Public Accountability Initiative

Tech: pai maintains littlesis.org, an open, Public database and research platform that brings transparency to influential networks in the Public and private sectors. The database aggregates Public information on over 407,000 influential individuals and institutions, ranging from Public officials to large corporations, and nearly 1,700,000 relationships among them, ranging from employment relationships to campaign contributions. Volunteer editors contribute well-course data to littlesis and build maps of power networks using our data visualization tools. In 2022-2023, littlesis' user base grew by 2,000 new users who mapped out over 69,000 new relationships between entities on the site. Littlesis tech is cited regularly by activists, researchers, journalists, and Public interest organizations. This tech supports groundbreaking investigations and high-impact grassroots campaigns.

Training: pai trains journalists, astivists, and reseachers in how to conduct power research using littlesis.org and other tools and methodologies. The goal of this work is to cultivate more movement capacity to research and challenge influtial networks in the Public and private sector. We conduct trainings in person and online via webinar, and offer them independently and in partnership with other Public interested organizations. In 2022-2023, we condcuted a number of trainings on littlesis tech tools including how to edit the research database, how to research publicly-held corporations, research techniques for private companies and non-for-profit organizations, and how to research political contributions.

Research: pai's research program investigates issues of corporate and government accountanility and brings transparency to the role of powerful Public sector and private sector institutions in shaping Public policy. Pai releases research in the form of reports, articles, infographics, and datasets. Pai's research has garnered significant media coverage, prompted Accountability measures and Public and private institutions,and informed groundbreaking campaigns. Pai's primary focus areas include the finance industry and the fossil fuel industry, and corporate power on the regional and state level. In 2022-2023, our research touched on issues including investor-owned utilities, fossil fuel finance, wall street speculation, the revolving door between business and government, corporate subsidies, and money in politics. Our research earns major media coverage and helps drive compaign strategy and wins.