On Friday, President Obama abruptly announced the replacement of Gerald Walpin, the Inspector General for Americorps. The reasons for this decision were not made clear, raising questions as to what motivated the firing. As a result, Rush Limbaugh and associated media are screaming cronyism. The fired IG Walpin recently concluded an investigation of Sacramento Mayor…
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China’s pursuit of African raw material turns to a US$9 billion mining rights deal between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The International Monetary Fund is critical of the deal, saying it will only add to the DRC’s staggering debt burden. But with China’s new African clout, the IMF might not matter. Currently, the…
Yesterday, US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that House office expenses will be published online, vastly streamlining public monitoring of Representatives spending habits. The move will put the current paper records online “at the earliest date,” making each purchase publicly accessible. This move can be read as a reaction to the ongoing scandal…
A few weeks ago, this blog joined Sunlight Foundation, ProPublica and others in calling for better disclosure around lobbying for US stimulus spending. Our suggestion was to skip the bans on lobbying and instead shine a big, bright spotlight on all correspondence between lawmakers and interested parties. This is pretty much what just happened. I’ll…
In a series of blog posts, this blog has been covering different assessments of the effectiveness and accountability of foreign aid. Where has aid worked? Where has it failed? What role do governance and monitoring platforms play in the success rate of overseas development funding? Debate rages. In the past week, the Daily Telegraph and…