Governance Failures Research Articles

The portrayal and perceptions of cesarean section in Mexican media Facebook pages: a mixed-methods study

BackgroundMexico has one of the highest rates of cesarean sections globally at over 45%. There is limited research about social factors influencing these rates. This study explores the portrayal and perceptions of cesarean section in Facebook media pages to better understand the socio-cultural context of childbirth in Mexico.MethodsThis is a mixed-methods social media analysis using two data sources. First, to study the portrayal of cesarean section, we identified ten Mexican media Facebook pages with the largest audiences (based on number of page “likes”). We searched these pages for articles containing the word “cesárea” (Spanish for cesarean section), and posts (articles) were eligible for inclusion if they contained the word “cesárea”. Second, to understand perceptions of cesarean section portrayal, we extracted comment threads of each Facebook post sharing the included articles. We performed a qualitative thematic analysis of articles and a quantitative content analysis of comments.ResultsWe included 133 Facebook posts depicting 80 unique articles and identified three major themes: (1) information about cesarean section, (2) inequality and violence against women, (3) governance failures. Cesarean section was portrayed as a lifesaving procedure when medical necessary, and riskier than vaginal birth, with a longer recovery time, and possible negative health consequences. We extracted comments from 133 Facebook posts, and 6350 comments were included. We inductively developed 20 codes to then classify comments under six major categories: (1) violence and discrimination, (2) health and health services, (3) mode of birth choice, (4) disbelief at information about cesarean section, (5) abortion, and (6) discontent at the government.ConclusionsWe found that Facebook media did not promote cesarean section over vaginal birth, and risks and consequences were mostly represented reliably. Perceptions about the portrayal of cesarean section showed strong discontent and distrust against providers and the health system, as well as rejection of factual information about the consequences of cesarean section. We documented gross gender inequality and violence against women, highlighting the urgent need for human rights approaches to maternal health to address these inequalities and prevent harmful practices. Our study also contributes to the emerging field of social media analysis, and demonstrates clear areas where social media communication can be improved.

Governance failures and knowledge asymmetries in the state river basin committees and their impacts on water resource management in Brazil

ABSTRACT This study reports the results of a nationwide survey of how representatives of the state river basin committees in Brazil perceive their involvement in the decision-making process. The survey revealed failures in governance caused by a lack of understanding of the water management system, limited technical knowledge and a deficit of accountability by committee members. These flaws weaken the exchange of ideas and the fair balance of members’ participation, whilst reflecting particularistic interests of certain groups or individuals in decision-making. Unless these problems are addressed, the OECD Principles on Water Governance cannot be implemented in Brazil’s river basins.

What Governance Failures Reveal about Water Resources Management in a Municipality of Brazil

Humans have historically chosen to develop their cities close to rivers due to the need for water and food security. In Brazil, water security represents a growing challenge, despite advances in the National Water Resources Management System. While municipalities are responsible for integrating the various public policies that impact urban rivers, such as the environment, basic sanitation, and urban planning, only states and the federal government, along with watershed committees, have a formal role in the National Water Resources Management System. The goal of this paper is to assess the Brazilian water governance system from the perspective of municipalities. The OECD water governance framework is applied to a medium-sized Brazilian municipality (c. 200,000 inhabitants), Itabuna, Bahia state, through perception-based and objective data. Studies dealing with water governance do not address this reality, despite representing more than 90% Brazilian municipalities and approximately half of the country’s population. Several water governance failures were identified, such as connections between administrative and political failures, which highlight the tragic consequences of hydrological issues in this region. Developing integrated water resources’ management, as fixed in national and state laws, depends on the effective participation of the municipality. This study discusses the importance of water governance at the municipal scale.

