Governance Challenges Research Articles

The challenges of strategic management in higher education institutions in Tanzania: A narrative review

This narrative review consolidates existing literature on strategic management in Tanzanian higher education. The review aimed to understand the strategic management challenges and opportunities in higher education institutions. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach was employed to ensure comprehensive coverage of the literature. The findings show that strategic management practices have been formulated, but funding constraints, human resource shortages, and governance challenges hinder their implementation. The review emphasises the need for additional research to tackle the identified challenges and investigate the opportunities for improving strategic management practices in Tanzanian higher education. The study's limitations may stem from the availability and accessibility of pertinent literature, which could impact the thoroughness of the findings.

Making Timber Accessible to Forest Communities: A Study on Locally Adapted, Motor–Manual Forest Management Schemes in the Eastern Lowlands of Bolivia

Forest communities around the world have great difficulties in utilizing the economic potential of their forests, especially timber, under current technical requirements and legal frameworks. The present study examines the feasibility of motor–manual timber management among indigenous Chiquitano communities in Bolivia’s Eastern Lowlands. It evaluates local practices, tests technical optimization options, and assesses their technical, financial, and environmental impacts. Findings reveal that traditional motor–manual timber production is scarcely profitable, exacerbated by burdensome legal frameworks and limited market access. However, motor–manual forest management remains an essential source of income for communities, and it constitutes an important option for rural development. Field tests demonstrate that, with the use of better equipment such as quality chainsaws, and improved maintenance and workflows, productivity and profitability of local logging can be enhanced. Despite a low environmental impact, optimized motor–manual timber management continues to be constrained by governance challenges, logistical limitations, and limited markets for locally produced timber. The study recommends optimizing these aspects, including targeted technical support, market development, simplified legal frameworks, and the setting up of robust local governance structures to replace ineffective centralized command and control approaches. These improvements would enable communities to sustainably use timber from their forests while addressing their socio-economic needs. The findings underscore the potential of logging by local communities as an alternative to large-scale mechanized logging, for Bolivia and in other tropical forest countries.

‘Sora is incredible and scary’: public perceptions and governance challenges of text-to-video generative AI models

Introduction. Text-to-video generative AI models such as Sora OpenAI have the potential to disrupt multiple industries. In this paper, we report a qualitative social media analysis aiming to uncover people’s perceived impact of and concerns about Sora’s integration. Method. We collected and analysed comments (N=292) under popular posts about (1) Sora generated videos, (2) a comparison between Sora videos and Midjourney images, and (3) artists’ complaints about copyright infringement by Generative AI. Analysis. We employed a thematic analysis to analyse the collected comments. Results. We found that people were most concerned about Sora’s impact on content creation-related industries. Governance challenges included the for-profit nature of OpenAI, the blurred boundaries between real and fake content, human autonomy, data privacy, copyright issues, and environmental impact. Potential regulatory solutions proposed by people included law-enforced labelling of AI content and AI literacy education for the public. Conclusions. Based on the findings, we discuss the importance of gauging people’s tech perceptions early and propose policy recommendations to regulate Sora before its public release.

Regulatory Efficiency and Informal Economy

Unregulated activities in the informal sector contribute to governance and institutional challenges, ultimately impacting tax revenue collection. This study examined the role of regulatory efficiency in the effect of the size of the informal economy of tax revenue in West Africa. Panel regression analysis, employing both Fixed Effects and Random Effects models, was used to estimate the relationship in 13 West African Economies between 2011 to 2022, with the Hausman test guiding model selection. The results suggest that the informal economy indicator has a negative and significant effect on tax revenue with an average coefficient of -0.3 at a 5% significant level. Implying that informal economic activities undermine tax collection. Monetary efficiency was found to have a positive and statistically significant impact on tax revenue with an average coefficient of 0.08 at a 5% significant level, while business efficiency and labour efficiency were statistically insignificant. Furthermore, the interaction of monetary efficiency with the size of the informal economy signified a positive effect with a coefficient of 0.005 at a 5% significant level. Among other control variables, the unemployment rate exhibited a statistically significant negative effect, whereas trade openness had a statistically significant positive effect. Given the findings, the study recommends the gradual formalisation of the informal sector and the strengthening and simplifying of the regulatory frameworks by policymakers in this region.

