Did populist governance change corruption risks during crises across European countries?
研究23个欧盟成员国在新冠疫情期间的公共采购腐败风险，发现民粹主义治理与薄弱诚信规范结合足以解释高风险增加，民粹政府通过削弱监督、利用法律漏洞和反精英叙事加剧风险。
This study examines whether populist governance shaped public procurement corruption risks during COVID-19 across 23 EU Member States. Despite common emergency rules, corruption risks varied markedly. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis and the Corruption Risk Index, the study finds that populist governance combined with poor integrity norms is sufficient to explain high corruption risk increases. Populist-led governments intensify risks by undermining oversight, exploiting legal loopholes, and legitimizing rule-breaking through anti-elite narratives, particularly where accountability cultures are weak. Anti-corruption strategies must therefore account for crisis conditions and politicized governance, ensuring independent oversight mechanisms remain intact under populist rule.