MISSING DOLLARS: A documentary how Illicit Financial Flows Affect Developing Countries

IFFS refer to the illegal movement of money or capital from one country to another. These flows are often associated with criminal activities, tax evasion, corruption, and money laundering, posing significant challenges to economic and social development. Against this backdrop, researchers from Switzerland, Ghana and Laos engaged in a six-year project to study IFFs and consider the policy responses and innovations that could effectively curb them.

“Missing Dollars” retraces this research collaboration. Through expert interviews, real-world examples and detailed analysis, it explores how IFFs drain vital resources from developing nations, exacerbating poverty, hindering sustainable development and undermining governance and the rule of law.

The video sheds light on the mechanisms through which these flows occur, including trade misinvoicing, shell companies and offshore financial centres. It also examines the global efforts to combat IFFs, highlighting the roles of international organisations, governments and civil society in creating effective policies and regulations and the importance of transparency, international cooperation and strong legal frameworks in tackling this global issue.

The project, titled “Curbing Illicit Financial Flows from Resource-Rich Developing Countries”, was funded by the Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development (R4D.ch) and led by

• Gilles Carbonnier (Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, Geneva Graduate Institute)
• Fritz Brugger (NADEL Center for Development and Cooperation, ETH Zürich)
• Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi (Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern)
• Fred Mawunyo Dzanku (Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Accra)
• Sthabandith Insisienmay (Center for Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Restructuring, National Institute for Economic Research, Vientiane, Laos)

Gilles Carbonnier, Professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute and project leader, puts this six-year adventure into context. Read the interview

Visit the project’s website