Watch Mrs. Bush in a conversation about the role and influence of global first ladies at the 2017 Concordia Summit in New York. The discussion is based on the Bush Institute’s report, A Role Without a Rulebook: The Influence & Leadership of Global First Ladies, which examines how first ladies throughout history have utilized their role to champion issues that improve the lives of the people they serve. Hostess, teammate, champion, and policy advocate, first ladies provide distinct case studies for women’s leadership. Unelected but official, spouses of state and government leaders have a unique opportunity to build bridges between civil society and government institutions. Both at home and abroad, they have leveraged their influence to champion causes including social and economic inclusion, education and healthcare, peace and security, and women and children’s rights. But even in countries where the role is most formally recognized culturally and politically, it is typically a role without a rule book.

As part of the series of Roundtables to discuss research findings on the proposals to deal with Winner-Take-All (WTA) Politics in Ghana. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Wednesday, 21st June, 2017, held another Roundtable Discussion on the theme Dealing with Winner Takes All Politics: The Case for a Review of the Appointing Powers of the President.

On Wednesday, 31st May, 2017, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), presented findings of a survey on the ‘Expectations of Ghanaians’ of the New Government’ at a Roundtable Discussion. The purpose of the survey was to assess whether the policy priorities of the new government are in line with the real expectations of Ghanaian citizens.

Mrs. Laura Bush and Mrs. Cherie Blair engaged in a conversation on the role of first ladies across the globe. The conversation was held in conjunction with the release of the Bush Institute's latest report, A Role Without a Rulebook: The Influence and Leadership of Global First Ladies. This new study expands the field of scholarship on first ladies and women's leadership by exploring how spouses of state leaders around the globe are making a difference on critical issues at local, national, and global levels. The report examines the leadership potential of the first lady role, the common and uncommon challenges women face in realizing that potential, and how first ladies overcome those challenges to effect change on their chosen issues.

Poor governance remains one of Africa’s biggest challenges. In this regard, accelerating the continent’s progress from the current state requires a rethink of development and governance issues. As part of the Institute of Economic Affairs’ (IEA) mission to promote good governance in Ghana and across the African region, the IEA in collaboration with the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) hosted a roundtable discussion on the theme: ‘Governance and Development in Africa’ with Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, former Prime-Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-2007).

As part of the Institute’s commitment to strengthening democracy, on 14th March 2017, the IEA organised a roundtable on the theme ‘Strengthening Presidential Transitions in Ghana.’ The Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845) is an initiative of the IEA and the Ghana Political Parties Programme (GPPP) which emerged as a response to past transition challenges. The 2017 transition was the first time Act 845 was applied. The IEA closely monitored the transition process and held a roundtable to present the findings of its assessment and discuss the Institute’s recommendations for reform.

The last in the Moody Series will consider the task of managing the unexpected. Every administration inevitably faces a hostage crisis on American soil, like Waco, or an international incident, like downing an American spy plane in China. And with troubling regularity, every administration must contemplate an economic meltdown on a global scale. What steps does an administration take in the first moments of these crises? How does the President’s team handle the urgent without losing sight of their own ambitious agendas? These questions represent some of the critical issues that the participants in this last event will consider. That event involves partners at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and School of Government Service.

The symposium discussed a range of  mechanisms for supporting smooth and effective executive transitions following democratic elections. It underscored the critical importance of regional and political contexts in the development of mechanisms to support smooth transitions, while also highlighting themes that transcend contexts.  These include importance of a neutral civil service, the obligations of the outgoing government administration, and the impact of legal frameworks governing transitions. The report provides a brief summary of the discussion and highlights important points to consider when approaching transitions, whether as a stakeholder in the process or as an external assistance partner.

In conjunction with the three National Archives Presidential Libraries in Texas, the White House Transition Project and its partners at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy will conduct three public events over the second half of 2016, each reflecting this growing, bipartisan consensus. The first discussion in the Moody Series will convene July 11, 2016, at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. It will focus on the process of transition, looking at it from both sides — the transition out of and into office — as well as the path breaking work of President George W. Bush in establishing a coherent transition. The event brings together key participants in recent presidential transitions. Chiefs of Staff Joshua Bolten, who led the transition out of office for President Bush, and Thomas “Mack” McLarty, who held the post when President Clinton came into office, will talk about the transition process and the challenges they met and the ones they see ahead. Following the first discussion, a panel discussion highlights the transitions of departments and agencies and issues surrounding the presidential appointment process. The panelists include Clay Johnson III, Executive Director of President Bush’s transition into office and who was involved in the department and agency transitions at the end of the administration from his position as Deputy for Management at the Office of Management and Budget; Lisa Brown, Co-Chair of President-Elect Obama’s agency review teams and later White House Staff Secretary; Christopher Lu, Executive Director of Senator Obama’s transition preparations who currently serves as Deputy Secretary of Labor, and Andrew Mayock, currently designated as Deputy OMB Director for Management who plays an important role in the Obama transition out. The White House Transition Project Director Martha Joynt Kumar will moderate the conversation with the Chiefs of Staff and Executive Director Terry Sullivan will lead the panel.