Analysis: Whither the Clinton Foundation if Hillary Wins?

Politico examines the prospective impact on the Clinton Global Initiative’s role as a hub of international “philanthrocapitalism” if Hillary Clinton runs for and is elected to the White House.

The Clinton Foundation’s annual gathering, the 10th edition of which begins in New York this week, has secured $85-billion in commitments from governments, corporations, and philanthropists to tackle poverty, public health, climate, and other global issues. The article by Matthew Bishop, an editor at The Economist and co-author of the 2008 book Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World, assesses the effort’s record on translating pledges into action and questions over what critics contend is a co-mingling of philanthropy and politics.

“The CGI—awash as it is with big business and billionaires—could affect how candidate Hillary Clinton is perceived by the electorate and how President Hillary Clinton would deal with potential conflicts of interests arising from CGI’s work,” he writes.

Read a Chronicle of Philanthropy review of Philanthrocapitalism and a 2012 opinion column by co-authors Matthew Bishop and Michael Green.