The Downside of Globalization: Corruption and the International Order
The Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) in collaboration with Transparency International Sweden organised a seminar on issues of corruption and international politics.
Based on prior estimates by the keynote presenter, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports that US$2 trillion is lost due to corruption and bribery every year, equaling to about 2 percent of the global GDP. The leaked Panama documents revealed how the international financial system enable the world’s rich and powerful to hide their wealth in tax havens. Corruption not only persists, its manifestations and form changes.
Democratic values are under threat, transparency initiatives are under attack, and civic space is shrinking in many industrialized and developing countries, weakening accountability. Geopolitical and commercial considerations are dominating human rights factors in international foreign policy.
What does the evidence show about trends in governance and corruption around the world? How costly is corruption and which manifestations pose a major threat nowadays? Is corruption in reality becoming “legalized” in international affairs? Are some sectors and regions particularly vulnerable, requiring special attention? What are the implications of the shift in global leadership on governance and corruption matters?
Key-note speech: 'Governance and Corruption at a Crossroad?: Worldwide evidence and reflections for policy and leadership'
Daniel Kaufmann, President and CEO of the Natural Resource Governance Institute(NRGI); non-resident Sr. Fellow, Brookings Institution, and member of the International Board, EITI
Commentators:
James Lynch, Deputy Director of the Defence & Security Programme (DSP), Transparency International
Johan Engvall, Researcher, Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI)
Moderator:
Mats Karlsson, Director, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs
This seminar is part of the series ‘Corruption and the World Order’ that will explore and deepen the understanding of the various implications of corruption for security and the world order, in cooperation with Transparency International Sweden (TI). Three more seminars will be arranged during spring 2018. The seminar series is financed by Riksbankens Jubilumsfond (RJ).
