Participatory Governance Research Articles

Narrative Review on Universal Health Coverage in Thailand and China from the Lens of Social Determinants of Health Theory

This article through the literature review method briefly compares universal health coverage (UHC) in Thailand and China, highlighting their strategies and challenges in achieving UHC through the lens of social determinants of health: a) health financing design and sustainability, b) accessibility of healthcare resources, and c) participatory and responsive governance. While Thailand mainly utilizes a tax-based approach, China employs a health insurance model. Both countries have achieved high insurance coverage. However, some challenges exist. The unmet need for health services due to long waiting times has been a key concern in Thailand, whereas financial hardship from receiving care was a critical concern in the case of China. Thailand has created a mechanism to allow a wide range of stakeholders to participate in the UHC design to ensure responsive governance. In contrast, China has not yet formed comprehensive legal grounds for participatory and responsive governance on UHC. Their experiences and encountered obstacles can offer valuable lessons on how middle-income nations can advance towards UHC, highlighting the critical need for ongoing improvements in health systems to tackle the existing and new health challenges due to the change in population demographics and the continuing increase of population healthcare demand.

Fostering Digital Dialogue: A Case Study of Government Social Media Initiatives in Advocating Social Participation

Engagement with the public and promoting social participation have emerged as essential aspects of democratic governance which have resulted in the focus towards social media by the Indonesian government. The role of social media has become increasingly vital for the Indonesian government and its governing agencies to reach and accommodate broad and diverse publics. Unfortunately, in developing nations, particularly Indonesia, using social media in government institutions to engage with the people and provide services is still deemed inconsistent and uneven. Hence, this case study explores an Indonesian provincial government's social media initiatives that have been nationally acknowledged as successful in strategies of fostering digital dialogue to facilitate social participation and could potentially become an exemplary implementation model for the country. The authors conducted a focus group discussion with public information and social media officials. Generally, the findings demonstrate how regional governments, with solid backing from the top leader and a well-designed strategic plan, could leverage social media platforms to meet public expectations while advancing democratic governance. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the social media initiatives undertaken by the provincial government have facilitated public participation, ensuring that citizens are heard and can actively participate in governmental decisions that impact their needs. This paper contributes to the existing literature on government public relations by highlighting the government's role in advocating democratic and participatory governance. Keywords: Digital dialogue, government public relations, Indonesia, social media, public participation.

A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH IN DECISION MAKING - CREATION OF THE STATE AS DOCUMENTED IN AGAÑÑA SUTTA OF THE DIGHA NIKAYA

Gautama Buddha`s presence in Indian history introduced a rational perspective in a society dominated by dogmatic and illogical beliefs. His practical approach encouraged logical and practical thinking among common people, as seen in the Tripitaka literature, which includes the Sutta, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma Pitika. The suttas, a collection of lectures, dialogues, and analogies by Buddha, document his aim to offer viable solutions to societal dissatisfaction. He recognized the widespread suffering caused by conflicting societal beliefs—monastic life versus materialistic wealth and rituals. The suttas highlight the violence in rituals, such as animal slaughter and flora vandalism, leading to inner conflict. Rather than criticizing these beliefs, Buddha empathetically appealed to people`s rationale. He identified dissatisfaction as the root issue, causing societal dissension. To address this, Buddha adapted his teachings to Pali, the language of the masses, within the democratic Gana Sangha political system. His organization of monks and nuns (Bhikkhus and Bhikkunis) systematically documented and spread his teachings. Buddha`s understanding of decision-making imbalances set a holistic coordinated approach. In the Agañña Sutta, he discusses the contractual origin of the Rashtra, emphasizing decentralized, participatory governance with core values.

DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF UKRAINE: ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL RELATIONS

The article reveals trends in the development of participation in local self-government of Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to study trends in the development of participation in local government. The methodology in this article is based on a number of normative legal acts of Ukraine, which today regulate the components of participation in local self-government, in particular the Constitution of Ukraine, normative legal acts on local self-government and public participation in local self-government, as well as international reports and norms. The main result of the research is the study of the development of local self-government from the foundations of democracy to its implementation in the national legislation of Ukraine at the current stage. After all, understanding the essence of partisanship is impossible without the concept of the essence of "participatory democracy", which is an innovative concept and is a mixed form of direct and representative democracy. The concept of participatory democracy as a basis for the development of participation in local self-government of Ukraine is revealed, the legal basis of the concept of "territorial community" as a subject of participation in local self-government is analyzed, and the basis the principles of community coexistence and local self-government are synthesized. The main problems of participation are identified and the main forms of public participation in local self-government are presented as a promising innovative method of management at the local and local levels. This article successfully delineates the transformation of participatory democracy in Ukraine, marked by a profound commitment to enhancing the mechanisms of public participation within local government structures.

