Office: Freeman F05.
Current office hours: Tuesdays 0900-1000 on campus; online on other days. Please email in advance to book a slot.

BIOGRAPHY
Robert Barrington is Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at the Centre for the Study of Corruption based at the University of Sussex. He was formerly the head of Transparency International (TI) in the UK, the world’s leading anti-corruption NGO, and Chair of TI's International Council.

At TI, he led the campaigns to secure the Bribery Act, a national Anti-Corruption Strategy for the UK and the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders. He was previously Director of Governance & Sustainable Investment at F&C Asset Management, and CEO (Europe) of the environmental research group Earthwatch Institute.

Robert's UK government advisory roles have included membership of the Ministry of Justice’s expert group drafting the official guidance on the Bribery Act, the BEIS Export Guarantees Advisory Committee and the Cabinet Office’s post-Brexit Procurement Transformation Advisory Panel. He has served on multiple boards and committees, including ICAEW's Corporate Governance Committee, The Environment Council and the Lord Mayor's Trust Advisory Group. He is currently Deputy Chair of the Taskforce on Business Ethics and the Legal Profession.

Publications include 'Dictionary of Corruption', 'Understanding Corruption', ‘How to Bribe’, ‘Adequate Procedures – Guidance to the UK Bribery Act’, ‘Fair Play’, ‘Countering Small Bribes’ and ‘Corruption in the UK’.

He holds a degree in Modern History from Oxford University and a PhD from the European University Institute on Anglo-Venetian relations in the 16th century.

BOARD MEMBERSHIP & ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Government/Public sector

·       Dept of Business & Trade (DBT), Trade and Anti-Corruption Policy Insights Forum (2024-)

·       Accredited Electoral Observer, Electoral Commission (2024-)

·       South Downs National Park Authority, Independent Person (2023-)

·       Cabinet Office, Procurement Transformation Advisory Panel (Ministerial appointment, 2019-20)

·       Lord Mayor’s Trust Advisory Group (2017-18)

·       Member, Ministry of Justice Experts’ Group on Bribery Act Guidance (2010)

·       BEIS Export Guarantees Advisory Council (Ministerial appointment, 2006-9)

Non-profit

·       Chair, International Council, Transparency International (2-year term, 2020-2022)(Member 2020-)

·       Deputy Chair, Taskforce on Business Ethics and the Legal Profession (Inst of Business Ethics) (2023-2026)

·       Transparency International, global board (elected, 2017-2019)

·       Royal United Services Institute, CFCS Advisory Committee (2015-2017)

·       The Environment Council, Trustee (2003-2008)

Private sector

·       ALES Anti-Corruption Prize, Member of the Jury (2025-)

·       Legal Services Board, Professional Ethics Network (formerly PERL) (2023-)

·       World Economic Forum, Global Futures Council on Good Governance (2023-24)

·       ICAEW Corporate Governance Committee (2016-2022)

·       International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), Advisor on revision of Anti-Bribery & Corruption Guidance (2019-20)

PUBLICATIONS (selected)

Books 

• Barrington, R (2026), Corrupted Kingdom, Profile Publishers, London
• Barrington, R, David-Barrett, E, Dobson Phillips, R and Garrod, G (2024), Dictionary of Corruption, Agenda Publishing, Newcastle
• Barrington, R, David-Barrett, E, Power, S and Hough, D (2022),Understanding Corruption: how corruption works in practice, Agenda Publishing, Newcastle

Articles 

•Barrington, R. 2024. UK Bribery Act. In Sousa, L. de, & Coroado, S. (Eds.). Elgar encyclopedia of corruption and society. Edward Elgar Publishing.

• Barrington, R., David-Barrett, E. Advocacy Groups., 2023. In Pieth, M. and Søreide, T. eds., Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Corruption Law, pp 12-15. Edward Elgar Publishing.

 • Haberly, D., Shipley, T. and Barrington, R., 2023. Corruption, shell companies and offshorefinancial secrecy: directions for anti-corruption policy. Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex. Published in June.

 • Barrington, R., 2021. There is more corruption and corruption risk in and around this government than any British government since 1945. British Politics and Policy at LSE.
• Barrington, R (2020), Losing the War Against Graft: Russia and China, The World Today, Chatham House, August/September edition 2020
• Barrington, R (2020), The Governance of Corruption in the UK, CSC Working Paper no.6
• Barrington, R (2020), The UK Anti-Corruption Champion: a short history of the championship – who, why and what, CSC Working Paper no.5
• Barrington, R (2020), The UK Bribery Act: key lessons from the campaign, CSC Working Paper no.4
• R Barrington (2017), Global Corruption, in Hodge, C (ed.), ICGN Yearbook, International Corporate Governance Network, London 2017
• Smith, RJ, Biggs, D, St. John, FAV, Barrington, R (2015) Elephant conservation and corruption beyond the ivory trade, Conservation Biology, 29 (3). pp. 953-956
• Barrington, R, Murray, D, Schenck, S, Unger, D (2013) Fair Play: strengthening integrity and transparency in cricket, Transparency International, Berlin 2013
• Krishnan, C, Barrington, R (2011) Corruption in the UK: Overview, Transparency International UK, London 2011

Editor
• UK Bribery Laws: a non-lawyers’ guide to laws and offences in the UK relating to corrupt behaviour, Maxwell, N, Cowdock, B, Barrington, R (ed), Transparency International UK, London 2016
• Countering Small Bribes, Wilkinson, P, Barrington, R (ed), Maxwell, N (ed), Transparency International UK, London 2014
• Diagnosing Bribery Risk, Transparency International UK, London 2013
• The 2010 UK Bribery Act Adequate Procedures – guidance on good practice procedures for corporate anti-bribery programmes, Wilkinson, P, Krishnan, C (ed) & Barrington, R (ed) Transparency International UK, London 2010

Blogs
Regular blog for the Centre for the Study of Corruption: https://scscsussex.wordpress.com/
U4: https://medium.com/u4-anti-corruption-resource-centre/new-report-gives-independent-assessment-of-the-uk-governments-approach-to-corruption-illicit-1e79785ce328
Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2020/03/05/guest-post-a-defense-of-anticorruption-orthodoxy/


Languages
Competent in 16th Century Venetian - see: Barrington, R., 1997. A Venetian Secretary in England: an unpublished diplomatic report in the Biblioteca Marciana, Venice. Historical Research, 70(172), pp.170-181.

Office: Freeman F05.
Spring semester 2026 office hours: Tuesdays 0900-1000; Thursdays 1200-1300. Please email in advance to book a slot.