Dear readers,
This week's stories range from ways to rebuild public trust to debt burdens to accountability failings in democracy. Our focus topic looks at civil society amid authoritarianism, which is appropriate as we look forward to our upcoming TAI Learning Days on civic and democratic futures (part of next week’s Berlin Freedom Week).
To kick things off, Senem Aydin Duzgit reminds that the rise of geopolitical conflicts has been a boon for competitve authoritarian regimes ahead of pivotal elections. All the more reason to look at our new report The Stories We Tell with insights on how narratives can reinforce civil society legitimacy. More on that and so much more below.
Happy reading!
TAI team
WHAT'S NEW?
Dr. Semuhi Sinanoğlu’s research challenges assumptions about business and democracy. Reflecting on experience in the United States, Semui finds that trust takes time to build, legacy firms often defend local democracy, and quiet cooperation can rival public advocacy. This raises new questions about how capitalism can strengthen democratic institutions.
Africa's regional bodies face sharp criticism for failing to hold Madagascar's unpopular president accountable. Analysts argue that turning a blind eye to weak governance weakens regional institutions and sets dangerous precedents for democratic backsliding across the continent.
A new report by Barrons reveals that US fossil fuel giants produce most of their oil and gas domestically but pay far more in taxes overseas. Since 2017, 11 major companies have faced an effective U.S. tax rate of just 12.1%, Chevron only 7.9%, despite producing 51% of output at home and owing just 18% of total taxes domestically.
The RethinkAI Collaborative has distilled two years of research on how U.S. cities and states use AI. Despite more than 1,600 AI-related state bills since 2019, most focus on limits rather than proactive governance. The authors propose a new model: Adapt, Listen, and build Trust, to ensure AI strengthens public legitimacy.
In Mozambique, innovative approaches to rebuilding public trust offer hope amid governance challenges. GiveDirectly's prebunking initiatives demonstrate how proactive communication can counter misinformation and strengthen community resilience.
Fernando Haddad Moura examines the consolidation of political parties in Brazil for Keseb. His analysis addresses internal party challenges and explores how parties can strengthen connections with voters to build a more robust political system, a timely reminder that investing in better political practices remains imperative for defending democratic values.
Visual Capitalist maps government debt to GDP ratios, which exceed 200% for some of the most indebted nations. This visualization underlines the growing fiscal pressures worldwide and raises concerns about how nations will service large debts (and who will bear the cost).
In a previous Weekly we featured Dieter Zinnbauer’s “Dark Openness,” a thought-provoking piece questioning warning of the “weaponization of the openness agenda” and calling for re-anchoring transparency around firm normative values. Toby McIntosh invited experts to respond — most agreed that transparency has, at times, been co-opted but emphasized the need to better define, defend, and promote openness rather than reinvent it.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is transforming how governments manage public finance, from tax systems to budgeting, procurement, and social transfers. A new policy brief by the International Centre for Tax and Development shows how tax digitalisation can strengthen DPI objectives, while TAI’s latest report by Mariam Umarji examines how fiscal DPI design must consider transparency, participation, accountability, and inclusion dimensions. These studies prove that realizing DPI’s full potential requires deliberate design choices that embed trust, inclusion, and democratic governance at every step.
From Our Members
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: President John Palfrey and McKnight Foundation's Tonya Allen join the Center for Effective Philanthropy's "Giving Done Right" podcast to share reflections on effective grantmaking and philanthropic strategy.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: The IDEAS newsletter, curated by OSF's Leonard Benardo, revisits Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations and its enduring influence. Contributors Hans Kundnani, Srirupa Roy, and Adam Knowles unpack the global rise of “civilizational” rhetoric and Europe’s New Right, while Mikhail Minakov and Afra Wang explore liberalism’s fragility and the tech ideas shaping Chinese thought.
PACKARD FOUNDATION: Spotlights how Gen Z and millennial lawmakers are reshaping U.S. politics. Through Future Caucus, a nonpartisan network fostering cross-party collaboration, young leaders are finding common ground to tackle community challenges and bridge divides.
ESSENTIAL READING
Eszter Fillipinyi, James Logan, and Darlington Marange conducted a study for TAI titled The Stories We Tell. The mapping draws on interviews with 20 global experts, a review of narrative-focused literature, and an analysis of trends across diverse political contexts. It offers valuable insights into how funders and civil society actors can craft and amplify narratives that build legitimacy, bridge divisions, and counter authoritarian influence.
TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
Caritas Foundation Austria’s KoneKtor 2025 conference in Vienna explored how civil society and philanthropy can adapt to uncertainty. Participants called for courage, agility, and the willingness to unlearn old habits.
In Careless Systems, Gastón Wright draws parallels between big tech’s missteps and philanthropy’s blind spots. Sarah Wynn-Williams’s memoir Careless People shows how innovation without accountability led to systemic failure, a cautionary tale for funders aiming to pair values with realism.
Yuen Yuen Ang returns to her theme of “polytunity” (as opposed to a polycrisis framing” and urges us all to “study and tackle development challenges with a purposeful realism that draws on the creativity of a genuinely global community.”
Former USAID chief Mark Green says the aid sector failed at storytelling. Now, rebuilding public confidence will require not just better programs, but better communication, repeated relentlessly.
Essential Listening
What do Africans really think about democracy, governance, and opportunity? Dan Banik speaks with Joseph Asunka, CEO of Afrobarometer, exploring citizen perspectives across Africa in an age of uncertainty.
