Support and contestation under the radar: How states promote and undermine the international fight against corruption

Hortense Jongen and Kristina Sabrina Weißmüller
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Kristina Sabrina Weißmüller: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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Abstract: This article investigates hidden forms of support for and contestation of international norms. Existing research largely focuses on publicly visible behavioural forms of contestation, such as member states’ exit from international organizations (IOs). However, less visible practices can also effectively undermine and sabotage international norms, or, conversely, strengthen them. We explore this phenomenon by researching a prominent IO in the global fight against corruption, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), by means of interviews with delegates to GRECO and members of the Council of Europe secretariat, complemented with an analysis of policy documents. The empirical evidence reveals five distinct types of hidden contestation and two types of hidden support. Contestation typically originates from the political macro-level rather than from the involved expert community. Member states contest GRECO’s authority through ineffective implementation, delays, obstructive voting, and by negotiating review outcomes. Conversely, peer pressure and peer support emerge as meaningful micro-level practices of norm support that counteract contestation. This study’s insights advance research on contestation and support of international norms and inform research, theory, and practice on how to strengthen the global fight against corruption.

Date: 2026-08-19
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:jx9h3_v1

DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/jx9h3_v1

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