Stepping up the game: Digital technologies for the promotion of the fight against corruption – a business perspective

Business at OECD has released this week its new paper “Stepping up the game: Digital technologies for the promotion of the fight against corruption – a business perspective” presenting private sector insights on how digital technologies can be leveraged in the fight against corruption.

The project, co-led by our Committees on Anti-Corruption and Digital Economy Policy, is a testimony to the engagement of Business at OECD and its members to exploring innovative approaches and providing solutions to curb bribery and corruption – in line with the Business at OECD Anti-Corruption Committee’s Manifesto on Zero Corruption.

The paper offers an overview of various digital tools and their applications in the public and private sectors and features a unique collection of use cases highlighting how companies are already deploying  digital technology in corporate compliance and anti-corruption efforts.

Drawing on these  experiences, the paper formulates several key takeaways and policy recommendations reflecting the success factors and obstacles to the practical implementation, which companies have encountered on the ground, including:

• Develop communications materials on the role of modern digital technologies with a view to demystifying and educating about different types of technologies and their applications.
• Promote the use of digital technology to support transparency and efficiency in public sector processes, thereby also raising awareness of the critical role of consultation, collaboration, and public-private partnerships.
• Support countries in establishing and ensuring enabling environments for private sector efforts to leverage digital tech, including appropriate regulatory frameworks and complementary investments in necessary skills and infrastructure.
• Streamline digital aspects into the organization’s work on anti-bribery and develop further analysis on the potential of digital technologies in the fight against corruption, while also accounting for potential integrity challenges and exploring pathways to prevent misuse.
• Foster harmonization and cross-border cooperation on digital aspects as well as on anti-corruption requirements.

With this, we aim to build on the momentum in the fields of anti-corruption and digital and fuel discussions at national and international levels regarding the efforts on how collective efforts can foster progress in this domain.

We hope this report contributes to the elaboration of education policies and systems that improve students’ level and scope of skills that are urgently needed in the current and future labor markets and ultimately promote economic growth, job creation, and well-being. The joint project will deliver a second report with additional case studies in 2023.