If Nigeria’s Economic Performance From 1960–2020 Resembled China’s and South Korea’s: Exploring the Counterfactual and Subjunctive in Economics

This paper extends earlier work on Nigeria’s failure to improve living standards for its population when compared with China and South Korea since 1960. The paper employs the use of counterfactuals (‘‘alternate histories and contingent futures”) -- what might have happened had a particular historical event not occurred or occurred differently -- that has long been the domain of historians, not economists. First, I present the main reasons for Nigeria’s poor performance over the last 60 years. Then I consider the “fantasy world of the counterfactual”: What living standards would Nigeria have today if Chinese or South Korean demographic and economic growth rates were applied over this 60 year interval? The value of this “invented scenario” lies in “assigning a cost” to decades of failures in governance and economic management.

Local peace governance in post-war Timor-Leste: reconceiving governance ambiguity as a formalised political unsettlement

ABSTRACT The article makes a new contribution to understanding peace governance, using the concept of formalised political unsettlements to explain enduring local governance ambiguities as a constructive, rather than detrimental, feature of a hybrid post-war political order. Drawing on original fieldwork, the article examines the contested interactions between an international governance reform programme and competing national and sub-national political actors in post-war Timor-Leste. International donors to and scholars of Timor-Leste have argued that an institutional ‘gap’ between national and local blocked post-war development and democratisation. I take a new approach, using the concept of ‘formalised political unsettlement’ to reconceive this ‘gap’ as a political space allowing competing visions of post-war governance to co-exist. I demonstrate that the ‘gap’ was not a failure of governance, but a form of transitional political order, sustaining peace while avoiding a formal resolution. In attempting to fix the ‘gap’, the international intervention had unexpected consequences in this complex post-war environment.

Higher Education in Indonesia: The Political Economy of Institution-Level Governance

ABSTRACT The poor quality of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Indonesia is due in part to failures of governance at the institution level. Drawing on an analysis of conflict and contestation in three Indonesian HEIs, this article argues that these failures reflect the dominance of predatory officials and business groups in institutional governance and the relative marginalisation of elements who support improved research, teaching and community service in line with either neo-liberal or idealist conceptions of quality. It also argues that some degree of change in governance has been possible when reformist elements have gained control of a HEI and driven change from the top down or such elements have challenged predatory HEI management by leveraging support from external actors with influence. Instances of such change hold out hope for improved governance at Indonesian HEIs in the future. But they also indicate that even if the dominance of predatory elements within HEIs can be overcome, further struggle will be required to define the precise nature of governance reform given competing reformist agendas with markedly different implications for how academic quality and integrity are understood, measured and implemented.

The Future of Islamism through the Lens of the Past

Islamist movements today face perhaps their most difficult conditions in decades. After seizing political openings after the Arab uprisings, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Sunni political Islamist organizations have suffered from military coups, electoral defeats, social and political polarization, and extreme repression. This is not the first time they have faced such catastrophic conditions, however, and historically Islamist organizations have proven to be resilient and able to return to public life. This article examines the history of Islamist movements in the Middle East recovering from extreme setbacks in order to identify nine key mechanisms that facilitated those rebounds and then considers which of those factors might be operative today. It concludes that many of those factors are less available than in the past, but that the global turn toward populism, the persistent governance failures of Arab states, and the adaptability of Islamists create greater opportunities for recovery than might initially appear plausible.

Itinerary, Information, Denial: Local Travel Agents and Tourist Flows Governance in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Tourism-caused overcrowding is often projected as the failure of governance. While tourism governance consists of myriad aspects and actors, this paper focuses on aspects of tourist flows from the perspective of tourism entrepreneurs. The question of how local travel agents govern tourist flows is addressed by acknowledging their power in influencing the (un)crowdedness and (un)sustainability of a destination; and aims to understand the modes of governance that local travel agents perform in “flowing” the tourists. Findings from semi-structured interviews with local travel agents in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, reveal that the practices of making itineraries and giving information to tourists serve as methods of governing tourist flows. These practices lead to the local travel agents tending to deny their responsibility to govern the tourist flows. This article contributes to complexifying tourism governance analysis and offers potential solutions for the problem of tourism-caused overcrowding.

