WP9 focuses on understanding how corrupt practices influence citizens’ and elites’ views on democracy and political corruption. The research aims to provide empirical evidence on how corruptible practices affect democratic resilience or backsliding in various democratic systems. It examines perceptions of political corruption among citizens and political elites, exploring their understanding of reputational risks associated with unethical conduct. This WP also investigates citizens’ and elites’ preferences for mitigation measures and the impact these have on trust in political institutions. Through focus groups and lab experiments across nine countries, researchers will analyze citizens’ perceptions of political corruption, which will inform subsequent surveys on how different forms of corruption influence support for democracy. Additionally, political ethics self-regulation mechanisms will be evaluated through conjoint experiments with voters and MPs. Finally, a co-creation workshop with stakeholders will explore a common advocacy agenda for promoting political ethics self-regulation at a European level.