Increased public access to and awareness of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications, which were launched into the spotlight with the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, presents both opportunities and risks for democratic societies. As generative AI began dominating the public conversation, with ChatGPT becoming the fastest-growing consumer application in history, the International Republican Institute (IRI) saw increased demand from partners globally for support to prepare for current and potential impacts caused by generative AI. In response, IRI’s Technology and Democracy Practice launched the Generative AI and Democracy Working Group to address this need. IRI’s Technology and Democracy Practice works to ensure that digital technologies are developed, deployed, governed, and used to advance democratic values.  

This working group, officially launched in November 2023, creates a collaborative space for democratic actors – including representatives from civil society, academia, industry, and policy – to discuss the impacts AI will have on democracies, with a particular focus on trends in the Global South. The intent of this working group is to fill a gap in knowledge that may widen as AI continues to evolve, and to provide guidance to civil society and policymakers on how to maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of generative AI to democracy.  

The first convening of the working group was held on November 1st, 2023. Six sessions will be held in total, with the final meeting scheduled for May 2024, before culminating in the release of a white paper synthesizing findings in the summer of 2024. Discussion topics include current and potential harms of generative AI to democracy, impacts to information environments, issues of transparency, opportunities for positive use, and regulatory approaches, among others. The white paper will aim to synthesize these discussions, including guidance and recommendations on navigating threats and opportunities for AI and democracy.

Working Group Members

An illustrative list of working group members’ organizations can be found below. Participants come from across the globe and represent a variety of fields. Please note that this list is not intended to be comprehensive:

• Article 19, Mexico and Central America Regional Office
• Bullyid Indonesia
• Center for Digital Economy and Governance, Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
• Center for Humane Technology
• Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
• Connected by Data
• Freedom House
• International Forum for Democratic Studies (IFDS), National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
• I4C Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, South Asia Hub
• Microsoft’s Democracy Forward Initiative  
• National Democratic Institute (NDI)
• PIT Policy Lab
• Pollicy
• Stanford Internet Observatory

If you’d like to learn more or have any questions, please reach out to azink@iri.org.

Learn more about the Generative AI & Democracy Working Group

View Our Introductory PDF

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IRI също така обучава служители в общинските администрации и общински съветници как да общуват с гражданите ясно и прозрачно, както и организации на гражданското общество как да се застъпват за по-нататъшни промени. Националната конференция на IRI за борба с корупцията е централно събитие в рамките на програмата, на което IRI събира местни и национални политически лидери заедно с техни колеги от държавите – членки на ЕС, както и представители на граждански организации, за обсъждане на добрите практики за прозрачност и почтеност в органите на местното самоуправление и за ангажиране на гражданите. По време на националната конференция за борба с корупцията през юли 2022 г. кметовете или упълномощени техни представители подписаха пакт за противодействие на корупцията от името на първоначално участващите 10 общини. Лидерите на петте общини от втората кохорта подписаха Пакта по време на второто издание на конференцията през февруари 2024 г.

Подходът за оценка на уязвимостите към корупция (VCA)

Подходът за оценка на уязвимостите към корупция (VCA) на IRI е метод за установяване на уязвимостите към корупция в определени сектори или институции, който се стреми да спечели ангажираността на органите на управление и неправителствения сектор. Подходът VCA се прилага в различни страни по цял свят. Процесът на оценяване на уязвимостите включва извършване на политическо-икономически анализ чрез проучване на наличната информация и документация, оценка на уязвимостите чрез интервюта с представители на органите на управление и гражданското общество и лидери в общността, създаване на работни групи с представители на органите на управление и гражданското общество и представяне на доклад за оценката според методологията VCA на работните групи за потвърждение и одобрение.

