DIGintegrity. Digitally transforming the fight against corruption

The well-known and unprecedented corruption scandals that occurred in Latin America during the last decade suggest that the region faces a phenomenon of institutional macro-cooptation. This means that there is coordination between private and public sector agents to control the provision of State goods and services as well as its institutions and norms. The fight against corruption and its criminal networks’ impunity is a fundamental part of the development agenda which aims to end poverty, reduce extreme inequalities and, in the post-pandemic context, to facilitate economic reactivation.

This report contributes to the state of the art by linking the concepts of digitalization and integrity and by proposing a public policy structure based on the adoption of digital innovations to prevent, detect and investigate corruption. The irruption of technology into the field of integrity has at least three major mechanisms of action: (1) By expanding access to information and opening data citizens have more information about their rights in their interaction with governments; (2) The advancement of digital government allows the simplification of administrative processes, and the streamlining of regulatory policy and open data infrastructures. Digitalizing procedures reduces bureaucratic discretion and opportunities for bribery (3) The use of data analytics techniques as anti-corruption devices by integrity actors inside and outside of government enables a proactive and predictive approach to systemic corruption risk management.