지역사회보장협의체 사회적 자본과 협력적 거버넌스 사례

Focusing on the experiences and best practices of direct participation in field activities for public and private members of the P Community Security Council in Seo-gu, Gwangju, this study attempted to collect and analyze the contents of the focus group interview (FGI), focusing on social capital and cooperative governance cases. Accordingly, a series of conclusions were drawn through focus group interviews (FGI) with executives who belong to the P Community Security Council and are directly participating in case-related activities. This study aims to strengthen the level of work cooperation or joint decision-making among members of the community security council to carry out joint projects by establishing a network with other organizations in the community in terms of cooperative governance, and to establish a network between organizations such as cultivating a sense of common goals, sharing responsibility, and complying with norms and rules. It can be said that it is important to strengthen social ties and communication related to the sense of community participating in the community security council. To this end, it is required to expand the attachment and interest of members of the community of the community security council to the community and draw them as active participants in cooperative governance.

MUHAMMAD ASAD'S DESIGN OF AN ISLAMIC STATE IN POST-COLONIAL PAKISTAN

The paper aims to highlight Muhammad Asad’s epistemological postulate on Islamic politics as reflected in his works on Islamic state. It seeks to address these fundamental problems: what is the legal basis that support and establish Asad’s position of founding an Islamic state? and how could this idea fairly accommodates with the prevailing notion of nation state in post-colonial context. Thus, the study set forth to find the answers based on such range of objectives: to analyse the underlying ideas of Islamic state as advocated in the classical sources, to define the basic constitutional framework as developed by Asad in the context of historical Pakistan, to estimate the implication of implementing Islamic law and its impact on the global politics and its compatibility with international law. In this regards, Asad had formulated the constitutional ideas of Islamic state whose constitution contains the provision of Islamic law that practiced and implemented the norms stated in the Divine Writ. This ideas was partly enshrined in the Pakistan constitutional law whose political establishment was formed in 1947. The paper essentially discussed Muhammad Asad’s political ideas and its underlying philosophy as espoused in his works. The study conducted based on qualitative approaches of the type of library research. The data were analysed by way of descriptive, analytical and comparative technique. The finding shows that Muhammad Asad had formulated comprehensive theoretical framework of legal aspect of Islamic governance drawn up from the fundamental principle and doctrine of the shariah, and its moral norms deriving from the explicit Qur’anic and sunnah text, while also advocating democratic ideals and principles based on conventional practice and requirement of modern context of nation state. Based on this main finding, it is concluded that Islamic teaching and its spiritual norms were compatible with democratic ideal and values of human right, participatory and constitutional government as implemented in the democratic space of Pakistan.

E-Government Training to Increase Community Participation

Village E-Government is the implementation of village government through the use of the internet and computers, which is very important as a means of community participation and accountability of the village government for the administration of Government. The method used was to conduct training on Sukopuro village officials who were responsible for website management. The training included an introduction to making emails, making Google forms, and introducing how to accommodate community input from the Google form to the Sukopuro Village Government website. The results of this activity were very positive and received a good response from the Village because it increased knowledge and ability to organize the web and make Google Forms as a means of accommodating community participation in village development in the context of implementing the Sukopuro Village Government E-Government. The understanding of Sukopuro Village village officials about E-Government increased from 20% to 80%. The community has the opportunity to increase their participation in village development and the determination of Village government public policies through Google forms and websites in the Village.

