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Peter Eigen

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Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen in 2012
Born (1938-06-11) June 11, 1938 (age 87)
Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany
NationalityGerman
Alma materHarvard University, Free University of Berlin
Occupation(s)Economist, Lawyer, University Lecturer
Known forAnti-corruption advocacy, Political transparency, Political Science
AwardsOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss Prize (1998), European of the Year (2004), Markgräfler Gutedelpreis (2006)

Peter Eigen (born June 11, 1938) is a German lawyer, development economist, and civil society leader. Eigen founded Transparency International (TI), a non-governmental organization with national chapters in over 100 countries, in 1993 and chaired the organization for 12 years.

Early life and education

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The third of four children, Peter Eigen was born on 11 June 1938 in Augsburg, Germany, to Grete Eigen (born Müchler) and Fritz Eigen, an engineer by training and industry manager. Eigen spent his early childhood during the war in Berlin and in Czechoslovakia, where his father had been assigned by the Nazi regime to manage a large factory. The family moved back to Germany after the war and settled in 1945 with his grandparents in Mettmann, and as of 1952 in Erlangen, Bavaria. He studied law in Erlangen and Frankfurt/Main and earned a Doctor of Laws in 1964 (Dr. iur.) at the Goethe Universität Frankfurt after studying from 1962–1963 at the University of Kansas, USA, as a scholar of the Fulbright Program. His time on the American continent included a four-month road trip through Latin America, an experience that informed his early interest in global governance.[1]

Career

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Early career

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Eigen left the World Bank to pursue his anti-corruption efforts from Berlin.[2]

Founding and Building Transparency International (TI)

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This process led to the concept of Transparency International (TI). In February 1993, Eigen gathered approximately 20 individuals and experts in The Hague, Netherlands, where they signed the Founding Charter of Transparency International in the office of the Dutch Development Minister Jan Pronk. The organization was established as a charitable society based in Berlin. In May of the same year, Eigen secured funding from the GTZ and the German Development Foundation (Deutsche Stiftung für Internationale Entwicklung (DSE)) to publicly launch TI at the Villa Borsig, the official Guest House of the German Government in Berlin-Tegel. Leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the German development community participated in the launch.[3] Transparency International's mission expanded to address corruption in all its forms through engagement with civil society, business, and government, a strategy Eigen described as 'the magic triangle'.[4]

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reportedly referred to the 10th (anti-corruption) Principle of the UN Global Compact as ‘the Peter Principle’.[5]

Leadership with other initiatives

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By the late 1990s, Eigen believed the World Bank had the political will and resources to support anti-corruption efforts but lacked of direct mechanisms to finance and empower civil society organizations globally. Along with other Transparency International board members, including Frank Vogl, Barry Metzger, and Pierre Landell-Mills, Eigen conceptualized the Partnership for Transparency Fund as an independent organization to address this gap. The PTF was formally registered under New York State law in December 2000, with Eigen serving as its first Board Chair. The PTF was established as a charitable entity providing small grants and technical assistance to civil society organizations working to promote good governance and hold governments accountable. In its early years, Eigen helped shape the PTF’s focus on the “demand side” of good governance, which emphasized citizen engagement in advocating for government reforms, complementing traditional "supply-side" efforts focused on improving public institutions. Under Eigen’s leadership, the PTF developed frameworks for empowering grassroots organizations to design and implement targeted anti-corruption initiatives.[6]

Recognizing challenges faced by civil society organizations, including shrinking civic space, rising populism, and increasing demands for accountability, Peter Eigen initiated the founding of the Berlin Civil Society Centre (now the International Civil Society Centre) in 2007. The Centre was created as a space for collaboration, innovation, and strategic thinking on how civil society organizations can adapt to emerging global challenges. Eigen partnered with Burkhard Gnärig, former CEO of International Save the Children Alliance (London), to establish and lead the Centre. Gnärig served as the Centre’s Managing Director until 2018, working pro bono in the early years.[7]

Building on the principle of collaboration between civil society, the private sector, and government, Eigen contributed to the early years of the initiative as one of the initiators and first chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).[8] The initiative was formally launched following the conclusion of the “Publish What You Pay” campaign in June 2003, when representatives from governments, industries, and civil society groups convened in the United Kingdom to endorse a common set of "EITI Principles."[9] Under his leadership, the group convened five times between 2005 and 2006, publishing the EITI Validation Guide and creating the framework for the initiative’s governance.[10] During Eigen’s tenure as Chair of the EITI Board from 2006 to 2011, the initiative established global standards for the transparent and accountable management of oil, gas, and mineral resources.[11]

In 2022, Peter Eigen founded the Local Electricity Access Programme (LEAP Transparency), a Senegalese-led initiative aimed at advancing equitable, inclusive, and sustainable energy access in rural communities.[12]

Personal life

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In 1963, Peter Eigen married Dr. Jutta Philippi, a physician and musician, with whom he had three children. Jutta Eigen died in 2002.[13]

Publications

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  • Eigen, P. (2008). The Web of Corruption – How a Global Movement Fights Graft / Adapted from the original *Das Netz der Korruption*, Frankfurt/Main, Campus Verlag, 2003. ISBN 3-593-37188-X.
  • Eigen, P. (2003). Das Netz der Korruption / Campus Verlag, Frankfurt/Main, New York. / Language: German.

References

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  1. ^ Eigen, Peter (2003). Das Netz der Korruption : wie eine weltweite Bewegung gegen Bestechung kämpft. Frankfurt am Main: Campus. ISBN 3-593-37188-X. OCLC 53057796.
  2. ^ Eigen, Peter (2003). Das Netz der Korruption : wie eine weltweite Bewegung gegen Bestechung kämpft. Frankfurt am Main: Campus. ISBN 3-593-37188-X. OCLC 53057796.
  3. ^ "Corruption: Major cause of poverty" (PDF). Transparency International. 6 May 1993. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Our story". Transparency.org. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  5. ^ "Transparency International Founder receives prestigious German award…". Transparency.org. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  6. ^ "Our History". PT Fund. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  7. ^ "Our Story – The International Civil Society Centre". icscentre.org. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  8. ^ "EITI – Initiative für mehr Transparenz im Rohstoffsektor". Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  9. ^ "Die Anfänge von EITI". D-EITI (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  10. ^ "Schlussbericht der Internationalen Beratergruppe über die Transparenzinitiative der rohstoffgewinnenden Industrie" (PDF). EITI (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  11. ^ "Peter Eigen". EITI. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  12. ^ "LEAP's Vision". LEAP Transparency. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  13. ^ Eigen, Peter (2003). Das Netz der Korruption : wie eine weltweite Bewegung gegen Bestechung kämpft. Frankfurt am Main: Campus. ISBN 3-593-37188-X. OCLC 53057796.
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