В България IRI прилага методологията VCA за установяване на уязвимостите към корупция на общинско ниво. Докладите с оценка на уязвимостите към корупция очертават най-важните проблеми, по които впоследствие IRI предприема действия чрез работните групи на общинско ниво. Подходът гарантира, че програмната дейност на IRI се основава на практическия опит и е съобразена с местните условия. Оценките на IRI според методологията VCA бяха извършени в 10 български общини през периода 2021 – 2022 г. и във втора кохорта от 5 общини през 2023 г. Изборът на общините отразява разнообразието на българските общини от гледна точка на население, политическата карта, икономическа структура, географско местоположение, етнически състав. Изследваната група общини обхваща големи и малки градове, райони с предимно градски и предимно селски облик, общности, които разчитат главно на земеделие, промишленост и услуги, както и райони с концентрация на етнически малцинства над средното равнище за страната.

Първият етап от оценката на IRI за уязвимостите към корупция в България се състои от политическо-икономически анализ за предварително идентифициране на траекториите за реформи, съществуващите възможности и потенциалните трудности в процеса на реформи. Анализът обхваща тенденции и фактори както на национално, така и на общинско ниво. Вторият етап на оценката включва полуструктурирани интервюта с ключови респонденти във всяка община. Респондентите в интервютата бяха подбрани да представляват напречен разрез на обществения живот в общината, като сред тях бяха заместник-кметове, висши служители в общинските администрации, общински съветници и членове на гражданското общество, включително представители на организации на гражданското общество (ОГО), сдружения на бизнеса, медии, академични среди и неформални групи, както и активисти и ангажирани граждани.

IRI е публикувал два доклада за оценка, като всеки от тях представя уязвимостите към корупция в група (кохорта) от общини, с общо 15 анализирани общини. В тези доклади IRI откроява не само основни проблеми и конкретни препоръки за всяка община , но и споделени уязвимости и препоръки в резултат на констатациите от цялата страна.

Докладите за оценка представляват констатации и препоръки за всяка община, на основата на които IRI и работните групи разработват предложения за реформи.

Данни от проучванията на общественото мнение

За по-задълбочено вникване в настоящото състояние на корупцията, прозрачността и ангажираността на гражданите Изследователският център (CISR) към IRI провежда проучвания на общественото мнение, за да измери възприятията на гражданите за корупцията, прозрачността и ангажираността на гражданите на общинско ниво, доверието в общинските институции, независимостта на медиите и други важни въпроси. Проучването на общественото мнение спомага да се покаже желанието на гражданите за подобряване на усилията на общинските институции в борбата с корупцията, което укрепва политическата воля сред общинските политически лидери за приемане и изпълнение на реформи.

IRI проведе поредица от представителни проучвания в първата кохорта от десет общини през периода февруари-март 2022 г. и във втората кохорта от пет общини през периода септември-октомври 2023 г. Проучванията на общественото мнение разкриха широка загриженост относно корупцията, липсата на желание за участие в местното самоуправление и разнопосочни мнения по проблемите в общините, където беше проучено общественото мнение.

Пактът за противодействие на корупцията

Пактът за противодействие и превенция на корупцията на общинско ниво на IRI представлява публичен ангажимент на политическите лидери във всяка община да подобрят прозрачността, ангажираността на гражданите и механизмите за превенция и противодействие на корупцията в общината. Подписването на Пакта е също така израз на политическата подкрепа за разработването на програми с реформи от работните групи на общинско ниво.

По време на националната конференция на IRI на тема „Борба с уязвимостите към корупция на общинско ниво“, проведена на 19 –20 юли 2022 г. в столицата София, кметовете и заместник-кметовете от първата кохорта от десет общини, които участват в програмата на IRI, подписаха Пакта за противодействие и превенция на корупцията на общинско ниво. Лидерите на петте общини от втората кохорта се присъединиха, като подписаха Пакта по време на второто издание на конференцията на 12-13 февруари 2024 г.

Програмите за реформи

С подкрепата на IRI работните групи на общинско ниво, съставени от представители на общинските институции и неправителствения сектор, изготвят и приемат проектопрограми за реформи в областта на противодействието на корупцията и ги представят на кметовете за официално приемане с решение на общинския съвет. Програмите за реформи отразяват уязвимостите към корупция, посочени в докладите на IRI за оценка на уязвимостите към корупцията (VCA).

