Fighting Corruption in Customs: Some Theoretical Insights and Empirical Lessons(1)

Based on both theoretical underpinning and empirical knowledge, this paper addresses the issue of corruption in customs through the analysis of the conditions necessary for the implementation of successful anti-corruption policies. It aims to provide an intellectual framework, a mode of thinking that could be used in Ukraine and beyond, rather than a model to follow. To reach this objective, the paper addresses a number of areas, starting from exploring the specificity of corruption at borders and particularly in customs. The reflection proceeds by providing counter-arguments to some common ideas on the fight against corruption, exploring the political choices that should serve as a basis for any reflection on anti-corruption policies, and proposing an extensive use of quantification or the 'reform by numbers'. Drawing upon this analysis, the paper develops four conditions necessary for the design of the anti-corruption instruments in customs that could eventually lead to containing this scourge.