TAI Weekly

TAI Weekly | Fair Taxation, Accountable Governance: What's at Stake This Spring

By TAI (Role at TAI)
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TAI Weekly

Dear readers,

TAI will be busy at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, where there will be lots of sessions on jobs, on debt, and a couple on accountability mechanisms that we are looking forward to. Plus, we will be helping host the launch of the Collaborative for a Gender Just Economy, the presentation of a new mapping of funding needs related to tax, and a roundtable on domestic resource mobilization commitment for this year’s Financing for Development. We hope to see some of you in DC this week!

Happy reading!

TAI team

WHAT'S NEW?

People Powered research reveals that when communities help decide how public funds are spent, trust in government is boosted and access to services for marginalized groups increases. Findings from over 70 studies and 34 case studies across five continents highlight 19 key impacts of participatory budgeting. 

New research examines the Liberian government’s approach to community land rights and its impacts on land tenure security, especially in the context of these concessions. 

The new World Elite Database makes for fascinating reading - a cooperative data and analysis project led by researchers on elite populations across the world. Explore the database and read the initial analysis. 

The Economist highlights how opposition in East Africa swiftly gets labeled as treason as elections approach.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance released new guidance that backpedals on climate goals and removes mention of its accountability mechanism - a pragmatic move for some, weakening of commitment to others.

Law firms, traditionally seen as defenders of justice and the rule of law, are now under growing scrutiny for their role in enabling financial flows linked to corruption and kleptocracy. The Taskforce on Business Ethics and the Legal Profession's recommendations urge firms to prioritize professional ethics in client decisions to help curb corruption and protect the integrity of legal systems.

Finn Heinrich and Gauri van Gulik warn that democracy is under threat in Europe, and every European foundation must pay attention.

An extensive investigation by EL CEO reveals how narco-criminal organizations have used various schemes to launder money through the global banking system. (Article in Spanish).

The European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, European Digital Rights and Lighthouse Reports have launched the Civic Journalist Coalition - a space to advocate for digital rights policies at the EU level and strengthen investigative reporting.

As what’s left of foreign aid gets channeled more to development finance institutions (DFIs), Publish What You Fund's new report assesses how well those DFIs are disclosing the additionality of private sector instruments under the OECD's updated reporting rules. The reports find varying disclosure practices, widespread reliance on broad financial additionality classifications, and often incomplete or generic additionality statements.

US democracy experts and funders have launched the “Courage Calls Us” campaign, with an initial plan to raise at least $20 million to support the rule of law, defend civil society, and ensure future elections are free and fair. 

International aid fell for the first time in 5 years in 2024 according to newly released OECD data. That’s before the gutting of USAID and further cuts so far this year. See the OECD press release and explore ONE's dashboard (and don’t forget TAI’s own dashboard of historical governance funding data).

The 2025 work plans of the members of CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative show encouraging steps to strengthen transparency and accountability of infrastructure projects around the world, from Costa Rica to Uganda to Thailand. 

Josh Powell, Gina Lagomarsino and Claire Melamed examine the crisis hitting country data ecosystems and present opportunities to reimagine data systems for development.

Heba Aly reflects on the recent Global Governance Forum and is energized by efforts to reform the UN Charter. 

Graham Teskey reflects on how ideas about governance, institutions, and power have moved from the margins to the mainstream of aid thinking over the past three decades. With a front-row (and often on-stage) seat at DFID, the Australian Government, and Abt Global, Teskey unpacks three "big ideas" and three "smaller ones," tracing their origins and why they still matter.

AidData's "Listening to Leaders 2025" report analyzes 13,000 survey responses from 148 countries over a decade (2014-2024) to provide evidence-based insights on how development cooperation can and should evolve to meet future challenges and opportunities.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

Danny Sriskandarajah, author of "Power to the People: Use your voice, change the world," discusses the shift from a positive phase of civic engagement to a reversal over the past decade, emphasizing the importance of community networks beyond state and market fixations. Listen to the podcast.

