Registration REQUIRED by 4pm on April 13, 2026 in order to attend this event.
Please join the Harriman Institute for a lecture by Timothy Frye. Moderated by Jack Snyder.
Can governments increase trust in their anti-corruption efforts via information campaigns? Some argue that these attempts have little impact and may even backfire by drawing attention to the problem. Tim Frye, Jordan Gans-Morse, Oksana Huss and Oleksandra Keudel study anti-corruption messaging in wartime Ukraine using large original surveys. They find that giving respondents objective information about anti-corruption successes, or about the progress of anti-corruption efforts over time or relative to other countries can bolster trust and perceived effectiveness. In addition, respondents interviewed in the wake of the “Mindichgate” scandal in November 2025 displayed greater trust in anti-corruption agencies than those interviewed prior to these high-profile arrests. Even in the challenging setting of wartime Ukraine, governments can increase public support for their anti-corruption efforts via messaging and high-profile action.
Timothy Frye is the Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy. His research and teaching interests are in comparative politics and political economy with a focus on the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He writes and teaches about the politics of corruption, autocracy, and economic development, usually with a focus on Russia and Eurasia.
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