Работните групи в първата кохорта от десет общини през 2022 г. подготвиха проектопрограми за реформи, които IRI представи на кметовете. В девет от десетте общини бяха приети програми за реформи с решение на съответния общински съвет. Текстът на приетите програми може да се види по-долу:

Напредък в общините

• Първа кохорта от общини

• Доклад за оценка на уязвимостите към корупция (VCA) е публикуван от IRI
• публикуван от IRI Резултати от проучванията на общественото мнение на общинско ниво са публикувани от IRI
• Присъединяване на общината към Пакта за превенция и противодействие на корупцията на общинско ниво
• Разработване и приемане на програма от антикорупционни реформи от съответната общинска работна група
• Предоставяне на общинската програма от антикорупционни реформи на кмета за официално приемане
• Приемане на програмата за антикорупционни реформи от Общински съве
• Изпълнение на програмата от антикорупционни реформи е в ход

Благоевград

Бургас

Кърджали

Перник

Разград

Русе

София

Стара Загора

Велико Търново

Враца

• Втора кохорта от общини

• Доклад за оценка на уязвимостите към корупция (VCA) е публикуван от IRI
• публикуван от IRI Резултати от проучванията на общественото мнение на общинско ниво са публикувани от IRI
• Присъединяване на общината към Пакта за превенция и противодействие на корупцията на общинско ниво
• Разработване и приемане на програма от антикорупционни реформи от съответната общинска работна група
• Предоставяне на общинската програма от антикорупционни реформи на кмета за официално приемане
• Приемане на програмата за антикорупционни реформи от Общински съве
• Изпълнение на програмата от антикорупционни реформи е в ход

Добрич-град

Габрово

Хасково

Пловдив

Видин

•  Процесът е завършен и е налично изтегляне |  Процесът е завършен

Материали за укрепване на капацитета на организациите на гражданското общество (ОГО)

IRI подчертава ролята, която организациите на гражданското общество (ОГО) могат да изиграят за проследяване на изпълнението на политическите обещания и като страж срещу корупцията. Чрез своята програма IRI се стреми да засили ролята на гражданските организации в изпълнението и наблюдението на реформите за борба с корупцията на общинско ниво. IRI постига тази цел чрез посредничество в комуникацията между общините и ОГО, което се изразява във включване на ОГО в работните групи на общинско ниво. IRI също така предоставя обучения, помагала и възможности за изграждане на мрежи за местни организации и активисти.

Тук може да намерите някои от ресурсите, предоставени от IRI на местни организации в България:

Инструментариум на IRI за граждански активисти в противодействието на корупцията, публикация

Определяне на уязвимостите към корупция. Констатации от оценката на уязвимостите към корупция (VCA) и общински програми за реформи. Ролята на ОГО в изпълнението, презентация

Прозрачността във вашата община: какво представлява, защо има значение и как се отстоява, презентация

Жизнеспособна местна демокрация: участие на гражданите и механизми за гражданско наблюдение, презентация

Застъпничество, сътрудничество и определяне на приоритетите, презентация

Комуникации и медии, презентация

The post Борба с корупцията на общинско ниво в България appeared first on International Republican Institute.

]]> 26745 https://www.iri.org/what-we-do/programs/countering-municipal-corruption-in-bulgaria/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 19:48:28 +0000 https://www.iri.org/?post_type=program&p=25844 In June 2021, IRI launched its municipal anti-corruption program in 10 Bulgarian municipalities, and expanded its program to a second cohort of five municipalities in February 2023. Through the program, IRI uses analysis to provide a detailed understanding of where specific vulnerabilities lie through the Vulnerabilities to Corruption Approach (VCA) methodology. The program aims to […]

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Programs

IRI also trains municipal administration officials and municipal councilors to communicate with citizens clearly and transparently, while also training civil society organizations how to advocate for further change. IRI’s national anti-corruption conference is a programmatic highlight, during which IRI gathers local and national Bulgarian political leaders and civil society organizations, along with peers in EU-member states, to discuss best practices in local government transparency, integrity, and citizen engagement. During the national anti-corruption conference in July 2022, mayors or their delegated officials from the program’s initial 10 municipalities signed IRI’s Municipal Anti-Corruption Pact. Leaders from the second cohort of five municipalities signed the Pact during a second iteration of the conference in February 2024.

