In this new episode of the Democracy that Delivers podcast, Adam Sachs, Program Manager for the Center for Digital Economy and Governance (CDEG), discusses the results of a recent study characterizing Colombian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their levels of digital adoption with Luz Stella Gómez, Manager of Financing and Technological Capabilities at iNNpulsa Colombia, and Pablo Lemoine, President of the Centro Nacional de Consultoría.
This survey was conducted with input from 4,000 companies throughout Colombia, including those in regions most affected by conflict, as well as women-led and LGBTQ+-led enterprises. The study was a partnership between CIPE, iNNpulsa Colombia—the innovation and entrepreneurship agency of the Colombian government—and the Centro Nacional de Consultoría, one of Colombia's most prestigious and recognized surveying think tanks, which has worked with numerous companies and the national government. In collaboration with iNNpulsa, they also conducted the first version of the Digital Adoption Study in 2017.

Click here to view the results of the survey: https://www.cipe.org/resources/characterization-of-smes-in-colombia-and-their-digital-adoption/

In 2018, widespread protests dislodged a decades-long kleptocratic regime in Armenia. Known as the Velvet Revolution, these protests represented a culmination of decades of civil society organization and activism and the first surge of revolutionary action against Serzh Sargsyan following his attempt to cling to power.

In this episode of Collectively Combating Kleptocracy, Gayane Abrahamyan, an award-winning journalist and social justice activist, who served as a member of the Armenian Parliament as part of the My Step alliance, joins the host, Max Levites (Senior Governance Specialist, Center for Global Impact, International Republican Institute), to discuss the key foundations and mechanisms that fostered a unity between civil society and citizens, leading to the Velvet Revolution. Abrahamyan shares her unique perspective on the trajectory of this unity and the involvement of marginalized groups while also outlining the importance of Armenia’s new-found democratic narrative as an outcome of the Velvet Revolution, among other short-term but key successes.

Beginning in November of 2013, then President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych withdrew from a long-desired and promised EU trade agreement in the interest of consolidating a kleptocratic regime with Russia. The events ignited a series of both violent and non-violent large-scale protests in Kyiv, spanning many months. The protests, named ‘Euromaidan’ shifted the tide in Ukrainian politics and represented one of Ukraine’s largest ever collective action movements against corruption and kleptocracy.

Vladimir Dubrovsky is this episode of Collectively Combating Kleptocracy’s guest, joining CIPE’s ACGC Program Manager Izabela Chmielewska, to discuss his personal insights into the Euromaidan protests. Vladimir has extensive experience working as a senior economist at Case Ukraine and as a chief expert at the Economic Expert Platform; and a rich experience working in macroeconomics, political institutional economics and governance and anti-corruption. Vladimir outlines the historical and political background leading up to the protests and uses his experience and insight to explore the events’ tipping points and mobilization mechanisms. He also discusses the outcome of the protest, noting the shift in collective action narrative in Ukraine, the existing needs for reform and the unification of civil society in response to recent conflicts.

Corruption has long troubled Thailand, halting economic growth and the development of democratic regimes. Attempts at fighting corruption from civil society and governmental procedure have done little to stymie corrupt exchange and have facilitated a culture of corruption across branches of Thai society. With aid from various local and international organisations, the Thai private sector appeared as the unique champion to fight corruption via the Thai Collective Action Against Corruption (Thai CAC) – a movement designed to unite Thai businesses and consolidate a foundation and framework for an actionable anti-corruption narrative.

In this episode of Collectively Combating Kleptocracy, the Thai Institute of Directors Executive Director and Thai CAC representative Pana Ratanabanangkoon joins CIPE’s ACGC Program Manager Izabela Chmielewska to discuss the mobilization, emergence, tipping points and subsequent success of the Thai CAC. Ratanabanangkoon outlines the nature of operation while exploring the specific objectives and unique characteristics of the Thai CAC. He also discusses if the Thai CAC reached its desired outcomes, as envisioned at the start of its journey, providing further discussion on what lessons have been learned and how the Thai CAC’s formulation process can be reflected in alternative contexts to promote further collective action against corruption in the private sector.

In April 2008, contested election results and alleged electoral fraud in Moldova triggered public protests and political turmoil between activists and state authorities. Eventually, the Communist Party of then-President Vladimir Voronin was replaced it with a coalition called the Alliance for European Integration, which pushed for the implementation of a pro-EU coalition government. The term “Twitter Revolution” has become widely used to describe the movement due to the nature and importance of the revolution’s digital mobilization. Notably, multiple types of social media platforms were used to mobilize people to come out to the streets in protest, demanding positive change in 2009 and again in 2019. In the past, anti-corruption reforms were seldom implemented effectively, and often used solely to mask the underlying roots of kleptocratic systems. With the election of Maia Sandu as the President of Moldova in 2020, the process of dismantling these systems has been underway, with more progress on the horizon.