Misalignment and unintended consequences: unraveling governance challenges in China’s national integrated circuit industry investment fund

Abstract The global resurgence of state-led strategic investment in semiconductors highlights critical governance challenges in implementing industrial policy. Through examining China’s National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund (NICIIF), we reveal how institutional arrangements designed to address knowledge constraints paradoxically create new incentive problems. Using the Robust Political Economy framework, we identify three critical misalignments: strategic-financial misalignment between long-term goals and short-term metrics, political–economic misalignment between central and local priorities, and knowledge-incentive misalignment from leveraging private expertise. These misalignments generate cascading unintended consequences that ultimately undermine policy objectives. Our analysis advances understanding of governance challenges in strategic technology initiatives, offering crucial insights for policymakers designing industrial policy instruments. The findings demonstrate how institutional arrangements in multilayered governance structures can systematically generate implementation gaps between policy intentions and outcomes, with important implications for future policy design.

ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE AND SOCIAL UPLIFTMENT: A CONCEPTUAL STUDY ON THE ROLE OF FPOS IN FARMER EMPOWERMENT

The agricultural sector is the backbone of rural economies, yet smallholder farmers often face persistent socio-economic challenges, including market inefficiencies, financial exclusion, and limited access to resources. Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have emerged as transformative entities capable of addressing these issues by fostering collective action and promoting sustainable development. This conceptual study explores the role of FPOs in achieving economic independence and social upliftment for farmers, emphasizing their potential to drive empowerment and rural prosperity. The paper examines the dual dimensions of empowerment economic and social enabled by FPOs. Economically, FPOs enhance farmers' access to inputs, credit, technology, and markets, allowing better price realization and reducing dependency on intermediaries. Socially, they contribute to building farmers' confidence, improving their bargaining power, and fostering a sense of community and shared purpose. By reviewing existing literature and integrating relevant theoretical frameworks, such as social capital theory and collective action theory, this study develops a conceptual model linking FPO activities to farmers' socio-economic empowerment. The study highlights the critical mechanisms FPOs generate impact, including capacity building, market linkages, and policy advocacy. It also identifies potential barriers, such as governance challenges, limited scalability, and inadequate support infrastructure, which need to be addressed to maximize FPO effectiveness. This research contributes to the growing discourse on sustainable rural development by positioning FPOs as pivotal agents of change. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, development practitioners, and stakeholders seeking to enhance rural livelihoods and promote inclusive growth. Ultimately, this study underscores the transformative potential of FPOs in fostering economic independence and social upliftment for farmers, paving the way for more resilient and equitable agricultural systems.

The APC change mantra and governance challenges in Nigeria: a change on the contrary

The APC change mantra and governance challenges in Nigeria: a change on the contrary

The impact of the river chief system on transboundary water pollution

The River Chief System (RCS) in China plays a crucial role in addressing transboundary water pollution (TWP), which is vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of "clean water." This study examines the static and dynamic effects of the RCS on TWP using a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) model and manually collected RCS data from 104 counties between 2007 and 2020. The results show that the RCS significantly reduces chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 15.9% and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) by 22.9% in border counties, though it has no notable impact on dissolved oxygen (DO). Additionally, RCS intensity contributes to a 13.8% reduction in COD. However, no sustained dynamic effects are observed for COD or NH3-N reduction over time. Several robustness checks confirm the validity of these findings. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the RCS’s impact is more pronounced in counties with higher economic development, upstream locations, lower initial pollution levels, and younger local government leaders. This study not only provides critical insights for water resource management in China but also offers international relevance for addressing TWP governance challenges in transboundary water bodies.

