There is no doubt that anti-corruption practices are an important investment for companies of all sizes. Many transnational companies are investing both time and effort on anti-corruption and compliance for reasons such as fear of being fined, protecting their reputation, or simply believing it is the right thing to do. In 2018, enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was at a record high.
William Steinman, one of the leading FCPA lawyers in the U.S. at Steinman & Rodgers LLP, is joined by CIPE Global Program Director Anna Kompanek, and host Ken Jaques. Steinman believes that international business will improve if we continue to encourage and have conversations on
anti-corruption practices and compliance with FCPA.
In this Democracy That Delivers podcast, James Muraguri, CEO of the Institute of Public Finance Kenya (IPFK), is joined by Lars Benson, Regional Director for Africa, and host Ken Jaques. IPFK is a current CIPE partner working on budget analysis and budget participation. This is a critical topic relating to advocacy and strengthening the voice of the private sector.
Muraguri talks about the effects of devolution in Kenya, which is a form of decentralization that strengthens institutions and improves service delivery and citizen engagement regardless of where you live in Kenya. Corruption is still an issue that needs to be worked on, but Muraguri says that institutions are now much more committed to fighting it, especially on a county-level.
“Devolution is the best thing that happened to Kenya, because what happened in the 50 years before devolution was that a huge section of the country was marginalized,” says James Muraguri.
Katrin Kuhlmann, President and Founder of the New Markets Lab (NML) and Lecturer on Law at Harvard University, joins co-host Marc Schleifer and host Ken Jaques in this week’s Democracy that Delivers.
Kuhlmann dives into how NML came to be, and how her early career working in the trade and development sectors shaped what it is today. NML is a non-profit law and development center, and has worked closely with CIPE to develop projects in the field of technology. A recent study co-authored between CIPE and NML titled Digital Economy Enabling Environment Guide: Key Areas of Dialogue for Business and Policymakers was recently released.
“In the broader context of some of these pressing development issues, we asked ourselves how could you try to make a difference at an enterprise level, that would then translate all the way back up into these bigger policies?”
There seems to be a perception that democracy is on a decline, but Clay Fuller, a Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute feels this is incorrect. Democracy is not in crisis, instead, we have changed how we see and define it. In short, democracy is the game of rule, while autocracy is the game of survival.
Clay Fuller joins co-host John Morrell, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at CIPE and host Ken Jaques to talk about democratic and nondemocratic governments and how these systems are viewed today. Democracy can be defined as having uncertain political outcomes, having a focus on individual rights, and a focus on transparency and due process. Conversely, authoritarianism has more predictable political outcomes, more focus on collective rights, and a monopoly on political power with a lack of transparency. Listen on to learn more.
Food is a common language and the Livelihoods Innovation through Food Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Project understands the power gastrodiplomacy has of bringing everyone to the table. The LIFE project supports and encourages entrepreneurship, job creation and cross-cultural engagement in the food sector.
Joan Nathan, Cookbook Author and Advisory Council member of LIFE Project, and Johanna Mendelson Forman, PhD, Distinguished Fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Center and CIPE’s Consortium partner on the LIFE Project, join co-host Stephen Rosenlund and host Ken Jaques to discuss how the LIFE Food Enterprise Center (FEC) is building food businesses and creating sustainable livelihoods in Turkey. These efforts have transformative effects for refugees and their host communities by building relationships through food.
Many observers believe that China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a vast, well-laid and finely orchestrated plan to extend Chinese hegemony over much of the developing world. However, some argue that the BRI is just a vision, not a coordinated plan.
Andrew Davenport, Chief Operating Officer of RWR Advisory Group, joins Catherine Tai, CIPE’s Asia Program Officer, and host Ken Jaques to discuss the role the Belt Road has in promoting Chinese “corrosive capital.” They discuss the challenges that will likely become more intense in 2019 with regard to Chinese activity in the tech sector. Furthermore, Davenport mentions some of the work RWR has accomplished with their program IntelTrak, which is the most comprehensive global data set of Chinese and Russian business transactions to date.
