Combatting Corruption: A seminar series with Sean Hagan

In collaboration with the Building Integrity Programme, Sean Hagan will be running a special seminar series for the Blavatnik's Master of Public Policy students in the first three weeks of Trinity Term, 2019.

Seminar Details

Addressing corruption has become a global priority. The growing number of high profile cases involving the abuse of public power for private gain has generated moral outrage, particularly at a time of rising inequality.  Moreover, there is an emerging consensus that systemic corruption not only undermines a country’s economic performance but can also lead to political instability and armed conflict. The Course will examine the societal impact of public sector corruption and the efficacy of the criminal, regulatory and administrative steps that are being taken to address it, both at the national level and international levels.  The Course will be interdisciplinary, focusing on the legal, political, economic and institutional dimensions of this highly complex problem. 

About Sean Hagan

Sean Hagan was the IMF’s General Counsel for fourteen years (2004-2018). In this capacity, Sean advised the IMF’s management, Executive Board and membership on all legal aspects of the IMF’s operations, including its regulatory, advisory and lending functions. He also led a number of policy initiatives, including, most recently, the reform of the IMF’s anti-corruption policy. Mr. Hagan has published extensively on both the law of the IMF and a broad range of issues relating to the prevention and resolution of financial crisis, with a particular emphasis on insolvency and the restructuring of debt, including sovereign debt.

Prior to beginning work at the IMF, Mr. Hagan was in private practice, first in New York and subsequently in Tokyo. Professor Hagan received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and also received a Masters of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

During the 2018-2019 Academic year, Mr. Hagan has been Visiting Fellow at Oxford University (Exeter College). Beginning in August 2019, he will be Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law School.