Governance Constraints Research Articles

Cross-Sectoral Externalities Related to Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services

Standard approaches to environmental and natural resource use externalities generally focus on single-sector resources and user groups. Remedies include Pigouvian-style government constraints, small group controls following Elinor Ostrom, or less frequently, bargaining across users as outlined by Ronald Coase. However, many difficult natural resource management problems involve competing uses of the same resource or multiple interdependent resources, across multiple, heterogeneous sectors. Cross-sectoral externalities are generated and impede attainment of conservation objectives. The multiplicity of resources and stakeholders, who may have different property rights, hold different use or non-use values, have different traditions, or fall under different regulatory regimes, increases the likelihood of multi-jurisdictional conflicts. We provide an institutional analysis following Oliver Williamson’s four-levels of institutions (social embeddedness, institutional environment, governance, resource allocation) to illustrate the sources of potential conflict, the costs of addressing them, and the potentials for exchange. In comparing the costs of alternative approaches, we include transaction costs associated with property rights; the costs of lobbying, implementing, and enforcing government regulation; and the costs of scaling up from small-group controls when resource problems involve multiple sectors and heterogeneous populations. In our illustrative case examples, instruments that are not formal property rights are exchanged at lower transaction costs. We close by discussing how Coasean, Pareto-improving voluntary exchange agreements may be lower cost, more effective, and more durable solutions than alternative management regimes to mitigate cross-sectoral externalities.

INCLUSIVE PACKAGING RECYCLING SYSTEMS: IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Innovative waste recycling methods have been developed in many countries by waste pickers (WP), which reduce overall recycling costs and expand recovered resources, providing income to a jobless population. The Brazilian experience in Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, implemented considering the WP as the main participant in the scheme, was investigated using the European P-EPR, the most consolidated experience in the world, as a benchmark. Quantitative and qualitative methods, including systematic literature review, were combined to discuss how the models could learn from each other to compose an inclusive P-EPR scheme, seeking to identify accessible solutions for the implementation of Integrated Sustainable WM in LMIC, taking into account their financial and governance constraints. Results showed that both systems are driving the recycling sector and increasing the efficiency of the WM, although neither has contributed to reducing the generation of waste. The BR scheme provided the recycling of different materials, but only the most valuable materials were recycled in the market-driven EU P-EPR. Mutual learning and networking between packaging producers and WP cooperatives in the BR P-EPR scheme improved the sustainability of the latter and knowledge of the recycling market for the former, in addition to improving the traceability of the informal sector's contribution to the recycling. An inclusive P-EPR scheme is suggested as a proposal for a more effective recovery of resources in many emerging countries, which can be crucial to achieve increasing plastic recycling targets agreed by many producers and to accomplish the ambitious EU's objectives of waste recovery.

Evaluation of the Impact of Good Governance on Sustainable Rural Development in Nigeria: A Study of Kaduna State

This paper evaluates the impact of good governance on rural development in Kaduna State. The problem investigated is stimulated by the expectation of the people for good governance in this democratic era. The specific objective of the study include determining the extent to which the government achieved the tenets of good governance, finding out the impact of good governance on rural development and examining the constraints of good governance in achieving rural development. Data for the study were generated from both primary and secondary sources using the instrument of observation, questionnaire, published and unpublished material as well as the internet. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive tools used include tables and simple percentages while the inferential tool used is the spearman rank correlations. The study revealed that, good governance has not provided rural development. More specifically, there is low service delivery, low rate of adherence to rule of law, lack of transparency and accountability, existence of high rural poverty, decay in rural educational system, inadequate water and road infrastructure as well as inadequate health facilities. The study also revealed poverty, corruption, poor judicial system, as constraints for good governance. It was therefore recommended that, there should be institution of integrity, transparency and accountability in governance, there should be improvement in social services and there should be measures to check misgovernance and mismanagement. Keywords : Good Governance, Development, Rural Development, Sustainable Development. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-22-11 Publication date: November 30 th 2020

