Transparency & accountability

Responsive, accountable and transparent governance increases trust in government and individuals.

Corruption is on the rise globally, feeding on weakened democratic institutions and fundamentally unjust systems of power. Effective action against corruption is the collective responsibility of both government actors and the public. IFES supports advocacy by civil society actors as an essential mechanism for government accountability and positions civil society organizations as partners with institutions, encouraging collaborative approaches to technical anti-corruption challenges. We also foster strong partnerships, feedback loops and constituent engagement to encourage effective service delivery and responsive governance free of corruption.

IFES also supports partners to identify, prioritize and execute concrete actions to advance implementation of international and regional anticorruption commitments, for instance on management and control of political finance; prevention and documentation of abuse of state resources; asset recovery; public procurement and spending; public sector ethics; and judicial independence and integrity. This includes initiatives that utilize digital transformation to support transparency and responsiveness to citizens. Our model encourages practical implementation of commitments that is measurable and sustainable, involving multiple stakeholders.

Along with government and citizens, independent institutions are an essential part of the democratic fabric. While some provide important oversight of government functions, others serve to insulate democratic processes from manipulation. IFES works with independent institutions to protect their independence and strengthen their internal and external accountability mechanisms.

Explore our resources linked here to learn more and get involved.

IFES Mentions

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IFES Democratic Resilience Lab

IFES designs, tests and deploys innovative strategies and capabilities to strengthen democratic resilience and counter backsliding and authoritarianism.

Focus Areas

IFES joins with others to tackle the most pressing issues for democracy and elections today.