OPI is establishing a forum where corporate and NGO managers, consultants and academic researchers with a common interest in the responsibilities and incentives corporations have to contribute to public sector performance can share ideas and exchange experience. The meetings will be held under the Chatham House rule.

The first four meetings were sponsored by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and were held at the British Academy in London. The topics and speakers for the meetings are listed below.  The meeting notes are available here (ISSN 1748-832X).

The meetings are complemented by bibliograhic resources to support further discussion between participants. OPI intends to use these meetings as the basis for a `Practitioner-Research Community’ where academics and practitioners can continue to meet to exchange views on related topics of common concern.

Does disclosure improve behaviour?                      Wednesday 21 November 2007

An assumption underlying transparency initiatives is that public disclosure improves corporate and government behaviour. What theory and evidence underpin this assumption? How might this modify `transparency initiatives’? 

Prof Timothy Besley, Kuwait Professor of Economic and Political Science, Director of STICERD at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee.

Adrian Henriques, an Independent Social Auditor who has advised NGOs on matters relating to disclosure and is a Visiting Professor at Middlesex University Business School.

The architecture of corruption                                   Wednesday 16 January 2008  

The nature of corruption is not everywhere the same. What forms does it take? How damaging is each? How can corporations manage their business best in different types of corrupt environments?

Rocco Macchiavello, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Nuffield College, Oxford

Graham Baxter, Director, Responsible Business Solutions, International Business Leaders Forum and former Vice-president of Corporate Responsibility, BP

A question of legitimacy                                                 Monday 18 February 2008

A number of corporations are concerned that they have limited legitimacy in contributing to public sector competencies. How is legitimacy built? What strategies have corporations actually adopted and how successful have they been?

Roger Hay, Director, Oxford Policy Institute

Andrew Bone, Head of International Relations, De Beers Group

Managing 'incomplete contracts'                                        Monday 31 March 2008 

The relationship upon which natural resource extraction contracts are based lasts for a long time and may go through a series of phases - negotiation, implementation and revisions. Increasingly contracts involve some kind of joint-venture type arrangements with other, possibly national or nationally-owned companies. How can such relationships be managed best? Is there theory or evidence to inform corporate strategy?

Linda Siegele, Staff Lawyer, Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development

Rocco Macchiavello, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Nuffield College, Oxford