Digital Competitiveness in the European Union Era: The Greek Case

Digital competitiveness is gaining more and more attention as a source of competitive advantage at the business and national economies levels. Digital economy performance is a matter of national strategies for achieving economic growth and socioeconomic development. Widely accepted instruments for reporting progress in these areas have been recently developed, including the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI index). The current study aims to use the DESI index and its five dimensions (namely Connectivity, Human Capital, Use of Internet Services, Integration of Digital Technology and Digital Public Services) not only as a tool for recognizing the current state, but also to forecast progress under the Greek economic environment. The Gompertz model was used as a methodological tool and it is valuable that a diffusion model has been implemented on a composite index related to countries’ digital competitiveness. Moreover, the results reveal the areas where convergencies and divergencies exist between Greece and the rest of the EU-28 member states, while forecast permits one to evaluate how current policies have a significant impact on digital competitiveness. Results indicate that Greece is facing significant challenges as a result of the low state of digitization, coming from both the demand side (businesses that consume internet services) and the offer side (institutional and governmental constraints). The proposed results could be used in order to readjust existing policies and to spot aspects where further improvement is needed to achieve high standards of digital competitiveness.

Understanding national barriers to climate change adaptation for public health: a mixed-methods survey of national public health representatives

PurposeTo uncover the major government constraints to enactment and implementation of public health-targeted climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies in order to equip public health stakeholders and health advocates with the knowledge resources necessary to more effectively mobilize and support CCA for public health responses at the national level.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods online survey was distributed to the representatives of national public health associations and societies of 82 countries. The survey comprised 15 questions assessing national progress on CCA for public health and the effects of various institutional, economic/financial, technical and sociopolitical barriers on national adaptive capacity.FindingsSurvey responses from 11 countries indicated that national commitments to CCA for public health have increased markedly since prior assessments but significant shortcomings remain. The largest apparent barriers to progress in this domain were poor government coordination, lack of political will and inadequate adaptation finances.Originality/valueThis study is unique in relation to the prior literature on the topic in that it effectively captures an array of country-specific yet cross-cutting adaptation constraints across diverse national contexts. With a deepened understanding of the major determinants of national adaptive capacity, international actors can devise more effective, evidence-informed strategies to support national governments in responding to the health impacts of climate change.

Understanding national barriers to climate change adaptation for public health - a global survey

Abstract Background Climate change has introduced a series of unprecedented threats to human health, ranging from rising food and water insecurity to deteriorating air quality, novel disease outbreaks, and intensifying natural disasters. The Paris Agreement pushes countries to develop adaptation plans that will protect human health from the worst impacts of climate change -a process referred to as climate change adaptation (CCA). Yet despite international pressure and escalating health threats, vast shortcomings persist in national CCA for public health progress. Thus, we investigated the major governance constraints underlying these trends. Methods A mixed-methods online survey was distributed to representatives of national public health associations and societies of 82 member countries under the World Federation of Public Health Associations. Results 9 of the 11 respondent countries (82%) affirmed the existence of a national CCA plan that includes an explicit public health focus. All respondees listed governance challenges in developing and operationalising their national CCA agenda. The major identified barriers to CCA for public health progress were lack of inter-government policy coordination and insufficient political will to mobilize human and non-human resources in support of public health-oriented adaptation efforts. Conclusions Climate change-driven amplification of global health risks necessitates that all nations generate clear CCA plans to protect human health. Our findings assist by highlighting the need for new platforms for organizational collaboration/networked governance and enhanced forums for CCA agenda-setting and ambition-raising. Such forms of enriched knowledge may facilitate decision-making amongst key public health stakeholders and global institutions for how best to align climate advocacy and country-wide support initiatives with cross-cutting national needs and constraints. Key messages Climate change-driven amplification of global health risks necessitates that all nations generate clear climate change adaptation plans to protect human health. New platforms for organizational collaboration/networked governance and enhanced forums for adaptation agenda-setting and ambition-raising may significantly bolster public health adaptation progress.

