Africa |
| African Capital Markets
Forum (ACMF), Ghana- Building on recent anti-corruption and
corporate governance initiatives in Ghana, the African Capital
Markets Forum (ACMF) - in collaboration with an advisory committee
of key business sector stakeholders - proposes to analyze the
linkage between corporate governance and corruption in the country.
The basic premise is that weak corporate governance systems
breed corruption. Based on a survey of publicly listed companies,
private companies and state enterprises, ACMF will seek to demonstrate
the effectiveness of sound corporate governance practices in
reducing the incidence of corruption. The analysis is expected
to generate recommendations for strengthening corporate governance
in Ghana for the private, public and government sectors, and
combating private-sector driven or "supply-side" corruption.
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Asia |
| Center for Media Freedom
and Responsibility (CMFR), Philippines/Regional — CMFR
has undertaken the job of improving the flow of economic information
throughout Southeast Asia. Just before the Asia economic crisis
hit, CMFR organized a conference focusing on the dissemination
of information that discussed the region-wide reforms needed
for continued economic growth. CMFR identified the lack of information
and the relatively untapped media resources that could be transformed
into responsible organizations that keep government and business
transparent. Program activities included focus group discussions,
regional conferences, and publication of papers.
CMFR also organized a follow-up program in Jakarta in April
2000 that brought together Indonesian leaders from business,
media and government for candid discussions on how expanding
access to economic information would help inhibit corruption
and create a more level playing field for business. The program
highlighted the benefits of freedom of information laws. The
theme of the conference thus linked access to and management
of information as an important dimension of good governance
not only in the public sector, but also in the private sector.
The discussion of freedom of information acts yielded a consensus
among the Indonesian participants in favor of promoting greater
accountability of government and encouraging the more active
engagement of all stakeholders in the political process. These
were seen as values that need to take root to make Indonesian
democracy a reality. Following the conference, the Indonesian
parliament began deliberations on a freedom of information
act.
Asian Centre for Democratic Governance- On August 6-8, 2001,
CIPE coordinated a panel discussion in Delhi, India entitled
"Economic Information and the Role of the Business Community."
The discussion formed part of a broader international workshop
on "Freedom of Information for Good Governance"
sponsored by the Asian Centre for Democratic Governance. Panel
discussants featured were Omkar Goswami, chief economist of
the Confederation of Indian Industry, who spoke on the importance
of strong corporate governance; Shek Voon Jen, a partner in
the Ernst & Young Singapore office and Rahul Roy, partner
at Ernst & Young, Calcutta office spoke about establishing
better accounting standards; and Greg Gehlmann, Partner at
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips of Washington, DC who spoke
on the boundaries of corporate disclosure policies.
Center for International Private Enterprise- In March 2002,
CIPE and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace are
planning a conference in Beijing on fighting corruption in China.
Experts from across the globe will gather to share their experiences
with Chinese policymakers, who are grappling with the problem
of widespread corruption. Successful case studies from other
countries will be presented, with a focus on what institutional
changes will be necessary to enable Chinese authorities to treat
the problem at its roots, instead of only applying punishment
after the fact. |
Central and Eastern Europe
|
| Albanian Center for Economic
Research (ACER), Albania — ACER has undertaken a project
to identify the barriers keeping businesses in the informal
economy from entering into the formal business sector. Corruption
is a major factor in keeping what could be legitimate business
outside of the formal sector. This research program moves beyond
identifying the barriers to business transition by addressing
these barriers through advocacy and education. ACER has instituted
a series of seminars and publications that will continue to
focus on making the informal economy a prominent issue.
Center for Liberal Democratic Studies (CLDS), Serbia
— In a project funded by the National Endowment for Democracy,
the CLDS will undertake an education, policy and advocacy
campaign to address the decade-long institutionalization of
corruption in the country. Utilizing their expertise in both
social and economic research, and a strong background in formulating
and advocating for meaningful reform issues, this project
will attempt to generate the critical mass needed to jump-start
democratic reform in Serbia. In the form of a comprehensive
survey, roundtable discussions involving experts from numerous
disciplines, and an active media dissemination campaign, CLDS
will highlight the wide-ranging negative affects of corruption
in Serbia and elaborate means for combating this multi headed
hydra both in the short and the long term.