The integration of AI and business excellence in infrastructure and development: A literature review and directions for future research

This study conducts a systematic literature review to analyze the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within business excellence frameworks. An analysis of the findings in the reviewed articles yielded five major themes: AI technologies and intelligent systems; impact of AI on business operations, strategies, and models; AI-driven decision-making in infrastructure and policy contexts; new forms of innovation and competitiveness; and the impact of AI on organizational performance and value creation in infrastructure projects. The findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how AI can be integrated into organizational excellence emerged frameworks to address challenges in infrastructure governance, and sustainable development. Key questions addressed include: how AI affects consumer behavior and marketing strategies. What AI’s capabilities for businesses, especially marketing and digital strategies? How can organizations address the drivers and barriers to help make better use of AI in these business operations? Should organizations even do anything with these insights? These questions and more will be tackled throughout this discussion. This paper attempts to derive a comprehensive conceptual framework from several fields of human resources, operational excellence, and digital transformation, that can help guide organizations and policymakers in embedding AI into infrastructure and development initiatives. This framework will help practitioners navigate the complexities of AI integration, ensuring profitability and sustainable growth in a highly competitive landscape. By bridging the gap between AI technologies and development-related policy initiatives, this research contributes to the advancement of infrastructure governance, public management, and sustainable development.

The Impact of Recent Policies on the Transformation of Local Participatory Urban Planning in Saudi Arabia

This paper examines the impact of recent policies on the transformation of local participatory urban planning in Saudi Arabia since the implementation of Vision 2030 in 2016, highlighting both its potential and challenges. It analyzes the shift from centralized to localized planning at the municipal level and its effects, including increased opportunities for public participation through workshops and digital platforms, as well as the persistence of challenges such as limited public influence on final decisions and inadequate transparency in planning processes. Using a comprehensive literature review, policy document analysis, semi-structured interviews with 20 Saudi urban planners, and a survey of 453 participants, this study reveals significant governance changes. These changes include increased municipal autonomy and the establishment of regional development authorities, which have provided opportunities for local participatory planning. However, the findings also highlight concerns regarding the exclusion of marginalized communities, displacement caused by mega projects, and limited transparency in decision-making processes. While initiatives such as ‘Your Voice Is Heard’, including ‘Balady’ and ‘Istitlaa’, have facilitated a modest degree of public participation, bureaucratic barriers, regulatory complexities, and centralized control continue to hinder the full realization of local participatory planning goals. This study concludes that although policies have improved inclusivity, sustainability, and efficiency, addressing broader ethical concerns and governance challenges is essential for the transformative potential of Vision 2030 to be fully realized in reshaping urban governance in Saudi Arabia.

The Role of Strategic Management Dimensions on Power of Political Parties in Georgia and Its Approach from Operation to State Level

Strategic management plays a fundamental role in shaping the longevity, adaptability, and electoral success of political parties. While extensively studied in corporate settings, its application to political organizations remains underexplored, particularly in transitional democracies. This research examines how strategic management dimensions—such as ideological positioning, resource allocation, and leadership strategies—affect the performance and stability of political parties within Georgia’s evolving political landscape. Through qualitative analysis and comparative evaluation, the study assesses how structured, proactive strategic planning contributes to party resilience, voter trust, and long-term governance effectiveness, while reactive or short-term approaches can lead to internal fragmentation and fluctuating public support. The findings indicate that political entities with clearly defined strategies and institutionalized decision-making frameworks tend to maintain greater stability, while those lacking a cohesive strategic vision experience governance inconsistencies and challenges in sustaining electoral momentum. Furthermore, the research highlights structural differences among political organizations, where some parties exhibit comprehensive strategic frameworks, while others demonstrate more limited strategic planning capacities. As Georgia progresses toward European Union integration, the study underscores the importance of institutionalized, evidence-based strategic management in enhancing democratic consolidation and political stability. By bridging political science and strategic management, this research contributes both theoretical insights and practical recommendations for policymakers, analysts, and political leaders seeking to strengthen governance effectiveness in a competitive and evolving democratic environment.

When Intuition Marries Data-Driven Decisions: A Quality Management Case of How Pelican Sound Golf & River Club Averted Turmoil and Assured Its Future

