WHAT'S NEW?
In the quest to address the world's most pressing challenges, the World Bank Group has embarked on an "Evolution" strategy. This strategic shift is designed to become a "better and bigger bank,” and the updated strategy includes a welcome recognition of the need to work with "partners to strengthen accountability" plus multiple references to engaging with civil society. But there is scant detail. Is this giving civil society an unfunded mandate?
Zainab Usman and Alexander Csanadi look at the potential for Africa to participate in the United States' clean energy supply chains, including through good governance provisions in trade agreements and for critical mineral supply.
Amid a United Nations push for a tax convention, the OECD’s international tax reform process rumbles on. The OECD released the multilateral instrument for implementing its Pillar Two’s Subject to Tax Rule - this is the pillar on instituting a 15% minimum corporate tax rate.
This new report shows how global internet freedom declined for the 13th consecutive year. See why Freedom House worries that autocrats are using AI to aid repression.
The European Union has warned more needs to be done to address the risks that widely accessible generative AI tools may pose to free and fair debate in democratic societies.
Jonathan Fox’’s brief covers institutionally resilient participatory oversight reforms in four countries showing how hybrid, collaborative governance can work in practice.
Stephen Abbott Pugh and Cosmin M. argue that combining high-quality beneficial ownership and public procurement data can bring greater visibility and transparency over larger corporate groups in terms of their reliance on public procurement.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Michael Johnston urges us to rethink the language we use in anti-corruption efforts and singles out stale terms that we might work around - and, yes, transparency and accountability both feature on his list!
ESSENTIAL READING
Investigative journalists uncover an incredible scam to turn a radiation-soaked Pacific atoll into a future metropolis (and the use of a fake United Nations organization to rake in millions in the process.)
FROM OUR MEMBERS
HEWLETT FOUNDATION:
Launched a Racial Justice Advisory Council, composed of leaders from the racial justice community along with senior staff from the Hewlett Foundation. The Council will help the foundation identify emergent needs in the field and support efforts to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice across all of Hewlett.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS:
Mark Malloch-Brown makes the case on why Africa should be at the forefront of the fight to improve citizens' living conditions, reduce inequality, and combat climate change.
FORD, HEWLETT, OSF:
Together with Fundación Avina, launched Alianza Surge, a new rapid response fund to strengthen the collective action and impact of civil society to expand civic space and revitalize democracy in Mexico.
TOOLS & TRENDS FOR FUNDERS
The Human Rights Funders Network reports on a “trust gap” in philanthropy, finding that organizations in the Global South and East have considerably less access to funding—including flexible funding—even when funders are supporting human rights action in these regions.
Mathilde Rivoire argues that the three pillars of “open democracy”: transparency, participation, and cooperation – with inclusion as an essential condition- should apply to all organizations that seek respect for human rights. She sees considerable room for improvement that philanthropy can incorporate.
Transforming Partnerships in International Cooperation provides an operational guide to decolonizing partnerships in the humanitarian, peace-building, and development sectors.
The Shifting Systems Initiative has a new guide designed for board members and executive leadership of philanthropic organizations who are interested in supporting systems change.
ESSENTIAL SROLLING!
The Alliance of Socio-environmental Funds of the Global South launched its website. They are local funds for socio-environmental justice that promote philanthropy in support of initiatives by community-based organizations in the Global South. See also our notes and scoping study by TAI’s Cristina Ordonez’ on five socio-environmental funds in South America.
FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK
“Democracy is not …a place to hang your hat, it’s something you do” Abbie Hoffman
Building on Amina Salihu’s concerns about democracy being seen to deliver in West Africa, Jan-Werner Mueller makes a passionate plea for us to stop referring to democratic “backsliding” - arguing that the term is misleading, but also breeds fatalism, diverting our attention from potential paths out of the new authoritarianism.
His point would likely resonate with Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way, who make a case for democratic resilience in the latest issue of the Journal of Democracy. Of course, it doesn’t help democratic champions that they have to battle the financial secrecy system that is undermining democracy. Charles Davidson and Ben Judah detail how powerful vested interests are now attached to a financial system that conceals kleptocracy, crime, and foreign interference and exacerbates inequality. By understanding the architecture of this system, one can identify how to conduct its deconstruction. (For more on possible responses, see our paper on tackling enablers of kleptocracy.)
Omar García-Ponce and Leonard Wantchekon find that countries that experienced rural insurgencies tend to have autocratic regimes, while those that faced urban protests tend to have more democratic institutions.
Does education in developing democracies increase political participation? Using a school reform in Senegal, Horacio Larreguy and Shelley Liu find schooling improves political interest and support for democracy, but not political participation in the aggregate.
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR PREVIOUS WEEKLIES?
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/CALLS
Data Officer- Philea
Personal Assistant- Philea
Executive Director- Reporters Shield
Finance and Grants Manager- Global Financial Integrity
Senior Program Associate - Latin America and the Caribbean - Freedom House
Director, Global Energy Transition Initiative - ClimateWorks Foundation
Expert mentoring support - People Powered
CALENDAR
The Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN) latest report virtual briefing, 12th of October.
Launch Event: Governance Action Hub, Wednesday, October 11, 9 - 11am EDT
Global Philanthropy Forum, San Francisco, October 17-19
THE GENDERED DIMENSIONS OF DISINFORMATION - UNGA78 SIDE EVENT, 13th October 2023 from 13:30 to 14:45h EST.
Trust Conference 2023- TrustLaw, October 19, 2023 08:00 AM - October 20, 2023 09:00 PM
Global Democracy Champions Summit- October 24 - 26, 2023
Launch of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT)
Coalition’s new report, October 26, 2023 from 12:00-1:30pm EDT
Othering and Belonging Conference, Berlin, October 26-27
EDGE 2023 Annual Conference -"Funding Boldly: Systemic Change and Alternatives", Berlin, October 18-20
Festival de Datos, 7 - 9 November
Strengthening Democracy through Information Integrity, November 13-14
#ShiftThePower Summit, Bogota, 5-7 December
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