Focused Topic of the Week
Civil society is democracy’s immune system: the first to feel the symptoms of authoritarian disease.
We are at an inflection point where the erosion of democratic norms is no longer a distant concern but a lived reality across the globe, including in nations that long considered themselves beacons of freedom. The message from last week's Trust Conference, held in the United Kingdom, was unambiguous, according to Business Editor David Ainsworth: civic space is closing, and the tools of authoritarianism are spreading with remarkable efficiency.
Foreign agent laws—designed to stigmatize and strangle civil society—are being adopted across borders. Newsrooms are forced into exile. Tax authorities can be weaponized. In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division has increased scrutiny of nonprofits. The language of "security" and "sovereignty" is leveraged against the very organizations working to strengthen democratic institutions.
Civic space can be pried back open, but it takes a group effort. The Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration was made for the recent Open Government Partnership Global Summit to offer a “shared vision for strengthening democracy, protecting civic space, and advancing open, accountable, and inclusive governance.” 160+ endorsements signal the recognition that the space for government and civil society to work together for the public good still exists around the world, but cannot be taken for granted. The question is whether we're ready to show up with the resources, strategies, and staying power this moment demands.
Essential Reading
"Indigenous Women: Between Resistance and Resilience" (Spanish) proposes local solutions to climate change adaptation led by indigenous women in Latin America. The book centers on indigenous women's knowledge and leadership in addressing environmental challenges facing their communities.
JOBS
Multiple openings - Hewlett Foundation
Multiple openings - MacArthur Foundation
Multiple Openings - Ford Foundation
Multiple Openings - Gates Foundation
Multiple Openings - Social Action, Development Cooperation, Culture, Disability, and Health Sectors in Spain
Various Opportunities - Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Director or Managing Director, Partnerships - Namati. Deadline: Rolling Basis.
Executive Director - ALLIED. Deadline: November 7, 2025.
Director of International Programmes - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.Deadline: November 7, 2025.
Consultancy: AI and Immigration System - Open Rights Group. Centre.Deadline: November 9, 2025.
Adviser Forum on Tax Administration - Tax Administration and VAT Division, OECD. Deadline: November 10, 2025.
Senior Research Coordinator/Officer - International Budget Partnership (IBP). Deadline: November 10, 2025.
WINGSForum 2026 Coordinator - WINGS. Deadline: November 14, 2025.
International Council Members - Transparency International. Deadline: December 31, 2025
CALLS
Omidyar Network’s Tech Journalism Fund offers $5,000–$25,000 to U.S.-based journalists for in-depth reporting on how technology shapes society. Priority topics include AI regulation, industry accountability, impacts on youth and families, and the future of work. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with decisions in 30 days.
Philea invites participation in their survey on foundation governance: "Futures of Governance in Philanthropy".
MobLab is running a 15–20 minute survey to benchmark leadership and talent development in civil society, mapping current capacity-building approaches and identifying opportunities for strengthening. Participants will receive shared results and insights.
Open Ownership, together with the World Bank Group and the Centre for the Study of Corruption at Sussex, invites submissions for its research symposium on beneficial ownership transparency (BOT), to be held in Brighton, UK on 26–27 February 2026. Researchers, advocates, and practitioners are welcome to submit work related to policy design, impact measurement, or emerging issues in BOT by 16 November 2025.
The IAFFE Feminist Economics School will be held at Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia, July 6–8, 2026. Open to 20–30 early-career scholars, activists, and policymakers, it offers a chance to deepen knowledge and skills in feminist economics. Applications are now open. Deadline: November 28, 2025.
Want to make a real impact? People Powered is accepting applications for programs on participatory climate action, youth democracy, and community sustainability. They offer funding and mentorship to bring ideas to life. Deadline: November 30, 2025.
Tinker Foundation 2026 Institutional Grants are open! Supporting Latin American civil society advancing Democratic Governance and Education. Grants up to $500K (multi-year possible), preference for regional organizations. Deadline: January 7, 2026.
CALENDAR
OECD speaker Series from October to December 2025, as speakers explore fresh approaches to engaging the public on the major fiscal challenges facing OECD countries.
Freedom House Report Launch: Freedom on the Net 2025 - An Uncertain Future for the Global Internet. November 13, 10:00 AM–11:15 AM EST.
Webinar: Navigating the Crossroads: Philanthropic Strategies for Global Human Rights. November 17, 2025 | 10:00-11:00 AM ET.
Senterej Series #6: Beyond Finance – New Blueprints for a New Economy.November 20th, 2025. 3PM UK / 4PM CET / 5PM SAST / 10AM ET / 7AM PST.
Partners for a New Economy and Metabolic host an exclusive conversation exploring Europe's vibrant New Economy field, following the launch of their new publication "Fertile Ground.", Thursday, November 20, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (UTC+01:00) Amsterdam.
Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC25). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thursday, November 20-24, 2025.
MIT Polarization Workshop Academic conference examining political and social polarization dynamics and research approaches. December 5-6, 2025.
11th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CoSP11) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), Doha, Qatar. December 14-19, 2025.
People Powered 2026 Convening - A global gathering on participatory democracy. Nairobi, Kenya. March 2–5, 2026.
Othering & Belonging Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, March 31-April 1, 2026.
We’d love to hear from you on how we can further improve TAI Weekly to better serve your needs in program management on the transparency, accountability, improved grantmaking and civic space. Please direct your feedback to [email protected] or