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65-781: According to the 2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report , Transparency International was number 9 of 100 in the Top Think Tanks Worldwide (non-U.S.) category and number 27 of 150 in the Top Think Tanks Worldwide (U.S. and non-U.S.) category. Transparency International was founded on 9 February 1993 in The Hague , Netherlands ; it was formally registered on 15 June 1993 in Berlin , Germany . According to political scientist Ellen Gutterman, "TI's presence in Germany, and indeed its organizational development and rise from

130-482: A Global Corruption Report , a Global Corruption Barometer , and a Bribe Payers Index. In 2010, Transparency International developed a five-year strategy with six strategic priorities organized by the following categories: People, Institutions, Laws, Values, Network, Impact. In 2015, Transparency International (TI) developed a five-year strategy which sets out their collective ambition for the coming years. Together against Corruption: Transparency International Strategy 2020

195-504: A convention center dedicated to hosting such events. The term MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions) is widely used in Asia as a description of the industry. The Convention ("C") is one of the most dynamic elements in the M.I.C.E. segment. The industry is generally regulated under the tourism sector . In the technical sense, a convention is a meeting of delegates or representatives. The 1947 Newfoundland National Convention

260-569: A "lack of confidence", TI's chapter in Croatia was disaccredited by the organization's board of directors in November 2015. The previous year, several leaders of the Croatia chapter challenged the legality of the chapter president's election. The president was accused of falsifying records, conflicts of interest , and arbitrarily expelling 10 chapter members who opposed the hiring of staff against

325-784: A Labour Court in Berlin. In August 2019 accounts from seven current and former TI Secretariat staff were reported in The Guardian alleging a "toxic" workplace culture at the organisation. De Swardt's successor, Patricia Moreira , left in 2020 after making similar accusations to those of De Swardt, accusing the Board of failing to protect whistleblowers, as well as corruption. The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Transparency International dismissed Moreira "without giving any reasons". The article added that, "dozens of employees, including high-ranking ones, have left

390-439: A combination of polls – drawing on corruption-related data collected by a variety of reputable institutions. The CPI reflects the views of observers from around the world. The Corruption Perceptions Index has been criticised for measuring perception and not "reality". The creators of the index argue that "perceptions matter in their own right, since... firms and individuals take actions based on perceptions". First held in 1983,

455-496: A period of three years. "This really shows that Transparency International is not as pure as people think," a TI insider told Corporate Crime Reporter. Transparency International Managing Director at the time, Cobus de Swardt , said, "We did not file an application to Siemens, we applied to the Siemens Integrity Initiative. There's a difference. We have not applied to Siemens." However, according to Siemens,

520-826: A proposal for a new Constitution for the union. With the guarantee of deliberative assemblies as a mechanism of redress under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution , conventions have proven fundamental in civic actions meant to secure fundamental rights and civil liberties; such as, the Seneca Falls Convention , the Rochester Women's Rights Convention of 1848 , and the National Women's Rights Conventions . Collectively, these conventions directly led to

585-612: A relatively small group of experts and businesspeople, has been criticised by some. Alex Cobham, fellow at the Center for Global Development , states that it "embeds a powerful and misleading elite bias in popular perceptions of corruption". Others argue it is not plausible to ever measure the true scale and depth of a highly complex issue like corruption with a single number, and then rank countries accordingly. At its annual members' meeting in November 2013 in Berlin, Transparency International's national chapters from Germany and Ireland proposed

650-502: A resolution calling for the "end of the prosecution of Edward J. Snowden ... He should be recognized as a whistleblower for his help to reveal the over-reaching and unlawful surveillance by secret services...He symbolizes the courage of numerous other whistleblowers around the world." The final resolution that was passed by the plenary excluded any reference to Snowden, and excluded a call for "comprehensive protection on whistleblowers from all forms of retaliation". The original resolution

715-483: A small operation to a prominent international TNGO [Transnational Non Governmental Organisation], benefited from the activities and personal connections of at least three key German individuals: Peter Eigen , Hansjoerg Elshorst, and Michael Wiehen". The founding members included: In 1995, Transparency International developed the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The CPI ranked nations on

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780-488: A state's constitution, are limited to addressing the constitutional matters of that particular state alone. Nearly all of the sovereign states do not yet have statutory provisions for conventions beyond their permanent legislature, state amendatory conventions , and conventions for ratification of proposals to amend the Constitution . There are no state laws explicitly providing for the election of delegates for

