Nathaniel
We're pleased to announce the short list for the Global Integrity Report: 2008, including 16 countries never previously assessed by Global Integrity.
The countries comprising the Global Integrity Report: 2008 will be drawn from this list, with fieldwork beginning this month. This list was compiled after careful thought and debate in the Global Integrity office as well as expressions of interest from field teams. We look for quality research teams as a first prerequisite, then consider geographic diversity, and economic diversity in order to distribute our limited resources where they can have the most impact.
Do you have thoughts on this list? We'd like to hear from you in the comments section below this post.
Albania
Angola
Argentina
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Belarus
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Congo D.R.
Ecuador
Egypt
Ethiopia
Fiji
Georgia
Ghana
Guatemala
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iraq
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyz Republic
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Pakistan
Philippines
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Tanzania
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Venezuela
West Bank
Yemen
Zimbabwe
Total Short-List Countries: 58
Previous Work
Studied in 2007: 29 countries
Studied in 2006: 28 countries
Studied in 2004: 16 countries
Never studied: 16 countries
Geographic Distribution
East Asia & Pacific: 7
Europe & Central Asia: 19
North America: 1
Latin America: 7
Middle East & North Africa: 8
South Asia: 4
Sub-Saharan Africa: 12
Economic Distribution
Low: 18
Lower Middle: 22
Upper Middle: 14
High: 4
-- Jonathan Werve
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Global Integrity Report 2008 Countries Announced
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Talking Corruption in Timor-Leste
In the last month, Global Integrity's Nathaniel Heller and I have been traveling in the South Pacific, talking with local experts about the results of the Global Integrity Report: 2007. In Timor-Leste and Vanuatu, we convened government officials, civil society activists, foreign donors and journalists to talk about corruption and governance. This is what we learned. 
Our first stop was Timor-Leste, a country that is very nearly starting from zero in its efforts to create the institutions necessary for democracy. Despite this, and despite the many tragedies of its history, both recent and past, I was left with a sense of cautious optimism for the future of the new nation. I spoke to so many people in Timor-Leste who had a sense of purpose and determination about the work they were doing.
Still, there is so much work to be done. Infrastructure is poor; we planned our workshop by candlelight after the power cut out during a heavy rain. Internally displaced persons (IDP) camps are an inescapable feature of the capital -- muddy, crowded lots of big tents with aid agency logos on them. In a very real way, Timor-Leste is starting over.
To give some context, consider this vignette: the justice system has recently been converted from speaking Tetum (a local language) to Portuguese (the language favored by the resistance movement). However, only some 5 percent of the population speaks Portuguese, causing a shortage of qualified lawyers and judges. An informal tally lists the total number of judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys working in the country at under 30 people. There is only one functioning court house outside of the capital of Dili. And of the eight or so prosecutors available to try cases in Timor-Leste, three of them were still living in IDP camps. Not exactly an ideal working environment.
But work goes on. Earlier this month, Global Integrity and AusAID convened a workshop of government officials, advocates, donors and journalists to discuss corruption and governance in Timor-Leste and to plot a course for the future of anti-corruption policy. Global Integrity's role in this discussion is not to provide answers or recommendations. Instead, we bring a process of structured reflection and an evidence-based dialogue that enables local stakeholders to identify areas for improvement and establish their own priorities for reform.
The results of this process are published here:
Timor Leste Workshop conclusions
Pictures from our trip are here.
Photos: (cc) Jonathan Werve
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Global Integrity Relocates to New Office
Another happy milestone as our organization grows: Global Integrity has outgrown our old 17th Street office in Washington D.C., and has now taken up residence a few blocks away on the corner of Vermont Ave. and L St. With this much larger space, we can expand our staff capacity considerably as well as enjoy exciting new luxuries like a conference room and the occasional window.
Our new address is:
Global Integrity
1029 Vermont Ave NW
Suite 600
Washington DC 20005 USA
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Monday, March 24, 2008
New Addition to Global Integrity Office
Global Integrity welcomes Mohamed Abdelaziz to our Washington office as a visiting fellow. Mohamed is here as part of a Freedom House fellowship program called "The New Generation of Advocates."
When not visiting other NGOs, Mohamed works as project manager at the Arab Office for Law, where he coordinates a USAID funded project entitled “Towards a Stronger Civil Society for the Promotion of Transparency and Good Governance.” He assists in identifying targeted NGO’s and the writing and the submitting or all periodical reports due to donor organizations, as well as fund raising efforts.
Mr. Abdelaziz received his B.A in political science and is currently working on a Masters in Professional Development from the American University in Cairo.
We're certainly lucky to have Mohamed joining us for the next few weeks.