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GRI: Germany’s corporate reports do not deliver what they promise

Sustainability reporting is a marketing instrument. In order to enhance their image, companies pride themselves on reporting on their environmental and social impact in accordance with the GRI Guidelines. The Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative are the leading standard of sustainability reporting worldwide and Application Level A is the highest stage of the system. […]

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Anti-Corruption Day in South Africa: counting the cost of freedom

Yesterday in Soweto’s world-famous Regina Mundi church, beneath a stained-glass image of Nelson Mandela, worshippers spoke out against the country’s current crop of leaders – particularly, those who’ve been at the heart of headline-grabbing corruption scandals in recent months. “It’s becoming more corrupt every day … and it’s growing worse,” said Sidney Matlana, a member […]

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Anti-corruption day in Bangladesh

Under  the slogan  ‘Let’s fight corruption in the spirit of independence and invincible youth’, Transparency International Bangladesh organised activities both at a local and national level to observe  International Anti-Corruption Day 2012. Highlights were a human chain in the capital and the opening of an exhibition of cartoons about corruption. Committees of Concerned Citizens  in […]

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Corruption and the fate of the people who make your clothes

Let the buyer beware: cheap clothing sometimes comes at a high price. Since the fire that killed 112 clothing workers in a Bangladesh factory last month,  the big global retailers supplied by the factory are being asked what they do to make sure the products we buy come from safe factories? How much is corruption […]

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Bulgaria closes door on election monitors

Last week hundreds of Bulgarians protested in front of the Parliament, with some of them throwing tomatoes at the building of the legislature and calling for the end of corruption and “political hypocrisy”.  Reuters and the Financial Times quickly asked if this was a “tomato revolution against corruption”: “Nikolay Kolev, better known as ‘Bosiya’ (Barefoot), […]

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Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 and the European Financial Crisis

Europe’s rankings in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 are as diverse as the region itself. Clearly the perceived level of corruption in Greece (94th, the lowest EU state) is entirely different from that of Denmark and Finland, tied with New Zealand in first place. However, the old adage that corruption only occurs in the countries […]

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América: Crecimiento económico, estancamiento democrático ¿Tiene la corrupción algo que ver con esto?

Read this post in English here Para América, 2012 fue un año positivo en muchos aspectos. Importantes indicadores económicos y sociales muestran que ha habido mejoras y existe una sensación de optimismo en general en gran parte de la región, especialmente en América Latina. Mientras que la reciente campaña presidencial de Estados Unidos se centró […]

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Corruption: An ongoing revolution in the Arab world

The Arab world witnessed unprecedented changes with the toppling of dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya last year. The Arab Spring served to transform the anti-corruption issue from the responsibility of a few, to the preoccupation of many. In most countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, trust in government remains low, with […]

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The Americas: Economies grow, democracies shrink. What does corruption have to do with it?

Lea el texto en Español aquí For the Americas, 2012 was largely a positive year in many ways. As important economic and social indicators show an improvement, there is a sense of optimism throughout the region, especially in Latin America. While the United States’ presidential campaign, which polarised ideas and citizens earlier this year, focused […]

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Finland’s hidden corruption

Recently, there have been three cases of alleged corruption in Finland that have challenged the consensus on our country’s low corruption rates. This has shaken citizens’ understanding on what is acceptable and what is not, and contributed to our understanding of what might be called “structural corruption,” the non-transparent ways of doing business in Finland […]

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