845-566: A vehicle to secure public rights through constitutions, or as a mechanism of redress to amend them. In fact, they have been instrumental to the nation's continued development into the representative democracy it is today. During the Confederation period under the Articles of Confederation , the former British colonies of North America had united to form a wartime confederation of states. One characterized by state representation in

910-539: A weak and decentralized central government headed by the unicameral Congress of the Confederation , the precursor to the modern-day United States Senate . One convention of particular note during this time was held between September 11–14, 1786 in Annapolis, Maryland . The Annapolis Convention , was convened primarily to address issues of commerce between the states, but the agenda quickly became focused upon

975-615: A wide range of deficiencies posed by the current frame of government. The convention ended with a resolution by Alexander Hamilton calling for a convention to amend the Articles of Confederation. Following Hamilton's suggestion, the Confederate Congress called a convention “to render the constitution … adequate to the exigencies of the Union.” The Philadelphia Convention begin on May 14, 1787, and ended on September 17, with

1040-403: Is a classic example of a state-sponsored political convention. More often, organizations made up of smaller units, chapters, or lodges, such as labor unions , honorary societies , and fraternities and sororities , meet as a whole in convention by sending delegates of the units to deliberate on the organization's common issues. This also applies to a political convention , though in modern times

1105-481: Is a strategy by and for the Transparency International movement. This strategy is based on more than 1500 external and internal contributions addressing both the corruption environment of today and the one TI anticipates in the years ahead. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index –

1170-705: Is accused of having been involved in corruption, the donor can expect no protection from TI," the procedures state. Transparency International received the funding from the Siemens Integrity Initiative about a year after the Initiative hired former TI staffer Jana Mittermaier, raising questions of a " revolving door " that has benefited both the organization and the company. Several of TI's national chapters also have accepted money from Siemens: $ 660,000 for TI USA, $ 600,000 for TI Italy, $ 450,000 for TI Bulgaria, and $ 230,000 for TI Mexico – each for

1235-493: Is to create change towards a world free of corruption. The organization defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain which eventually hurts everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority. It develops tools for fighting corruption and works with other civil society organizations, companies and governments to implement them. Since 1995, Transparency International has issued an annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI); it also publishes

1300-835: The Brookings Institution and James McGann of the Foreign Policy Research Institute were asked to help conceptualize what became the Global Development Network , a World Bank sponsored conference in Barcelona, Spain . This resulted in the publication Think Tanks and Civil Societies: Catalysts for Ideas and Action in 2000. In 2008, the TTCSP moved to the International Relations Program at

1365-583: The Federal Government of the United States formally recognizes conventions , wherever they may arise in constitutional law , as short-term deliberative assemblies . As such, they are subject to the rights of the People to enjoy free of governmental interference of any kind. Throughout the history of the United States, conventions have served as a mechanism of self-governance , providing

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1430-692: The General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA and the Southern Baptist Convention . Conventions in general enjoy a long history and rich tradition within the United States due in part to their epistemic, moral, and transformative nature. So much so that they have been stitched into the fabric of American government. There is an abundance of case law , historical precedent, examples of congressional intent , and Constitutional language, that demonstrate that

1495-597: The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution securing a woman's right to vote . The Colored Conventions Movement was a series of national, regional, and state conventions held irregularly during the decades preceding and following the American Civil War . These conventions offered opportunities for free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans to organize and strategize for racial justice . These early conventions argued for

1560-615: The World Economic Forum , or large corporations. (...) The IPC ignores corruption cases that concern the business world. So, the collapse of Lehman Brothers (2008) or the manipulation of the money market reference rate ( Libor ) by major British banks revealed in 2011 did not affect the ratings of the United States or United Kingdom ." The organization also receives funding from companies that are themselves convicted of corruption offences. CPI's reliance on opinions of

1625-709: The Yellowstone River Compact Commission , Red River Compact Commission , Colorado River Compact , and the Delaware River Basin Commission . Interstate conventions, otherwise known as conventions of states , may be called by the Governor as well, such was the case with a series of meetings from December 15, 1814, to January 5, 1815, collectively known as the Hartford Convention . The convention

1690-595: The Civil War, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts , resulting in the states that once comprised the Confederate States of America being divided into military districts . These Acts of Congress mandated that the rebel states revise their constitutions by means of conventions of elected delegates, to include the ratification of the thirteenth , fourteenth , and fifteenth amendments to

