Choosing to Reform the Judiciary: Why Albania’s Political Actors Became Engaged in Anti-Corruption

Abstract When and why would a government decide to tackle corruption? Several countries around the world have embarked on an effort to combat corruption. These fights are primarily the result of several domestic and international factors that have brought an understanding and urgency to prevail over corruption. The study of past cases has increased our knowledge about the need to fight corruption. However, a particular focus on reasons, motives and explanations of this fight, particularly within the judiciary, has been very limited. This article develops a framework of analysis to answer why the fight against corruption was undertaken by employing an inductive case study methodology. It draws upon the empirical work on developments in Albania, a country which has implemented stringent reforms in the last few years to rid the judiciary of corruption. By relying on evidence coming out of this particular reform process known as “Reforma në Drejtësi” (“Justice Reforms”), this article reconstructs the situations and circumstances that led to this reform. The study argues that this fight was driven by politicians and influenced by several national and international factors.