The Rise of Corporate Compliance Programs as a Public Strategy Against Corruption : Mapping the Spread of Legal Reforms in Latin America

This chapter systemically traces the notable rise of legal reforms for the adoption of anti-corruption corporate compliance programs in Latin America. Since 2009, nine countries in the region, including the seven largest economies, have embraced this strategy as part of their anti-corruption public policy. However, despite relative convergence in the promotion of compliance programs, there is significant local variation in the design of the legal strategies. This study describes and categorizes them into "carrots" and "sticks". It also classifies them into "ex-ante" and "ex-post", depending on whether they promote the adoption of the program before or after the unlawful conduct, or as "both", in cases where the regulation does not specify this timeframe. By revealing a distinct mix of strategies across jurisdictions, the chapter contributes to a growing understanding of the changing legal institutions of the Global South and the emerging field of study on comparative compliance programs