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What is ‘lobbying’ and its link to corruption?

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 […]

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First Latin American Conference on Investigative Journalism

Investigative journalists open doors and help society evolve from a culture of secrecy to one where transparency, good governance and public accountability are the core values. On 15-18 August, Transparency International (TI) and Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) brought together journalists from all over Latin America and beyond to the first Latin American Conference on […]

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Chasing rats

While the word “rat” has not yet made it into Transparency International’s recently launched Plain Language Guide, Participación Ciudadana, TI’s chapter in the Dominican Republic, is making quite a fuss about the fuzzy creatures. Together with a few other NGOs, this very active organisation decided to pursue public good through a mass fumigation march, with […]

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What is a ‘conflict of interest’?

The financial crisis is awash in so many specialised terms that their sheer number seems to rival the amount of bail-out money being doled out to shore up the faltering economy. One word that is constantly being bounced around, from the Bundestag to the White House, from Wall Street to High Street, is ‘conflict of […]

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Recovery of stolen assets: time for action

As many of our readers might be aware, the French chapter of Transparency International has recently filed an anti-corruption case against the presidents of Gabon, Congo and Equitorial Guinea regarding the millions of dollars in embezzled funds they have allegedly stashed in the form of property and other goods in France. This case broke new […]

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European elections – time to rethink weak transparency rules?

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, […]

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Global Corruption Barometer: The human dimension

Transparency International wants to hear your story! The Global Corruption Barometer is a global public opinion survey commissioned by Transparency International, which looks at the corruption-related perceptions and experiences of ordinary people. It asks people which institutions most frequently extort bribes, which institutions are perceived to be most compromised by corruption, and asks a whole […]

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