The Vulnerabilities to Corruption Approach and Assessment Reports

IRI’s Vulnerabilities to Corruption Approach (VCA) is a method for identifying vulnerabilities to corruption in a particular sector or institution that seeks buy-in from both government and non-governmental actors. The VCA has been implemented in countries across the world. The VCA assessment process includes conducting a political economy analysis through desk research; assessing vulnerabilities through interviews with government officials, civil society, and community leaders; establishing working groups comprised of government and civil society members; and presenting VCA reports to those working groups for validation and buy-in.  

In Bulgaria, IRI deploys the VCA to identify vulnerabilities to corruption at the municipal level. VCA reports identify the key issues IRI then addresses through its municipal working groups. This approach ensures IRI’s programming is empirically based and locally tailored. IRI’s VCA assessments have been conducted in 10 Bulgaria municipalities in 2021-2022, and the second cohort of five municipalities in 2023. The selection of assessment locales reflected the diversity of Bulgarian municipalities in terms of population size, political preference, economic make-up, geographical location, ethnic composition. The set of municipalities under study encompass large cities and small towns, primarily urban and primarily rural districts, communities dependent on agriculture, industry, and services, and areas with above average concentrations of ethnic minorities.

The first stage of IRI’s VCA in Bulgaria consists of a political economy analysis to pre-emptively identify reform trajectories, windows of opportunity, and potential bottlenecks for reform. This analysis included country-level trends and factors, as well as municipal-level ones. The second stage of the VCA assessment consists of semi-structured interviews with key informants in each municipality. Interviewees were selected to represent a cross-section of public life in the municipality, and they included deputy mayors, senior administration officials, members of municipal councils, and members of civil society comprising NGO representatives, business association representatives, journalists, academics, activists, informal groups, and engaged citizens. 

IRI has published two VCA assessment reports, with each report presenting vulnerabilities to corruption in a municipal cohort, with 15 municipalities assessed in total. In these reports, IRI outlines not only key problem statements and tailored recommendations for each municipality, but also cross-cutting vulnerabilities and recommendations from findings across the country.

The assessment reports establish a basis of findings and recommendations in each municipality from which IRI and the working groups develop reform proposals. 

Polling Data

To further capture the current state of corruption, transparency, and citizen engagement in IRI’s program municipalities, IRI’s Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) conducts public opinion polling, measuring citizens perceptions of municipal corruption, transparency, citizen engagement, trust in municipal institutions, media independence, and other important issues. This polling has helped demonstrate citizen desire for improved government anti-corruption efforts, driving political will among municipal political leaders to adopt and implement reforms. 

IRI conducted a set of representative polls in the first wave of 10 municipalities in February-March 2022, and a set of polls in the second cohort of five municipalities in September-October 2023. The polls found widespread concerns over corruption, a lack of enthusiasm for participation in local governance, and a diversity of views on issues across the municipalities that were surveyed.

The Anti-corruption Pact

IRI’s Municipal Anti-corruption Pact presents a public commitment by each municipality’s political leaders to improve their municipality’s transparency, citizen engagement and anti-corruption mechanisms. The signing of the Pact also signals political support for the municipal working groups’ development of anti-corruption reform agendas. 

During IRI’s national anti-corruption conference, “Combatting Vulnerabilities to Corruption at the Municipal Level,” on July 19-20, 2022, in the capital city of Sofia, the mayors and deputy mayors of the first wave of 10 municipalities participating in the IRI program signed the Municipal Anti-corruption Pact. Leaders of the second cohort of five municipalities joined them in signing the pact during the conference’s second iteration on February 12-13, 2024.

