tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546271368009403091.post-67233388000352182882008-05-05T13:45:00.000-04:002008-05-05T13:45:00.000-04:00Thank you for the links. I'll add our own work to that list: <A HREF="http://report.globalintegrity.org/Timor-Leste/2007" REL="nofollow">Global Integrity Report: Timor Leste</A>, which generally agrees with the assessments linked.<BR/><BR/>I certainly hope that I didn't create the impression that everything is fine in Timor Leste. Rather I was struck that while a great many institutions required to control corruption are missing or inadequate, there was at least some active discussion and engagement on issues of corruption and institutional development. Broken institutions (and the corruption that almost always comes with them) are pretty common, from Washington to Dili -- but honest discussion of broken institutions is pretty rare. I can't speak for everyone in Timor, but more than a few people I spoke to were grounded in that reality and working on solutions. That lack of denial was refreshing to me. <BR/><BR/>If it seems I am reluctant to demand action on corruption, it's because I'm cautious about making demands at all. I'm not a local and my expereince in Timor is very limited. There's certainly a lot of work to be done, but it will be done by people in Timor (like our local research team), not western NGO types like me who drop in for a week. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for your feedback.Jonathan Wervehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738808859636150098noreply@blogger.com