WHAT'S NEW?
Well timed for the backdrop of the OG Summit, The Economist details how paranoid nationalism is making countries more corrupt, not less - cover to weaken checks and balances, neuter watchdogs, hide dodgy deals.
Joe Stiglitz argues that with the right political reforms, democracies can be more inclusive and representative, reducing capture by the wealthy, but only if combined with far-reaching economic reforms.
The U.S. Department of State released an implementation plan for the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption.
David Maas urges action to tackle rising disinformation ahead of pivotal elections globally
Close to 300 millionaires, economists, and politicians urged the G20 to forge an agreement to increase taxes on the rich.
Battle of the reports. Last week we featured the UN report calling for inclusive tax governance, this week the OECD report to the G20, making the case for progress on the international tax front.
SOMO’s new global help desk The Counter is fully open, offering pro bono corporate research support to activists, public interest journalists and strategic litigators.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!
A new paper details gaps in the UK’s register of overseas entities that allow hidden ownership to persist - 71% of the 152,000 properties in England and Wales currently held by overseas entities have still not disclosed essential information.
FROM OUR MEMBERS
LUMINATE:
Felipe Estefan explains how Latin America is essential to the global conversation on democracy with activists, journalists, and civil society groups challenging power and defending human rights.
HEWLETT, FORD AND MACARTHUR:
Are part of a coalition of 22 donors announcing Press Forward, a US initiative to strengthen communities and democracy by supporting local news and information backed by a half-billion dollars over five years.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION:
Announced it is pledging €100 million to empower and develop Europe’s Roma communities.
TOOLS & TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
How can open government bolster USAID’s localization agenda? Jonathan Fox and Jeffrey Hallock bring together two hot topics in development that don't normally make it into the same conversation. Colombia provides the case study.
In time for the upcoming SDG Summit, the Center for Philanthropy and Social Investments in Chile shares drivers and inhibitors of incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals framework in Latin American philanthropy.
Jim Cooke asks “Why do ‘Stronger Foundations’ collaborate?”
The 990 data infrastructure project is the latest step in a yearslong fight to increase transparency of nonprofit operations.
ESSENTIAL READING!
Looking for books that delve into the connection between technology and democracy? What about these four?
FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK
WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY GO?
TAI is in the midst of two funding scans so were interested to get a sense of the big picture in some new analysis. How much official development assistance gets spent in each country? Where are donors spending the most money? Which country gets the most money per capita? Devex presents some highlights based on OECD data and offers snapshots of funding allocations by the top donors: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and the EU.
What about money for governance and civil society specifically? On this, we’ve been doing our own analysis as TAI. See this new brief by Jenny Lah that introduces the main takeaways for governance funding. Spoiler alert: Aid to governance issues has increased, but it’s a relatively small part of the over $1 billion aid increase. Also, according to Jenny´s findings, even in 2021, we still didn’t see the “shift the power” agenda translate to funding civil society in the Global South. Funding for these organizations as a percentage of overall funding to NGOs has stayed at 16-17% from 2015 to 2021.
Finally, did you know that more than a quarter (25.4%) of total USD governance and civil society-related disbursements for three consecutive years (2019-2021) targeted Public Sector Policy and Administrative Management? Our MEL Fellow Baba Kankani Gariba has an updated interactive PowerBI dashboard of this data. Explore it at your leisure! And, if you are intrigued to know more about TPA funding don’t hesitate to reach out to Baba at [email protected].
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR PREVIOUS WEEKLIES?
GREEN VOICES
The African Climate Summit concluded with leaders pushing for a global carbon tax and more investment in Africa’ energy sector to become a green energy hub. However, that investment must be coupled with effective governance to pay off.
Oluseun Onigbide makes the case to deepen local voices for more climate finance accountability.
Suhelis Tejero Puntes asks if it is possible to leave extractivism behind without sacrificing countries’ finances, drawing on Ecuador´s ongoing dilemma of choosing between the environment or the economy. Need it be a binary choice?
R4D’s new Governance Action Hub will support local stakeholders’ engagement in the implementation of governance reforms in resource-rich countries.
JOBS AT TAI MEMBERS
Job postings at Hewlett Foundation - ONGOING
Job postings at MacArthur Foundation - ONGOING
Job postings at Open Society Foundations - ONGOING
Job postings at Luminate - ONGOING
Job postings at Ford Foundation - ONGOING
Job postings at FCDO - ONGOING
Job postings at Skoll - ONGOING
JOBS LISTINGS
Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean- Fisheries International Transparency Initiative
Regional Coordinator for the Pacific - Fisheries International Transparency Initiative
Regional Coordinator for Anglophone Africa- Fisheries International Transparency
Initiative
Communications Coordinator - Fisheries International Transparency Initiative
Program Director for Organized Crime and Corruption- C4ADS
Director, Policy & Partnerships- Open Government Partnership
Programme and Grants Officer- CIVITATES
Programme Manager (Civic Power and Media)- CIVITATES
Programme Manager (Tech and Democracy) - CIVITATES
Program Manager for Latin America and The Caribbean- Thousand Currents
Director of Movement Partnerships- Thousand Currents
Team Leader - Tax Inspectors Without Borders - OECD
CALLS
UN Tax Convention Advocacy Consultancy - Tax Justice Network
CALENDAR
Carbon markets and Indigenous lands: The importance of free,prior and informed consent, 14 September, 2-3pm CET
Investing in Green Accountability,Systemiq/TAI/GPSA, Action Speaks Summit, New York, 19 September, 4.30pm ET
5th World Bank IFS ODI Tax Conference - The Political Economy of Public Finances, London and virtual, September 21-22
The Participatory Playbook - Launch event, Pople Powered, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. ET
WINGS Forum, 3-5 October
Freedom on the Net 2023 Report Launch, Freedom House, October 4, 10.30am ET
Global Philanthropy Forum, San Francisco, October 17-19
EDGE 2023 Annual Conference -"Funding Boldly: Systemic Change and Alternatives", Berlin, October 18-20
Strengthening Democracy through Information Integrity, November 13-14
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