Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, August 31, 2015

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Taras Kuzio warns that Ukraine is losing its last chance to break the financial and political might of the oligarchs.

Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez explains how Colombian refugees are paying with their homes to shore up Venezuela’s regime.

Emily Crane Linn highlights Egypt’s stealthy crackdown on its universities.

Curbing Corruption: Ideas That Work

On September 17, the Legatum Institute and Democracy Lab are hosting a panel discussion in London to discuss the major challenges facing the global anti-corruption movement.

As part of this initiative, Democracy Lab has been publishing a series of case studies to highlight what actually works in tackling corruption. In case you missed any so far: Christian Caryl profiled a crusading Costa Rican newspaper, Mohammad Omar Masud explained how a Pakistani official solicited citizen feedback through mobile phones, Blair Glencorse and Suman Parajuli covered a Nepalese reality show focused on civil servants’ integrity, and Rushda Majeed looked at Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission. Gabriel Kuris focused on Croatia’s own anti-corruption body, and Anna Petherick showcased a Brazilian program which randomly audits local governments.

And now for this week’s recommended reads:

Foreign Policy’s Reid Standish covers violent clashes in front of the parliament building in Kiev as Ukraine’s lawmakers debate autonomy for the country’s eastern regions.

In the Global Anticorruption Blog, Anusha Pamula argues that more attention should be paid to the social psychology of corruption.

In the Baltimore Sun, Bruno Kaufmann asks whether the Olympics and democracy can co-exist.

In The Diplomat, Catherine Putz interviews Mariya Omelicheva about her new book, which takes a critical look at democracy promotion in Central Asia.

Human Rights Watch reports a crackdown on members of opposition political parties in Sudan this month.

Deutsche Welle has a video report on an unusual pro-democracy campaign in Burkina Faso led by musician Oscibi Jhoann.

And finally, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and the International New York Times are co-hosting the Athens Democracy Forum from September 13-15, 2015.

In the photo, radical activists clash with police officers in front of the parliament in Kiev on August 31, 2015.

Photo credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images