The Reform Agendas

With the support of IRI, municipal working groups, comprised of government and non-government representatives, design, and adopt anti-corruption reform agendas that are sent to the mayors for official adoption by municipal council decision. These reform agendas address vulnerabilities to corruption specified in IRI’s VCA reports.  

Working groups in the first wave of 10 municipalities in 2022 developed reform agendas that IRI sent to mayors. Nine of the 10 municipalities have adopted the reform agendas by council decision. Below you can see the text of the adopted agendas:

Materials for Civil Society Organization (CSO) Capacity Building

IRI recognizes the role civil society organizations can play in serving to hold governments accountable to political promises and as corruption watchdogs. Through its program, IRI strives to enhance the role CSOs play in implementing and monitoring anti-corruption reforms at the municipal level. IRI does this by bridging the communication between municipalities and CSOs through the inclusion of CSOs in municipal working groups. IRI also provides trainings, guidebooks, and networking opportunities for local organizations and activists. 

Here you can find some of the resources IRI has provided to local organizations in Bulgaria:

The post Countering Municipal Corruption in Bulgaria appeared first on International Republican Institute.

The International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Global Impact cultivates innovative, evidence-based programming and provides resources, tools, and expertise to IRI staff to advance democracy worldwide. The Center also leads IRI’s institutional efforts on monitoring, evaluation, and learning and applied research, ensuring our programs are based on the latest evidence and designed to achieve impact.

The Center is comprised of thematic experts, researchers, and global project staff who help IRI monitor—and develop innovative approaches to address—emerging trends and challenges to democracy.

Together, Center staff enhance IRI’s work on priority thematic areas by identifying and sharing evidence-based practices across the Institute. Priority cross-cutting technical areas include political processes, electoral transitions, governance and anti-corruption, countering foreign authoritarian influence, conflict prevention and stabilization, and digital democracy.

Working closely with IRI’s regional divisions, the Center also manages cross-regional and thematic projects that allow the Institute to develop, test, and scale-up new programming approaches. 

The post Center for Global Impact appeared first on International Republican Institute.

In light of recent geopolitical changes, foreign policy has become increasingly relevant to Hungarians who engage in political discussion, and membership in NATO and the EU remain popular among the Hungarian population. These findings require political parties to adopt deliberate strategies aimed at understanding foreign policy preferences and build capacities to respond to voters’ concerns. The role of parties will become increasingly important as the country moves towards national elections in April 2022.

For that reason, IRI aims to provide quality research and support to political parties to incentivize increased adaptation to the interests of citizens. Fortified by its three-decade-long experience in engaging these issues in the field, IRI will be conducting a series of polls, focus groups, and trainings to help parties communicate and listen to their electorate and incorporate those policies into their party platforms. To further strengthen engagement between voters and Hungarian political parties, IRI will continue these activities after the elections, helping the parties to draw appropriate conclusions and lessons on how foreign policy preferences affected their performance in the elections.

The post Foreign Policy in Politics – How to bring Citizens and Parties Together (Hungary PAIRS) appeared first on International Republican Institute.

Public perceptions of Transatlantic institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, such as NATO, are being undermined by nationalistic rhetoric and anti-systemic political parties. In the countries of the Visegrad Four, where aspirations for accession to NATO and the European Union (EU) were drivers for democratic reforms, we now see a rise of skepticism for Transatlantic institutions, which have bolstered democratic institutions for decades.

In order to address these trends, deepen the relationships among political leaders in the Transatlantic Alliance, and improve their knowledge of the needs of the Alliance for the coming decade, IRI has established the Transatlantic Security Initiative (TSI). During this first year of the program, TSI is bringing together seasoned elected officials, their staff, and think-tank representatives from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania, to form a cohort of current and future leaders in security dedicated to the preservation of the transatlantic relationship. Through a series of workshops and study visits to key components of the Alliance’s defense structure, IRI gives participants real-world experience in order to face the evolving threats to democratic institutions in the 21^st century.