Darko Brkan, founding President of Zašto ne, joins host Ken Jaques and Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia Natalia Otel Belan in a timely discussion on the current political and economic landscape in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and what some of the greatest barriers to progress are. Brkan shares his view about the integral position of civil society and the business community, and how Zašto ne’s work contributes to positive change in civic participation. Zašto ne, which means “Why Not” in Croatian, is a Sarajevo-based nongovernmental organization promoting civic activism, government accountability, and the use of digital media to deepen democracy. With CIPE’s support in 2018, Zašto ne launched a Tax Calculator and a Vote-O-Meter, aimed at helping to improve the citizens’ understanding of and interest in economic reforms.
John Agoglia, retired U.S. Army Colonel and former head of the U.S. Army Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute, joins us on Democracy That Delivers with CIPE Senior Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, Pamela Beecroft. Agoglia shares his experience working in Iraq setting up interim Iraqi governance conferences, as well as some of the top lessons learned. He discusses the issues of corruption vacuums appearing during sudden transition phases lacking stability, such as during privatization periods. He also discusses the importance of being patient when aiming to provide stable change in developing economies:
“We’re not going to have a solution tomorrow, we have to stay the course. It’s going to take a really long time to implement change and rebuild, but we can’t back out.”
Go around the globe in 30 minutes with Democracy That Delivers host Ken Jaques and three emerging leaders at CIPE: Victoria Tellechea-Rotta, Max Scherzer, and Tracey Fung. The Program Assistants share insight about top CIPE programs and innovations during 2018, as well as information about new endeavors.
Victoria flags ground-breaking anti-corruption and compliance work in Latin America and the Caribbean. Max discusses the transition CIPE has experienced with its various partners in Asia and the Pacific over the past year. Tracey, just back from Papua New Guinea, reveals new details about a cutting-edge women’s economic empowerment program there that may serve as a model in other countries.
This week on Democracy That Delivers, host Ken Jaques and guest host Marc Schleifer are joined by two guests known for their thought leadership in Impact Investing for a discussion on a recently published report developed in partnership with CIPE. Stephanie Marienau Turpin, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships at FHI360, and Tom Dente, President and CEO of Humentum, bring in their expertise to highlight the influence INGOs have through the emerging practice of Impact Investing, a new form of investment with the goal of yielding social return in addition to financial.
Following the first innovative Amplify report, the recently published second iteration, titled Amplifyii: The Next Mile of Impact Investing for INGOs: expands on the role and influence that INGOs have had in Impact Investing. Turpin and Dente also discuss the emerging involvement of the global market in this unique investing model, thinking differently about driving long-term impact, and how this practice may be the most viable solution to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Amplifyii is a joint effort of more than 55 international nongovernmental organizations working together to bring the scale, skills, and resources of the international social sector to amplify the impact of impact investing.
This week on Democracy That Delivers, host Ken Jaques is joined by Frank Brown, CIPE’s Director for the Anti-Corruption and Governance Center (ACGC), and guest Jonathan Rusch, lawyer and consultant on corporate-compliance issues, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Rusch is also the editor of Dipping Through Geometries, a blog focusing on law and compliance issues, and the retired Senior Vice President and Head of Anti-Bribery & Corruption Governance at Wells Fargo.
In this special episode, Rusch discusses how organizations, corporations, governments and leaders can achieve a culture of compliance. He also shares his insight on the four steps to moral ambition:
This week on Democracy That Delivers, host Ken Jaques is joined by three guests with a strong and diverse background in women’s issues and programming. Valerie Dowling, the Director of the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Women’s Democracy Network, Barbara Langley, CIPE’s Director of the Center for Women’s Economic Empowerment, and Marc Schleifer, former Regional Director of CIPE’s Europe, Eurasia and South Asia department.
Dowling and Langley discuss future plans for joint initiatives in women’s programming between sister institutes IRI and CIPE, stressing that the expertise provided can ensure economic and political empowerment go hand in hand to remove barriers for women around the world. Schleifer discusses his experience working with Selima Ahmad, a long-time CIPE partner who successfully began and now presides over the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI).