Center the Study of Democracy (CSD), Bulgaria —
Coalition 2000 is the outgrowth of CSD’s plan to combat
corruption. It involves a number of Bulgarian non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) working in cooperation with government
institutions and individuals. The goals of Coalition 2000
include promoting public awareness of corruption, establishing
mechanisms that support anti-corruption efforts, contributing
to the development of democratic institutions, and serving
as a "watchdog" over the reform process. CSD organized
these efforts through a large-scale public advocacy campaign,
and the organization of expert working-groups. The working
groups developed policy amendments that help to deter corruption
and focus attention on practical implementation of transparent
and clear rules of the game.
Center for Economic Development (CED), Slovak Republic
— CED implemented a program to eradicate corruption from
the Slovak Republic’s public and private sectors through
a "Clean Hands" program based upon seminars, advocacy
and research. CED analyzed the level of corruption by administering
a survey to local entrepreneurs and business leaders. Based
upon the survey’s results CED organized a series of advocacy
programs to educate the business community on the negative impacts
of corruption. CED developed a series of concise and easy to
understand articles detailing the effects of corruption and
the need for reform. These articles were subsequently published
in CED’s Slovak Economic Sheet, where they can be easily
obtained and reprinted by local journalists. Following the fall
of the Meciar government, the new government introduced many
of the policy recommendations in the areas of public procurement
and auctioning of licenses. In addition, CED’s study on
the linkages between tax rates, corruption and the growth of
the hidden (informal) economy has caused the political leadership
in Solvakia to take another look at how rules and taxes are
administered. |
Eurasia |
| Entrepreneurship Development
Foundation (EDF), Azerbaijan — Transparency of the
legislative process, legal analysis and public education through
journalism training are the connecting dots of this anti-corruption
initiative. Without the free flow of information, those with
inside knowledge gain an unfair edge. Markets and democratic
development are then subverted. In order to increase the transparency
of the legislative process in Azerbaijan, EDF will publish 12
Bulletins in the Azerbaijan language entitled "Reforms
in Azerbaijan." The new focus of these Bulletins will be
on current legislation being proposed to the Parliament, issues
related to economic reform with policy recommendations and issues
related to corruption. EDF plans to establish a special group
of 4-6 analysts, comprised of businessmen and attorneys, to
analyze 16 laws and regulations in Azerbaijan in order to discover
those provisions which pre-condition corruption. Since corruption
and press freedom are closely linked, the final component will
include a training course for business print and electronic
journalists to better educate the public on the dangers of corruption.
The main goal would be economic education for business journalists
covering topics such as privatization, tax policy, foreign investment,
etc.
Association for Foreign Investment Cooperation (AFIC),
Armenia - One of the few areas of leverage for change is the
international pressure brought to bear to reform the area
of customs regulation. The Association for Foreign Investment
Cooperation (AFIC), formed by former CIPE business association
trainees, nine of the most forward-looking entrepreneurs in
the field of information technology in Armenia, will conduct
a case study to combat corruption in the area of customs regulation.
AFIC will focus on customs because it is a particularly visible
and effective way to combat corruption. After analyzing how
customs practices inhibit trade and investment, AFIC will
organize a series of seminars to publicize the results and
build coalitions of business associations to advocate needed
reforms. AFIC will also publish a brochure summarizing the
results of the study and roundtables.
Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research/Coordinating
Analytical Center for Business Associations of Ukraine - The
Center has developed a major advocacy program to attack the
issues of multiple inspections and burdensome taxation systems
described above. As noted, Ukrainian firms can face as many
as 100 inspections and numerous taxes and fees. The Center advocated
for and won a form of small business simplification program.