In 2022, IRI will build on the initial year of the program by working with outstanding youth to help ensure that the next generation of Europe’s leaders from the aforementioned countries are equipped with the skills they need to be effective advocates for the transatlantic relationship. As a final product, each cohort will produce a white paper for publication. The paper will be based upon the experience participants have gained during the program and will reflect their evolved thinking on how to ensure a stronger, more robust transatlantic relationship.

The post The Transatlantic Security Initiative appeared first on International Republican Institute.

IRI will develop the center, in its initial stage, with the capacity to reach key stakeholders, form the groundwork for long-term Transatlantic relationships, organize a training program series for party members, and convene senior-level political actors on major common topics. IRI is currently in the preliminary stage of the program, but clearly identified significant interest in the program from high-level European policymakers that has resulted from this early outreach stage, indicating early success for the program. 

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Established in 2016, the Beacon Project leverages IRI’s 34 years of experience in European politics. For over five years, it has worked with leading CSOs specialized in Russian disinformation to generate data-driven insights, provide access to key partners, and spur strategic action against hostile external influences. The Beacon Project has provided valuable data and shifted the debate on disinformation to be more targeted toward the exact sources and vulnerabilities within societies. While many current initiatives are focused on countering disinformation with fact-checking or satire, the Beacon Project is unique in its attention to in-depth data-driven analyses of disinformation sources and narratives as well as the impact these campaigns have on society and the stability of democratic institutions.

The Beacon Project is a recognized and respected voice that has moved the NATO StratCom Center of Excellence in Riga, Latvia to request a more formal partnership with IRI and the Government Accountability Office to interview Beacon Project staff as part of U.S. Senator Chris Murphy’s research on disinformation in Europe. Furthermore, IRI’s Brussels field office presence has enabled the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to the EU to call upon the Beacon Project for detailed briefings on relevant issues. Additionally, IRI received funding from NATO Public Diplomacy Division to complete public opinion polling in the Western Balkans. Most recently, IRI received funding from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Office of International Religious Freedom (State DRL/IRF) to develop a publication on Antisemitism in the Western Balkans.

Since 2016, IRI has supported the publication of 175 research publications from 16 different countries, including the new EU members, the Western Balkans, and former Soviet states. When possible, research findings are made public on IRI’s Beacon Project website. IRI’s experience in this field resulted in the publication of a Media Monitoring Handbook, made available to the public, outlining best practices for conducting media monitoring from the development of a methodology to effective data visualization. In an effort to promote data visualization, the Beacon Project developed a series of data dashboards and will continue to develop them in coordination with partners’ research. Over the last five years, IRI has grown the number of active partners in its network from the same countries by 356%.

Website

IRIBeaconProject.org

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The post The Beacon Project appeared first on International Republican Institute.

IRI’s research approach integrates CISR’s methodological polling best practices protocols and field partner in-depth knowledge of the local research environment. This close collaboration begins at project design, with carefully calibrated sampling and instrument development, and continues throughout the entire fieldwork cycle to ensure the collection of reliable qualitative and quantitative data.

After undergoing extensive quality control checks, the data is used to produce sound analysis, provide rich and actionable insights to decision makers and inform public policy and strategy. IRI strives to empower local stakeholders to perform customized analysis on polling data to “slice and dice” datapoints according to their individual information needs. In addition to publishing comprehensive charts, we design easy-to-use interactive dashboards that allow users to filter and crosstabulate data, for example in the Democratic Republic of Congo (French), Burma, Tunisia, and the Balkans.

While IRI relies on face-to-face interviews in the vast majority of countries we survey in order to yield truly representative samples that do not exclude marginalized people, we also use more novel methodologies such as phone interviews and even online surveys where feasible. IRI also collaborates with the French think tank Fondapol on the a global online survey gauging attitudes towards democracy in over 40 countries.  

In authoritarian and transitioning countries, polling has enabled us to identify the areas of greatest need or opportunities to engage in programming that will help citizens advance democratic norms in their own countries. In Ukraine, IRI conducted several rounds of a “mega poll” of more than 19,000 residents of 24 cities across the country to gauge the effects of decentralization and anti-corruption on the local level.  

