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Campaign finance: a quick world tour

With $6 billion likely to be spent in the US this year on the race for the White House, the issue of campaign finance will remain in the headlines for much of 2012 in the United States. Though the sums tend to be smaller in other countries, funding elections raises many concerns around the world. […]

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Video grab from Guatemala video

Blowing the whistle in Central America: not as easy as it sounds

In Latin America, whistleblowing has become a crucial issue in the fight against corruption. The term refers to those who report to the authorities or other responsible parties when they witness wrongdoing. Whistleblowing is often a valuable means of shedding light on instances of corruption and malpractice that may otherwise slip beneath the radar. But […]

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Has Dilma Rousseff found the anti-corruption formula for Latin America?

I was quite impressed when I heard that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff concluded her first year in government a few days ago with an approval rating higher than that of her predecessor, the charismatic Lula da Silva. Her popularity is currently close to 75 percent. Her government’s approval is at 56 percent, which is even […]

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The Arab Spring: one year on – part one

The following is an excerpt from an article published by Al Jazeera. As Tahrir Square fills up again with angry, disillusioned and disappointed citizens, those in power in the Arab world and those who wish to gain power through the ballot box in 2012 should ask themselves one question: How can the next generation of […]

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10 Dec 2011 protests in Moscow, from Ridus.ru

Civic activism heats up in Russia

Andrei Jvirblis, manager of TI Russia’s Public Activism group, and Gleb Gavrish, press officer of TI Russia, explore the ongoing events that have seen waves of Russians taking to the streets in recent weeks. Corruption is the major cause of political instability in many countries, and after questions arose about the fairness of the results […]

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Building momentum from the top-down and the bottom-up – the National Integrity System way…

Suzanne Mulcahy, Research Coordinator for National Integrity Systems Assessments at Transparency International, discusses the impact this tool can have on societies.   The recent publication of the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index has put the spotlight on corruption risks in countries around the globe. Raising awareness about corruption is crucial – but the next step is […]

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The devil is in the details: more transparency is needed for effective oversight of party financing in Croatia

Tinatin Ninua, Programme Coordinator for political corruption at Transparency International, writes on the need for more transparency in  reporting of political party finances in Croatia.  A recently published report on the Western Balkans calls for effective oversight of political party funding that needs to be addressed both by public institutions and civil society. While political […]

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Podcast: Elena Panfilova on the Magnitsky case and civil society in Russia

Two years ago, Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky died in jail. The campaign to hold those responsible for his death continues. A year ago, Sergei’s mother collected a Transparency International Integrity Award on his behalf. These awards were created to recognise the courage and determination of the many individuals and organisations fighting corruption around the world. […]

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Is corruption winning in Peru?

Alejandro Salas is the Regional Director for the Americas at Transparency International. The following article was first published on Fox News Latino. Listening to Peruvian media in recent days, there is one question that keeps reappearing – is corruption winning in our country? Over half of Peru’s population perceives corruption to be the main problem […]

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Why do citizens sell their vote?

This weekend Bulgaria holds its presidential and local elections. Diana Kovatcheva, Executive Director of Transparency International Bulgaria, writes about their new report that has been making waves with concerns that vote-buying is an all too common practice. Transparency International Bulgaria has been monitoring the transparency of election campaigns for ten years (see our last report […]

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