Thanks to their work, a fixed (or flat) tax was introduced for
small firms and inspections were reduced from 100 to 22 per
year. These innovative solutions were buttressed by a decrees
issued from the State Committee for Enterprise Development that
created an Inspection Register. Every inspector going to perform
an inspection of a company has to sign the Register giving his
or her name; position; the name and position of a superior officer
who authorized the inspection; telephone number and address
of the relevant state inspection agency; as well as the purpose
of the inspection. The result has been a considerable increase
in the number of firms in the formal sector, probably due to
the reduction in the transactions costs resulting from the improved
business environment. |
Latin America and the
Caribbean |
| Colombian Confederation
of Chambers of Commerce (Confecámaras), Colombia-
The aim of CIPE and Confecámaras, with support from the
National Endowment for Democracy, is to reduce corruption in
business practices by instituting and advancing sound corporate
governance standards. Based on the results of a questionnaire
on business attitudes, the project is designing and introducing
a Declaration of Corporate Governance Principles for organizations
in Colombia. This document aims to promote a set of ethical
business practices and to reduce corruption. Training programs,
Web site development, publications, and other outreach activities
will be instrumental in disseminating the Declaration and reinforcing
the importance of corporate governance efforts to the Colombian
corporate community. Also to mitigate corruption, the project
will feature Confecámaras' continued efforts to reform
Colombian stock market regulations. So far, Confecámaras
has and will continue to advance such crucial topics as shareholders'
rights and equitable treatment, as well as alternative dispute
resolution methods, board of director responsibilities, and
conflict-of-interest issues.
Corona Foundation — Colombian Confederation of Chambers,
Colombia - Working closely with the Colombian Confederation
of Chambers of Commerce, the Corona Foundation will developing
an organizational ethics program in order to address the supply
side of corruption. This project is aimed at reducing the
degree of corruption in private-public relations, and more
specifically, within the process of government procurement
of goods and services. The overall goal of the project is
contribute to greater democratic and economic stability in
Colombia by reducing the opportunities and incidences of corruption
through building an awareness of the advantages of and a commitment
to principles of transparency among private-sector firms.
The multi-faceted program will include a survey of current
perceptions and practices within private sector contractors,
development of a model code of conduct and integrity agreement,
development of training programs and seminars, pilot implementation,
and the publication and dissemination of the initial results.
The National Association of Entrepreneurs (ANDE),
Ecuador- ANDE's focus has not been to blame past corruption
on any one particular group but rather to initiate reforms
that will change the direction of business and institute clean
practices. Their studies show that since the Republic of Ecuador
was founded 167 years ago some 92,250 legal norms have been
created of which 52,774 were in force in 1997. The sheer number
of overlapping, unclear, and contradictory laws has created
an environment of legal chaos and leaves the application and
enforcement of laws to the discretion of bureaucrats. Since
Ecuador is a civil code country, courts have not been able
to reconcile law or create precedents. To address this issue,
ANDE recommended creating a seven-member judicial committee
empowered to codify and reconcile law. ANDE's advocacy campaign
has been able to secure inclusion of the committee into Ecuador's
new constitution. Continuing its work to identify and eliminate
commercial laws that are duplicative and conflictive, ANDE
launched a project, "Consensus Building: Crisis Resolution
Part II- Deregulation." This project is seeking to gain
consensus from a broad cross-section of civil society groups
on the need to revise this body of commercial law, much of
which was created by the executive branch of government. This
consensus is being used to formulate a draft executive decree
to eliminate a large number of laws overlapping and duplicative
regulations from the records. The decree will be presented
to the President of Ecuador by the end of the year.
Electronic
Journalist Network- Electronic Journalist Network - CIPE
has developed an electronic journalist network- Journalists
Against Corruption, or "Periodistas frente a la corrupción"
(PFC)- as a partnership with the El Salvador-based nonprofit
group "Probidad." The network takes advantage of
information technology's edge in breaking down barriers to
freedom of information that in many countries allows corruption
to continue unchecked. PFC now has about 500 Latin American
journalists participating in it regularly. PFC launched its
web page: www.cipe.org/pfc
in August 2000. The site identifies, organizes and stores
information that is available on the Internet and provides
new resources, including: studies, essays and techniques about
investigative journalism and corruption; legislation that
facilitates access to information, confidentiality for news
sources and other legal issues important to investigative
journalists who cover corruption. PFC also provides congressmen,
international organizations and others with information and
advisory services that facilitate their promotion of legislation
in favor of access to public information, freedom of expression
and other freedom of the press issues in Latin America. In
addition, the network monitors, studies and takes a public
stand on judicial sentences, legislation and other norms that
undermine these rights. PFC¹s one-of-a-kind daily clipping
service of articles and editorials on free press issues has
raised awareness and encouraged interventions in Latin America
on behalf of journalists penalized for reporting on corruption.
