2009 Global Corruption Report: Corruption and the Private Sector

by Georg Neumann on 4:20 pm on Wednesday, 23. September 2009 | 8 Comments

When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, a 6-year old girl said she wanted to be a corrupt official, because they have so many things. After recovering from the shock of the little girl’s answer, the next question that arises is: how is it that these officials can accumulate so many [...]

What is ‘lobbying’ and its link to corruption?

by Craig Fagan on 9:59 am on Monday, 14. September 2009 | 2 Comments

Back-corridor negotiation on proposed legislation is a practice that runs from Brasília to Washington, Bruxelles to ar-Rabāṭ. However, the relationships between policy-makers and interest groups walk a fine ethical line that separates participatory democracy from state capture.
Striking legislative deals are generally considered to be just one part of broader lobbying efforts undertaken by groups advocating [...]

European elections – time to rethink weak transparency rules?

by Christian Humborg on 7:12 pm on Tuesday, 2. June 2009 | 1 Comment

Thursday is an important day for Europe. The elections for the European Parliament begin. The expenses scandal in the UK shows that politicians in Europe are no angels. Therefore trust, transferred by vote, should be supplemented by clear regulations and transparency rules on the European level. Although there have been some steps in the past, [...]