Game Theory Applications in Equilibrium Water Pricing of Multiple Regional Sources and Users

China has been facing a contradiction between its water supply and demand for a long time, and it is urgent that it builds a “water-saving society”. Previous research on water pricing mainly focused on the policy level, only considering the supply and demand sides and ignoring the participation of local governments. Due to the inconsistent approval mechanisms, different times of cost formation, and lack of a scientific pricing relationship between multiple water sources and multiple users, with the current water pricing in China, it is difficult to solve the complex problem of water resource allocation. This study aimed to promote the qualitative supply of water and the reuse of reclaimed water, achieve a high-quality and low-cost water supply, and explore the role of water-pricing mechanisms in the regulation of multi-source water supply configurations. The mechanism of regulation is constructed for the complex, multi-source, multi-user water resource system, and a three-party game model is established among local governments, water supply enterprises, and water users. A reasonable pricing system with a rational price relationship is obtained, and Pinghu City in Zhejiang Province is taken as the research area. The prices of the external water supply to residential users, non-resident users, and special users are 4.48 CNY/m3, 6.28 CNY/m3, and 7.12 CNY/m3. The external supply prices for resident users, non-resident users, and special users are 3.81 CNY/m3, 5.25 CNY/m3, and 6.05 CNY/m3. The external supply price for non-resident users is 2.62 CNY/m3 for reclaimed water. The results of the study showed that when the government’s contribution did not exceed the amount that it would have been without the inclusion of recycled water and the annual payment of water users did not exceed their ability to pay, the income of water suppliers increased by 69%. The three balanced objectives of rational water resource configuration by the local government, reasonable profit for the water supply enterprise, and reasonable payment by water users have been achieved. This study provides theoretical and methodological support for the implementation of water pricing for multi-source and multi-user water supplies in water-scarce areas.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ ПАРАДИГМЫ ЗЕЛЕНОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ РФ В УСЛОВИЯХ ГЛОБАЛЬНОЙ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЙ И ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОЙ ТУРБУЛЕНТНОСТИ

The scientific article is devoted to the study of the formation of a green economy model in Russia in the context of global economic and political turbulence. The formation of the green economy paradigm in Russia is currently facing multiple contradictions of geopolitical and economic nature, so it is not possible to determine an unambiguous course of action. Taking into account the national peculiarities of the green economy paradigm (the exclusive role of government participation in the formation of a green economy; the lack of proposals for the development of some universal principles of responsible market behavior, compiled by the business community itself; the fears of the political leadership in terms of the embargo on the supply of energy assets to the European market), the author has identified the following scenarios for the development of the green economy: freezing of work on the formation of a green economy; environmental compromise.

From Civil Society Organisations to Pirate Parties to Digital Democracy

Reshaping our political and social systems for a sustainable future requires a multifaceted approach that addresses several key areas, such as: political reform, social change, economic development, environmental preservation, or technological innovation. In order to achieve a sustainable future, we need to implement its ideals in every societal sector. When dealing with the political system, we cannot ignore the antidemocratic tendencies arising or taking over our everyday life even in the Western World. Under these circumstances, political reform is a must and we have to admit that one of its most important tasks is strengthening democracy. The actual political discourse is full of ideas like proportional representation, direct democracy, sustainability-focused governance, transparency, accountability, and equity. Among the many actors that try to solve these problems there is a group that proposes some new solutions, based on the means of Information Society, Pirate Parties. Emerging from the digital world, they are a fresh wave of political movements with deep roots in online activism. These parties, some born from anti-establishment protests, have rapidly spread across the globe in just two decades. Their journey is one of transformation, from grassroots movements to established political players. Pirate Parties have a clear digital agenda, focusing on issues like copyright reform, open access to information, and online privacy. They champion net neutrality and the free flow of knowledge. However, most of them have recognized the importance of broader democratic values for political success. Beyond their digital focus, Pirate Parties also advocate for traditional democratic ideals, including civil rights, transparency, and combating corruption. They promote free speech, direct democracy, and exploring alternative forms of citizen participation in government, often leveraging technology (e-democracy). The future impact of Pirate Parties remains uncertain, but their influence is undeniable. They’ve challenged traditional political norms and brought issues of the digital age to the forefront. Pirate Parties have reshaped the European political landscape and inspired similar movements around the world. My paper aims to briefly present these political formations, with special regard to their origins in and their relations with civil society. After outlining the broad framework, I present some of the most notorious of these formations.

