State Capture: Research and Action is an international non-profit that works to counter state capture through collaborative research, policy advocacy, and legal action. We envision a global society where states exist to serve their people, and where elites are unable to bend laws and institutions to serve their own advantage.
Defining state capture:
State capture describes the seizure of political, legal, and economic levers of a nation by an unaccountable elite. It takes place wherever public institutions, government officials, and the justice system fail to safeguard a nation’s democracy, rule of law, and resources. When state capture takes hold, the machinery of the state starts to favor specific groups rather than the public interest. State capture does not exist in national vacuums – it is typically enabled by transnational networks, and its proceeds are routinely laundered through the global financial system. Wherever it occurs, state capture leads to endemic corruption, poverty and socio-economic disparity, human rights abuses, media censorship, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. Left unchecked, state capture can escalate into armed conflict, atrocities, and mass migration.
We convene and support investigators, civil society, data analysts, academics, policy experts, and legal professionals to conduct research and undertake policy advocacy to promote a deeper understanding of state capture and use legal avenues to counter it.
Our activities consist of four interdependent strands of work:
