Corruption in Britain c.1550-1850

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My project is to write the history of corruption in pre-modern Britain, from the sixteenth century Reformation to nineteenth century Reform. The resulting monograph (I would aim to have half of it completed within the AHRC funded period) will be the first such overview. Whereas most analyses of corruption are made by political scientists or economists who focus almost exclusively on the modern or contemporary world, my work will add an important and neglected historical perspective. In late sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain anxieties about corruption were pervasive. Political, economic, religious, moral, sexual, imperial and linguistic corruption intertwined to form a wide-ranging and contested concept. Examining this concept over three centuries enables me to demonstrate the shift, in practice as well as discourse, from a predominantly religious notion (corruption as sin) to a predominantly political and financial one that is recognisably modern. The book will outline ten key processes leading to this change. First, the Protestant reformation shaped perceptions of catholic corruption but also of clerical worldliness in the Church of England. Second, campaigns for moral reform resulted in ethical frameworks that challenged and re-interpreted accepted behaviours as corrupt. Third, the rise of the fiscal-military state made tempting and unprecedented amounts of resources (money and offices) available; fourth, the acquisition of an empire resulted in a confrontation with different cultures and a sense that imperialism was profitable but also corrupting of the mother country. Fifth, changes in attitudes to gift-giving, patronage, friendship and office-holding shaped changing definitions of what constituted corrupt behaviour. Sixth, the rise of the press made it easier both to expose corruption (often linking fiscal, political and sexual scandal) but also to use the allegation of corruption as a tool against rivals and enemies. Seventh, attacking corruption became an important creative force for literature and visual culture. Eighth, evolving attitudes about the relationship between self-interest, luxury and wealth led to a growing confidence in market forces as regulators of economic behaviour. Ninth, partisan rivalry and social change put pressure on an antiquated electoral system perceived as corrupt. Tenth, social antagonisms sharpened a sense of an oppressive 'system' of corruption and of moral inadequacy, both in the aristocracy and the lower sorts.My project thus relates the rise and reform of corruption to fundamental changes in the state, religion, economy, culture and society but, importantly, also examines how perceptions, discourses and definitions of corruption were frequently contested: corruption was often in the eye of the beholder.My aim is to restore a historical dimension to current debates and contribute to an interdisciplinary discussion that involves political scientists, economists, and scholars of literature and the media. Although this will be an academic study it will also be of interest to a wider public. Debates about the proper boundaries of patronage, kinship, friendship networks, rewards and gift-giving persist today and there is widespread concern, both in the developed and developing world, about the abuse of office and status. Indeed, corruption is one of the most pressing of contemporary issues, both in the UK and in Asia, Russia, China, South America and elsewhere. An intrinsic part of the project is thus to make the history of corruption available to the public, both through a monograph that is written in an accessible style but also through a policy-oriented publication for the leading anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International, which will publish a summary of my research findings. Research leadership activity will also include working with a radio and TV producer.