In this episode of Collectively Combating Kleptocracy, Victoria Popa (Anti-Corruption Partnership Consultant, Centre for Analysis and Prevention of Corruption in Moldova) joins Izabela Chmielewska (Program Manager, Anti-Corruption & Governance Center, Center for International Private Enterprise) to provide insights about the cyclical revolution, with knowledge informed by an extensive background in Moldova’s anti-corruption efforts, including the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, public administration integrity policy, and advocacy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Popa outlines the political and economic context that facilitated kleptocracy and ignited collective action efforts in Moldova while also discussing specific mobilization techniques, including the use of social media technology. Lastly, Popa discusses the critical role that activists, journalists, NGOs, and international organizations have played in the collective action movement and outlines the wider impact this has had in the pro-democratic fight against corruption in Moldova over time.

In April of 2015, a telephone wiretap exposed Guatemala’s then-President Otto Pérez Molina, his Vice President Roxana Baldetti, and and other high-ranking officials in the tax and customs administration as having been part of a kleptocratic network involving fraud in customs revenues. The La Línea case, a reference to the wiretap, is known as one of the most high-profile corruption cases in the country’s history, enraging the people of Guatemala, who joined mass protests to demand accountability and dislodge kleptocracy.

Hugo Novales Contreras, a political researcher and advisor to the Bernardo Arévalo presidency and the Movimiento Semilla legislative bloc, joins the host, Max Levites (Senior Governance Specialist, International Republican Institute), to discuss the history and context of the La Línea case, and the driving motivations and results of collective action. Contreras’ insight into the case outlines the nature of Guatemala’s generational shift in how citizens view the role of the government, and how this turned into a mass movement to hold the country’s leaders to account. He also discusses the importance of international cooperation as one of many key successes of and lessons to take from this collective action movement.

The 1Malaysia Development Berhard scandal (1MDB Scandal) is known as one of the world’s most prolific financial scandals. With billions lost as a consequence of fraudulent activity by a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB, the scandal saw a huge backlash from Malaysian citizens, the media, and civil society organisations alike. In this episode, P. Gunasegaram, an Independent Journalist and author of 1MDB: The Scandal That Brought Down A Government, joins the host, Max Levites (Senior Governance Specialist, International Republican Institute), to discuss the history and context of the scandal itself and the motivations for and nature of the collective action response.

Gunasegaram discusses the driving force behind the collective action movement, more notably the importance of the media and news outlets, derived from his own personal experience and involvement. He highlights the significance of cohesive and coordinated action by the media, civil society, and international actors working together to bring corrupt government officials to account and recover stolen assets. Gunasegaram finally outlines the key lessons and success factors to take away from this complex and multi-faceted case and its subsequent collective action response.

CIPE’s Asia Director speaks with two young professionals in Bangladesh to learn their perspectives and first-hand accounts of the political crisis currently unfolding in the country. Civic unrest sparked by university student protests in June led to the fall of a government barely a month later, and the man who is perhaps Bangladesh’s most famous citizen is now the head of an interim government. What is life like in Bangladesh today? How are people running their businesses? Is there reason for optimism? This episode of Democracy that Delivers discusses these questions and more.

Shurat Rana Rushmi is currently working as a Research Associate at the Center of Governance Studies (CGS). She completed her BSS in Economics from Bangladesh University of Professionals and her master's degree in the same field. She loves to take on challenges and find ways to run things efficiently. She has multiple years of experience working as a program coordinator for CGS in numerous regions of Bangladesh.

Apon Zahir is a Senior Research Associate at the C Center of Governance Studies (CGS). He has multiple years of experience in journalism in Bangladesh, having contributed to several English daily newspapers and having in-depth knowledge of the print and media industry. His research interests include politics, media, human rights, and the effects of corruption in Bangladesh.

John Morrell is the Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). In this role, he leads a worldwide team of accomplished professionals and is responsible for a regional portfolio of dozens of programs on anti-corruption, democratizing opportunity, public and private sector governance reform, and creating political space in closed countries. John is a noted and widely published expert on issues related to corruption and governance. In countries across Asia-Pacific, John has personally designed numerous initiatives that build the political, civic and market institutions necessary for governance that is both participatory and accountable, and for economic development that is both inclusive and sustainable