Conclusion: Beyond Borders, Beyond Bribery—Rethinking the Terrain of Cross-Border Corruption

This special issue set out to reconceptualize cross-border corruption not as a deviant anomaly or isolated infraction, but as a systemic, adaptive, and often strategic modality of governance within the globalized political economy. The contributions affirm that corruption is not a breakdown of order—it is a mode of order, one that operates transnationally by leveraging legal ambiguities, jurisdictional asymmetries, and the structural opportunities embedded in the global financial system. It reflects and reinforces the incentive structures, historical legacies, and power imbalances that shape political and economic relations across borders.