This is a read only archive of pad.okfn.org. See the
shutdown announcement
for details.
Money,_Politics_and_Transparency
MONEY POLITICS TRANSPARENCY
http://sched.co/1kuR40Z
Thursday, July 17, 2014 12:00-13:00
Facilators
Júlia Keserű (Sunlight Foundation), @jkeserue
Lisa Rosenberg (Sunlight Foundation), Lrosenberg@sunlightfoundation.com, Twitter @Sunlightonhill
Alan Hudson (Global Integrity), alan.hudson@globalintegrity.org, @alanhudson1
#MPTransparency
## Participants: pre-event, to get in touch with each other (feel free to add your Twitter handle)
## Agenda + pre-festival materials, resources, instructions
Political finance transparency is crucial to understanding the influence agenda in a country, to prevent or curtail violations of political finance laws, to uncover potential conflicts of interests and to determine whether changes to a country’s system of political financing are required.
The Sunlight Foundation, Global Integrity and the Electoral Integrity Project launched Money, Politics and Transparency to collect evidence around the issue and create momentum for a change.
Besides gathering data and blogging extensively about national level reform efforts, our goal is also to build a global community that will use that new information to identify possible norms to guide future political finance transparency efforts.
During the session at OKFestival, we want to hear about the potential challenges in different political finance disclosure regimes, and to be able to come up with potential solutions/next steps for this important, controversial and highly under-regulated area. Our interactive workshop will introduce transparency projects and technology tools that help uncover the influence of money on politics and identify possible global norms to guide future political finance transparency efforts.
AT THE FESTIVAL
## Participants - name, contact (if you want to leave it), number of attendees
- Gianfranco Cecconi, @giacecco, Digital Contraptions Imaginarium Ltd.
- Please do add your names!
Introduction (Lisa Rosenberg)
- Why data about political finance matters
Speed Geeking
- Mathias Huter @mathiashuter on the Political Finance Monitoring Project of Transparency International Georgia http://transparency.ge/en/
Small Group Discussions
- What if we have no reliable government data on political finance? (Which is the case almost everywhere throughout the world.) (Middle right)
- What kind of data should be disclosed and how? Should we try for voluntary disclosures in the interim? (Back right)
- What can journalists do if they don't have access to data? (Front left)
- How do we get average citizens interested in money and politics transparency? (Middle left)
- How do we convince other interest groups to support political finance transparency? (Back left)
- Concrete advocacy strategies: Can we get reform without a scandal? If not, what do we do to be prepared for when the opening comes up? (Front right)
Reporting back
- What if we have no reliable government data on political finance? (Which is the case almost everywhere throughout the world.)
- Hungarian example re calculating costs and pushing politicians to verify estimates and demonstrate evidence
- Sunlight political party time approach re invitations for fundraisers
- Risks of demonstrating to voters that political finance is a quagmire - need to empower people
- What kind of data should be disclosed and how? Should we try for voluntary disclosures in the interim?
- Agreement on kinds of data - from whom, to whom - and how (online)
- Interim strategy to get some data, but risks endorsing half-baked efforts that may not continue
- Need for scepticism and cross-referencing re data that is released
- What can journalists do if they don't have access to the data?
- Identify individual donors and ask them personally re political donations - but some privacy concerns
- Hire a detective to follow politicians - they will feel they're being watched (Israel example)
- Estimating costs of campaigns - see what's being done, work out what it might cost, open dialogue
- Political Parties could be required to provide information under Freedom of Info Law
- Pick a political party to work with it to demonstrate what transparency means, how it can be done, what value it has - set up a race to the top
- Whistle-blowing - annual awards to encourage whistle-blowing
- Educating journalists so that they can work better with data and understand its value and then journos can advocate for more data
- How do we get average citizens interested in money and politics transparency?
- Short-term and long-term possibilities.
- Scandals can increase interest/engagement.
- Making information understandable and explaining impact on people's lives/neighbourhoods.
- Italy example - kids monitoring use of EU funds in schools. An approach that could be applied re party finance.
- Value of civic projects - getting people interested at an early age.
- How do we convince other interest groups to support political finance transparency?
- Need to reach out to people whose lives are (in)directly affected e.g. consumers, patients - making links between political finance and issues that people experience as problems
- Using artists to spread the message. e.g. Bono (or not).
- Work with government reformers.
- Concrete advocacy strategies: Can we get reform without a scandal? If not, what do we do to be prepared for when the opening comes up?
- Scandals aren't the only way to get reform
- There are other, more systematic ways - a cultural change
- Need to prepare to take advantage of opportunities
- Need pro-active action to make the case for political finance law
AFTER THE FESTIVAL
## What did you learn and/or make?
## How/what could you teach others?