ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses three important questions. First, how can the landscape of international anti-corruption agreements be systematized? Second, under which conditions do states adopt such agreements? Third, to what extent have these developments followed the logic of diffusion? International organizations around the world are addressing the issue of corruption. The legal design of their anti-corruption agreements falls well short in terms of obligation. The path to the anti-corruption convention mirrors the African Union’s (AU) efforts to protect democracy through the development of an anti-coup norm, which was advanced by staffers at the AU Commission in conjunction with external experts in the face of reluctance among several member states. The negotiation and drafting processes in the African Union demonstrate the power of international organization staff and experts, who are often overlooked in international relations theory. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
