Revolving door

Revolving Door Between Government, Big Business

Topics: 
USA, Monsanto, Oil & gas industry, Pharmaceutical industry, Financial industry, Conflict of interest, Revolving door, Media
Rating: 
2

December 22, 2011

A series of Venn diagrams shows visually how strong the links are between the US Government and big business: dozens of people moving to and fro between top positions in government and in politically-connected corporations.

It is blatant conflicts of interest like these that lead to regulatory capture, corruption and crony capitalism. The industries covered in this analysis are: Big Oil, Comcast, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Media, Monsanto and Pharmaceuticals.

Culture of Complicity Tied to Stricken Nuclear Plant

Topics: 
Nuclear industry, Regulatory oversight, Conflict of interest, Revolving door, Japan
Rating: 
2

Norimitsu Onishi and Ken Belson – April 26, 2011

TOKYO — Given the fierce insularity of Japan’s nuclear industry, it was perhaps fitting that an outsider exposed the most serious safety cover-up in the history of Japanese nuclear power. It took place at Fukushima Daiichi, the plant that Japan has been struggling to get under control since last month’s earthquake and tsunami.

In 2000, Kei Sugaoka, a Japanese-American nuclear inspector who had done work for General Electric at Daiichi, told Japan’s main nuclear regulator about a cracked steam dryer that he believed was being concealed. If exposed, the revelations could have forced the operator, Tokyo Electric Power, to do what utilities least want to do: undertake costly repairs.

Flawed R&D scheme costs taxpayers billions

Topics: 
Corruption, White-collar crime, Canada Revenue Agency, Revolving door
Rating: 
0

Barrie McKenna – March 11, 2011

A flood of questionable tax claims pushed by an exploding cottage industry of consultants is threatening Canada’s signature research and development incentive. Tax authorities are warning they’ll start hitting companies claiming this wildly popular tax break with punitive penalties and even criminal charges to stop the abuses.

This year, Ottawa and the provinces will dispense $4.7-billion to more than 20,000 Canadian companies under one of the richest R&D tax regimes in the world. But a third or more of that cash is being wasted and paid to consultants as a result of hazy rules on what’s legitimate R&D and limited government auditing resources, according to dozens of interviews with consultants, claimants and government officials.

Keep public funds away from the lobbyists

Topics: 
Government ethics, Conflict of interest, Education system, Revolving door
Rating: 
0

Joel Duff – October 24, 2010

Evidence of public college and university administrations using taxpayers' money to hire private lobbyists surfaced earlier this month in Canada's largest province, Ontario. The controversy fuelled a heated debate that began weeks before when similar evidence implicated public hospitals, leading the Ontario government to pledge to legislate a ban on public institutions hiring private lobbyists.

Using freedom of information laws, one of Ontario's opposition parties uncovered nearly C$1 million (US$998,000) spent by nine institutions of higher education on private lobby firms.

Scientists protest appointment of Pfizer boss to health panel

Topics: 
Pharmaceutical industry, Pfizer, Conflict of interest, Health care, Appointments process, Revolving door, Science
Rating: 
0

By Margaret Munro, Canwest News Service – December 7, 2009

Opposition continues to mount against the Harper government's appointment of a top pharmaceutical executive to the council governing Canada's largest health-research agency.

More than 3,700 people, including several prominent ethicists and researchers, have signed a petition calling for the withdrawal of the appointment of Dr. Bernard Prigent, vice-president and medical director of Pfizer Canada, to the governing council of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

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