During the first week of the CAD’s 2006 SRF Program, Fellows will participate in a series of orientation seminars designed to provide a valuable, internal picture of our institution and of the topics Fellows will be researching, as well as a solid basis in the Peruvian policymaking context.
"I was given fascinating work with real responsibility but had the freedom to conduct my own research and frame my topics the way I wanted. Perhaps the best thing about the work at CAD is that your work will have an impact in Peru" (Jeffrey Purdie, SRF 05)
Research assignments will be tailored to Fellows' skill sets, from statistical and best practices analysis to project design, development, and ex-post results measurement. In most cases, Fellows will be expected to produce a kit, or set of concrete policy recommendations, drawing from their research into contemporary theory, legislation, and a comparative analysis of best practices.
“I appreciated how much flexibility we were given for our assignments, both in terms of choosing our research area and in terms of the methods we used for finding sources and compiling a final product. It was really interesting to learn in-depth about how we as Americans structure our freedom of information laws and then to compare that to the Peruvian legal framework” (Nathan Swinton, SRF 05)
Research areas include, among others:
1. The role of civil society organizations in enforcing government revenue transparency standards
Citizens’ knowledge about the priorities set forth in the national budget and its accountability are preconditions of a democratic society. In 2002, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued Transparency standards. In turn, the Extractive Industry Transparency initiative promotes budget transparency of revenues derived from extractive industries. What role can civil society organizations play in enforcing budget transparency standards?
2. Legal implications of Corporate Social Responsibility vis-à-vis governments in less developed countries
Business literature on the role of private enterprises has moved beyond the concept that “the business of business is business”, to incorporate the context in which businesses operate. It is suggested that businesses collaborate with all their stakeholders, one of them being government. Given that in less developed countries, national and local governments lack adequate funding and capacity to deliver public goods and services, what are the legal implications of business collaborating with government? The Research Fellow will research the legal implications for businesses to collaborate with its stakeholder government – be it municipal, tax, regulator, etc. and will examine if there’s a difference between unregulated and regulated activities. A few examples would be:
- Can a bank support the activities of the bank’s regulator? Under what circumstances?
- Can a mine collaborate with the local municipality for capacity building of the local level? Under what circumstances?
- Can a telephone company support the activities of its regulator?
3. Ethics for lawyers in Peru: an oxymoron or safeguarding the role of law?
Peru is a country where more than 11% of the population is illiterate and one of every other government municipality does not access the official gazette, making access to legal information a prerequisite for the enforcement of laws and rights. In this scenario, lawyers play a vital role in private conflict resolutions as well as in relations between companies and government. They also work as legislators, regulators and government officials. In 1997 all the bar associations of Peru adopted a common code of Professional Responsibility for lawyers. This code prohibits lawyers providing free advice through the media. The Code does not take into account the dynamic of a modern firm, thus, conflicts of interest rules are not clear. Beyond that, there exists limited enforcement of the code and disciplinary processes are confidential. Should they be public? How should the disciplining process be revised? The Research Fellow will tackle these issues vital to the integrity of the profession in Peru.
4. Teaching ethics: Moot court on ethical issues in the practice of law
The Catholic University of Peru, one of the top universities in the country, wants to strengthen and promote professional responsibility of lawyers by familiarizing students with ethical issues. The Research Fellow will design a moot court competition in conjunction with the school’s Law Reviews and prepare a list of cases relevant to Peru’s situation.
5. Other topics that may be researched include:
- Foreign corrupt practices and revenue transparency
- Best practices in government
Some of the projects fellows have been a part of include:
Prize for Best Practices in Government (Premio a las Buenas Prácticas Gubernamentales) Learn More
International Conference on Best Practices in Government (Congreso Internacional de Buenas Prácticas Gubernamentales) Learn More
Manual of Best Practices in Government (Manual de Buenas Prácticas Gubernamentales) Learn More
Informe CAD #38 – Peruvian Public Debt (Deuda Pública Peruana) Learn More
IDRC Document – Taylor-made Competition Policy. Learn More
Consumer’s International – “Beneficios de la Competencia para el Consumidor” Learn More |