ПРАВОВА ПРИРОДА ОБМЕЖУВАЛЬНИХ ЗАХОДІВ У КРИМІНАЛЬНОМУ ПРАВІ УКРАЇНИ

Domestic criminal law is being in constant dynamics, so it means that the norms of the current legislation are being improved, new, previously unknown, criminal-legal categories are being introduced, recommendations of international institutions are taken into account, etc. Not an exception in this process is Chapter XIII-1 of the General Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which regulates restrictive measures (these provisions came into force on January 11, 2019). For the complete and comprehensive study of restrictive measures, the scientific interest is caused primarily by their legal nature. Restrictive measures are in the system of criminal-legal consequences applied to the person who committed a socially dangerous act. These criminal-legal consequences are applied through criminal-legal measures to counteract crimes. The system of criminal-legal measures can be summarized by categories: punishment, security measures, incentives (encouragement), measures of restoration of material (economic) relationships. In the context of considering the legal nature of restrictive measures, it is necessary to identify the nature of security measures, since the two concepts are linked to each other, moreover, the restrictive measures are one of the types of security measures. Security measures are mostly preventive and warning, and the ground for their application is a socially dangerous act. The type and term, for which a security measure can be assigned, is determined in each case individually based on the criminal offense and the person who committed the socially dangerous act. Today, the institution of security measures exists only at the theoretical level, but due to the recent reform of the criminal legislation, radical changes and corresponding regulation of this concept in the Criminal Code of Ukraine can be expected in the near future. Therefore, starting from the moment of the restrictive measures regulation in the Criminal Code of Ukraine, they have acquired the status of criminal-legal measures. Restrictive measures have a specific purpose – to protect the victim from a person who has committed a socially dangerous act, to protect against committing a socially dangerous act in relation to the victim in the future, to minimize the interaction between the person, who is in a dangerous state, and the victim, if such has the significant risks. Based on the above, it is necessary to distinguish the features of restrictive measures that will determine their legal nature: 1) they are the measures of governmental constraint, since they are applied to someone who has a legal right; 2) restrictive measures are regulated in Article 91-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and refer to the measures of criminal-legal influence; 3) have a supplementary nature and belong to the category of other criminal-legal measures, specifically, security measures, since they are applied in addition to the punishment (except for the penalties related to imprisonment).

Civil Society and Social Mobilizations in the Context of the Rio Doce Socioenvironmental Disaster.

To explain how social movements and organizations changed in the context of the Rio Doce, Brazil socioenvironmental disaster, this article identifies a process of organizational innovation. The research is based on documental data and interviews with activists over the 3 y of the disaster. The main argument is that organizational innovation consists of changes in organizational forms and repertoires of collective action, based on existing organizational models and tactics. On the one hand, the innovation occurred through the territorialization of novel organizational forms, intermediated by social movements that act as incubators. On the other hand, it consisted of the combination among extrainstitutional, institutional, and multiscalar repertoires and in the innovation in tactics and performances. Mechanisms of adaptation, imitation, and negotiated diffusion are identified which operated in this innovation process. It is argued that the organizational innovation of social movements was propelled by political constraints of disaster governance, which pushed them to innovation, in addition to the role of preexisting organizations. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:681-690. © 2020 SETAC.

Challenges to ASEAN centrality and hedging in connectivity governance—regional and national pressure points

Since 2010, ASEAN has made efforts to increase its coherence and visibility as an actor in regional infrastructure development, under the umbrella term of connectivity. Its most recent strategy, 2016’s Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, is notable for its more focused agenda as well as a tableau of institutional innovations, including new policy coordination mechanisms and a project preparation pipeline. Nonetheless, ASEAN struggles to maintain coherence in the implementation of its connectivity agenda, both internally as well as towards its dialogue partners. Utilizing the concepts of centrality and hedging as parts of a unified theoretical framework, this paper analyzes ASEAN’s efforts to mobilize and manage external resources in connectivity. ASEAN’s resource dependence and its failure to establish institutional centrality creates issues at the regional and the national levels. Regionally, ASEAN’s lack of centrality and its perpetuation of ASEAN+1 relations have contributed to the emergence of contesting agendas and institutional frameworks by external actors. Nationally, the hedging strategies of ASEAN member states are at odds with the regional vision, highlighting a lack of intra-ASEAN coherence. The perpetuation of contesting institutional frameworks by external actors at the national level solidifies existing incoherence in ASEAN’s connectivity governance, further undermining its centrality. ASEAN’s efforts to assert centrality and execute a hedging strategy in connectivity are emblematic of its attempts to extend its reach into new policy areas, but also of its persistent governance constraints.

