IPSA Research Committee 20 Renamed “Political Finance and Corruption” to Reflect its Broader Research Scope
Publication date: Mon, 02 Nov 2026
The IPSA Research Committee 20 (RC20) has officially changed its name from Political Finance and Political Corruption to Political Finance and Corruption.
The proposal was approved at the RC20 Biannual Meeting (30 March to 1 April 2026) and at IPSA’s 152nd Executive Committee meeting (17 to 18 October 2026).
The decision to rename the IPSA RC20 reflects both the evolution of the committee’s research agenda and broader developments in the study of corruption.
While political finance remains one of RC20’s central areas of expertise, the study of corruption has expanded considerably in recent years, encompassing a wider range of actors, institutions, sectors and governance challenges that cannot always be neatly classified as “political corruption.”
Many RC20 members conduct research on corruption perceptions and its various manifestations, including integrity at the public-private sector intersection, anti-corruption agencies, whistleblowing, money laundering and lobbying. These topics are closely connected to political corruption, and some even to political finance, yet often extend beyond the political sphere.
The revised title acknowledges this intellectual diversity while remaining firmly rooted in the committee’s longstanding focus on the relationship between money, power, and integrity in governance. Importantly, the change does not signal a departure from the study of political corruption. Rather, it reflects the understanding that political corruption is commonly regarded as one dimension or subcategory of the broader phenomenon of corruption. By adopting the term “corruption” instead of “political corruption”, the committee retains its traditional focus while creating space for scholarship that examines corruption in related institutional and governance settings.
The new title therefore broadens the committee’s inclusiveness without redefining its identity and provides a more accurate representation of the expertise and interests of RC20 members.
