Recently, I was in Ukraine, and as part of the trip we had a very interesting meeting with Ukrainian companies – discussing ways in which they can begin to lead the fight against corruption in a country where the levels of bribery and extortion have balooned over the past few years.
A sentiment expressed there was common to many other countries around the world. Companies were interesting in fighting corruption, but noone wanted to be the first guy sticking his head above the water. In other words, the problem is really solving the collective action puzzle – how to get everyone else on board at the same time?
Coincidentally, CIPE, together with the World Bank Institute and a number of other stakeholders, is organizing an Executive Development Program — Fighting Corruption through Collective Action in Today’s Competitive Marketplaces — that takes up this issue head on – how to get companies, NGOs, and government to work together to fight corruption?
The idea is that working collectively, companies can help level the playing field between competitors, create incentives to avoid bribery among individuals and organizations, and introduce greater transparency and predictability to business transactions. There are a growing number of examples of collective approaches, and while some, such as the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance, bring together mostly multinationals based in the OECD countries, others are engaging local firms in some challenging operating environments, be it Cambodia’s Clean Business Initiative, or the Convention on Business Integrity in Nigeria.
The World Bank’s Executive Development Program taking place in June will feature the range of case example and offer practical guidance on collective action tools for doing business in high risk situations useful for both corporate decision makers and government officials. Registration instructions and additional information are available at www.fightingcorruption.org.
Published Date: May 07, 2009