My name is Rich Gottbreht from Global Insights and I am one of the entrants in the competition. Our work centers on helping anyone concerned about corruption learn about the subject through my book, our board game and its associated seminars, as well as low cost consulting. To find out more about us please visit our website www.globalinsights.biz. From the home page, you can link to information about us, our products and what people say about our products and services. From the details in the initiative we submitted you should also note that some of the proceeds from our sales will eventually go to a high integrity leadership development foundation. Also, if you are interested, down the road we will be looking for alliances and contacts in every country.
This seems to be a very important initiative, and one with great potential to combat corruption. However, some things were not clear. First, is this the first such directory for Argentinian legislators? Second, the importance of the directory for anti-corruption efforts would seem to be the ability it gives to the user to examine the legislator’s record, including any affiliations or support received from those benefiting from her/his legislative initiatives. To what extent does it do that, and to what extent has the directory been used, for example by journalists and watchdog groups, for that purpose? Also, to what extent are legislative voting records public, and does the directory include this? Does it link up with campaign finance records, and show the legislators’ sources of financial support?
Dear Patrick,
Thanks for your interesting comments. I will try to answer all of your questions.
1) No, this is not the first Directory. This would be the fifth one (2007-2008). We started out in 1999. In 2005/6 we included three provincial Directories. And if we are successful in getting the funds, this year we are going to include three more provinces. You can access to all of them at www.directoriolegislativo.org
2) AS you may imagine it is very difficult to get information from legislators and from COngress itself. So, whenever we want to include new items in the Directory and legislators collectivelly turn us down, we go to the courts. For example, the internal administrtive rules in COngress (called resoluciones administrativas or decretos presidenciales) are not made public. And they are very important because among other things they establish the distribution of the internal budget. So, we went to the courts and after less than a year the decision favoured us. So, to answer you question, this year we are trying to include money given away by legislators to grassroots organizations (this is something they have public funds for), to numerous families and scholarships to needed children. There is no legisaltion regarding the publicity of this information other than international treaties on human rights that refer to accessing to public information.
Also, this book is not only being used by legislators and legislative staff themselves (because COngress does not publish anything), but by all kinds of organizations (we give the Directory out in person to 3000 stakeholders). We have come up with a feedback system where we call or email the organizations every 6 months and get their comments on how they use it. And we have the website as well, where we know who surfed the site, what information was downloaded and so on.
3) Argetnina's national COngress does not have "nominal" votes. In order to vote most of the times (except when they agree not to) they raise the hand and the Speaker looks down on the members to see if there is a "majority" and pass the bill. THe few votes on the bills that have been recorded are published in another publication we do called "Congress Yearbook". However, this year the Directory will publish the individual votes by recording them ourselves in every session with a digital camera!
4) REgarding campaign finance records, I think yours is a very good idea. ALthough we only have a law covering national campaigns, we could publish that information. THanks for the idea!!!
I hope this answered all of your questions, but do not hesitate to write again if you feel you want to ask more.
Comentarios
Hello,
My name is Rich Gottbreht from Global Insights and I am one of the entrants in the competition. Our work centers on helping anyone concerned about corruption learn about the subject through my book, our board game and its associated seminars, as well as low cost consulting. To find out more about us please visit our website www.globalinsights.biz. From the home page, you can link to information about us, our products and what people say about our products and services. From the details in the initiative we submitted you should also note that some of the proceeds from our sales will eventually go to a high integrity leadership development foundation. Also, if you are interested, down the road we will be looking for alliances and contacts in every country.
Thanks,
Rich Gottbreht
This seems to be a very important initiative, and one with great potential to combat corruption. However, some things were not clear. First, is this the first such directory for Argentinian legislators? Second, the importance of the directory for anti-corruption efforts would seem to be the ability it gives to the user to examine the legislator’s record, including any affiliations or support received from those benefiting from her/his legislative initiatives. To what extent does it do that, and to what extent has the directory been used, for example by journalists and watchdog groups, for that purpose? Also, to what extent are legislative voting records public, and does the directory include this? Does it link up with campaign finance records, and show the legislators’ sources of financial support?
Dear Patrick,
Thanks for your interesting comments. I will try to answer all of your questions.
1) No, this is not the first Directory. This would be the fifth one (2007-2008). We started out in 1999. In 2005/6 we included three provincial Directories. And if we are successful in getting the funds, this year we are going to include three more provinces. You can access to all of them at www.directoriolegislativo.org
2) AS you may imagine it is very difficult to get information from legislators and from COngress itself. So, whenever we want to include new items in the Directory and legislators collectivelly turn us down, we go to the courts. For example, the internal administrtive rules in COngress (called resoluciones administrativas or decretos presidenciales) are not made public. And they are very important because among other things they establish the distribution of the internal budget. So, we went to the courts and after less than a year the decision favoured us. So, to answer you question, this year we are trying to include money given away by legislators to grassroots organizations (this is something they have public funds for), to numerous families and scholarships to needed children. There is no legisaltion regarding the publicity of this information other than international treaties on human rights that refer to accessing to public information.
Also, this book is not only being used by legislators and legislative staff themselves (because COngress does not publish anything), but by all kinds of organizations (we give the Directory out in person to 3000 stakeholders). We have come up with a feedback system where we call or email the organizations every 6 months and get their comments on how they use it. And we have the website as well, where we know who surfed the site, what information was downloaded and so on.
3) Argetnina's national COngress does not have "nominal" votes. In order to vote most of the times (except when they agree not to) they raise the hand and the Speaker looks down on the members to see if there is a "majority" and pass the bill. THe few votes on the bills that have been recorded are published in another publication we do called "Congress Yearbook". However, this year the Directory will publish the individual votes by recording them ourselves in every session with a digital camera!
4) REgarding campaign finance records, I think yours is a very good idea. ALthough we only have a law covering national campaigns, we could publish that information. THanks for the idea!!!
I hope this answered all of your questions, but do not hesitate to write again if you feel you want to ask more.
Kind regards
Maria Baron
Enviar un comentario nuevo