Media reporting on public procurement: an analysis of UK press coverage, 1985–2018

PurposeThe media is an important actor in public procurement, but research on its role is limited. This paper aims to investigate how the media has engaged with public procurement, using UK newspapers as a case example.Design/methodology/approachThe method consisted of searching Nexis database for news articles on public procurement; automatic extraction of article attributes such as length, section, authorship; and manually coding each article for its theme and industry context. This produced quantitative indicators about the extent and focus of press coverage on public procurement.FindingsPress coverage of public procurement increased between 1985 and 2018. The focus of coverage has been on governance failure and socio-economic policy. Governance failure, which includes corruption, cronyism and supplier malpractice, is associated with construction, outsourcing and professional services sectors. Socio-economic policy, which includes supporting small suppliers and favouring domestic industry, is associated with manufacturing, defence and agriculture.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis included UK media only. While the trends observed on the extent and focus of public procurement news coverage likely reflect the situation in other countries, international comparative research is still required.Practical implicationsGovernment officials should be more proactive in countering the “negativity bias” in news coverage of public procurement by showcasing projects where value-for-money has been achieved, services have been successfully delivered and social value has been realised.Social implicationsThe media accentuates the negatives of public procurement and omits positive developments. The end-result is a selective and, at times, self-serving media narrative that is likely to engender cynicism towards public procurement.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on media coverage of public procurement. It highlights that while there are similarities between media and academic treatment of public procurement, particularly in relation to its socio-economic side, the media emphasises governance failings and negative developments to a greater extent.

The Emergence of Assisted Dying Legislation in Europe in Light of Supra-national Governance Failures

The Emergence of Assisted Dying Legislation in Europe in Light of Supra-national Governance Failures

The Patterns of Democracy in Context of Historical Political Science

The patterns of democracy are related to the success or failure of national governance; hence, they are a key topic in the theoretical research of political science. It is difficult to comprehend the worldwide political conflicts caused by the promotion of liberal democracy in the study of democratic models that have liberal democracy as their core. The emphasis of historical political science on the genes of civilization provides an opportunity to reinterpret the patterns of democracy. Relying on specific civilization genes, the patterns of democracy can be divided into the “value pattern”, which is shaped by historical civilization genes, and the “practice pattern”, which is based on the “value pattern”. Based on Christian concepts, Western civilization produced liberal democracy as the value pattern, and the value is inherited through the practice pattern of party democracy. Chinese civilization has continued the tradition of people-orientation and consultative practice, establishing socialist democracy in value and consultative democracy in practice. Theoretically, the analytical framework of the value pattern and the practice pattern of democracy illustrates the source of the diverse patterns of democracy, which helps demonstrate the limitations of liberal democracy and points out the possibility of developing a non-liberal democracy pattern.

When innocence is no protection: governance failure of digitization and its impact on local level implementation

PurposeGovernance of e-government is rarely discussed in the initial digitization stage, especially in developing countries where the government’s focus is mainly to pursue rapid proliferation of digital adoption rather than to implement governance. This study aims to explore the consequences of this absence of governance at local level conditions.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth exploratory case study is conducted at a municipal health government in a southern city in Kalimantan Island, Indonesia, examining the conditions of local actors in response to various nationwide health digitization imperatives. The postcolonial theory with the critical paradigm is used to interpret and conceptualize the empirical findings.FindingsThis study identifies two critical failures of digitization governance that represent the mainstream condition: horizontal sectoral ego and vertical asymmetry and misalignment. These failures have resulted in undesirable consequences at the subalterns indicated by diverse ambivalence and de-voiced constructs displayed by the local actors.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests that various issues that emerge from local level implementation in nationwide digitization agenda might not always be issues of local technology adoption, but rather negative impacts due to the absence of governance practice at the strategic level.Originality/valueThrough a critical perspective, this study unearths the underlying power and structural inequity responsible for generating the various issues and undesirable consequences that emerge at local levels related to the nationwide digitization agenda.

