The Open Government Partnership–A New Direction for U.S. Foreign Policy?

Posted on July 12, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

The U.S. and more than 50 other countries met today to discuss a new international initiative to promote open government around the world, the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The aim is to create a multinational, multi-stakeholder compact to advance openness, accountability, transparency, and good government. The OGP is to be announced at the inauguration of Read more about The Open Government Partnership–A New Direction for U.S. Foreign Policy?[…]

Bolivia and its Lithium: The Next Saudi Arabia? (via The COHA Blog)

Posted on July 5, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

Bolivia and Brazil seem to have this conundrum in common: both are on the verge of massive mineral wealth– Brazil with oil, Bolivia with Lithium–and both are still emerging democracies with spotty, if not weak governmental institutions. A book by Terry Lynn Karl of Stanford University called “The Paradox of Plenty” does a noble job Read more about Bolivia and its Lithium: The Next Saudi Arabia? (via The COHA Blog)[…]

The Costs of Rousseff’s Coalition Continue to Mount

Posted on July 4, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

The price of majority consensus in Congress is rising as the Rousseff administration muddles through yet another ugly compromise with allies. Over the past week, the magazine Veja broke a story about how political bosses within the Ministry of Transport have siphoned-off large amounts of cash, approximately 4 to 5 percent of total funds earmarked Read more about The Costs of Rousseff’s Coalition Continue to Mount[…]

Brazil’s Congress: Paying for Consensus

Posted on June 29, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

Brazilians have a saying, that every corruption scandal “ends in pizza.” The malfeasant and the enforcer settle things by sharing a meal and leaving behind what brought them together in the first place. Unlike other Latin American elites, the Brazilian elite peculiarly tend towards consensus as opposed to hot-headed conflict. Rather than incriminate each other, Read more about Brazil’s Congress: Paying for Consensus[…]

Freedom of Information Bill in Jeopardy as Rousseff Backtracks

Posted on June 17, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

[Published on http://www.freedominfo.org/news/ by Greg Michener] President Dilma Rousseff reversed her support for expedited passage of a Brazilian freedom of information law this week, ceding to Senators’ desire to reappraise the law and include weakening amendments. The proposed changes to bill 41/2010 aim to eliminate time limits on how long information can be classified as Read more about Freedom of Information Bill in Jeopardy as Rousseff Backtracks[…]

Dealing with Overcrowding in Brazil’s Prisons: Innovative Legislation Passed

Posted on June 10, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

Brazilian legislators have passed an innovative law to deal with overcrowding and high recidivism in Brazil’s prisons: one day less in prison for every 12 hours spent in the classroom, reports Folha de São Paulo. As world population continues to surge past 7 billion people, prison overcrowding and repeat incarceration have become major policy problems Read more about Dealing with Overcrowding in Brazil’s Prisons: Innovative Legislation Passed[…]

Why the Media Have Made the Palocci Scandal into a Crisis

Posted on June 6, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

Research shows that the news media’s issue-attention cycle tends to be short, averaging about three days for a major story. When it diverges from this norm, you can bet that the event is either truly sensational or else the media has a vested interest in it. In the case of the first major ‘crisis’ to Read more about Why the Media Have Made the Palocci Scandal into a Crisis[…]

Tax Transparency and a Fairer Brazil

Posted on May 26, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

The worst thing about Brazilians taxes—which are the heaviest of any country in the hemisphere—is not the amount of tax paid or how government often misuses them, but rather that Brazilians don’t even know how much tax they pay in the first place. This past week, the Folha de Sao Paulo reported that the average Read more about Tax Transparency and a Fairer Brazil[…]

Impeached Ex-President Pockets Brazilian Freedom of Information Law

Posted on May 5, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

A surprising turn of events threatens to de-rail President Dilma Rousseff’s bid for greater governmental openness and transparency in Brazil. Brazil was on track to pass its long awaited freedom of information (FOI) law on May 3rd, World Press Day— a deadline set by Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff just after President Barack Obama’s mid-March visit. Read more about Impeached Ex-President Pockets Brazilian Freedom of Information Law[…]

More Census Results for Brazil– Inequality and Poverty

Posted on May 4, 2011September 9, 2019 by gregmichener

How are inequality and poverty best addressed? Successive governments have focused on conditional cash transfers, such as Bolsa Escola and Bolsa Familia, in which money goes to parents in return for keeping their children at school, among other conditions. These programs have diminished absolute poverty and helped ensure that future generation will gain the basic Read more about More Census Results for Brazil– Inequality and Poverty[…]