Phyllis Dininio, a Senior Fellow at the Global Initiative, is leading research on clean supply chains. As a Senior Technical Director at Management Systems International, she also leads research and provides technical direction on field projects and training focused on organized crime and corruption. Recent publications include USAID’s Technical Guidance on the Development Response to Organized Crime, a series of white papers on organized crime, and “High-level Corruption and Transnational Organized Crime.”

Prior to this, Dr. Dininio served as Senior Governance Advisor in the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Consultant at the World Bank, and Scholar in Residence at the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at American University. Dr. Dininio also served as USAID’s first anti-corruption advisor in the Democracy and Governance Center where she developed the Agency’s approach to anti-corruption and authored a handbook on this topic. In addition, she has worked as an independent consultant on corruption issues, developing training curriculum, conducting assessments, recommending strategies, and writing on key topics.

Selected Publications

Dininio, Phyllis. Technical Guidance on the Development Response to Organized Crime. Washington, DC: USAID, 2021.

Dininio, Phyllis and Lisa Poggiali. “Private Sector Engagement in Countering Organized Crime.” Strengthening Rule of Law Approaches to Address Organized Crime White Paper 5. Washington, DC: USAID, 2020.

Dininio, Phyllis. “Criminal Market Convergence.” Strengthening Rule of Law Approaches to Address Organized Crime White Paper 4. Washington, DC: USAID, 2020.

Dininio, Phyllis and Diana Chigas. “Social Norms.” Strengthening Rule of Law Approaches to Address Organized Crime White Paper 3. Washington, DC: USAID, 2019.

Dininio, Phyllis. “Government Complicity in Organized Crime.” Strengthening Rule of Law Approaches to Address Organized Crime White Paper 2. Washington, DC: USAID, 2019.

Dininio, Phyllis. “Capacity Issues, Consequences and Complicity.” Strengthening Rule of Law Approaches to Address Organized Crime White Paper 1. Washington, DC: USAID, 2019.

Dininio, Phyllis and Julie Werbel. Street Gangs and Violent Extremist Organizations: Learning Across Fields. Washington, DC: USAID, 2016.

Dininio, Phyllis.  Organized Crime, Conflict and Fragility: Assessing Relationships through a Review of USAID Programs. Washington, DC: USAID, 2015.

Spector, Bert, Svetlana Winbourne and Phyllis Dininio.  Practitioners’ Guide for Anti-corruption Programming. Washington, DC: USAID, 2015.

Dininio, Phyllis.  High-level Corruption and Transnational Organized Crime. Washington, DC: USAID, 2014.

Stearns Lawson, Brooke and Phyllis Dininio.  The Development Response to Drug Trafficking in Africa: A Programming Guide.  Washington, DC: USAID, 2013.