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Elections in Honduras: is public security a priority for presidential candidates?

20 November 2013 in Accountability, Americas, Civil society, Defence and Security, Human rights, Impunity, Politics and government, Poverty and development

Honduras is one of the most insecure countries in the world with the highest murder rate per capita. According to the Observatory of Violence (Observatorio de la Violencia), 85.5 people per 100,000 were murdered in Honduras in 2012 – almost 20 per day. This high level of violence occurs in a country in which half […]

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Getting rich, paying the price: corruption in Brazil

14 November 2013 in Accountability, Americas, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Impunity, Politics and government, Private sector

On 13 November, after eight years, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the arrest of senior politicians convicted in the one of Brazil’s biggest corruption scandals, known as the Mensalão. Although this will not end the process – the defendants will have a new trial in 2014 – it is a step forward in changing the […]

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How whistleblowing on surveillance can reform the system

14 November 2013 in Americas, Defence and Security, People power, Politics and government, Technology, Whistleblowing

The Edward Snowden case is not the first in which the exposure of surveillance activities by the United States government led to a public debate about questions of security and privacy. In 1970, former US Army intelligence officers Christopher Pyle and Ralph Stein disclosed how the army was investigating the political activities of American citizens […]

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Hungary’s whistleblower law offers no real protection

12 November 2013 in Civil society, Europe and Central Asia, European Union, Politics and government, Private sector, Whistleblowing

Since a new government came to power in 2010, Hungary has witnessed the emergence of new patterns and forms of corruption. The symbiotic relationship between the government and powerful business groups has deepened. Many oversight institutions have become less independent. Government decision-making lacks transparency, as private interests have captured the legislative process. As a result, […]

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Arab universities must admit the cost of corruption

11 November 2013 in Africa and Middle East, Education, Politics and government, Young people

This article by Elizabeth Buckner orignally appeared on Al-Fanar Media, a website featuring news and opinion about higher education within and beyond the Arab world. A report released by Transparency International, “Global Corruption Report: Education,” is the first report by the organization examining corruption in education. But the report hardly covers the issue at Arab […]

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Whistleblowers: regulators of last resort

6 November 2013 in Accountability, Americas, Europe and Central Asia, European Union, Financial Markets, People power, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

Over the past half-century, national governments have developed complex regulatory structures to oversee public health, banking, utilities, food safety, communications, transportation and other industries. By the 1980s, however, the United States and United Kingdom began pushing the policy pendulum in the other direction – deregulating industries sector by sector. Through international organisations, governments around the […]

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Leaks, press freedom and state surveillance: is this our fight?

5 November 2013 in Accountability, Civil society, Defence and Security, Europe and Central Asia, Politics and government, Technology, Whistleblowing

Ever since the Wikileaks debate came to the fore, I have been wondering to what extent we, as Transparency International, should be taking a stand on the issue of Wikileaks, and what that stand should be. On the one hand we stand for transparency, principally because we are an anti-corruption organisation and transparency is one […]

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Transparent Education wins lawsuit against Hungary’s biggest university

4 November 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Civil society, Education, Europe and Central Asia, European Union, Young people

According to a 21 October ruling, Hungary’s largest university – Eötvös Loránd (ELTE) – is being ordered to release the names of student union members in the law faculty who received “public service scholarships” and bonus payments for participating in the student government. This groundbreaking ruling comes in the wake of a freedom of information […]

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Spain’s new law on transparency a good first step

4 November 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Europe and Central Asia, European Union, Impunity, Politics and government, Private sector

After a summer of corruption scandals in Spanish politics, the country’s Congress passed a new piece of legislation on transparency and access to information this September. Public tolerance for corruption had reached boiling point with companies, parties and even the royal family seemingly acting with impunity after graft allegations. The new legislation is now headed […]

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Ireland’s first steps to join Open Government Partnership

29 October 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Anti-corruption movement, Civil society, Europe and Central Asia, Events, Politics and government

This week several representatives from Transparency International will join about 1,000 members of civil society and government to discuss transparency, accountability and participation at the Open Government Partnership London Summit. Nuala Haughey, advocacy and research manager with Transparency InternationaI Ireland, will be attending as well. This blog originally appeared on the Open Government Partnership website. […]

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