Civil Society for Development: Opportunities Through the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
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My Name Is Vijay Anand, and Am President of 5Th
www.5thpillar.org My name is Vijay Anand, and am President of 5th Pillar, a citizens‟ coalition against corruption in India. 5th Pillar's objective is to enable and empower every citizen to seek transparency and accountability in governance, catalyze civic participation, facilitate the right to information, all in an effort to curb corruption. The great digital divide in how information is accessed and used in urban vs. rural India has required adoption of a multi- pronged approach. The mission statement of 5th Pillar “Encourage, Enable and Empower Every Citizen of India to Eliminate Corruption” is best understood when placed in the context of the organization‟s grass-roots level anti- corruption initiatives, especially targeted at children in schools, youth in colleges and the villagers of rural India. The ZERO RUPEE NOTE, which has been our primary campaign tool to take our anti-corruption message to every nook and corner of India, has served as a powerful but non-violent weapon of non-cooperation against corruption and bribery. It has served as a connecting fiber among like-minded anti-corruption organizations, whistleblowers and simply citizens who wanted to say NO to bribes without having to spell it out in too many words. The Right to Information Act, passed by the Indian Parliament in 2005, mandates timely response to citizens requests on various aspects of public information with respect to the government's functioning. 5th Pillar‟s RTI awareness program empowers citizens through training programs and workshops on effective use of the “RTI Act”. Citizens use it largely to obtain their rights and avail of their basic services including Ration card, Driving license, Old Age pension, Land ownership title etc. -
Assessing the Quality of Democracy
Assessing the Quality of Democracy A Practical Guide Assessing the Quality of Democracy A Practical Guide David Beetham Edzia Carvalho Todd Landman Stuart Weir © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008 International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council Members. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: International IDEA SE -103 34 Stockholm Sweden Graphic design by: Santángelo Diseño Printed by: Bulls Graphics Cover illustration © Alberto Ruggieri/Illustration Works/Corbis/Scanpix ISBN: 978-91-85724-43-7 Foreword: the state of democracy Democracy is the predominant form of government in the world to- day. For the greater part of the world democracy has been a rare or re- cent phenomenon, but successive waves of democracy throughout the 20th century meant that by the new millennium more countries were governed through democratic than through non-democratic forms of rule. Various attempts to enumerate democracies in the world agree that more than 60 per cent of all countries today have in place at least some form of minimal democratic institutions and procedures. The Community of Democracies lists more than 100 countries while the United Nations International Conference on New or Restored Democracies (ICNRD) has grown in depth, breadth and importance since it was inaugurated in 1988 as a forum for global democratic de- velopment. Increasingly, governmental, intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations emphasize that democracy is an end in itself, as well as an important means to other ends, such as economic development, poverty reduction and greater protection of interna- tionally recognized human rights. -
Nickersonanita-E.Pdf
Submission to ERRE by Anita Nickerson In this brief I speak only for myself. My opinions are in no way a reflection of the views of Fair Vote Canada. Their views are well set out in this submission to ERRE. Sections In this brief you will find the following: About the Author The Case is not Black and White, But It’s Real Why PR What System I Prefer What System I Hope You Adopt Special Issues: ● Simplicity ● Competition/Collaboration in Multi-Member Ridings ● Local Representation ● Familiarity Bias about Systems ● Referendum, Media and Mandate Who am I? I am a 42 year old woman who lives in Kitchener, Ontario. I have bachelor degrees in Psychology and Social Work, and a college diploma in Drug and Alcohol Counselling. I worked as an addictions counsellor for 8 years. I have been at home with my 15 year old daughter with special needs (we homeschool) since 2006. My husband of 16 years is a Registered Practical Nurse. For the past year, I have been employed part time by Fair Vote Canada. I’ve been working with FVC first on a local and then on a national level since 2008. I support volunteers, help coordinate national actions, and have contributed to almost every other aspect of our national campaign. This cause is my full time passion. Around 2007 I was like most Canadians - I voted, but I paid very little attention to politics between elections. I made voting decisions based on clips of leaders I saw on TV or something I read in the paper. -
A Canadian Model of Proportional Representation by Robert S. Ring A
