Taskforce on Security Sector Reform to Counter Organised Crime & Corruption
RUSI’s Taskforce aims to improve government and donor responses to organised crime and corruption in security sectors.
Governments and international donors invest heavily in security sector governance and reforms (SSG/R), yet efforts are often undermined by the complex links between security institutions, organised crime, and political interests. These connections limit the effectiveness of reforms, donor efforts and pose serious risks to stability and development.
The Taskforce brings together a select group of experts from leading donor organisations, thought leaders on SSG/R and practitioners with direct experience delivering reform. Its aim is to shape a policy agenda that that improves how governments and donors tackled corruption and serious and organised crime (SOC) in security sectors.
Aims and objectives
The Taskforce aims to:
- Develop practical guidance
Offer concrete guidance that donors can adopt to reduce security sectors' involvement in serious and organised crime.
- Strengthen collaboration
Bring together policymakers from leading development organisations to share insights, improve approaches to SSR, and foster connections for future cooperation.
- Synthesise evidence
Compile and analyse the latest research on effective SSR measures, including the political conditions under which they succeed.
- Influence policy and practice
Contribute to thought-leading publications that will shape policy discussions and guide future SSR initiatives.
Project team
Dr Liam O’Shea
Former RUSI Senior Research Fellow
Mark Williams
Programme Manager | SHOC Network Member - Researcher
Organised Crime and Policing
Dr Alexander Kupatadze
Associate Professor, Kings College London | SHOC Network Member - Researcher
Dr Louis-Alexandre Berg
Associate Professor, Georgia State University
Dr Lucía Tiscornia
Assistant Professor, University College Dublin
Latest publications
View all publicationsSponsor
SOC ACE Research Programme
The Serious Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Evidence (SOC ACE) research programme’s overarching focus is on generating rigorous research that engages directly with policy and practice to uncover more feasible options to tackle serious organised crime (SOC), illicit finance, kleptocracy and corruption. By putting political analysis at the heart of our research approach, SOC ACE helps to demonstrate the role that research can play in making more politically feasible options more visible to reformers.
Funding
The programme is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and led by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with a number of other leading research organisations.