TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly|Reframing Democracy: Prebunking and Breaking Gender Barriers

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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WHAT'S NEW? 

Australia’s government enacted the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2024, extending regulations to high-risk professions like real estate agents, lawyers, accountants, and dealers in precious metals and stones.

Fancy taking up fishing? The tuna boats central to Mozambique’s $2 billion debt scandal are up for auction. Rusting in Maputo for a decade, the vessels symbolize one of the world’s biggest corruption scandals that devastated the nation’s economy.

A new study highlights how women-led informal cooperatives in Ghana’s artisanal mining sector combat gender norms and advocate for representation. Despite their efforts, women still face challenges, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive reforms in the industry.

Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone announced five new measures to strengthen mining oversight at Laos’ 9th National Assembly, signaling a push for more accountability in the sector.

Ben Worthy and Megan Waugh's article honors transparency advocate Helen Darbishire by reflecting on 20 years of local government openness in the UK, exploring successes and ongoing challenges.

Marta Pardavi highlights how civil society must innovate to counter “foreign agents” laws that threaten civic freedoms, calling for resilience to safeguard democracy.

Billionaire Big Tech CEOs prioritize profit over communities and the environment according to Global Witness. Their algorithms amplify climate disinformation and hate, while their business models endanger marginalized communities and stall climate action.

As Carl Dolan and Eszter Szücs discuss what the composition of the new European Commission might mean for civic space in Europe.

Ranking 48th out of 50 in the Aid Transparency Index, Australia’s new aid portal promises improvements, drawing inspiration from the UK model.  

Luke Coffey outlines four scenarios amid ongoing street protests against the regime in Georgia and sees the country in a “pre-revolutionary state.”

ICYMI, at COP 29, the Brazilian government, UN, and UNESCO launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change to combat climate disinformation and enhance global climate action through research and advocacy funding.

FROM OUR MEMBERS 

LUMINATE: Is granting $1 million to the European AI and Society Fund to ensure AI technologies prioritize public good, human rights, and social justice.

FORD FOUNDATION: Program officers from Ford urge the G20 to follow civil society’s lead. With Brazil amplifying civil society voices in 2024, will South Africa sustain the momentum in 2025?

OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: At the Paris Peace Forum, OSF hosted a session on how taxing the ultra-wealthy can address global challenges. Watch the video.

USAID: Launches Promoting Impact and Learning with Cost-Effectiveness Evidence (PILCEE), a major initiative to improve cost-effectiveness through partnerships with leading evidence organizations.

ESSENTIAL READING

Explore The Power of Bridging by John A. Powell, a research-backed guide for building bridges across differences in any area of life. This book, developed with Rachelle Galloway-Popotas from the Othering and Belonging Institute, provides actionable insights for creating inclusion.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS 

ICYMI, TAI’s latest study highlights the strategic role of Global South Intermediaries (GSIs) in advancing localization, including those with a track record on rights and governance. While these organizations offer mechanisms for channeling resources to local actors, they must complement rather than replace direct grassroots funding.

Doug Galen calls for refining collaborative funding models to ensure long-term impact, urging funders to dream bigger, make bolder decisions, and ease burdens on ventures. (A timely read for TAI as we update our collective strategy.)

As communities face growing challenges, this moment demands authentic partnerships between large-scale funders and community-based organizations. Inside Philanthropy’s latest piece urges big philanthropy to step up and fuel efforts to safeguard and empower grassroots initiatives.

Jo Swinson and Crystal Simeoni explore how philanthropy can leverage the economic system to drive transformative change. They emphasize the need for philanthropy to address structural economic issues that shape society’s decisions and impact our collective quality of life.

ESSENTIAL READING

There are signs that African nations are reclaiming fiscal sovereignty, demanding accountability from multinational corporations. The military junta recently detained the CEO of Resolute Mining over $160 million in unpaid taxes and now, as Jack McBrams details, Malawi is demanding millions from a number of countries over tax and fraud issues. 

FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK:

Democratic Governance Roundup: Trust, Prebunking, Gender Norms… 

Despite challenges, democracy endures as a living practice, requiring constant vigilance and reinvention. Not that all attempts at reinvention are designed to reinforce democratic health. Sometimes, democracy faces overt redefinition. Nicaragua’s proposed constitutional overhaul, framing the state as “revolutionary and socialist,” reflects a shift toward authoritarianism, undermining pluralism and democratic freedoms - a stark reminder of how democracy can be eroded from within. Of course, foreign threats are proving all too real, too. Moldova and Romania are the latest to face foreign electoral interference through rampant misinformation efforts. 

As Ghana headed to the polls, Danielle Resnick and Landry Sign analyzed the outcomes of Africa’s 2024 elections, highlighting key lessons in democratic resilience. They focus on how African nations are navigating electoral challenges, from managing contentious political landscapes to fostering citizen engagement and trust in democratic institutions. The authors underscore the importance of robust electoral frameworks, the role of civil society in safeguarding democracy, and the need for international support that respects local contexts. Resnick and Signé also reflect on how recent elections have shaped regional perspectives on governance and accountability, offering valuable takeaways for policymakers and practitioners.

Authoritarian regimes continue to exploit restrictive gender norms, as Saskia Brechenmacher highlights, using patriarchal structures to tighten control and suppress dissent. These dynamics reveal that the struggle for gender equality is inseparable from the fight for democracy - inclusive governance cannot exist without dismantling systemic inequalities.

In established democracies, misinformation poses a significant internal threat. This Democratic Erosion Evident Brief emphasizes strategies like prebunking and debunking to counter election-related falsehoods. Rebuilding public trust in democratic processes requires not only combating misinformation, but fostering transparency and credible communication.

JOBS

CALLS

  • The UNCAC Coalition's Gender, Inclusion & Corruption Working Group is collecting data on sexual corruption and its impact on women and girls. They invite experts to complete surveys on sexual corruption and gender-corruption intersections to help build public databases that will inform advocacy and policy efforts.

  • Submit your session proposals for the Financing for Feminist Futures (F4FF) conference and contribute to advancing gender equality on the global financing agenda. The call for sessions, Walking the Talk, is open until December 18, 2024

  • Pulitzer Center seeks Rainforest Investigations Fellows [Africa, Asia, South America]. Experienced investigative journalists based in the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia and the Amazon. Deadline: Dec 31, 2024.

  • OECD Anti-Corruption Research Challenge. Call for new evidence to strengthen anti-corruption and public integrity systems. Deadline 5 January 2025

  • The Sidney Hillman Foundation is accepting entries for its Hillman Prizes, which recognize investigative journalism and commentary that advance the common good globally. Deadline January 31st.

  • The Amazonia+ call seeks a managing organization for local forest governance projects led by women and youth in the Amazon. Grants up to 400,000 Euros for 10 projects. Deadline 19 March 2025

  •  USAID Global Accountability Program. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 31 March 2025

  • Working on the political economy of aid and development? Join PEADS2025, April 23-24, 2025 in Pitlochry, Scotland. 

CALENDAR

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

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