opponents" and sheds light on the infrastructure of Bolsonaristas’ camps, providing valuable insights into their implications for democracy in the country.

Contributing to the team's remarkable presence at the conference, postdoctoral fellow Oksana Huss presents three papers in different panels that focused on different aspects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her papers covered topics such as the role of knowledge practices in shaping outcomes in social movements, the concept of strategic corruption, and the impact of anticipatory governance practices on the resilience of local authorities in Ukraine. Additionally, Oksana Huss assumed the roles of panel chair for "Corruption and anti-corruption in the EU," providing a platform for in-depth discussions on tackling corruption within the European context, and of discussant at the panel "Methodological Challenges of Corruption Research".

Another member of the BIT-ACT team, postdoctoral fellow Anwesha Chakraborty, takes charge as the chair of the panel "Unpacking (anti)corruption in the Global South." She also presents her paper titled "Can civil society organisations 'afford' to confront corruption? Analyzing the design and intended use of three Indian digital anti-corruption platforms," contributing valuable insights into the dynamics of corruption and anti-corruption measures in the Global South.

Furthermore, Alice Fubini, the BIT-ACT PhD candidate, chairs the panel "Whistleblowers and their human and non-human intermediaries." During this panel, she also presents her paper titled "The 'institutionalization' of non-human intermediaries in the whistleblowing process: the emblematic case of Spain," shedding light on the role of non-human intermediaries in the whistleblowing ecosystem.

The ECPR 2023 General Conference takes place from the 4th to 8th September at Charles University in Prague, providing an enriching platform for academic exchange and insightful discussions on pressing global challenges. The BIT-ACT team's exceptional contributions further solidified their reputation as trailblazers in the field of anti-corruption and integrity research. Check the conference’s programme here.