Proportional-first-past-the-post: A Canadian model of Proportional Representation by Robert S. Ring A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Political Science Memorial University St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador May 2014 ii Abstract For more than a decade a majority of Canadians have consistently supported the idea of proportional representation when asked, yet all attempts at electoral reform thus far have failed. Even though a majority of Canadians support proportional representation, a majority also report they are satisfied with the current electoral system (even indicating support for both in the same survey). The author seeks to reconcile these potentially conflicting desires by designing a uniquely Canadian electoral system that keeps the positive and familiar features of first-past-the- post while creating a proportional election result. The author touches on the theory of representative democracy and its relationship with proportional representation before delving into the mechanics of electoral systems. He surveys some of the major electoral system proposals and options for Canada before finally presenting his made-in-Canada solution that he believes stands a better chance at gaining approval from Canadians than past proposals. iii Acknowledgements First of foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my brilliant supervisor, Dr. Amanda Bittner, whose continuous guidance, support, and advice over the past few years has been invaluable. I am especially grateful to you for encouraging me to pursue my Master’s and write about my electoral system idea. -
Egypt Presidential Election Observation Report
EGYPT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OBSERVATION REPORT JULY 2014 This publication was produced by Democracy International, Inc., for the United States Agency for International Development through Cooperative Agreement No. 3263-A- 13-00002. Photographs in this report were taken by DI while conducting the mission. Democracy International, Inc. 7600 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1010 Bethesda, MD 20814 Tel: +1.301.961.1660 www.democracyinternational.com EGYPT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OBSERVATION REPORT July 2014 Disclaimer This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Democracy International, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. CONTENTS CONTENTS ................................................................ 4 MAP OF EGYPT .......................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................. II DELEGATION MEMBERS ......................................... V ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................... X EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 6 ABOUT DI .......................................................... 6 ABOUT THE MISSION ....................................... 7 METHODOLOGY .............................................. 8 BACKGROUND ........................................................ 10 TUMULT -
The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences Latent Heat: Changing Forms of Activism Under Repressi
The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences Latent Heat: Changing Forms of Activism under Repressive Authoritarian Regimes: A Case Study of Egypt, 2000-2008 A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts/Science By Shireen Mohamed Zayed under the supervision of Dr. James H. Sunday August/2017 1 Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgment .......................................................................................................... 5 Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review ............................................................. 6 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Literature Review: Beyond Repression and Coercion Alone ....................................... 8 1.2.1 Operational Definitions .................................................................................. 9 1.2.2 Relationship between Repression and Activism ............................................... 10 1.2.3 Scholarly Debate: Activism Under Authoritarian Regimes ................................. 12 1.3 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... -
Summary of Proceedings
Second International Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation Summary of Proceedings Organization of American States (OAS) Washington, D.C., November 14-15, 2007 This document reflects the opinions expressed by the international organizations that participated in the Second International Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. Consequently, the views expressed are exclusively those of the international organizations named herein, and they do not necessarily represent the points of view or the opinions of the OAS, its organs, its staff members, or the OAS Member States. Table of Contents I. Executive Summary II. Proceedings of the Meeting • Panel 1: Sharing Best Practices on Election Observation Criteria Andrew Bruce – Election Desk, External Relations Directorate General, European Commission David Pottie – Associate Director, Democracy Program, The Carter Center Gerardo Munck , Professor and Consultant, General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation External Discussant : Miriam Lapp , Acting Director, International Research and Cooperation, Elections Canada Moderator: Ms. Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu (SADC-PF) • Panel 2: Harmonizing our Approaches to Electronic Technologies in Elections Domenico Tuccinardi – Senior Project Manager ACE Practitioners’ Network, International IDEA Avery Davis-Roberts – Program Associate, Democracy Program, The Carter Center Vladimir Pran – Chief of Party, WestBank/Gaza, IFES Moderator: Mr. Khabele Matlosa (EISA) • Panel 3: Post-Election Follow-up: Translating Observer Recommendations Into Action Robin Ludwig – Political Affairs Officer – United Nations Electoral Affairs Division (UNEAD) Mark Stevens – Advisor and Head, Democracy Section - Commonwealth Secretariat Pat Merloe – Senior Associate and Director of Election Programs, NDI Kingsley Rodrigo – Secretary General, Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) Moderator: Mr. -
Social Media Monitoring During Elections
SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING DURING ELECTIONS CASES AND BEST PRACTICE TO INFORM ELECTORAL OBSERVATION MISSIONS AUTHORS Rafael Schmuziger Goldzweig Bruno Lupion Michael Meyer-Resende FOREWORD BY Iskra Kirova and Susan Morgan EDITOR Ros Taylor © 2019 Open Society Foundations uic b n dog. This publication is available as a PDF on the Open Society Foundations website under a Creative Commons license that allows copying and distributing the publication, only in its entirety, as long as it is attributed to the Open Society Foundations and used for noncommercial educational or public policy purposes. Photographs may not be used separately from the publication. Cover photo: © Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg/Getty opensocietyfoundations.org Experiences of Social Media Monitoring During Elections: Cases and Best Practice to Inform Electoral Observation Missions May 2019 CONTENTS 3 FOREWORD 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 INTRODUCTION 9 CONTEXT 9 Threats to electoral integrity in social media 9 The framework of international election observation 10 The Declaration of Principles of International Election Observation 12 WHAT ARE INTERNATIONAL OBSERVER MISSIONS DOING ON SOCIAL MEDIA DISCOURSE? 14 WHAT ARE EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS DOING? 17 WHAT ARE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS DOING? 17 European civil society 19 A glimpse beyond Europe 21 Non-government initiatives: Europe & beyond 23 Topics/objects of analysis 24 Platforms 26 Monitoring tools 1 Experiences of Social Media Monitoring During Elections: Cases and Best Practice to Inform Electoral Observation Missions May 2019 27 GUIDELINES FOR EOMS 27 Monitoring of social media vs traditional media 29 Cooperation between actors and information exchange partnerships 29 Dealing with data 29 Working in different contexts 31 SWOT analysis for EOMs in social media monitoring 32 RECOMMENDATIONS 35 ANNEX 1: SURVEY OF INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS 36 ANNEX 2: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INITIATIVES ANALYSED (based on interviews) 36 a. -
Democracy Unlock
Unlock Democracy incorporating Charter 88 How healthy is our local democracy? Ros Scott years of Unlocking Democracy This pamphlet is based on a speech given by Ros Scott at Liberal Democrat Party Conference in 2008, at an Unlock Democracy lecture. Our lecture and pamphlet series are intended to provoke debate on and interest in issues relating to democracy and human rights. As an organisation promoting democratic reform and human rights, we may disagree with what our contributors say - but we are always stimulated by and grateful to them. The views of the authors of this work should not be presumed to be the opinion of Unlock Democracy or its staff. First published by Unlock Democracy in 2009. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 2.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit www. creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc/2.0/uk/ How healthy is our local democracy? Ros Scott1 Much of what really matters to us is on our doorstep. The condition of roads, the quality of local schools, the availability of leisure facilities like swimming pools and libraries, and whether or not our bins are emptied efficiently should be daily reminders about the state of our local democracy. And yet, it is all too rare to hear debate about the performance of the council, at least in anything other than a general sense, the choices which are available, or about the potential power of the ballot box to change things. Democracy, like charity, begins at home. If citizens feel disconnected from the democratic processes closest to home, then what hope is there for wider engagement? If government in all its forms can’t do anything about the dog dirt and paving slabs, how can anyone have confidence in its ability to deal with a global economic crisis, environmental degradation and threats to our security? After being closely involved with local government for almost 20 years, it is my belief that genuine local democracy in this country is in terminal decline. -
