Financial Transparency Coalition

Weakening the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Makes Sense from Neither a Moral nor Economic Perspective American businesses sometimes argue against the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S. flagship legislation which makes bribery of foreign officials a crime, using economics. We see this, in particular with the latest inundations of attacks from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has taken it upon itself to single-handedly dismantle the effectiveness of the FCPA. These interests claim that the FCPA makesU.S. businesses less competitive internationally because other businesses from other countries are “allowed to bribe.” Of course, they don’t put it that crudely. But...

In 1862 Victor Hugo, widely considered one of France’s greatest poets, published Les Misérables, literally translated to The Miserable Ones. The story, which has been adapted into dozens of versions in film, television, radio, and most famously as a musical—follows the story of a man who survives persecution amidst social and political upheavals in 19th century Paris. While the story traverses countless themes and motifs, one of the central ideas of the novel is social injustice and Hugo uses the novel as a platform to condemn the unjust class-based structure of the times. Today Action Aid released data on the...

With some notable exceptions, most scholars and politicians believe the world should limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons. For the overwhelming majority of countries, this is not a problem. Most countries do not have the resources—or more importantly the aspirations—to gain nuclear capabilities. But the problem with nuclear weapons is that even one of these weapons in the wrong hands could inflict overwhelming injury to thousands. Which is why the world doesn’t just need a majority consensus; it needs a complete consensus. The international community has a few tools to limit nuclear proliferation. The most notable of these is...

Teodoro Nguema Obiang has controlled Equatorial Guineasince he executed his uncle in a bloody coup d’état in 1979. Equatorial Guinea is a country in Middle Africa on the coast. It is one of the smallest and wealthiest countries in the continent, in large part because it holds Africa’s largest oil reserves. Yet the wealth is extremely concentrated in the hands of the government and the ruling elite. As a result over 75% of the population lives below $2 per day, 35% of its citizens do not live past the age of 40, and nearly 60%...