WP2 aims to refine the theoretical, regulatory, and empirical framework for studying political corruption in digital societies. The work will revise the state of the art on political corruption and assess how various forms of influence, such as lobbying and political financing, contribute to it. WP2 will also evaluate regulatory frameworks over time, focusing on gaps in conflict-of-interest regulations and international financial flows. A key element will be developing a database of political corruption cases, drawn from diverse sources like media reports, to support future empirical analysis. Findings from these tasks will feed into two key theoretical models. The first will explore how interactions across various societal arenas sustain corruption and anti-corruption efforts in digital societies. The second will analyze the direct and indirect impacts of political corruption on democratic legitimacy and credibility, using a mixed-methods approach to integrate qualitative and quantitative data across the project. Through this approach, WP2 seeks to deepen understanding of political corruption’s systemic dynamics and its broader societal consequences.