MARKETING OF MANDARIN ORANGE IN JAJARKOT DISTRICT: A VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

The study was conducted to analyze the value chain of mandarin orange in Jajarkot district with the objective of drawing value chain map, defining linkage and value governance and finding major constraints. Total 82 respondents were interviewed by a semi-structured questionnaire including 60 farmers, 5 retailers, 5 collectors, 10 consumers, and 2 processors. EXCEL 2019 and SPSS 20 were used to enter and analyze data. Grading and sorting were major value-adding activities while processing was done at the retailer level in end markets. Grading fetched 4.188% and 3.94% more profit in contractor and consumer level respectively. The Most dominating channel was farmer-local consumer (46%) where farmers sold produce to Jajarkot fair. The Average price at farmgate, retailer, collector and contractor were 39.08/kg, 61.2/kg, 46.75/kg, and 49.75/kg respectively. Productivity of mandarin was found 8.54 mt/ha and B/C ratio was found 2.56. Margin in farmer-collector-retailer-consumer channel was 29.25 and in farmer-retailer-consumer channel was 23.08. Producer share was found highest in channel 5 (60.13%) and market efficiency was found higher in channel 3 (4.88%). Similarly, price spread in channels 3,4 and 5 were 34.33%, 64.19%, and 66.75% respectively. Vertical Integration included farmer and nurseries in backward linkage and farmer and farmer collector in the forward linkage. High transport cost was the reason for the high price of mandarin. Overall, the trade of mandarin in Jajarkot was found buyer-driven. Major problems related to marketing were poor storage (0.877) and processing facilities (0.833). The study revealed that mandarin production is profitable and potential in Jajarkot.

Environmental Constraints of Corporate Governance : Evidence in Ghana

The pertinence of corporate governance doctrines in the management of corporate organisations cannot be overlooked (underestimated). The increasing influence of principles of corporate governance around the world has been greatly linked to the recent corporate frauds and scandals. These frauds and scandals are largely the outcome from the failure of authorities of countries to effectively implement the legal and regulatory frameworks pertaining to corporate governance. Ghana is archetypal in regards to the failure of authorities to enforce the laws and regulations in relation to corporate governance. During the enforcement of the laws and regulations of corporate governance, some vitally important issues are either overlooked or deliberately deserted. This paper attempts to examine the legal and regulatory framework of Ghana in respect of corporate governance and points out the importance of conforming to good corporate governance. It also accentuates prevailing issues of corporate governance practice in Ghana. It finally makes some recommendations, which are considered the major contribution of this paper.

Contracting Emissions Reduction Supply Chain Based on Market Low-Carbon Preference and Carbon Intensity Constraint

Carbon emissions reduction has become a frequently discussed topic in industry and academia. However, how can reduction effects be enhanced with dominant brand and downstream manufacturer? This paper incorporates emissions reduction into a green supply chain which considers consumers’ low-carbon preference behavior and government intensity regulations, in order to discuss the impacts of consumers’ environmental awareness and government constraints on optimal emissions reduction and profit, respectively. The paper first constructs three reduction models on the basis of reality: independent reduction by manufacturer, contractual reduction by brand and collaborative reduction by both. Then it concludes the optimal decisions and compare the models. The results show that both the profits and emissions reduction will be decreased with the strengthened carbon intensity constraint, but the cost-sharing contract can mitigate this negative effect on dominant brand and society. Meanwhile, the acceptable range of cost-sharing ratio will be smaller with a lower cost coefficient of emissions reduction and a higher consumers’ preference. Furthermore, government should design the incentive method or regulate the carbon market to improve the social welfare level. Lastly, a numerical study is conducted, the impact of several key factors on supply chain performance and model selection are presented for management decisions.

Halal certification process for fisheries products in Maldives

PurposeThis paper aims to examine existing Halal certification regime in Maldives and address impediments therein that challenge and inhibit the growth of the country’s Halal industry in relation to fisheries products.Design/methodology/approachThis is qualitative research based on first-hand experiences of the authors in the Halal certification process in the Maldives. Doctrinal methodology is used in the analysis of primary sources of data, including Maldivian laws and Halal certification regulations to identify issues of practical relevance. This is complemented with content analysis of secondary data sourced from journal articles, books, reports and online databases that were examined in identifying hindrances and loopholes in the Halal certification process.FindingsFish is generally Halal, but processed fisheries products cannot be so deemed when certain additives and enhancers are constituents therein. At the moment, Maldives Halal certification pertains only to fisheries products. Against this backdrop, this research identifies knowledge gap, legal and governance constraints pertaining to capacity as impediments towards the Halal certification of such products in the Maldives. Such concerns hinder the Maldives from tapping the socio-economic benefits of the Halal certification of its fisheries products to the desired level in the development of its Halal industry.Research limitations/implicationsThis is pioneer research with reference to the Maldives. Absence of researches on the subject brings about scantily available secondary data in the area. Moreover, no empirical data were involved in conducting the research.Practical implicationsAs the only products subject of Halal certification process, this research offers an insight into the regulations underpinning Halal certification of fisheries products and related impediments thereto in developing the Maldivian Halal industry generally. Identifying and understanding the impediments to Halal certification process would facilitate their elimination and promote Halal certified fisheries products.Originality/valueThis research highlights and evaluates the Halal certification regime in the Maldives and provides a starting point for further research thereon. The research contributes towards making robust and standard Halal certification criterion and paves the way forward for developing the Halal industry in the Maldives.

