In “Lessons from Civil Resistance for the Battle against Financial Corruption”, Peter Ackerman and Shaazka Beyerle show the critical role that grassroots civil resistance can play in curtailing corruption and advancing the struggle for global justice, transparency and integrity. The authors draw lessons from two recent successful people power campaigns:

-UK Uncut (or UK UNKUT) organized a campaign to mobilize thousands of citizens to join the fight to reduce tax evasion. This effort has been lauded for putting the issue of tax justice squarely on the public agenda.

-The IF Campaign aims to curb corruption that deprives Global South countries of revenues that should be used for development. Together, the IF Campaign teamed up with the online digital resistance organization Avaaz to apply nonviolent pressure that shifted positions of G8 leaders who were not in favor of taking action on illicit financial flows.

These cases are an example of how organized and strategic nonviolent actions by citizens can bring much-needed extra-institutional pressure to bear on governments, business sectors, and the lawyers, accountants, wealth advisors and other enabling professionals who help them conceal their wealth.

Peter Ackerman and Shaazka Beyerle