Dr. Ingrida Kerušauskaitė-Palmer, Senior Research Fellow at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, delivered two presentations on geopolitical strategic corruption and “corrosive” capital at international conferences in late March – early April.
From 30 March to 1 April 2026, the 20th Research Committee on Political Finance and Political Corruption (a branch of the International Political Science Association, IPSA) held its bi-annual conference at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. The Committee examines the multifaceted role of money and resources in political life and public governance, including political party and campaign financing, lobbying, media manipulation, and other mechanisms of illicit political influence. Its scholars empirically test theoretical concepts and promote international and comparative research. At this conference, Dr Kerušauskaitė-Palmer presented a paper titled “Assessing Preparedness to Counter Geopolitical Strategic Corruption: A Comparative Analysis of Political Integrity Policies”, co-authored with Andrew Rogan. This paper examines how political integrity policies, frameworks and institutions can detect and respond to geopolitical strategic corruption, defined as a state’s use of corruption as a foreign policy instrument. The paper develops a framework to assess national readiness to confront geopolitical strategic corruption and tests it through a comparative case study of Moldova’s 2024 and 2025 elections, both targeted by malign foreign actors. The findings provide practical insights for policymakers aiming to strengthen preparedness against geopolitical strategic corruption.
On 8–10 April 2026, the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) held its annual conference “Beyond Boundaries: Wellbeing, Innovation and the Future of Public Management” at the School of Business and Law of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, bringing together scholars, students, and practitioners of public management from around the world. This year’s conference focused on new research and discussions on the role of wellbeing and innovation in the future of public governance. On 9 April, Dr Kerušauskaitė-Palmer also presented her paper “Geopolitical Strategic Corruption Risks in Development Finance”. She noted that in recent decades, increasing volumes of funding have been channelled through development finance institutions and development banks. While these institutions typically have well established business integrity teams equipped to identify and counter corruption, they are not immune to geopolitical strategic corruption risks. Such risks can include complex, long-term government-orchestrated schemes to gain control over other countries’ political figures, strategic industries, and key pillars of democratic governance using corrupt practices and corrosive capital. In her presentation, the researcher offered a practical understanding of responsible investment risks and provided concrete, actionable recommendations for investors facing geopolitical strategic corruption and corrosive capital risks.