Women's Empowerment and Leadership Around the World
COMMUNITY CLASSRoom: WOMEN’s EMPoweRment ENGAGING STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS THROUGH FILM Examine key social and political issues impacting women through curriculum and supporting video modules for the acclaimed documentaries WAITING FOR THE REVOLUTION, WOMEN’S SHADYA, SHAYFEEN.COM: We’re Watching You and TAKING ROOT. From an indigenous Bolivian leader fighting for labor DISCUSSION GUIDE rights to a young Israeli Arab karate champion with feminist EMPOWERMENT ideas, from three Egyptian women working for fair elections, to a Kenyan woman leading a nationwide environmental move- EDUCATOR GUIDE ment, these four documentaries explore stories of women's empowerment and leadership around the world. WWW.ITVS.ORG/CLASSROOM INDEPENDENT TELEVISION SERVICE (ITVS) 651 BRANNAN STREET, SUITE 410 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107 PHONE: 415.356.8383 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: WWW.ITVS.ORG/CLASSROOM PAGE 1 COMMUNITY CLASSRoom: WOMEN’s EMPoweRment TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Films 3 How to Use This Guide 4 Overview of Activities and Video Modules 4 TAKING ROOT Activities: • ACTIVITY 1— From Roots to Branches: The Interconnectedness of 7 Environment, Culture and Social Justice • ACTIVITY 2 — Evaluating Citizen Action and Environmental Change Strategies 12 WAITING FOR THE REVOLUTION Activities: • ACTIVITY 1 — The Right to Work 17 • ACTIVITY 2 — People Power from within the System 22 SHAYFEEN.COM: We’re Watching You Activities: • ACTIVITY 1 — Illusions of Democracy: When Is It Not 26 Free or Fair? • ACTIVITY 2 — Digital Media as a Civic Engagement Tool 31 SHADYA Activities: • ACTIVITY 1 — The Israeli Arab Experience 35 • ACTIVITY 2 — Muslim Feminism 40 Recommended National Standards 45 Guide Credits 49 Teacher and student handouts may be downloaded at www.itvs.org/classroom COMMUNITY CLASSROOM is an educational resource providing new documentary video content and accompa- nying curricular materials, lesson plans, and homework assignments to high school and community college instruc- tors and youth-serving community-based organizations. -
UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/92g1h187 Author LaPorte, Jody Marie Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia By Jody Marie LaPorte A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Jason Wittenberg, Co-chair Professor Michael S. Fish, Co-chair Professor David Collier Professor Victoria Bonnell Spring 2012 The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia Copyright 2012 by Jody Marie LaPorte Abstract The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia by Jody Marie LaPorte Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science University of California, Berkeley Professor Jason Wittenberg, co-chair Professor Michael S. Fish, co-chair This dissertation asks why some non-democratic regimes give political opponents significant leeway to organize, while others enforce strict limits on such activities. I examine this question with reference to two in-depth case studies from post-Soviet Eurasia: Georgia under President Eduard Shevardnadze and Kazakhstan under President Nursultan Nazarbayev. While a non- democratic regime was in place in both countries, opposition was highly tolerated in Georgia, but not allowed in Kazakhstan. I argue that these divergent policies can be traced to variation in the predominant source and pattern of state corruption in each country. -
Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 115 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 115 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 164 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, MAY 7, 2018 No. 73 House of Representatives The House met at noon and was the campaign: Darrel Martin and Linda Black man since reconstruction per- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- Moore. A few years later, we worked haps ever. After one term, he ran for pore (Mr. THORNBERRY). very different parts of Virginia in mayor and lost handily. I still marvel f Jerry Baliles’ winning race for Gov- at the courage and the hope he must ernor. But my life changed completely have had to stand for office in Prince DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO when I visited Carl at his home in Edward County, alone among all the TEMPORE Farmville in the summer of 1988, at the counties in the United States to close The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- beginning of my first-ever candidacy its public schools rather than integrate fore the House the following commu- for office. them. One can only imagine the hos- nication from the Speaker: Carl agreed to join my small team, tility Carl faced in the local population as he dared to lead them. Twice more, WASHINGTON, DC, and from that day forward, he was my May 7, 2018. constant companion. We traveled ev- over the decades, Carl ran for mayor, I hereby appoint the Honorable MAC erywhere across the Commonwealth to- getting closer each time, and earning THORNBERRY to act as Speaker pro tempore gether.