FROM OUR MEMBERS

LUMINATE: has committed a $300,000 grant to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) to support their work at the intersection of technology, public interest investigative journalism, and social justice in Nigeria. This grant will support FIJ to expand their work to increase public awareness of spyware and associated privacy issues in Nigeria, vital for protecting democratic freedoms and expanding civic space.

OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS: President Binaifer Nowrojee shares thoughts on philanthropy, power, and the future of social justice in an interview with Alliance Magazine.

FORD AND HEWLETT FOUNDATIONS AND TAI SECRETARIAT: Happening today, April 22: the official launch of the Collaborative for a Gender Just Economy — a bold funder initiative working toward a just and caring global economy that centers women and underserved communities. With support from Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and Wellspring, the Collaborative includes a learning community (hosted by TAI) and a pooled fund (hosted by Global Fund for Women). Keynote address by economist Jayati Ghosh.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING

As Ghana expels foreigners from their gold market, hear Gavin Hilson talk to the need to tackle illicit mining and smuggling. For more, read this piece by Yinka Adegoke.

TOOLS AND TRENDS FOR FUNDERS

Badr Jafar's new book collates thought-provoking conversations on the business of philanthropy, offering valuable insights for funders seeking to enhance their strategic approach.

A compelling new report, "Funding Social Justice Futures," demonstrates how investing in collaboration and the critical infrastructure of women's funds can unlock the collective power of the feminist funding ecosystem to drive resilience and impact amid urgent global challenges.

Marie Dageville and Laura Garcia share insights on partnering to advance grassroots movements through collaboratives. They point out effective strategies for supporting community-led organizing and sustainable change.

A new paper from Geneva Global explores how private philanthropists in the "Meaningful Middle" (giving between $1 and $25 million per year) can offer different forms of support to the social sector as it navigates unexpected budget cuts and workforce reductions. 

ESSENTIAL READING

Looking to make sense of political and social change? Check out this smart reading list curated by Yanina Welp—essential titles for curious minds.

FOCUSED TOPIC OF THE WEEK:

Tax Justice in Focus: Global Perspectives and Local Action

In an era of increasing fiscal challenges and wealth inequality, tax justice movements worldwide are gaining momentum through research, advocacy, and collaborative action. A compelling new study on Lagos State reveals how local elites made the surprising choice to prioritize tax systems over transfer payments, fostering a distinctive tax culture with potential lessons for other developing regions. This approach to fiscal governance demonstrates how tax policy can reflect and reinforce social contracts when developed with local context in mind.

Meanwhile, the Fair Tax Mark's recent report on the "Silicon Six" - Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta/Facebook, Microsoft, and Netflix - provides critical analysis of how these tech giants navigate global tax systems. This scrutiny comes at a crucial time when the gap between corporate rhetoric and actual tax contributions remains a contentious issue in public discourse about fiscal fairness.

The International Center for Tax and Development is responding to these global challenges with targeted recommendations in its response to the Financing for Development (FfD4) First Draft. Their outline of ten priority areas for domestic resource mobilization offers policymakers concrete strategies to strengthen revenue systems while promoting equity and sustainability.

These global developments find resonance in Australia, where grassroots advocates are making remarkable progress in the tax justice space. With support from organizations like the Reichstein Foundation, civil society groups are amplifying citizen voices in tax policy discussions. Their work exemplifies why philanthropic involvement in tax policy is essential, as highlighted in our new Fiscal Space minisite.

From Lagos to Silicon Valley to Australia, the collective insights from these diverse contexts may help forge more equitable tax systems that serve both public finance needs and social justice aims.

ESSENTIAL WATCHING

At the World Bank's Global Anti-Corruption Forum, Daron Acemoglu, MIT Professor and 2024 Nobel Laureate in Economics, presented on the relationship between institutions and corruption and how variations in institutional quality across countries influence corruption levels and economic performance. Watch the replay.

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We’d love to hear from you on how we can further improve TAI Weekly to better serve your needs in program management on the transparency, accountability, improved grantmaking and civic space. Please direct your feedback to [email protected] or

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