1,720,978 research outputs found
‘Boom-and-Burst’: Linking online and offline elements of right-wing ‘patriotic’ camps in Brazil
Get PDFThis article examines social media’s role in the “online-offline nexus,” focusing on how digital interactions translate into sustained, large-scale, right-wing protests. Using Brazil as a case study, the research combines document analysis with non-participant observation in open right-wing Telegram groups and participant observation at the largest of Brazil’s 100 protest camps. At this camp in Brasília, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, as in many other cities, gathered for 70 days between 2022 and 2023 to protest the 2022 presidential election won by Lula da Silva. The camps and online groups prominently displayed nationalist symbols and similar slogans such as “Stolen Election”, “SOS Armed Forces” and “Save Brazil,” reflecting the unified ideology of the self-called “patriots.” Social media—mainly through the (re)circulation of videos, posts, and dedicated content produced by and to demonstrators in Telegram and WhatsApp groups—proved essential in four stages: mobilizing, organizing, sustaining, and reorganizing. Introducing the concept of “boom-and-burst,” this study shows how the online-offline nexus both fostered collective identity and facilitated the logistical and ideological underpinnings of prolonged, site-specific demonstrations, actively encouraging violence. In Brazil, the overt support of many state actors, especially the army and police, also played a role. The cycle of intense digital enthusiasm translated into protest camps and, instead of the expected bust, ultimately escalated into acts of violence, with demonstrators planning bombings and vandalizing institutional sites in a disturbing sequel to the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol
From concerned citizens to civic bots: The bottom-up fight against corruption in Brazil from a longitudinal perspective
No full textIs the interplay between digital media development and anti-corruption initiatives always linear and closely interactive? With this guideline question, this chapter assesses eight Brazilian bottom-up anti-corruption initiatives using a retrospective longitudinal analysis to explore how they intertwine with the digital media that have been rapidly developing over the past 20 years. Brazil provides an interesting context because, since the late 1990s, the country has seen the emergence of fertile and digitally heterogeneous anti-corruption and pro-accountability civil society initiatives at the same time as an impressive increase in the number of internet users. What emerges from the data is that non-linear patterns of interaction between anti-corruption and digital media are crucial to critically assess the role of technology in curbing corruption. The digital literacy and capabilities of activists suggest that there are cases of coevolution at the same time as cases of coexistence and convergence
Corruption and Anti-Corruption Upside Down: New Perspectives from the Global South. 1 - Introduction
No full textThe introductory chapter presents the main objectives of this edited volume, which are to enrich discussions and broaden conceptual horizons in corruption studies by presenting an in-depth analysis of corruption in the Global South, both from its own perspective and from a critical approach to more Northern-centric views. It also discusses how a multidisciplinary approach to corruption, by focusing on cases from the Global South, can be a source of empirical and theoretical knowledge to advance the decolonization of the good governance agenda more broadly. We understand decolonization in international corruption studies involving two broad tasks. The first is to disentangle the “international” from explicit and implicit Global North-dominated hierarchies and dichotomies that normalize the position of advanced economies as the benchmark for “the rest.” The second task is to illuminate and experiment with concepts, theories, perspectives, and methodologies that come from the Global South, including a systematic emphasis on gender. This introduction also presents the outline of the book, detailing what to expect from each chapter
Bots against corruption: Exploring the benefits and limitations of AI-based anti-corruption technology
No full textCountries have been developing and deploying anti-corruption tools based on artificial intelligence with hopes of them having positive capabilities. Yet, we still lack empirical analyses of these automated systems designed to identify and curb corruption. Hence, this article explores novel data on 31 bottom-up and top-down initiatives in Brazil, presented as a case study. Methodologically, it uses a qualitative analysis and draws on secondary data and interviews to assess the most common features, usages and constraints of these tools. Data collected are scrutinised under a new conceptual framework that considers how these tools operate, who created them for what purpose, who uses and monitors these tools, what types of corruption they are targeting, and what their tangible outcomes are. Findings suggest that in Brazil, AI-based anti-corruption technology has been tailored by tech-savvy civil servants working for law enforcement agencies and by concerned citizens with tech skills to take over the key tasks of mining and crosschecking large datasets, aiming to monitor, identify, report and predict risks and flag suspicions related to clear-cut unlawful cases. The target is corruption in key governmental functions, mainly public spending. While most of the governmental tools still lack transparency, bottom-up initiatives struggle to expand their scope due to high dependence on and limited access to open data. Because this new technology is seen as supporting human action, a low level of concern related to biased codes has been observed
Citizens and Their Bots That Sniff Corruption: Using Digital Technology to Monitor and Expose Politicians Who Misuse Public Money
Get PDFThis article explores the advantages and constraints affecting anti-corruption grassroots initiatives that employ the “naming and shaming” strategy. It questions why activists choose such a confrontational approach while examining the cases of two Brazilian anti-corruption bottom-up initiatives. Both fight corruption by deploying bots to assist in auditing congressional members’ expenses, and then use social media to expose their suspicious findings. Findings, based on a qualitative analysis, show that publicly exposing those who misuse public money was a tactic adopted only when the expected response from law enforcement and anti-corruption authorities fell short. This study suggests that having a participatory accountability system is insufficient and considered disappointing if no inquiries and sanctions follow civic action. As an unforeseen effect, the digital exposure of officeholders garnered media attention and expanded the initiatives’ support base. Nevertheless, activists acknowledge the risks associated with their belligerent activities and the challenges of financing, maintaining engagement, and expanding the scope of their actions, despite the high expectations that digital technologies would reduce costs and support collective action
The Digitalisation of Anti-Corruption in Brazil: Scandals, Reforms, and Innovation
No full textThis book investigates how digital technologies, such as social media and artificial intelligence, can contribute to combatting corruption in Brazil.
