Tag "Transparency"
Transnational Transparency: Southeast Asian Think Tanks Collaborate for Belt and Road Accountability
The Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) development throughout Southeast Asia is expected to contribute significantly to the economic and infrastructural development of the region. However, a perceived lack of transparency in China’s initiative compounds existing fears around rising debt and sovereignty over projects. Several Southeast Asian and Pacific think tanks have collaborated on a BRI monitor, aiming at evaluating levels of transparency and holding projects accountable. If successful, this could minimise issues of governance and implementation associated with the BRI to the benefit of recipient countries. Whether this success extends to other social and political issues associated with the initiative is unclear.
Press freedom and political risk in Central and Eastern Europe
The continuing erosion of press freedom in Central and Eastern Europe should raise alarms among business leaders that operate in the region. Growing media consolidation, autocratic critiques of journalism and prosecutions against reporters are all undermining the ability of observers to get solid business intelligence. In the absence of a free press, political risk is rising in these European markets.
Corruption continues to deter investment in Malawi
Three years ago, Malawi was hit by a $32 million corruption scandal. Despite recent efforts to fight corruption, it remains a major obstacle.
Key takeaways from the 2016 FT Political Risk Summit
Business leaders and experts gathered in London to discuss political risks at the Financial Times Political Risk Summit on March 1. Businesses today face a range of risks and uncertainties,
TTIP highlights France and Sweden’s similarities
Sweden and France’s societies seem remarkably different, but these countries have political similarities and shared interests in TTIP negotiations. On September 29th, Swedish Liberal People’s Party politician Cecilia Malmström was
Compliance risks challenge business in the Middle East
Some markets have avoided rigid laws and regulations as a comparative advantage. But that has changed lately. Compliance has gained in importance worldwide as laws approved in one corner of the
Hot Money in Nigeria’s Capital Markets
Nigeria is the new kid on the block when it comes to international capital markets, with Abuja gaining international economic and political attention. The setting for the World Economic Forum,