Analisis Terhadap Proyek Food Estate dalam Penggunaan Lahan Hutan dan Ketahanan Pangan Ditinjau dari Perspektif Hukum Lingkungan

The Food Estate project in Indonesia aims to enhance food security. However, it has resulted in significant environmental impacts through the conversion of forests into agricultural land. Particularly, the peat ecosystem is vulnerable, threatening the natural balance and environmental sustainability. In evaluating the project's impact, this research adopts a normative legal approach focusing on literature analysis. Research findings indicate that land conversion for Food Estate sacrifices crucial environmental aspects, such as vulnerable peatlands prone to fires and soil quality degradation. Policy alternatives, such as agricultural diversification and ecosystem protection, are proposed as solutions to support food security without harming the environment. The conclusion of this study emphasizes the need for stricter environmental law enforcement between the government and community participation in decision-making to ensure the sustainability of agricultural projects like the Food Estate.

Making outside directors inside: Independent directors’ corporate site visits and real earnings management

We examine whether corporate site visits by independent directors enhance their monitoring effectiveness. Exploiting a novel dataset from the Chinese market, we find that such visits have a negative effect on the extent of real earnings management, and identify vetoing board proposals as a potential channel through which site visits constrain real activities manipulation. The effects are more pronounced for independent directors with greater monitoring ability or stronger monitoring incentives, and for firms with weaker internal or external governance. We further document that the intensity of site visits has an incremental negative effect on real earnings management, the restraining effect could persist for at least two years, and site visits also reduce accrual manipulation. This paper sheds new light on independent directors’ active participation in corporate governance and has practical implications for institutional improvements.

The global patient-reported outcomes for multiple sclerosis initiative: bridging the gap between clinical research and care - updates at the 2023 plenary event.

Significant advancements have been achieved in delineating the progress of the Global PROMS (PROMS) Initiative. The PROMS Initiative, a collaborative endeavor by the European Charcot Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation, strives to amplify the influence of patient input on MS care and establish a cohesive perspective on Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) for diverse stakeholders. This initiative has established an expansive, participatory governance framework launching four dedicated working groups that have made substantive contributions to research, clinical management, eHealth, and healthcare system reform. The initiative prioritizes the global integration of patient (For the purposes of the Global PROMS Initiative, the term "patient" refers to the people with the disease (aka People with Multiple Sclerosis - pwMS): any individual with lived experience of the disease. People affected by the disease/Multiple Sclerosis: any individual or group that is affected by the disease: E.g., family members, caregivers will be also engaged as the other stakeholders in the initiative). insights into the management of MS care. It merges subjective PROs with objective clinical metrics, thereby addressing the complex variability of disease presentation and progression. Following the completion of its second phase, the initiative aims to help increasing the uptake of eHealth tools and passive PROs within research and clinical settings, affirming its unwavering dedication to the progressive refinement of MS care. Looking forward, the initiative is poised to continue enhancing global surveys, rethinking to the relevant statistical approaches in clinical trials, and cultivating a unified stance among 'industry', regulatory bodies and health policy making regarding the application of PROs in MS healthcare strategies.

Extraterritorial application of China’s Marine Environmental Protection Law: Towards effective marine environmental protection enforcement

In 2023, China’s Marine Environmental Protection Law was secondly revised, in which the extraterritorial provisions in marine environmental protection were evolved and highlighted. Through enforcing the extraterritorial provisions, it is possible for China to pay attention and control marine pollution or ecological damage that occurs beyond the territory and safeguard the national marine environment. However, China has not carried out any enforcement practices based on the extraterritorial provisions of the Marine Environmental Protection Law. As a responsible participant in marine environment governance and driven by the need to address marine environmental threats posed by foreign countries, China has a sufficient rationale for introducing extraterritorial enforcement in marine environment protection from a broader perspective. However, given that extraterritorial enforcement in the marine environmental protection field is not adopted universally, China’s future extraterritorial enforcement activities will face risks of excessive use, and a series of dilemmas may inevitably arise during the enforcement practices. Analyzing the potential dilemmas of China’s extraterritorial enforcement in marine environment protection, corresponding suggestions are provided to avert excessive extraterritorial enforcement and promote the effectiveness of extraterritorial enforcement activities to protect essential national marine environmental interests.