1755-593: The Constitution. Under Article Five, Congress is obligated to call such a convention when thirty-four states have formally submitted to Congress, a joint resolution known as a state application . To date, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives has identified nearly two hundred of these applications. Yet, this method of proposal remains elusive and has never occurred in the history of

1820-787: The Convention. Conventions are ubiquitous in the corporate sector and include the State Conventions of the National Association of Realtors and the Annual Convention for the Cleaning Equipment Trade Association for just two of countless examples. Presidential nominating conventions are called by political parties in the United States. They have been a permanent feature of the government since its founding. After

1885-589: The International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is a series of international conferences organised by the IACC Council, in association with local governments and organisations, with Transparency International as its secretariat. The conferences take place every two years in different countries. According to its 2012 Annual Report, Transparency International is funded by western governments (with almost €5 million from

1950-470: The Secretariat defended the decision by TI-USA to give Hillary Clinton its Integrity Award in 2012. Since January 1, 2020, Transparency International has an office in the United States. In 2017, Cobus de Swardt stood down as Transparency International's Managing Director, following a dispute with the organisation's board of directors. De Swardt agreed a settlement with a Transparency International in

2015-466: The TI board of directors to advise them and to support the work of the organization as a whole. Transparency International consists of chapters – locally established, independent organizations – that address corruption in their respective countries. From small bribes to large-scale looting, corruption differs from country to country. As chapters are staffed with local experts they are ideally placed to determine

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2080-546: The Think Tank Fund, assisted by the Open Society Institute . In 2018, this Index listed US the country with the largest number of Think Tanks (1871), followed by India (509), China (507), UK (321), Argentina (227), Germany (218), Russia (215), France (203), Japan (128), Italy (114), Brazil (103), Canada (100), South Africa (93). Business conference A convention (or event ), in

2145-486: The Transparency International board’s handling of the complaints process was beset by conflicts of interest and failed to address allegations of misconduct made against the board. In 2021, de Swardt published a book accusing Transparency International of abuse of power and silencing whistleblowers. De Swardt also presented a video published on YouTube by his publisher, Springer , criticising corruption at Transparency International. Former head of technology Daniel Eriksson

2210-638: The UK government) and several multinational companies, including oil companies Exxon Mobil and Shell , hedge funds KKR and Wermuth Asset Management, Deloitte and Ernst & Young . Exxon Mobil itself was ranked in 2008 as the least transparent of 42 major oil and gas firms. As far as organizational structure is concerned, one important leadership structure is TI's advisory council, a group of individuals with extensive experience in Transparency International's work. Drawn from diverse geographical, cultural and professional backgrounds, council members are appointed by

2275-408: The United States Constitution. Congress has also frequently employed conventions for the admission of new states to the Union under Article Four of the United States Constitution . In all, a total of thirty-one states were admitted to the union in this manner. In each and every case, under the authority derived directly from the federal constitution, Congress mandated an election of delegates with

2340-410: The United States dating back well before the ratification of the Constitution, confusion and controversy has emerged in recent decades. Perhaps, most prominent among them is the distinction between what constitutes a state convention and what constitutes a federal convention. Fortunately this can be determined by identification of the convening authority. A federal convention is one called and convened for

2405-486: The United States. Article Five also provides that Congress may choose among two modes of ratification, either by means of state legislatures or by state conventions. To date the state convention ratification mode was used by Congress just once, to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution which ended prohibition . As a result, many states have statutory provisions providing for

2470-586: The University of Pennsylvania. McGann and the Program published the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index . As of 2010, the Index is based on a three-phase survey whose participants include politicians, scientists, think tank donors, and think tanks. However, this method of the study and assessment of policy institutes has been criticized by researchers such as Enrique Mendizabal and Goran Buldioski, Director of

2535-504: The abolition of slavery, equal educational opportunities, land reform, and the merits of emigration out of the United States. Prior to the ratification of the United States Constitution, a convention of independent states would hold sovereign power over the Confederate Congress. However, most of these conventions were called by state legislatures to resolve boundary disputes; others were called for economic purposes; such as

2600-646: The chapters. According to the newspaper Le Monde : "In its main surveys, Transparency International does not measure the weight of corruption in economic terms for each country. It develops a Corruption Perception Index (CPI) based on surveys conducted by private structures or other NGOs: the Economist Intelligence Unit , backed by the British liberal weekly newspaper The Economist , the American neoconservative organization Freedom House ,