Our focus group reports on countering violent extremism in Kosovo, Tunisia, and Indonesia have been used to brief policymakers on the dynamics driving vulnerable individuals to join extremist groups so that officials can craft better-informed policies to combat terrorism. Additionally, polls from IRI’s programs around the world — from Georgia to Jordan — are used to brief government officials, political parties and civil society groups on the issues of greatest concern to the people, ranging from concerns over ongoing wars to dissatisfaction with the condition of the roads and public services.

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The post Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) appeared first on International Republican Institute.

The International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Western Balkans Task Force on Threats to Democracy is a cross-sectoral and multinational coalition focused on assessing and responding to a host of threats that challenge democratic stability in the region. Since 2016, the Task Force has become a leading platform for stakeholders at all levels of government to exchange ideas, learn from cutting-edge research, and improve legislative frameworks.

The Task Force meets periodically throughout the year in various Western Balkan locations to develop and advocate for policy recommendations that tackle corruption, foreign malign influence, and far-right extremism. IRI’s efforts to address these regional currents began with the creation of the Task Force, which includes top legislators, academic experts, and civil society leaders, equipped with fresh data from public opinion polling and media monitoring.  

Focusing initially on countering violent extremism and disinformation, the Task Force started in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). As one of the first groups to address the nexus between foreign malign influence and violent extremism, the Task Force quickly became a leading resource in the region for democratic actors from a variety of government and non-government sectors. The success of the Task Force model led to subsequent expansions in 2017, 2019, and 2022. The group now consists of over 30 reformist thought leaders from all six Western Balkan countries.

Regional Task Force Events

Leveraging the Task Force network’s expertise and connections throughout the region, IRI has convened multiple regional conferences over the years, ranging from small, closed-door working sessions to large public-facing forums. Task Force conferences are aimed at bringing together international, national, and local-level stakeholders in the security and democracy spaces to discuss shared challenges and to encourage cooperation in increasing democratic resilience.   

Task Force Publications 

In each of the six Western Balkans countries, the Task Force conducts research, provides expert analysis, and produces concrete policy recommendations for government and elected officials. Most recently, IRI partnered with Task Force experts to publish six policy papers addressing the common challenges of corruption and kleptocracy. The papers explore the complex web of dark money, patronage networks, and foreign investments that present critical vulnerabilities in the democratic systems of the Western Balkans. The authors evaluate the various institutional and legislative frameworks addressing corruption in each country and propose actions to improve the efficacy of anti-corruption efforts.

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The Vicious Cycle of Democratic Decline

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Corruption as a Security Issue in North Macedonia…

July 27, 2023 –

Can the Country Manifest Reliability on the International Stage?

Position Paper Authors

Nedim Hogic, PhD

• Nedim Hogic, PhD
• Gentian Elezi
• Fabian Zhilla, PhD
• Ramadan Ilazi, PhD
• Donika Elshani
• Zlatko Vujovic, PhD
• Misha Popovikj
• Stefan Vladisavljev

Nedim Hogic, PhD

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Biography

Nedim Hogic, PhD is a legal scholar and corruption researcher. He has advised international organizations, political parties and nongovernmental organizations in democratic peacebuilding and good governance reforms in Southeastern Europe and Central Asia. He holds an LLM from Harvard Law School, a Ph.D. from Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and has been an Emile Noel Fellow of the NYU School of Law. 

Gentian Elezi

Albania

Biography

Gentian Elezi, PhD is an Associated Professor and Jean Monnet Chair holder at the Institute of European Studies (IES) of the University of Tirana in Albania. He has 15 years of experience in European integration, democratization and institutional reforms, policymaking, and capacity-building. He has been teaching and researching in several universities, including as Visiting Lecturer at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom (UK). In addition to his academic background, Elezi has practical experience in this field, having held office as Deputy Minister for European Integration of Albania (2013-2016). He has also worked on policy research in Albanian think-tanks and international organizations as an expert/consultant, team leader, and project manager. Elezi has a PhD and MA in European Politics, both from the University of Sussex (UK), and a BA in Political Science from the University of Milan, in Italy. 