Governance failure and youth unemployment levels in Nigeria

The Nigerian government has shied away from serving the youth's interests. At both the national and municipal levels, the powerful government officials who built vast patronage networks during the military era now use their political office to expand these networks and their fortunes dominate Nigerian politics. Nigeria's economic development and progress have suffered as a result of this. Nigeria's democratic consolidation efforts are hampered by persistent poverty, which is compounded by youth unemployment. A nation comprised of parasites, bandits, and beggars is doomed to fail. The youth's unemployment is related to an increase in sectarian criminality, terrorism, and violence. In addition, Nigeria's high youth unemployment level contributes to a high level of state insecurity, which leads to robberies, abductions, tribal tensions, arbitrary arrests, ethnoreligious conflicts, and other illicit activities in Nigeria. This article examines the relationship between governance failure and the youth unemployment level in Nigeria.

The Indonesian paradox in the Anthropocene

The reality of the Anthropocene evidences the failure of environmental governance to stop human encroachment on the planetary limits. One valuable way to understand the Anthropocene is by considering how a particular country contributes to it, and is affected by it. In this regard, Indonesia provides an interesting narrative: on the one hand, Indonesia has contributed to this planetary crisis, especially through its forestry and land use sectors; on the other hand, as a mega-biodiverse country, it is vulnerable to the impacts of this planetary change. The case of Indonesia represents a paradox in the Anthropocene. Complex and alarming ecological problems, including the COVID-19 pandemic, are being responded to by relocating the capital city (Jakarta) to Indonesia’s ‘lung of the Earth’, Kalimantan, and by relaxing environmental safeguards – an approach that potentially advances further encroachment on the Earth’s ecosystem.

КОНЦЕПТУАЛІЗАЦІЯ РИЗИК-МЕНЕДЖМЕНТУ У СИСТЕМІ КОРПОРАТИВНОГО УРЯДУВАННЯ БАГАТОНАЦІОНАЛЬНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

The purpose of the article is to summarize and present the fundamental trends of the last decade related to the formation of the role and place of risk management in the system of corporate governance of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The analysis is based on the latest research by leading international researchers, such as American scientists Warren Bennis, Bert Nanus, Hugh Grove and Lorenzo Patelli, British scientists Mingzhui Wang, Elizabeth Kelan and Kevin Crowley, international organizations Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, Group of Thirty, Institute of international finance and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The conducted analysis clearly indicates that failures in MNEs risk management over many years led to catastrophic losses in various industries, when such failures, as in the energy sector, led not only to financial, but also to significant environmental consequences. Among the most significant incidents, we can highlight the accidents on the oil platform "Deepwater Horizon" of the British oil and gas company BP in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico and the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima-1 in 2011. Often these failures also contributed to failures in corporate governance, where boards of directors did not fully consider the risks that MNEs were taking and/or imperfect risk management systems. Thus, the conceptualization of risk management in the system of corporate governance of MNEs becomes an important component of achieving medium and long-term strategic goals of MNEs in conditions of growing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Infrastructure financing at crossroads: the case of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd. (India)

The liquidity scare and credit crunch in the economy triggered in early September 2018 when the saga of serial credit defaults was marked by Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd., one of the biggest group of companies in India, engaged with the infrastructure financing and development in the country. In repercussion, financial markets went into panic where stock markets shed heavily, investors lost millions and various institutional investors like banks, mutual funds, pension funds and insurance companies, etc. faced severe liquidity crisis. Carrying huge debt of 20 billion USD in its balance sheet with severe shortage of liquidity and dried-up sources of refinancing, more defaults were most likely in pipeline. The IL&FS is the classic case of crony capitalism, collusion and fraud, and failure of corporate governance. The case draws important lessons for strengthening regulatory environment in the country.