On the two year anniversary of Colombia’s historic peace agreement, CIPE and experts describe the dramatic changes happening in-country and what may lie ahead. On November 24, 2016, Colombia’s government and FARC rebels agreed to end the insurgency that spanned more than 50 years, the longest-running armed conflict in Latin America.
On this week’s Democracy That Delivers, we are joined by two special guests from Colombia. Jaime Arteaga, Director of Jaime Arteaga and Associates , is CIPE’s lead in-country consultant in Colombia. Catalina Chamara Ortega, Director of the National Business Council of Colombia, joined him as well to discuss what she sees as the changes in narrative surrounding the future of Colombia. This includes changing the focus from security and instability to economic growth, business opportunities and increased investment. Arteaga also stresses that creating legal opportunities for citizens to make a living is an essential step forward for the country’s future development, noting CIPE’s expertise in developing projects to move citizens into the formal sector and ensure good business practices.
“Since 2019 the economy has been growing in an important way, and we see now after the peace agreement, there is a greater number of investors that have come into the country,” says Ortega.
For more information about CIPE’s work in the country, look for an upcoming post on the CIPE Development Blog.
Be sure to listen to our last podcast with Jaime Arteaga, on Democracy That Delivers Episode #89.
Technology has become a driver and an essential part of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship in the Financial Tech (FinTech) sector, in particular, has been undergoing a rapid transformation thanks to the growing prevalence of the digital economy.
On this special Democracy That Delivers podcast, we highlight the future of entrepreneurship as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. We are joined by DFS Lab’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Dan Kleinbaum, and is joined by CIPE’s Program Coordinator for Africa, Hanna Wetters. Kleinbaum discusses his experience working in the space of emerging markets and financial services, and the growing opportunities he sees are “unlocked” thanks to services like digital payments being developed in countries such as Bangladesh and Kenya. Hanna Wetters shares how CIPE works within this environment to provide solutions to increase business advocacy. She highlights a guidebook recently launched by CIPE to help business communities, regulators, and civil society navigate the digital economy field – a key aspect of entrepreneurs’ futures.
This week on Democracy That Delivers, podcast host Ken Jaques is joined by the CEO of Prozorro.Sale, Oleksii Sobolev, and co-host Caroline Elkin, Program Assistant for Eastern Europe & Eurasia. Sobolev discusses his work at Prozorro.Sale, an online platform for public auctions that won the 2018 International Anti-Corruption award from C5 Accelerate and USA Institute of Peace as part of The Shield in the Cloud Innovation Challenge. He describes Prozorro.Sale as “the most transparent auction system in the world.” Looking forward, he hopes to see their work in more regions in Ukraine, and one day around the world.
Data transparency and access to open data sources have become increasingly timely issues around the world. CIPE Partner On Watch (İzlemedeyiz) is one of the leading organizations in analyzing data to help boost transparency and accountability that promotes capacity building and good governance in Turkey. Baybars Orsek, Chairman of On Watch Association, and Batuhan Ersun, General Coordinator of On Watch Association, join host Ken Jaques to discuss how their replicable association model helps make data more accessible to all citizens.
In this episode of Democracy that Delivers, Marie Principe, CIPE Program Officer for MENA and head of the Livelihood Innovations through Food Entrepreneurship (LIFE) project, is joined by Andrew Varnum, Executive Vice President of DC-based Food Accelerator Union Kitchen, as LIFE celebrates its one-year anniversary. The LIFE project in Istanbul, Turkey, supports sustainable livelihoods in the food sector through an entrepreneurship incubation experience and workforce training program in response to growing tensions between refugee and host communities in the region.
Looking ahead, the project seeks to open a new space for entrepreneurs in Mersin, as well as publish a forthcoming and much-anticipated cookbook with recipes and stories from its members within the next year.
Learn more about the LIFE project on the CIPE website at: https://www.cipe.org/projects/life-project/ , as well as LIFE partner Union Kitchen at: https://unionkitchendc.com/ .
