Promoting Transparency and Accountability in Government: A Project for Venezuela

March 19 - 22, 2014

About Venezuela

In 2015, Venezuela was listed as the 10th most corrupt countries according to Transparency International [1]. This country has one of the toughest battles against corruption in public administration. The govrnment corruption has also had a negative impact on their economy. Oil is Venezuela's main source of revenue; the decline of oil prices has put negative pressure on the economy. In response, the government increased its control by further restricting their currency by setting only one exchange rate, making it almost impossible for trade [3]. Venezuela has faced some of the toughest economic times in the past few years, and many believe corruption in the government is to blame. The country has promising economic potential but has unfortunately lost billions to corruption, making it one of the top countries that have lost the most amount of money [2]. Improving the transparency in government and economic regulations would be one step towards improving the crisis in Venezuela.

About the Program

The IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. Over the last 70 years, the IVLP has developed into the premier professional exchange program in the U.S. and brings over 200 emerging leaders to Jacksonville every year.

[1] http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_and_human_rights_violations_in_venezuela

[2] http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/350-billion-lost-to-corruption-venezuela-official

[3] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html