Rethinking Corruption Seminar In Sacramento, CA, And By Webcast, On October 27th

Corruption in China is obviously an important issue and The University of the Pacific -- McGeorge School of Law is putting on what looks to be a top-flight seminar on corruption (h/t to The Black China Hand and to The White Collar Crime Prof Blog).  The seminar is called, "Rethinking Corruption: An Interdisciplinary Look at a Fundamental Problem," and it will run all day on Friday, October 27th at University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, Center for Global Business and Development, 3200 Fifth Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95817.

The program will focus on the following:

Does corruption matter in today's globalized economy?  Or has it been overtaken by money laundering and terrorism as the central focus of international business regulation?  Did it ever matter?  Do current regulatory responses deter or contain corruption?  Are enforcement and compliance actions effective in impeding corruption?  The leaders in international economic development theory, international business regulation, and transnational corporate practice will offer thoughts and rethought on the impact of corruption on development, contemporary national and multilateral responses, the current state of play - and concrete recommendations for effective deterrence.

Dr. Salam Fayyad, Former Palestinian Minister of Finance, will be the keynote speaker.  Now before you laugh at the idea the keynote speaker is coming from what is probably one of the most corrupt and financially inept organizations in history, I will note that Dr. Fayyad is a highly respected reformer who is widely credited with having begun the process (since terminated) of bringing respectability to Palestinian finances.

Other presenters include the following:

• Dr. Michael Malloy, Director, Pacific McGeorge Center for Global Business and Development and Professor, Pacific McGeorge School of Law.
• Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, Dean, Pacific McGeorge School of Law
• Professor Frank Gevurtz, Director, Pacific McGeorge Institute for Global Business
• Daniel Kaufmann, Director, World Bank Institute
• Professor Richard W. Painter, Professor of Law, University of Minnesota
• Professor Jun Qian, Professor of Finance, Boston College
• Professor Franklin Zimring, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall) (tentative)
• Richard Charlton, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• Professor Janet Dine, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London
• Professor Donato Masciandaro, Paolo Baffi Centre, Department of Economics, Bocconi University, Milan
• Andre Odermatt, LGT Treuhand AG, Liechenstein
• Nancy Zucker Boswell, Transparency International USA
• Carol Van Cleef, Bryan Cave, LLP, Washington, DC
• Dr. Emmanuel Omoh Esiemokhai, Professor, Shandong University (China) of Science & Technology
• Michael Keating, United Nations Resident Representative, Malawi
• Welby Leaman, International Trade, National Security Council
• Professor Sabine Schlemmer-Schutle, Pacific McGeorge School of Law

Based on China's importance, China's problems with corruption, and on those who will be there presenting, I have no doubt China will come up early and often at this event.