Pelican Sound Golf & River Club (PSGRC), a bundled community in Southwest Florida, faced significant financial and governance challenges during its transition from developer control to homeowner governance. Confronted with financial instability, inadequate reserves and costly legal battles, PSGRC adopted a strategic framework emphasising continuous improvement (CI), data-driven decision-making (DDDM) and member-driven governance. Through tools such as the balanced scorecard and Kaizen, PSGRC redefined its operational and financial strategies, achieving long-term sustainability and enhanced member satisfaction. This case highlights PSGRC’s resilience in addressing market challenges, such as shifting recreational preferences and economic fluctuations, by aligning strategic goals with member needs. PSGRC’s success underscores the importance of adaptability, strategic planning and collaborative leadership, offering valuable lessons for private clubs and similar organisations navigating complex governance and financial landscapes. This case study serves as a compelling example of how innovative governance and management practices can transform an organisation, ensuring its longevity and relevance. The case recounts how the community distinguished itself among private country clubs and most other organisations. The contrasts centre on the club’s unique DDDM processes and CI culture to avert turmoil and assure its future. The case details the evolvement of a young suburban community over time through various levels of leadership decisions, implementation of integrated quantitative or qualitative management practices and processes that ensured the club’s long-term financial sustainability and community efficacy.

A Pragmatist critique of progressive realism in foreign policy

Abstract How might pragmatism inform foreign policy? In the United Kingdom's policy sphere, pragmatism is often conflated with realism to mean either a philosophical acceptance of the way the world is, or a prudential awareness that progressive change is difficult but still possible. David Lammy's advocacy of ‘progressive realism’ as a foreign policy ethos seems to favour the latter; yet, we see two problems with Lammy's formulation for progressive foreign policy. First, shackling pragmatism to realism could result in progressive opportunities being missed. Second, as a means towards (or a check on) progressive ends, realist pragmatism risks assuming the undemocratic position that those ends are given (by western powers) and beyond (multilateral) dialogue. We argue that a policy informed by philosophical Pragmatism avoids these risks because unlike realists (and International Relations realists) these Pragmatists are more aware of the constructed and processual (rather than essential and fixed) nature of social problems. In that awareness they will be: 1) less sceptical and more creative in the pursuit of progress; 2) less inclined to compromise on multilateral practices; and 3) more committed to the democratization of those practices as a method of uncovering and solving practical problems. We apply this three-part definition of ‘progressive Pragmatism’ to two hard cases confronting UK foreign policy: the challenge of global governance in a multipolar system and Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Lammy claims his realism is not ‘cynical’. We argue he can better protect progressivism against realist cynicism if he pairs it with Pragmatism.

Future Directions of Public Administration Research—Addressing Fundamental Issues and Questions

ABSTRACT This introduction to the special issue on future directions of Public Administration research addressing fundamental issues and questions, reflects on some selected subjects emerging from the accepted articles. We outline some main themes and place aspects of the single articles within them. The topics covered are theoretical development in Public Administration, the significance of the political and normative context of transboundary public administration, the importance of temporal context, and increased focus on specific policy areas such as crisis management and digitalization in a comparative perspective. It concludes by pointing to the importance of understanding and meeting the challenges of democratic backsliding, regime-threatening populism, and autocratic government.

Illegal Parking Control Strategy to Improve Sustainable Management of Urban Areas

Illegal parking in Sidenreng Rappang Regency has significant implications for spatial planning, traffic management, and public space utilization, negatively affecting the quality of life, accessibility, and local businesses. This study investigates strategic solutions to address this issue using a qualitative approach, incorporating in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, field observations, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using the SWOT framework and NVivo software, revealing that weak regulatory enforcement and inadequate infrastructure are the primary drivers of illegal parking. However, opportunities exist in the form of smart parking technologies, public-private partnerships, and sustainable urban development initiatives. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of qualitative analysis with advanced digital tools, such as NVivo software, to provide a structured, data-driven approach to addressing governance challenges in urban mobility. This combination enables a more nuanced understanding of the problem and facilitates the development of targeted, evidence-based solutions. Additionally, the study introduces innovative strategies, such as the integration of digital technologies (e.g., CCTV and mobile parking applications) and the promotion of public-private partnerships, to create sustainable parking management systems. The study proposes actionable strategies, including strengthening regulatory enforcement, expanding parking infrastructure, integrating digital technologies, and launching public awareness campaigns. This research contributes valuable insights to urban planning and governance literature, providing a potential model for other regions facing similar challenges. It underscores the importance of integrating technological advancements and community engagement in creating effective, long-term solutions to urban mobility issues, ultimately enhancing the quality of life and economic vitality in affected areas. The novelty of this approach combining qualitative methods with digital tools and innovative strategies positions it as a pioneering effort in addressing illegal parking and urban governance challenges.