Brazil, with its long history of scandals and abundant empirical data on digital media usage, serves as a perfect case study to trace the development of bottom-up and top-down digital anti-corruption technologies and their main features. This book highlights the connections between anti-corruption reforms and the rapid implementation of innovative solutions, primarily developed by tech-savvy public officials and citizens committed to anti-corruption efforts. The book draws on interviews with experts, activists and civil servants, as well as open-source materials and social media data to identify key actors, their practices, challenges and limitations of anti-corruption technologies. The result is a thorough analysis of the process of digitalisation of anti-corruption in Brazil, with a theoretical framework which can also be applied to other countries. The book introduces the concept of “integrity techies” to encompass social and political actors who develop and facilitate anti-corruption technologies, and discusses different outcomes and issues associated with digital innovation in anti-corruption.
This book will be a key resource for students, researchers and practitioners interested in technologies and development in Brazil and Latin America, as well as corruption and anti-corruption studies more broadly
Innovative but feeble: civil society and political financing accountability in Uruguay
No full textThis article examines the impact of civic action on enhancing accountability and combating corruption in political financing, focusing on two civil society initiatives in Uruguay. The initiatives aimed to digitize and map information on funding received by political parties and politicians in the 2009 and 2014 elections, presenting their findings through interactive online platforms. The paper engages theoretically with the literature on the dimensions of accountability and contributes to understanding the challenges faced by civil society organizations in promoting political financing accountability even in full democracies, a topic largely understudied. Findings highlight concerns beyond electoral authorities’ well-known resource constraints in detecting illicit political donations and spending in Uruguay. The paper shows that transparency is not enough to reduce corruption. We argue that for political finance accountability to be effective, it must encompass bottom-up, horizontal, and diagonal dimensions. The analysis suggests the need for complementary measures, such as digital solutions for reporting and disclosing political finance information, along with active horizontal and bottom-up oversight mechanisms. The article draws on qualitative analysis based on documentary research and 19 interviews with activists, academics, journalists, developers of the initiatives, and public officials involved in political finance regulation
Corruption and Anti-Corruption Upside Down: New Perspectives from the Global South
No full textThis volume presents diverse perspectives on corruption and anti-corruption efforts, analyzing the topic from various angles while avoiding preconceived solutions for such a complex and contextual phenomenon. By emphasizing the significance of unique challenges and contexts in different countries, this book challenges traditional understandings of anti-corruption efforts. Its goal is to foster innovative approaches that fundamentally reframe the conventional understanding of corruption and its solutions. To turn the conventional understanding of corruption and its solutions upside down, authors from or based in the Global North promote critical reflection and reevaluation of existing frameworks and approaches and those from or based in the Global South share their own perspectives on corruption and anti-corruption measures. By incorporating multiple voices, the book encourages a comprehensive understanding of corruption's multifaceted nature. It also fosters dialogue and idea exchange, contributing to the global conversation on effective approaches to combat corruption and promote integrity in the Global South
Corruption control under fire
Get PDFThis chapter examines the roles of Office of the Comptroller General within the Brazilian “web of accountability” since its creation in the early 2000s. Across time, this agency became responsible for various administrative and advisory tasks, including audits and inspecting public funds, applying disciplinary sanctions, and promoting anti-corruption measures. However, its preventive and law-enforcement features are still limited to the federal executive. As high-profile cases reveal, a multi-organizational accountability system performing oversight, investigation, and punishment presents a series of opportunities and challenges for collaboration and coordination. This chapter critically assesses the political context and key actors involved in the evolution of this Brazilian anti-corruption agency, created amid corruption scandals and under intense public pressure. Regardless of party lines, the performance of the Office of the Comptroller General is a litmus test for anti-corruption commitment in the Brazilian government. Despite difficulties such as excessive dependence on the executive power and budgetary constraints, this Brazilian anti-corruption agency still can be considered something more than a symbol of a token effort. The analysis draws on official documents and interviews conducted in 2017 with political appointees and career civil servants who participated in the agency formation and progression over the years
Political Institutions and the Corruption of Politics
Get PDFThis chapter introduces the “players and arenas-” framework to assess corruption within political institutions. Central to the argument is acknowledging that corruption arises when actors from varied arenas exploit legal and illegal channels to influence policy and politics, often disadvantaging less powerful and influential counterparts. The chapter explores interactions among players across five key arenas– policy, law enforcement, civil society, media, and the market– to better understand the role of corruption in the nuanced interplay between power dynamics and legal/illegal practices in decision-making during different policy cycle phases. By examining practices such as lobbying, political finance, revolving doors, and media capture, the chapter discusses their links to corruption and consequences for political institutions. The “players and arenas-” framework aims to work as analytical approach, addressing the demand for empirical and conceptual insights into the corruption of politics and the multiple undue influence channels and biases in law-making, law-enforcement, and public spending
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