PFC is regularly recognized in Latin American newspapers,
and by international organizations like the International
Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), as the region's most
active and substantive initiative.
Liberal Institute of Rio de Janeiro (ILRJ, Brazil)
- The ILRJ created a project called "Reducing Transactions
Costs in Brazil," based on the ideas of the new institutional
economics. The project documented that Brazil’s cumbersome
bureaucracy and lack of transparency was creating much higher
costs for business and much lower benefits for consumers than
needed to be the case. Seven of the 11 specific recommendations
in ILRJ’s study have been adopted by law or decree and
another was incorporated into a draft bill pending now. Policies
adopted include: better dissemination of bidding rules; reduction
of discretionary power of bureaucrats; better definitions
of decision-making authority; more competition among contract
bidders; broader criteria for evaluating proposals; and waiving
bidding requirements only in urgent cases. The reason that
these ideas were adopted was a combination of a clear intellectual
argument, a deteriorating economy, and an aggressive communications
and advocacy program including media coverage.
Press Training Programs — With the support of the National
Endowment for Democracy, CIPE is conducting press training
programs to address the crucial problem of corruption in the
economic reform process and to teach how journalists can effectively
combat it. CIPE sponsored three regional training sessions
in investigative journalism for journalists from Central America
and the Caribbean, the Andean countries and the Southern Cone.
These press training programs are being organized in partnership
with the Trust for the Americas of the Organization of American
States, Radio Nederland Training Centre and the World Bank
Institute.
Electronic
Journalist Network — CIPE has developed an electronic
journalist network– Journalists Against Corruption (PFC)
— as a regional project that seeks to enhance the quantity
and quality of investigations and reports on corruption in the
Latin American media. CIPE developed the project in collaboration
with Revista Probidad, the region´s only electronic anti-corruption
journal, begun in 1999 in El Salvador. PFC launched its web
page: http://www.cipe.org/pfc
in August 2000. The site identifies, organizes and stores information
that is available on the Internet and provides new resources,
including: studies, essays and techniques about investigative
journalism and corruption; legislation that facilitates access
to information, confidentiality for news sources and other legal
issues important to investigative journalists who cover corruption. |
Middle East |
| Turkish Economic and
Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)–CIPE and The Turkish
Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), an independent
non-governmental research institute analyzing social and economic
policy issues facing Turkey, will study patronage and bribery
relations in the existing system of opinions, attitudes and
values, particularly in the economic area of social life. This
will be carried out through a series of nationwide surveys,
concentrating primarily on the bureaucracy, general public,
and business circles. Complimentary methodological elements
will contain workshops and focus groups and finally a conference,
which will work on developing policy prescriptions. An anti-corruption
grassroots network will be established as a complementary activity
to this project to advocate for reforms in the country. |
Global |
| Center for International
Private Enterprise- "HOW TO COMBAT CORRUPTION: PRIVATE
SECTOR PERSPECTIVES AND SOLUTIONS"- In an effort to tackle
global corruption, the Center for International Private Enterprise
(CIPE) is launching a series of publications and events designed
to dramatically curb or eliminate the debilitating effects corruption
has on the process of democratization and market liberalization.
The objective of the project will be to strengthen the role
of the private sector in advancing political and economic reform
by presenting potential solutions and encouraging advocacy of
anti-corruption initiatives. CIPE will conduct a comprehensive
study of global corruption from the private sector perspective
and design an anti-corruption guidebook. This will be augmented
by an integrated series of anti-corruption activities designed
to restore global confidence in market-based economies and the
democratic process - a confidence that has significantly eroded
due to the negative consequences of systemic corruption around
the world. |
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