Hills Program on Governance

The objective of the Hills program is to identify serious governance problems, develop a better understanding of the corrupting influences that create such problems, and organize efforts to reduce those influences. The program operates out of 7 Centers at academic institutions in Asia, Latin America and Africa as well at CSIS in Washington DC. For more information see the Objectives of the Program on Governance.

Recent and Upcoming Events 

• The Hills Program in association with the Partners for Democratic Change, is co-hosting a discussion on 10 November 2009 titled : "How to build successful coalitions to achieve difficult development goals" featuring development practitioners from the field in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The discussion will be moderated by Gerald Hyman.

• The Hills Program, in partnership with the International Institute of Finance and the American Assembly, organized a colloquium on the Governance of Financial Institutions in New York on 3-4 November 2009. Major leaders in Finance, Law, Government and Acadmia discussed the role of financial institutions in the financial crisis and the pros and cons of various reform proposals. The Honorable Paul Volcker, currently Chairman of the President's Economic Revocery Advisory Board and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, was the keynote speaker at dinner and the Honorable Richard Posner of the U.S. Court of appeals for the Seventh Circuit was the keynote speaker at lunch. The complete agenda consisted of four panels which addressed various key aspects of corporate governance including Executive Compensation, Risk Management, and the role of Regulators and Investors in shaping corporate governance. 

• Jerry Hyman spoke at Brigham Young University's symposium on "Afghanistan and Pakistan" on 29 October 2009. Dr. Hyman addressed the interlinkages between democracy and success in the counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan. Dr. John Hamre, President of CSIS made the keynote address on the occasion. Other speakers included Dr. Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institution and leading Region experts.

• The Hills program hosted the Indonesian Rule of Law forum - a delegation of eminent jurists, officials, and members of civil society on 05 October 2009. Among others, the Forum was attended by Amb.Cameron Hume, US ambassador to Indonesia, Mr.Richard Thornburgh - former Attorney General and Judge William Webster - former director of FBI and Central Intelligence. The event saw a frank exchange of views and experience-sharing on legal and institutional reform to combat corruption and improve rule of law.

• Hills Governance Center, Yonsei University, Seoul has produced a working paper: "Power & Responsibility: Can East Asian leadership rise to the challenge?", ahead of the Pittsburgh G-20 summit. An adapted version of  the paper was published in the Wall Street Journal Online on 22 September 2009 as "East Asia's 'Seat at the Table'"

• The Hills program hosted a discussion with key leaders engaged in G20 reforms on “Reconsidering Relations between the G20 and Alternative Governing Bodies" on 27 August 2009 

• The Hills program completed a multi-year study on China's governance problems. The study, enabled by a grant from the Stuart Family Foundation, created a objective index for measuring corruption in local government bodies, and developed case studies covering corruption investigations in China
   
• The Hills Program hosted a delegation on 12 August 2009 from Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission which shared its experiences in fighting high-level public sector corruption
   
• Roderick Hills was in Russia in July as a member of the US-Russia Joint Working Group on Investment and Institutional Integrity 
   
• Hills Governance Center, Korea celebrated its 6th Anniversary with a seminar on "World Economy after the London G20: Recovery, Trade and Governance". Rod Hills spoke on the occasion about how the financial crisis had transformed global corporate governance. Carla Hills spoke about the recession's impact on global trade.