2665-599: The common issues are limited to selecting a party candidate or party chairman. In this technical sense , a congress , when it consists of representatives, is a convention. The British House of Commons is a convention, as are most other houses of a modern representative legislature . The National Convention or just "Convention" in France comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from September 20, 1792, to October 26, 1795. The governing bodies of religious groups may also be called conventions, such as

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2730-660: The convention mode of ratification became enshrined within Article Seven of the United States Constitution . The Constitution was eventually adopted per the provisions of Article Seven as the Supreme Law of the Land through a series of Ratification Conventions that ultimately culminated on May 29, 1790, with the final ratification which was provided by the State of Rhode Island. Despite this long history of conventions in

2795-557: The donation to Transparency International after pleading guilty in 2008 to bribery charges relating to widespread corrupt practices in Greece, Norway, Iraq, Vietnam, Italy, Israel, Argentina, Venezuela, China and Russia. Transparency International applied for and received the funding from Siemens, even though TI's due diligence procedures prohibit the organization from accepting money from corporations that want to " greenwash " their reputations by making donations to TI. "If any corporate donor

2860-513: The elections of delegates for future ratification conventions. The Delegates of the Philadelphia Convention chose state conventions instead of state legislatures as the bodies to consider ratification of the Constitution. They broadly believed that ratification by means of conventions would better represent the will of the People and this process "would make the new federal Constitution superior to any specific legislature." Thus

2925-420: The event organizers and attendees. Professional conventions focus on issues of concern along with advancements related to the profession. Such conventions are generally organized by societies or communities dedicated to promotion of the topic of interest. Fan conventions usually feature displays, shows, and sales based on pop culture and guest celebrities. Science fiction conventions traditionally partake of

2990-792: The former chapter and the Transparency International Movement. Elsewhere, it was reported that TI-USA came to be seen in the United States as a corporate front group, funded by multinational corporations. TI-USA's funding was provided by Bechtel Corporation , Deloitte, Google, Pfizer ($ 50,000 or more), Citigroup , ExxonMobil, Fluor, General Electric , Lockheed Martin , Marsh & McLennan, PepsiCo , PricewaterhouseCoopers , Raytheon , Realogy, Tyco ($ 25,000–$ 49,999), and Freeport-McMoRan and Johnson & Johnson (up to $ 24,999). TI-USA previously awarded an annual corporate leadership award to one of its big corporate funders. In 2016, this award went to Bechtel. In April 2015

3055-665: The illegal imprisonment of Lula da Silva. Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program ( TTCSP ) was a non-profit program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , that operated from 1989 to 2021. TTCSP was originally established at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in 1989. The director was James McGann . The program conducted research on policy institutes around

3120-508: The left", fund selected candidates, and target others, seen as adversaries, using social media. Plans extended to preparing a series of false accusations ("denúncias sem materialidade") intended to damage the reputation of former president and potential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , and lead up to a chat in which participants celebrate the election of Jair Bolsonaro . In April 2022, Brazil's auditing court announced that it had opened an investigation against Transparency International over

3185-503: The money for these grants is "provided by Siemens". In August 2015 former TI staffer Anna Buzzoni went public regarding retaliation she and her colleagues faced after reporting to managers questionable financial dealings at TI's Water Integrity Network. Two of Buzzoni's project responsibilities were suspended and she was transferred against her will. She left TI shortly before internal whistleblower guidelines were adopted in June 2014. Due to

3250-426: The nature of both professional conventions and fan conventions, with the balance varying from one to another. Conventions also exist for various hobbies, such as gaming or model railroads . Conventions are often planned and coordinated, often in exacting detail, by professional meeting and convention planners , either by staff of the convention's hosting company or by outside specialists. Most large cities will have

3315-463: The organisation in recent years. Even long-standing and deeply committed employees complain that TI is involved in political intrigues in which some are only interested in their own progress. For a non-governmental organization whose goal is to fight corruption around the world, and which collects millions of dollars in funding from governments and companies every year, this is a disturbing finding." Investigations specialist Harriet Witchell has stated that

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3380-611: The organization's rules. The Croatian government eventually revoked the president's appointment. In January 2017, the TI Secretariat confirmed that its International Board of Directors decided on 10 January 2017 to strip its US affiliate – Transparency International USA – of its accreditation as the National Chapter in the United States. The stated basis for the dis-accreditation was the board's recognition of differences in philosophies, strategies, and priorities between

