“Rescuing Democracy from Political Corruption in Digital Societies” (RESPOND)

Rescuing Democracy from Political Corruption in Digital Societies is a five-year research project that analyzes political corruption and undue forms of influence, particularly as they operate within grey zones of legality and result in decision-making bias and exclusion throughout the policy cycle.

Key areas of the project include identifying regulatory gaps related to conflicts of interest; categorising types of personal connections and “revolving doors” practices that may facilitate corrupt practices; examining media capture; and developing a methodology for tracking and mapping these connections in relation to other forms of corruption.

The project conducts research across 27 European Union Member States and 11 neighbouring countries.

Oksana Nesterenko, Executive Director of ACREC, leads the Ukrainian component of the international RESPOND research project.

Within the project, ACREC contributes to research on political corruption and undue influence in the Ukrainian context, engages with relevant stakeholders, contributes to the development of anti-corruption approaches, and supports the dissemination of research findings.

Project duration: 2024–2029

The project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme.