Kevin Davis speech in Korea addresses global anti-corruption regime

Photo of Kevin DavisBeller Family Professor of Business Law Kevin Davis created a stir at a recent anti corruption conference in South Korea. Davis spoke at the Symposium on Strengthening Global Leadership and Cooperation against Corruption, which was sponsored by the Korean Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. The symposium was part of the lead-up to the G-20 summit meeting to be held in November in Seoul, where the international anti-corruption regime is expected to be an item on the agenda. Davis’s talk, “Remarks on Limitations of the International Anti-Corruption Regime,” offered a bit of a reality check for the audience of corruption fighters from around the globe. “The organizers have asked me to speak about the limitations, or at least the challenges, that continue to face the international-anti-corruption regime to a room full of people who have worked so hard to build that regime,” told the audience. “I feel like a sacrificial lamb.” Among the challenges cited by Davis were indifference in some countries to corruption other than bribery in government procurement, and the need to build local anti-corruption institutions in countries where they are not yet strong. Davis’s presentation was based on his ongoing research on how the international anti-corruption regime, including legislation such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, affects developing countries.

In addition to prompting questions from audience members, Davis's talk also drew press coverage in Korea, in both English language and Korean language newspapers, and on the radio. Upon returning to the U.S., Davis remarked that his speech "turned out to be a bit more high-profile than I expected."

Published October 22, 2010