In this Democracy That Delivers podcast, host Ken Jaques is joined by guest Ann Marie Plubell, EMPEA (Emerging Markets Private Equity Association) Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, and guest host Eric Hontz, CIPE Program Officer for Europe and Eurasia. Ann Marie Plubell discusses the current investment climate in emerging markets, and highlights EMPEA’s approach to promoting the spread of healthy capital conducive to better markets, that increase participation in the economy and foster entrepreneurship.
Nate Herman, Senior Vice President with the Supply Chain of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), joins host Ken Jaques and guest host Jeanne Cook for a discussion of Herman’s work on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Much of the conversation was spent dissecting various supply chain issues, including the importance of the safety of the product, timely delivery of the product, the workforce environment and quality, as well as traceability.
Herman also emphasizes the three priorities driving AAFA members to become more active in social compliance and similar matters:
This special Democracy that Delivers podcast is part of an ongoing series organized by CIPE’s Anti-Corruption & Governance Center.
This week, on Democracy that Delivers, CIPE’s Program Officer for Global Programs, Louisa Tomar, joins hosts Ken Jaques and Pamela Kelley-Lauder to discuss the upcoming launch of a new Digital Economy Guidebook co-authored by CIPE and New Markets Lab. Tomar provides some insight as to what CIPE does in the area of digital economy, and why this guidebook is so instrumental when discussing regulations, legality, compliance obligations, and more within the field.
She discusses the use of this guidebook, and how CIPE will be co-hosting public-private dialogue forums with local partners to engage business, government and civil society in dialogue on digital transformations in emerging and frontier markets and building a more inclusive digital economy.
Dr. Wenhong Chen, of the University of Texas at Austin, joins Catherine Tai, Program Officer for Asia and the Pacific, and host Ken Jaques in a lively discussion about the future of the technology industry in China. Chen discusses the Chinese strategy for recruiting global talent in the development of prominent apps, both for small enterprises and tech giants like Ali Baba. She explains Chinese government’s strategic influence in promoting job and educational opportunities to fill the famed “AI Gap,” averaging 5 million jobs. Looking forward, Chen says to expect heated competition in Southeast Asia as the region’s market becomes increasingly attractive to Chinese tech giants with a global strategy for the country’s digital transformation and expansion.
The Center for International Private Enterprise’s Assistant Program Officer for Africa, Ryan Musser, joins hosts Ken Jaques and Pam Kelley-Lauder for a discussion on Zimbabwe. Musser illustrates the current situation in Zimbabwe following their recent election cycle, and explains some of the important work CIPE has accomplished with the informal sector in the country.
Shruti Shah, President and CEO of the Coalition of Integrity, discusses the growing demand for ethics & accountability around the world, and the role of the Coalition as they execute their mission.
Shah illustrates her lifelong commitment to fighting corruption, and elaborates on the Coalition’s mission to promote greater transparency and accountability, and looks forward at the positive changes to come in ethics, compliance and integrity programs.
Four important points laid out by Shah in regards to how organizations can set a good culture of compliance:
On this week’s Democracy that Delivers podcast, CIPE’s Senior Program Officer for South Asia Jennifer Anderson sits in for Ken Jaques to conduct an engaging interview with Ali Salman on the wake of Malaysia’s election upset. After 61 years, Malaysia’s ruling coalition was defeated in the ballots.
Salman begins by sharing his experience working on the topic of religion and liberty as a founding member and now CEO of the Islam and Liberty Network, eager to establish a global program to share Islam’s foundations as a proponent for free-trade and market economy.
Anderson and Salman then discuss the surprising political change in Malaysia and the role of IDEAS (Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs) in changing the way citizens view government performance, as well as the role of anti-corruption efforts in the region.
“What would happen, if ten years down the road, half of the (NATO) alliance is authoritarian?” asks Jonathan Katz, a Senior Fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. Katz, who has held numerous senior positions in the U.S. government, recently co-authored the article "An Inconvenient Truth: Addressing Democratic Backsliding within NATO" and sat down with CIPE’s Natalia Otel Belan and Pam Kelley Lauder. They discussed heightened concerns about democratic backsliding in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as possible measures by nations and the development community to address mounting challenges.