Anticorruption frames: Bridging accountability

ABSTRACT

Studies indicate that the success of anticorruption reforms depends upon the support of civil society actors (CSAs), whereas bottom-up initiatives need a certain degree of vertical integration with political elites to bring about long-lasting change. Indeed, anticorruption is a multi-actor field populated by political parties, the media, NGOs, interest groups, and social movements. Each of these actors shapes the outcome of the anticorruption struggle, bringing to the fore its logic, goals, strategies, and, most importantly, its discourses. Studies on frames and discourses have shown how corruption narratives inform policymaking. However, few studies have examined institutional and civil society anticorruption frames and their impact on anticorruption policies simultaneously. Focusing on the Italian case through a frame analysis of parties’, regulatory agencies’, and CSAs’ documents, newspapers, and interviews, this work looks at processes of frame alignment and frame disputes between civic and institutional actors and tries to assess their impact in shaping the Whistleblowing Protection Act (2017). The article aims at reintroducing the analysis of grassroots frames alongside institutional ones to understand the impact of discourses on anticorruption policymaking.

KEYWORDS:

• Political corruption
• anticorruption
• frame theory
• civil society actors
• whistleblowing

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 The label ‘civil society actors’ is here used to include non-state and non-market actors, such as civic associations, NGOs, and social movements.

2 Whereas Benford looks at intramovement disputes, the article applies the concept to contrapositions between CSAs and their political targets, also known as ‘framing contests’ (Dan & Ihlen, 2011; Ryan, 1991) or controversies (Van Hulst & Yanow, 2016).

3 The policy frame perspective can be alternatively applied to the analysis of how actors frame their relations and interaction and to their interpretations of the policy process as a whole (Van Hulst & Yanow, 2016).

4 The collection has looked for articles containing the words whistleblowers/proteccion de alerdatores/ proteccion de denunciantes de corrupcion.

5 Usually translated with pejorative terms such us gola profonda, spione, talpa. For the same reason, ANAC organized a contest to find an adequate translation in Italian. In some of the authority’s documents, the term is translated into vedette civiche, which stresses the preventive role that civil society may play in the struggle against corruption.

6 Petizione · Proteggiamo le #vocidigiustizia: subito una legge per la tutela dei whistleblower · Change.org.

7 Transparency International Italia, Agenda Anticorruzione 2017, Ultima spiaggia per la nuova legge – Il Fatto Quotidiano.

8 Wired, 1 February 2016.

9 l. 190/2012, Disposizioni per la prevenzione e la repressione della corruzione e dell’illegalità nella pubblica amministrazione.

10 Oltre 58mila firme per chiedere una legge a tutela di chi denuncia la corruzione – La Stampa.

11 Corriere della Sera, 31 August, 2016.

12 Wired, 1 February 2016.

13 Parliamentary Hearing, 23 September 2015.

14 L’Espresso, 30 August 2016.

15 L’Espresso, 30 August, 2016.

16 The proposal was indeed considered part of a broader set of anti-corruption measures, including introducing a ban from public offices and prohibiting negotiating with the public administration for corrupt officials.

17 Camera dei Deputati, 23 November, 2015.

18 ALAC, Report 2015.

19 Avvenire, 6 October, 2016.

20 Il Sole 24 Ore, 28 January 2016.

21 Parliamentary hearing, 23 September 2015.

22 Il Sole 24 Ore, 28 January 2016.

23 Parliamentary hearing, 23 September 2015.

24 Chamber of Deputies, 21 January 2016.

25 Chamber of Deputies, 20 January 2016.

26 Flyer, Transparency International Italia, 2013.

27 Petizione · Proteggiamo le #vocidigiustizia: subito una legge per la tutela dei whistleblower · Change.org

28 Avvenire, 15 November 2017.

29 Adnkronos, 15 November 2017.

30 Libera Informazione, 25 January 2016.

31 Senate, 11 October 2017.

32 Senate, 12 October 2017.

33 Chamber of Deputies, 20 January 2016.

34 Chamber of Deputies, 21 January 2016.

35 Chamber of Deputies, 21 January 2016.

36 Chamber of Deputies, 21 January 2016.

37 Chamber of Deputies, 16 November 2015.

38 Repubblica, 4 October 2016.

39 Chamber of Deputies, 16 November 2015.