Transparency and Public Pressure Initiatives

Why this works

• This strategy acknowledges that internal reform is hard, so it increases the cost of inaction by exposing wrongdoing to the public.
• For example, supporting journalism projects like Insider’s “Conflicted Congress” or creating public databases of lawmaker finances updated in real-time can deter misbehavior.
• Already, the exposure of STOCK Act violations led to almost all those members eventually disclosing and some adopting better practices.
• If every potential ethics lapse is likely to be blasted in the media, members may act more ethically to avoid scandals (the so-called “sunlight as disinfectant” approach).
• Watchdog NGOs like CREW, Common Cause, and Public Citizen can continue filing complaints and FOIAs to dig up information and push Ethics Committees to act (they often publicize when they file an OCE complaint, generating media coverage).
• Social media campaigns can target specific egregious actors, making it politically untenable for leadership to ignore (like what happened with Santos – pressure built until he was expelled, albeit after OCE’s report).
• Public pressure also can motivate leadership to allow votes on popular reforms – e.g.
• when the public outcry was loud in 2017 after a secret push to gut OCE (due to calls and media backlash), House Republicans reversed course in less than 48 hours.