Financial Transparency Coalition

The resource curse is a tragic phenomenon that countries well-endowed with natural resources tend to have slower economic growth and poorer development than those without. This theory has been demonstrated very strongly in quantitative terms. According to an analysis of developing countries by Jeffrey Sachs and Andrew Warner, the more an economy relies on mineral wealth, the lower its growth rate. Countries with significant natural resource endowments also tend to have an increased likelihood of experiencing war and violence and a decreased likelihood of having a democratic system of governance. In January of 2011 the people of Southern Sudan—this also...

Last week, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) awarded its most prestigious honor, the Award for Exemplary Leadership, to Senator Carl Levin (D-MI). The Senator is the third person to receive this award and, given his long and exemplary career of leadership, it was well-deserved. He accepted the award at The Army and Navy Club inWashington,DC. Senator Levin’s record of protecting American families, particularly by holding powerful institutions accountable, began with the first piece of legislation he proposed as a U.S. senator--a bill to end discrimination by credit card companies. Over his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Senator Levin has proved himself...

To effectively respond to criminal and terrorist threats, law enforcement officials pursue evolving technologies. Take the Transportation Security Administration, which since September 11th, regularly unrolls new procedures, technologies, and rules. Sometimes, as with the 2001 Shoe Bomb Plot after which passengers must remove their shoes for screening, these adaptations come as a response to a specific terrorist attack or attempt. Other times, TSA unveils new technologies to keep ahead of those threats that are still unknown. The same is true with money laundering. Governments and law enforcement officials are continually seeking new methods of detection, new financial rules, and new...

Many times when we (and by “we” I mean all of those of us who aren’t involved in the intimate details of U.S.intelligence and counter terrorism efforts)… Many times when we think about terrorism, we imagine events transpiring many miles away. We believe terrorist attacks are brewed in distant countries, financed with drug money and untraceable transactions in cash, and executed by men and women who live in remote villages, towns, and cities, ruled by governments who can’t (or won’t) conduct effective counter terrorism. All of it comes together to make a phenomenon that is difficult, if not nearly...