Internal Control Quality, Related Party Transactions and Accounting Information Comparability

In recent years, the financial fraud cases of Chinese listed companies happen frequently, which has been widely concerned by society. Most financial fraud incidents occur in ways that the disclosure of financial statements is not true, and accounting information is not comparable. As the key to the success or failure of corporate governance, internal control quality can restrain the occurrence of related party transactions, especially abnormal related party transactions, and effectively affect the authenticity of financial statements disclosure and the accounting information comparability. However, the existing researches have not yet combined the internal control quality, abnormal related party transactions, and accounting information comparability. Therefore, we explore the influence of internal control quality on the accounting information comparability and related party transactions. Through an empirical study of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2015 to 2019, we find that the scale of related party transactions, especially the scale of abnormal related party transactions, hurts the accounting information comparability, while internal control quality has a positive influence on accounting information comparability. The better the internal control quality, the stronger the restraining effect the abnormal related party transactions is negatively related to the accounting information comparability. Compared with private enterprises, the internal control quality of state-owned enterprises has a stronger inhibiting effect on the abnormal related party transactions and accounting information comparability.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND CORPORATE FAILURE IN THE OIL INDUSTRY: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF ANGLO IRANIAN OIL COMPANY (AIOC) 1908-1951

There has been much written about the nationalization of the AIOC in 1951. Many accounts have, perhaps unfairly, painted the directors of the AIOC as Imperialist stooges seeking to plunder the natural resources of another sovereign state to cement the United Kingdom’s geopolitical position in the Middle East. The main aim of this research is to employ historical analysis to address and scrutinize the corporate governance and corporate failure of AIOC, which led to the company’s nationalization. Analysis of archival material illustrates that the AIOC had not honored their commitments to various agreements for over 30 years preceding nationalization. Furthermore, from a range of evidence arising from the AIOC annual reports and historical sources including the British press, it can be clearly seen that the management regarded the shareholders’ interests to be superior and taking preference over the interests of Iranian and other stakeholder groups. Historical analysis should feature prominently in empirical accounting research, which is a major motivation behind this analysis. Longitudinal analysis of confidential documents and internal memos illustrates that the company was aware of various Iranians concerns as early as the 1910s, but through various strategies, management was able to deflect these concerns, the scale of which was often not well understood, ultimately leading to nationalization in 1951.

Yes Bank: A Saga of Corporate Governance Conundrum

India’s fifth largest private sector moneylender, YES Bank, was put on moratorium on 5th March, 2020. It was in the midst of a crisis as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had taken over its affairs and placed strict limits on its operations. Such a value deterioration because of governance failure and the consequent erosion of investors trust or confidence shows that corporate governance standards remain weak in India and calls for immediate renovation. The present study attempts to review corporate governance reforms in India through a survey of existing research, identifying issues which are not being sufficiently addressed in the existing corporate governance framework of Yes Bank and exemplify the key takeaways to prevent such instances in the future. Lastly, the study suggests some suitable measures to draw the attention of concerned authorities in order to make corporate governance reforms more effective in India.

Loan scams and corporate governance failure in the state-owned banks of a developing country

The corporate world has witnessed significant corporate governance failures during the last two decades. Although most of these collapses happened in the context of developed countries, the cases within developing counties were not negligible. Yet, there is limited research on corporate governance failures that occurred in developing countries. In this study, we attempted to unfold the underlying reasons for corporate governance failures in the banking sector in a developing country. We collected data from media reports published in local and international media about the loan scandals that happened in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2020. We analyzed over ninety-four media reports to understand the significant factors contributing to such corporate governance failures. We applied the “control fraud theory” to interpret our findings. We have found that weak regulatory framework, political influence, lack of oversight by the corporate regulatory bodies, and personal collusion of bank personnel are the major factors that lead to corporate governance failures in Bangladesh. Our results suggest stern measures to be taken by the regulatory bodies to reduce loan scams and corporate governance failures in the future.