Three essential initiatives to defend democracy against corruption

Kristen Sample highlights three important global anti-corruption initiatives in The Hill. The damaging effects of corruption on democracy have been widely documented, and as corruption has become increasingly globalised, effective and durable solutions will require international buy-in. Sample highlights three initiatives:

1. Stand with Ukraine, which is the international effort to support Ukraine in the wake of Russia's unjustified invasion. This initiative is important for democracy, as it may cause autocrats to be more hesitant to engage in cross-border repression, and will involve unity behind anti-corruption efforts, especially in ceasing dark money flows through havens in Europe and North America.
2. Win the Information Space Race: autocratic interests increasingly dominate the information space, with citizens increasingly unaware of crucial information on democracy's benefits and the true impacts of autocracy. Moreover, independent media is crucial in the fight against corruption. These efforts will require significant and coordinated efforts to support independent media, media literacy and harmonized platform transparency and regulation.
3. Disrupt Debt, Democratically, to remove one of the hidden ways through which autocratic actors can influence development in different countries. This endeavour will require building transparency and accountability into the global sovereign debt regime.

Read the full piece here in The Hill.