White Democrats’ Growing Support for Black Politicians in the Era of the “Great Awokening”

Equitable representation of minority groups is a challenge for democratic government. One way to resolve this dilemma is for majority-group voters to support minority-group candidates, but this support is often elusive. To understand how such inter-group coalitions become possible, this paper investigates the case of white Democratic Americans’ growing support for Black political candidates. I show that as white Democrats’ racial attitudes have liberalized, an increasing number of majority-white districts have elected Black congressional representatives. White Democratic survey respondents have also come to prefer Black candidate profiles, as demonstrated in a meta-analysis of 42 experiments. White Democratic respondents in a series of original conjoint experiments were most likely to prefer Black profiles when they expressed awareness of racial discrimination, low racial resentment, and dislike towards Trump. Additional tests underscore the association between majority-group voters’ concern about racial injustice and their support for minority-group candidates.

How does ChatGPT 4omni perform in consenting for common orthopedic and musculoskeletal interventional procedures?

Objectives ChatGPT 4omni is OpenAI’s newest multimodal software featuring improvements in speed, cost-efficiency, and capability over previous versions such as GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo. This article looks at the performance of ChatGPT in consenting patients for ten commonly performed orthopedic and musculoskeletal interventional procedures at our tertiary cold orthopedic center. Materials and Methods ChatGPT 4omni was asked to consent for these procedures. The results were compared against existing guidelines and clinical knowledge by a fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon and interventional radiologist. A 5-point Likert scale was used to grade the response across four parameters: (i) description of the procedure, (ii) benefits, (iii) risks, and (iv) overall impression of the document. Results A Likert scale score of 5 was given to the domains of benefits and risks in all surgical and intervention orthopedic procedures. For description of procedure, a score of 3 was given in total hip and knee replacement, and score of 4 for image-guided trochanteric bursal injection, by one scorer, due to a lack of procedural description. Overall, impression was scored as 4 for these procedures. These procedures received a score of 5 for all other parameters. Conclusion ChatGPT 4omni demonstrates promising results in obtaining consent, compared to the gold-standard of consent being obtained by a surgeon/radiologist, for commonly performed cold surgical and interventional orthopedic procedures. It may have a role in supporting patients, clinicians, and healthcare systems in the future although certain ethical, governance, and medicolegal challenges still need to be addressed.

Governance challenges for domestic cross-border carbon capture and storage

Governance challenges for domestic cross-border carbon capture and storage

A scoping review of ethical aspects of public-private partnerships in digital health

Partnerships between public and private organizations in digital health can promote more accessible, affordable, and high-quality care, but they also raise ethical and governance challenges. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, identifying 46 studies examining ethical aspects of digital health public-private partnerships (PPPs). Three key themes emerged: data privacy and consent, ensuring public benefit and access, and good governance and demonstrating trustworthiness. We provide recommendations for each theme. To foster responsible innovation, we conclude that early and contextual operationalisation of ethics guidelines in PPPs is necessary to balance respect for fundamental values with the pursuit of impactful innovation. If PPPs become more successful as a result, this contributes to reducing the research waste of failed collaborations. Further research should clarify the scope of PPPs and definition of ‘public benefit’, and we call for critical study on the ‘economization’ of digital health promoted by public and private sector organizations.

Overcoming the Smart City Governance Challenge: An Innovation Management Perspective

ABSTRACT This commentary explores the potential of strengthening smart city development (SCD) governance theory through a more meaningful integration of innovation management studies. We highlight the limited theoretical framework in SCD governance and show how theoretical stimuli from innovation management can address key governance challenges affecting SCD. Our focus encompasses several governance challenges that we use as exemplary cases: conceptualizing SCD, strategizing citywide SCD efforts, introducing monitoring methods and indicators for SCD projects, intermediating among stakeholders, and managing multi-level governance dynamics. The primary goal of our commentary is to advocate for increased multidisciplinary research in the SCD field, emphasizing the accelerated knowledge accumulation achievable by linking it with the more established field of innovation management studies. We conclude that innovation management offers valuable insights for advancing SCD governance theories. This commentary initiates a dialogue on the necessity of cross-disciplinary research in the smart city domain, which is expected to benefit both academics and practitioners.