3445-486: The passage of an enabling act ; such as these notable examples: Among the most enigmatic of all conventions, Article Five of the United States Constitution provides for the calling of a constitutional convention , more commonly known as a Convention to propose amendments , whereby delegates are elected in equal fashion to Members of the United States Congress , to deliberate and propose amendments to

3510-448: The perceived likelihood that a country's multinational corporations would offer bribes. Spokesperson Shubham Kaushik said the organization "decided to discontinue the survey due to funding issues and to focus on issues that are more in line with our advocacy goals". The Journal of Business Ethics states "Bribery in international business transactions can be seen as a function of not only the demand for such bribes in different countries, but

3575-518: The prevalence of corruption within each country, based upon surveys of business people. The CPI was subsequently published annually. It was initially criticized for poor methodology and unfair treatment of developing nations, while also being praised for highlighting corruption and embarrassing governments. Starting in 1999 and ending in 2011, Transparency International published the Bribe Payers Index (BPI) which ranked nations according to

3640-479: The priorities and approaches best suited to tackling corruption in their countries. This work ranges from visiting rural communities to provide free legal support to advising their government on policy reform. Corruption does not stop at national borders. The chapters play a crucial role in shaping its collective work and realising its regional and global goals, such as Strategy 2015. Transparency International's multi-country research and advocacy initiatives are driven by

3705-426: The purpose of exercising a federal function under authority deriving directly from the United States Constitution. Conversely, state legislatures only exercise federal functions when they apply to Congress for a convention to propose amendments or when they call a convention to ratify a proposed amendment submitted to the states by Congress. Otherwise conventions called and convened under authority deriving directly from

3770-415: The sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry , profession , and fandom . Trade conventions typically focus on a particular industry or industry segment, and feature keynote speakers, vendor displays, and other information and activities of interest to

3835-465: The so-called list of "foreign agent" . On March 6, 2023, Transparency International was declared an undesirable organization in Russia . Transparency International is the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption. It brings people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the devastating impact of corruption on men, women and children around the world. TI's mission

3900-573: The supply, or willingness to provide bribes by multinational firms and their representatives. This study addresses the propensity of firms from 30 different countries to engage in international bribery". Since 2005, Transparency International has published thirteen Exporting Corruption reports. Exporting Corruption is a research report that rates the bribery-related performance of leading global exporters, including countries that are signatories of OECD Anti-Bribery Convention . In April 2015 Russia's Ministry of Justice added Transparency International to

3965-503: The world, and maintained a database of over 8,200 think tanks from across the world. The TTCSP was established at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in 1989. It began with its focus on think tanks in the US. In the 1990s, the program became increasingly global as a result of the political and economic transformation that took place in Central and Eastern Europe. R. Kent Weaver of

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4030-557: Was appointed interim managing director in March 2020, and became CEO a year later. Transparency International's political impartiality, as well as its own transparency, have been called into question over hacked conversations of prosecutors in Operation Car Wash , leaked to The Intercept . In these, chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol and head of TI Brazil, Bruno Brandão, discuss a "backstage campaign" to "disarm resistance on

4095-531: Was called to address the ongoing War of 1812 , as well as, an array of problems arising from the growth of the federal government. Single state conventions may be called due to a provision of the state's constitution, by referendum, or in response to amendment proposal from Congress. To date, there have been 233 state-level conventions in the history of the United States, all of which convened to revise or even entirely rewrite their state constitutions. In each and everyone of these convention, delegates were elected to

4160-584: Was the case with the Annapolis Convention that ultimately led to the framing of the Constitution. Since ratification however, it has become widely understood that the Constitution recognizes the authority of states and state legislatures to appoint commissioners to these type of conventions,. Although any agreements they may reach are subject to Congressional approval under the Commerce Clause . Examples of this form of convention include

4225-742: Was weakened following the intervention of the USA chapter. Five months earlier, in June 2013, representatives from Transparency International met Snowden at the Moscow airport, where he asked for political asylum in Russia. In January 2015 it was reported that Transparency International accepted $ 3 million from the German engineering multinational Siemens , which in 2008 paid one of the largest corporate corruption fines in history – $ 1.6 billion – for bribing government officials in numerous countries. In 2014, Siemens made

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