In this debut edition of CIPE’s Anti-Corruption & Governance Center podcast series,  we are joined by Badri El Meouchi. El Meouchi is president of the board of directors of the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) and has been working to battle corruption in the country for more than 15 years. El Meouchi describes an aggressive reform agenda to bring Lebanon back from the brink and announces LTA’s role in a coalition to monitor humanitarian relief and recovery assistance, and to ensure government accountability.

This podcast is hosted by Frank Brown, Director of the Anti-Corruption & Governance Center, and co-hosted by Stephen Rosenlund, CIPE’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

In this podcast, we are joined by Mark Antony Otwane, the CEO of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in Uasin Gishu. KNCCI-Uasin Gishu is a CIPE Africa Associations Innovations Contest Winner. He, co-host CIPE Program Officer for Africa Ryan Musser, and host Ken Jaques discuss the chamber and its history, as well as the challenges that it has faced as a result of the pandemic.

Dr. Efraim Chalamish is a senior advisor at Duff & Phelps and leads the firm’s Israel practice. He is also a Fellow in the Duff & Phelps Institute, providing thought leadership on a variety of economic and regulatory matters. With more than two decades of professional experience, Efraim has practiced international law in Israel, Paris and New York, and has served as a media contributor and columnist. Additionally, he has acted as an independent expert and advisor to multinational companies and governments on corporate strategy and international disputes in various sectors, including energy, technology and financial services. 

This week we are joined once again by Yun Sun of the Stimson Center in a discussion about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Chinese domestic and foreign policy.

Yun Sun is a Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations and China’s relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes. Catherine Tai is a Senior Program Officer for Asia and the Pacific at CIPE.

David Larsen is a managing director in the Alternative Asset Advisory practice, based in Seattle, Washington and a Duff & Phelps Institute Fellow. He has more than 35 years of transaction and accounting experience. He specializes in fair value accounting, specifically for valuation, accounting and regulatory issues faced by alternative asset managers and investors.

In this podcast, he discusses how large institutional investors have increasingly invested in so-called "alternative investment funds." Some have characterized these funds as being high cost and high risk, so why are they receiving increased investment capital? He discusses this, as well as how “value” is determined in times of market dislocation, and what some of the similarities and differences are between the current economic crisis in 2020 and the economic crisis experienced in 2008.

This week we are joined by Yun Sun of the Stimson center in a discussion about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Chinese domestic and foreign policy.

Yun Sun is a Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations and China’s relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes.

Akash Shrestha is the Research Manager at Samriddhi Foundation. He also engages with the politicians, policy-makers, bureaucrats, and sectorial experts of Samriddhi’s research areas as part of Samriddhi’s advocacy efforts. In this podcast, he discusses how the pandemic has hit Nepal and Nepal’s response to how the decentralized system of federalism facilitated the response.

We are joined this week by Richard Dailly, who is a managing director in the Business Intelligence and Investigations practice of Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps, based in the Singapore office, and a fellow at the Duff & Phelps Institute. In this podcast, he discusses how COVID will result in the future re-orientation of supply chains, and how this could have significant geopolitical and security impact which will reinforce factionalism and challenge globalization.

We are joined this week by two guests from Sri Lankan partner Verite Research to discuss unethical media reporting practices and solutions. Stephanie Nicolle is an Assistant Analyst in the Media Team at Verité Research, and Rochel Canagasabey is an Assistant Manager in the Media Team at Verité Research. Verite has been highlighting this content via their platforms Ethics Eye and Factcheck.lk and has been raising questions on unethical reporting to hold the media accountable and improve the quality of information dissemination. They also discuss their powerful Media Ownership Monitor tool.

Dr. Vaqar Ahmed is Joint Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). He is a former civil servant and has served as an Advisor to UNDP. He has also undertaken assignments with Asian Development Bank, World Bank Group, and Ministries of Finance, Planning and Commerce in Pakistan. He is joined by John Morell, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at CIPE, to discuss the disruptive effects of COVID-19 on supply chains in Pakistan, the Belt and Road Initiative's projects in Pakistan, and much more.

Osman Cakiroglu, Project Director of the LIFE Project, joins host Ken Jaques to discuss the new ways the program is helping local entrepreneurs in Turkey impacted by the global pandemic. They also discuss the upcoming CIPE event with the consortium partners (register here) and the exciting launch of the LIFE Project Cookbook that is now available for purchase. All proceeds of the cookbook will go towards the LIFE Project. 

