Coordinators and rapporteurs:

Wednesday, 10 October

The workshop started with a clarifying of expectations regarding the creative workshop principles. It was agreed by all participants that the primary aim would be to learn and try ways of thinking about the problem that were different from the more usual mode of critical verbal analysis. This workshop was to take a different format and style from the "ordinary" workshops at the conference.

We proceeded to try a mental/physical challenge (which caused intellectual engagement, a range of emotions, some mild physical activity, fun and communication). This acted as a "warm-up", but also led to some serious reflections and insights relevant to the title topic.

In order to move us nearer to being in a position to generate solution ideas, we started to closely examine each word in the topic title. This was illuminating, but time-consuming. For example, in our examination of the word "government", we offered definitions and boundaries and analyses of what qualified as "government" for our purposes. Questions were raised, such as, "How to respond to a representative of a government that is not internationally recognized?", or "What part(s) of a government might be involved in inter-governmental anti-corruption organizations?", or "What sort of organization might it be (e.g. network, coalition, alliance, legislative body, etc.)?".

As in other workshops, we scheduled some time for exchanging experiences or information, and matters specific to the individuals present.

We finished with a formal brainstorm, which generated a mix of "sensible" and "silly" ideas (but was curtailed by the close of the session). We discussed briefly how even "silly" ideas might be useful, perhaps as prompts for other ideas, or following further development. Flipchart sheets show a selection of the ideas, but not any attempts at selection or development.

FLIPCHART PRESENTATION OF THE WORKSHOP

We started with an exercise, learned from what happened, and applied that insight to the issue of fighting corruption.

"it's not possible" - negative attitude

Try action - rush into it
x Or stand and think

Try going over or under barriers
x Or is there another way?

Trying the same kind of solution
- even though you have discovered it doesn't work

No cheating!
Getting to know each other: facilitating international relations

You can always ask for help!

Staying tight won't work: relax and see possibilities

Checking definition of problem or trying to redefine the solution

Frustration and impatience make things worse than before

Sharing knowledge - but only up to a point

Working out what is relevant or irrelevant

Not seeing solution when it's close

Needing someone else to tell you what you already know

Using different words

Solving the problem, but without knowing how

Making tacit knowledge explicit

Bodies or administers on area recognized? Does it matter if the government is not recognized by the others?
Body made of separate depts, individuals?

We reconstructed the sentence "How can governments and intergovernmental organizations fight corruption?"

Most of the "de-constructive discussions" was nor recorded, but here's a bit of it.

If a non-recognized government applies to pin coalition anti-corruption, we can:

• set Conditions
• ask Questions
• ask what can non-recognized court offer to our coalition

Rules of brainstorming

Quantity (not quality)
Suspend critical judgement
Record all ideas
Build on ideas

Part of the brainstorming output

Identify the cause of corruption
Moral education
Have genuine political will
Each should have knowledge of what other is doing
Confiscation properties corruptly acquired
Improving public service
Identifying target persons
Fostering social intolerance to corruption
Exposing the corrupt officers
Establishing integrity values
Making public services - clients know their rights and obligations
Give reward to honest officials
Have a regional law enforcement agency
Execute corrupt official
Ethical orientation
Have law-enforcement body separate from rest of government
Make religious rulers rule us - oh my god!
Limit all governments? to 3-hours
Limit all governments? to 2-years
Make ordinary poor people parliamentarian
Create a watch-dog body for all ministries
Make women prime ministers
Make women judges
Make people know what god thinks about
Throw corrupt people to the lion corruption
Teach religion in all schools 1-3 levels
Make people walk trough the streets naked
Show a new fashion
Throw money on the street - see who scrambles for it
Integrity testing

We then developed some of these ideas in discussion.