Analysis of public accountability mechanisms in six Caribbean countries

Description

Caribbean Public Accountability Mechanisms (CariPAM) data measures the comprehensiveness of legal frameworks in six Caribbean countries (The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago) across four spheres of administrative transparency and accountability: access to information, financial disclosure, conflict of interest, and political finance. While all six countries possess strong access to information laws, most public accountability laws in other areas are relatively outdated. With the exception of Jamaica, all countries have very few rules on political financing. There is little accountability or transparency legislation for heads of state and ministers in the areas of financial disclosure and conflict of interest regulation. As a rule, more up-to-date legislation results in more comprehensive regulation.

The background data files for this report can be found here.

Main points

1. There are few recent public accountability laws. More up-to-date legislation results in more comprehensive regulation.
2. Strong access to information legislative frameworks are present in all six countries.
3. Political financing rules are mostly absent in the countries analysed, with the exception of Jamaica.
4. Accountability and transparency for heads of state and ministers in the areas of financial disclosure and conflict of interest is largely unregulated.

Contents

1. Introduction to Caribbean Public Accountability Mechanisms (CariPAM)
2. Access to information
3. Financial Disclosure
4. Conflict of Interest Restrictions
5. Political Financing
6. Country-level analysis
   1. The Bahamas
   2. The Cayman Islands
   3. Guyana
   4. Jamaica
   5. St. Kitts and Nevis
   6. Trinidad and Tobago
7. References

Authors

Aram Khaghaghordyan and Stephanie Trapnell, [email protected]

Reviewer:

Matthew Jenkins

Date

20/04/2020

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