Investigating the intersections between counter-terrorism and NGOs in Nigeria: development practice in conflict-affected areas

ABSTRACT This article examines the factors that influence the Nigerian government’s constraints of NGOs in counter-terrorism context, analysing whether NGO type, nature, areas of operation and size were determinant factors. Drawing from mixed-methods design, it argues that NGOs’ political advocacy, reporting of human rights abuses and monitoring the use of security funds were key factors that attract government restrictions. Women, youth, children, and faith-based NGOs experienced more government constraints than human rights NGOs. Advocacy and international NGOs also suffered more restrictions. The findings contribute to generalisable knowledge by demonstrating the link between counter-terrorism and NGOs in Nigeria.

Superintending Local Constraints on Housing Development: How California Can Do It Better

Over the past few years, the California legislature has substantially reformed the state’s ambitious, but questionably effective, “housing element” law. The law requires local governments to periodically adopt a state-approved plan, called a housing element, through which the local government both identifies sites that can accommodate the locality’s share of regional housing need, and mitigates or removes constraints on the development of housing. This paper offers recommendations for how the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) could use its new authority to improve housing elements’ analysis of constraints and the associated programs to mitigate or remove them. A fundamental challenge is that HCD has no reliable data about the severity or prevalence of local governmental constraints, data which would allow cities to be compared to one another and benchmarked against the (few) standards that already exist in state law. Our response runs on two principal tracks. First, we recommend that HCD rebuttably presume that local governments in expensive areas have substantial governmental constraints if their rank by housing price (rent) exceeds their rank by rate of housing production. These local governments would be expected to provide regulatory accommodations when actors with better information about constraints—namely, developers—show that sites which the local government has represented as available for development are impractical to develop at their nominal capacity. This is a way for HCD to achieve mitigation of constraints even when it’s very hard for the department to see or evaluate them. Second, to pinpoint sources of constraint and assess compliance with applicable benchmarks, we propose that HCD establish several new reporting and analytical requirements. The cumulative effect of local constraints should be assessed by simulating the entitlement of “prototype projects” on a random sample of parcels. Local governments also should be required to upload standardized, geocoded zoning layers and parcel characteristics; to track and report legally salient milestones for actual development applications; and to complete a questionnaire about certain types of constraints which the other approaches are likely to miss.

Environmental Liabilities, Governance Constraints, and The Public Interest: A Policy Story of Alberta’s $58 Billion Problem

Environmental Liabilities, Governance Constraints, and The Public Interest: A Policy Story of Alberta’s $58 Billion Problem

Collective Property Rights and Social Citizenship: Recent Trends in Urban Latin America

This article argues that efforts to implement collective property ownership via community land trusts (CLTs) in Latin America can be seen as a viable means for reducing socio-spatial inequalities, strengthening the urban poor’s ‘right to the city,’ and enabling more substantive social citizenship. It begins by arguing that, in Latin America, market models intended to strengthen individual property rights can increase urban inequality and spatial exclusion. It then examines recent measures undertaken to reverse the negative impacts of these patterns, focusing explicitly on the adoption of CLTs and how they serve as a means for strengthening urban citizenship. After highlighting the fact that CLTs have proliferated in the US and Europe but not Latin America, we explain how and why a few Latin American countries have nonetheless embraced CLTs. Building on deeper analysis of two cases in the region, Puerto Rico and Brazil, we show that despite the legal and governance constraints of Latin American cities, CLTs can materialise when local authorities join with citizens to embrace these models.