Fabian Zhilla, PhD

Albania

Biography

Fabian Zhilla is a Senior Fellow at the Global Initiative against Transnational Crime and a Lecturer of Law and Ethics at the Canadian Institute of Technology in Tirana, Albania. He received his PhD in Law from King’s College London in 2012 and was previously a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University and George Washington University. Zhilla was a recipient of both the Fulbright Scholarship and the Chevening Scholarship for his postgraduate studies. In 2017 he was a visiting scholar at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.  As a Fulbright Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, Zhilla focused on the impact of the European Union policies in strengthening the rule of law and minimizing judicial corruption in Albania. 

Ramadan Ilazi, PhD

Kosovo

Biography

Ramadan Ilazi holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from Dublin City University (DCU). He currently serves as the Head of Research at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), overseeing EU Horizon funded research projects. Previously, he worked as the Deputy Minister for European Integration in the Kosovo government from 2015-2016. Ramadan has around 18 years of work experience, and was actively engaged in civil society, policy, and research initiatives. He has also taught graduate and postgraduate courses in Kosovo, including at DCU in Ireland. His upcoming book titled “The European Union and Everyday State building: The Case of Kosovo,” which will be published as part of the Routledge Studies in Statehood series, looks at the factors that shape EU’s agency in state-building interventions.

Donika Elshani

Kosovo

Biography

Donika Elshani is a researcher at the Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS), researching topics that stand at the intersection of politics, security and digital technologies. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the PPLE College at the University of Amsterdam and a Master’s Degree in “Crisis and Security Management” at the Leiden University in the Hague. Prior to joining KCSS, Donika worked with several local and international civil society organizations, including the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation and the Balkan Civil Society Development Network in Kosovo, as well as the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict and the T.M.C. Asser Institute in The Hague.

Zlatko Vujovic, PhD

Montenegro

Biography

Zlatko Vujovic, PhD is an Assistant Professor the Faculty of Political Science, University of Podgorica, where he currently also serves are Vice-Dean for Development. He is one of the founders and president of the NGO/think tank Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI). Vujovic is Executive Director of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) and a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM). Vujovic’s areas of expertise include public policies, electoral systems, public opinion, and anti-corruption research. He coordinated the development of several legislative projects, four of which (Law on Financing of Political Parties (2004), Law on Political Parties (2004), Law on Campaign Financing for the Election of the President of Montenegro, Mayors, and Presidents of Municipalities (2009), and Law on Financing of Political Parties – 2008) were adopted by the Montenegrin Parliament. Vujovic received his PhD from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb, specializing in “Comparative Politics” with a focus on “Comparative Public Policy.” 

Misha Popovikj

North Macedonia

Biography

Misha Popovikj is the head of the Good Governance Program at the Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ in Skopje, North Macedonia. He is the CSO’s Anti-corruption Platform board member in North Macedonia. Popovikj works on facilitating long-term anti-corruption strategies of public bodies and advocates for strengthening their capacities. He holds an MA in Identity, Culture and Power from UCL’s School of Slavonic and East European studies.

Stefan Vladisavljev

Serbia

Biography

Stefan Vladisavljev is a program coordinator at the Belgrade-based Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society. His research interest is foreign influences in the Western Balkans, with a special focus on the Chinese influence in the region, with Serbia as an outlier. Vladisavljev leads several projects within the scope of his organization that is focusing on examining the impact of Chinese presence in Serbia and the wider Western Balkans region, as well as regional cooperation.  Since 2022, he has been coordinating the Balkan Dialogues Initiative on behalf of the BFPE as a program coordinator of the regional cooperation portfolio.  He has also been a prolific author, publishing work with outlets like War on the Rocks, Just Security, ECFR, and The Diplomat, among others. Vladisavljev received his Masters of Arts in International Security from the University of Belgrade. 

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