TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly|Revolutionizing Anti-Corruption with Innovation

By TAI (Role at TAI)
Capture d’écran 2024-10-20 à 20.58.31.png
TAI Weekly

WHAT'S NEW? 

Did you know that dirty money is a significant yet often overlooked driver of the housing affordability crisis? James K. Boyce and Léonce Ndikumana shed light on how illicit financial flows are pushing housing costs higher, complicating the quest for affordable living options. 

Across the globe, journalists are harnessing access to information laws to help hold the powerful to account. Eye on Global Transparency has compiled inspiring success stories that illustrate how reporters are using these tools to bring transparency to light. 

The European Commission's annual audit of democratic standards within the bloc has come under scrutiny. According to the EU-wide network of civil liberties organizations, the report is overly optimistic and lacks necessary enforcement mechanisms. 

Publish What You Fund has released valuable recommendations on improving the disclosure and utilization of private capital mobilization data. Their insights aim to enhance accountability and learning, ultimately increasing investment to close the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) financing gap.

On November 14, 2024, a delegation from INSAPROMA will head to Washington, D.C., to address the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) about the detrimental effects of special economy zones and tax exemptions on tax justice and climate change. Read more about their mission in El Quinto Elemento TV. (In Spanish)

Discover how South Korea is leveraging public procurement to facilitate its green transition. This approach is an example of how innovative policies can lead to sustainable practices.

Divin-Luc Bikubanya, Francine Iragi Mukotanyi, and Janvier Kilosho Buraye explore the participation of mining communities in public goods provision through the Basket Fund project in Eastern DRC. This research highlights the importance of community engagement in ensuring equitable access to essential services.

Congratulations to Daren Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson, winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics! Their work emphasizes the crucial role of politics, governance, and institutions in shaping economic outcomes—recognizing that these elements are foundational to creating equitable systems.

In her thought-provoking book, The Hidden Globe, Atossa Araxia Abrahamian delves into the unusual places where the global elite conceal their wealth, revealing the intricate ways globalization serves the rich. She offers a critical lens on wealth distribution and accountability.

Dan Neidle argues in the Financial Times that reducing offshore secrecy is essential for maximizing the benefits of wealth taxes. His insights remind us that transparency is key to ensuring fair tax practices and combating inequality.

Check out the updated Urban Tenure portfolio, a comprehensive guide exploring how urbanization patterns and land governance challenges in the Global South are shaped by a complex interplay of forces, including climate change, demographic shifts, inequality, conflict, displacement, and migration. 

FROM OUR MEMBERS 

FCDO:  Envisions a world free of poverty on a livable planet and outlines its approach to achieving this goal.

MACARTHUR FOUNDATION: Recently celebrated 30 years of impactful work in Nigeria, highlighting a journey marked by collaboration and resilience. Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized that the successes in promoting government accountability stem from a collective commitment to partnership. Read his insights on the foundation's regional impact.

USAID: is launching the Doing Business With Integrity (DBWI) initiative, engaging the private sector to combat corruption. This is part of the Countering Transnational Corruption Grand Challenge. Ten innovative solutions have been selected, focusing on enhancing corporate integrity through AI-driven data accessibility, certification programs for SMEs, and more. 

ESSENTIAL TAI READING!

Discover how funding landscapes can shape strategies and uncover collaboration opportunities in the social sector in Jenny Lah's latest article for Alliance Magazine on behalf of TAI. Learn how these landscapes can benefit philanthropies, public funders, and non-profits alike. Don’t forget you can find more funding scans and trends analyses on TAI’s website.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS 

Jennifer Stout, Deputy Director at the Gates Foundation, explains how collaborative funds can generate impact at scale, including by advancing systems, and influencing donor practices.

The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance has launched a Catalytic Pooled Fund to attract $2 billion in social investment for Africa, focusing on sectors like agribusiness, education, healthcare, and jobs to drive sustainable growth through African-led initiatives.

Multi-stakeholder networks are becoming increasingly vital in the social sector, yet they often lack adequate resources compared to the broader nonprofit landscape. Kersten Tebbe argues for the necessity of funding these networks to enhance their effectiveness and sustainability.

The Kettering Foundation’s Democracy Around the Globe team hosted a panel where experts examined the impact of identity-based disinformation on democracy, highlighting how misinformation is contributing to divisions within communities across the Americas.

IN MEMORIAM

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Helen Darbishire, one of the most passionate and charismatic human rights and open government advocates. Helen’s legacy to transparency and accountability will keep inspiring us and we will treasure her memory. 

FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK:

Harnessing Innovation and Communication in the Fight Against Corruption

USAID has awarded a grant to The Sentry and Castellum.AI to launch a groundbreaking initiative aimed at providing corruption risk data to the private sector. This partnership harnesses the power of artificial intelligence, utilizing Castellum.AI’s patented data enrichment process, thus equipping banks and companies worldwide with the tools to identify corruption risk among their customers and counterparties.

These types of tools also hold potential to unravel opaque corporate ownership structures. That need is ever growing. For example, Tom Wilson offers an in-depth investigation of how Russia's "shadow fleet" of ships continues to expand, skillfully avoiding sanctions thanks to shell companies and financial secrecy. This unsettling look into global trade practices highlights the urgent need for more stringent oversight.

However, data solutions are not enough on their own to shift behaviors. They need to be combined with effective communications to prompt closing of loopholes and implementation of regulations. In this respect, the effectiveness of anti-corruption messaging remains a significant concern. Research indicates that anti-corruption messages may not always yield the intended impact; in some cases, they could even exacerbate the problem. Messages that are not tailored, targeted, or rigorously tested may inadvertently foster apathy instead of activism, and they may even lead to increased instances of bribery. This highlights the importance of strategic communication in the anti-corruption landscape.

The Biden-Harris Administration has acknowledged and taken some steps to try and address these challenges. A recent White House Fact Sheet outlined the U.S. government’s progress on anti-corruption efforts over the past year, emphasizing the need for continuous evaluation and improvement of strategies.

ESSENTIAL READING!

Courtney Radsch's article in Tech Policy Press highlights how Big Tech firms are consolidating power in the AI sector through proprietary data and monopolistic practices. She underscores the urgent need for policy intervention to ensure fair competition.

JOBS

CALLS

  • Call for Applications – IAFFE Feminist Economics School 2025. Deadline for applications: 28 October 2024.

  • Have ideas on data sharing and transparency in energy transition impact assessments? Submit an abstract for IAIA 2025! Deadline 31 October 2024.

  • Human rights communty Call for short stories:Submit stories that offer accurate depictions of surveillance tech for a new toolkit. Five will be published, and one author will win a trip to RightsCon 2025 in Taipei. Deadline 21 November 2024

  • Apply now to join People Powered's Accelerators on climate action, democracy, marginalized communities, and public participation. Deadline 24 November 2024

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

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

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

SUBSCRIBE TO TAI WEEKLY

Don't miss our latest publications Subscribe now to get our notifications