EFEKTIFITAS PENGAWASAN DAN PENGENDALIAN PEREDARAN MINUMAN KERAS DENGAN PENGENAAN DENDA BERDASARKAN PERATURAN DAERAH KOTA BEKASI NOMOR 17 TAHUN 2009

This study aims to find out how effective the control and circulation of liquor in the city of Bekasi and the obstacles and constraints of the Bekasi city government in reducing violations of the circulation and sale of liquor in the city of Bekasi. There is a problem that will be studied in this study, namely how the role of the Bekasi city government and its staff in controlling the effectiveness of Bekasi city regulation number 17 of 2009 concerning the supervision and control of liquor circulation. This study uses empirical juridical research. The data sources used are primary data obtained through interviews with related sources in Bekasi city government, civil service police, police, industry and trade offices of the city of Bekasi, national and political health services, with the object of research, namely liquor control efforts in Bekasi city. This study uses primary law, namely the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 9 of 2015 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government, Republic of Indonesia Government Regulation Number 6 of 2010 concerning Civil Service Police Unit, Minister of Trade Regulation Number 06 / M-DAG / PER / 1/2014 concerning control and supervision of the procurement, circulation and sale of alcoholic beverages, Regional Regulation Number 17 of 2009 concerning supervision and control of liquor circulation in the city of Bekasi. The results of the study show that the supervision efforts carried out by the relevant authorities such as the PP satpol,the police and the integrated team of the city of Bekasi are not effective due to the lack of law enforcement by the authorities. and related facilities that are still limited, the participation of the community that is still minimal and not yet concerned about the environment. Suggestions given from this study are that there is a need to change Bekasi Regional Regulation No. 17 of 2009 concerning regulations and control of liquor circulation, especially for sanctions contained in these regional regulations and the regional regulations can be accepted and adhered to by the people of Bekasi city.

The Enabling Environment for Informal Food Traders in Nigeria’s Secondary Cities

Informal vendors are a critical source of food security for urban residents in African cities. However, the livelihoods of these traders, and the governance constraints they encounter, are not well-understood outside of the region’s capital and primate cities. This study focuses on two distinct secondary cities in Nigeria, Calabar in the South-South geopolitical zone of the country and Minna in the Middle Belt region. Interviews were collected with local and state officials in each city on the legal, institutional, and oversight functions they provide within the informal food sector. This was complemented with a survey of approximately 1097 traders across the two cities to assess their demographic profile, contributions to food security, key challenges they face for profitability, engagement with government actors, and degree of access to services in the markets. The analysis highlights two main findings. First, informal traders report less harassment by government actors than has been observed in larger Nigerian cities. At the same time, however, the enabling environment is characterized by benign neglect whereby government-mandated oversight functions are not comprehensively implemented and service delivery gaps remain a major hindrance to food safety. Second, there are important differences in the needs of traders across cities, suggesting that policies focused on food safety and improving the livelihoods of this constituency more broadly need to be properly nuanced even at the subnational level.

The politics of the basic benefit package health reforms in Tajikistan

BackgroundHealth reform is a fundamentally political process. Yet, evidence on the interplay between domestic politics, international aid and the technical dimensions of health systems, particularly in the former Soviet Union and Central Asia, remains limited. Little regard has been given to the political dimensions of Tajikistan’s Basic Benefit Package (BBP) reforms that regulate entitlements to a guaranteed set of healthcare services while introducing co-payments. The objective of this paper is therefore to explore the governance constraints to the introduction and implementation of the BBP and associated health management changes.MethodsThis qualitative study draws on literature review and key informant interviews. Data analysis was guided by a political economy framework exploring the interplay between structural and institutional features on the one hand and agency dynamics on the other. Building on that the article presents the main themes that emerged on structure-agency dynamics, forming the key governance constraints to the BBP reform and implementation.ResultsPolicy incoherence, parallel and competing central government mandates, and regulatory fragmentation, have emerged as dominant drivers of most other constraints to effective design and implementation of the BBP and associated health reforms in Tajikistan: overcharging and informal payments, a weak link between budgeting and policymaking, a practice of non-transparent budget bargaining instead of a rationalisation of health expenditure, little donor harmonisation, and weak accountability to citizens.ConclusionThis study suggests that policy incoherence and regulatory fragmentation can be linked to the neo-patrimonial character of the regime and donor behaviour, with detrimental consequences for the health system.. These findings raise questions on the unintended effects of non-harmonised piloting of health reforms, and the interaction of health financing and management interventions with entrenched power relations. Ultimately these insights serve to underline the relevance of contextualising health programmes and addressing policy incoherence with long horizon planning as a priority.