This week on Democracy That Delivers, we are joined by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, Professor of Democracy Studies at the Hertie School in Berlin, and Frank Brown, the Director of CIPE's Anti-Corruption and Governance Center. They discuss what led to the creation of the newly published Public Integrity Forecast and how the current COVID-19 pandemic and other events have had an effect on the forecast, as well as the connection between the Forecast and the Anti-Corruption Rapid Response program pioneered by CIPE.

This podcast was hosted in conjunction with the Anti-Corruption and Governance Center (ACGC).

Host Ken Jaques is joined by two CIPE partners from the Western Balkans: Adis Muhovic from The Center for Policy and Governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Petar Čekerevac from LIBEK in Serbia. They discuss the current political situation in their respective countries, some roots and consequences of economic challenges, and proposed solutions.

This episode was originally recorded in November 2019.

Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale is a managing director at Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps, based in the Washington, D.C. office. Nicole has more than 25 years of executive-level experience and a unique viewpoint on global commercial and compliance matters from her extensive service in both the public and private sectors. She joins our host Ken Jaques to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains and national security. 

Thilo Hanemman, a partner at Rhodium Group and leads the firm’s work on global trade and investment, joins host Ken Jaques to discuss the report “Mitigating Governance Risks From Investment in Southeast Asia” (read it here). He presents an overview of how Chinese Investments have changed, or not changed, over the years. 

Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein is a Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson Center, where he works primarily with the 38 North project, and serves as editor for its affiliate website North Korean Economy Watch. He is also an Associate Scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and a Doctoral Candidate at the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is writing his dissertation about the history of social control in North Korea. He joins co-host Jane Kim, CIPE Program Officer for Asia and the Pacific and our host Ken Jaques to discuss North Korea and COVID-19. 

Selima Ahmad is a member of the Bangladesh Parliament, as well as founder and president of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI). She joins us for a podcast with CIPE's Center for Women and Economic Empowerment Director Barbara Langley to discuss how Bangladesh is managing the COVID19 crisis and some things she is doing in her capacity as a politician and businesswoman.

Brian Joseph is Vice President, Programs at the National Endowment for Democracy. He has over 20 years of experience working to advance democracy and human rights. He joins our host Ken Jaques to discuss COVID-19 and government's responses around the world. 

Dr. Ali Riaz is a well-known author, a Senior Non-Resident Fellow with the Atlantic Council, and a Distinguished Professor​ at the Department of Politics and Government of Illinois State University. He joins Regional Director John Morrell, and host Ken Jaques to discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on Bangladesh’s economy as well as some insight on other parts of South Asia. 

Mary Silaban, Senior Fellow at Paramadina Public Policy Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia, discusses her research on property rights, investments, and the mining sector. Silaban joined us as a panelist for a CIPE event titled: "Mitigating Governance Risks from Investment in Southeast Asia – A Study of Chinese Capital Flows to Eight Countries." More information and a recording of the event can be found on the CIPE website. 

This podcast was originally recorded in December 2019. 

Sujeev Shakya is the Founder CEO of beed (www.beed.com.np), a Nepal based international management consulting and financial advisory firm that works in Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Rwanda, and the US. He joins Regional Director John Morrell, and host Ken Jaques to discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on Nepal’s economy.

We celebrate Democracy That Deliver's 200th podcast with a special episode just in time for Giving Tuesday 2020. 

We are joined by CIPE's Marie Principe and the Stimson Center's Johanna Mendelson-Forman for a behind the scenes look at CIPE's very first cookbook "The Cuisine of LIFE" - now available for purchase online.

To learn more about the cookbook and the project, please visit: https://lifeforentrepreneurs.com/cookbook 

This podcast was originally recorded in December 2019.

Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir is a Professor of Economics at the Department of Development Studies of the University of Dhaka. He joins Regional Director John Morrell, and host Ken Jaques to discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on Bangladesh’s economy.

Professor Dr. S Akbar Zaidi is a Political Economist who has had nearly four decades of teaching and research experience in Pakistan and abroad. He joins Regional Director John Morrell, and host Ken Jaques to discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on Pakistan's economy.