The widespread misuse of state allowances by British legislators still has the public outraged. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised reform. But David Leigh, a Guardian reporter and Global Integrity contributor, is skeptical. Leigh argues that auditors may have trouble keeping Prime Minister Brown’s mandate that every claim made by an MP be checked due…
Yesterday in Washington, Johns Hopkins-SAIS sponsored a presentation by Afrobarometer announcing the results to the end of their fourth round of surveying. Here we offer key findings and thoughts on methodology. Afrobarometer is an investigative project which conducts survey-based research in twenty African countries. These countries tend to be the most politically and economically liberal…
If you follow this blog, then there’s a good chance you have an interest in how to measure fuzzy concepts such as governance and corruption; it’s an issue Global Integrity tracks closely. If so, then you should read Gerardo L. Munck’s recently published Measuring Democracy. It’s a hard-hitting critique of the conventional wisdom (and widely…
On Friday, President Obama abruptly announced the replacement of Gerald Walpin, the Inspector General for Americorps. The reasons for this decision were not made clear, raising questions as to what motivated the firing. As a result, Rush Limbaugh and associated media are screaming cronyism. The fired IG Walpin recently concluded an investigation of Sacramento Mayor…
Global Integrity is proud to announce The Corruption Notebooks 2008 (preview here), a collection of stories told by local journalists of the daily struggle to rein in graft and protect the public interest. The authors are among the world’s best journalists, examining the politics of their home countries as no one else can. Buy the…
China’s pursuit of African raw material turns to a US$9 billion mining rights deal between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The International Monetary Fund is critical of the deal, saying it will only add to the DRC’s staggering debt burden. But with China’s new African clout, the IMF might not matter. Currently, the…