VIRTUAL NETWORK ENVIRONMENT AS A SPACE FOR FORMING DIALOGUE BETWEEN AUTHORITY AND SOCIETY

The modern virtual network environment opens up new opportunities for involving the public in government processes and ensuring greater influence of citizens on decision-making; The online environment increases the level of openness and transparency, promotes interaction between government and the public, thereby strengthening the democratic principles of society. In the era of global digitalization, it is thanks to the virtual network environment that it is possible to form a high-quality and effective government- public dialogue, which is a key aspect of civil participation in government. The article examines the virtual network environment as a platform for the formation of high-quality and effective dialogue between the government and society in order to solve pressing problems and support democratic values. In particular, attention is focused on: key positions of the virtual network environment and its characteristics; principles of government-public dialogue; factors influencing the success and effectiveness of government-public dialogue through a virtual network environment; challenges and opportunities that arise when implementing a virtual network environment as a platform for government-public dialogue.

Presentación del Vol. 5 Núm. 2 (2024): Junio- setiembre2024

In Peru, national security – incredibly – continues to be confused with national defense in the military field, despite the fact that the National Defense System was created with multi-sector and different levels of government participation . In this edition we present articles on varioust aspects that are related to national security, but before they can generate a risk scenario, they constitute a specific task of some public entity, often a component of the national Defense System, which is why coordination, cooperation and collaboration between the members of this functional system, which is chaired by the President of the Republic.

Unraveling the puzzling risk–return relationship: Distinctive roles of government involvement in venture capital investment

AbstractResearch SummaryGovernment involvement plays a significant role in fostering entrepreneurship. We examine how government involvement in venture capital (VC) investments shapes the decoupling between risk‐taking and investment returns. We distinguish government involvement through state ownership (GVC) and personal political connections (connected VC). We theorize that government involvement through GVC is associated with the downside risk–return paradox, that is, concurrent higher risk‐taking and lower‐than‐expected returns. In contrast, government involvement through connected VCs is linked to the upside risk–return paradox, that is, concurrent lower risk‐taking and higher‐than‐expected returns. Our theoretical predictions receive general support from analyses using longitudinal data from VC firms in China. Our study sheds light on the heterogeneity in the decoupling between risk and return and the underlying mechanisms through which governments influence entrepreneurship.Managerial SummaryGovernments often seek to promote entrepreneurship; yet, their involvement in start‐ups tends to deviate from the conventional wisdom of a positive risk–return association. Government‐owned venture capital (VC) firms tend to take greater risks and invest in earlier‐stage start‐ups, but yield lower returns from their investments. Conversely, VC firms that have personal ties to government officials tend to take lower risks and prefer later‐stage start‐ups, yet achieve higher returns. These intriguing findings reveal the complexities of government participation in entrepreneurial activities and offer valuable insights for policy formulation. In addition, our findings highlight the importance for entrepreneurs to recognize diverse goals and resources in government involvement. Considering this when seeking external financing is helpful in positioning start‐ups for growth and success.

Democratic participatory networks and governance processes in Sicily

Democratic participation improves the chances of success of local development policies. New governance processes that directly involve the actors who inhabit the territories are necessary for the challenges that sustainable growth requires. Therefore, the feedback on the pre-existing conditions of cooperation and coexistence is essential for carrying out actions with a place-based logic of development. The Innovation Helix Model allows us to understand the relational dynamics and support territorial strategies in enhancing innovation processes that contemplate the relationship between civil society, public and private institutions, and the natural environment from the perspective of a democratic approach. In this way, ecosystemic innovation is a dynamic network of territorial actors interconnected within a delimited geographical space. This study proposes an innovative way of investigating territorial relationship networks. It examines and describes the network deriving from the policies implemented in an internal area of Sicily. The governance processes implemented through partnership agreements between local actors over ten years have created relationships measured and described through Social Network Analysis (SNA), specifically with Affiliation Networks and Community Detection with a bipartite structure. The study moves towards an innovative territory analysis, looking for the relational links and providing references for building bottom-up policies with greater awareness.

Strategic Alliances in Global Health: Innovative Perspectives in the Era of Sustainable Development.

This article discusses current challenges in the field of global health and the World Health Organization's (WHO) strategies to address them. It highlights the importance of measuring the health impacts of global recession and globalization and the need for human-centered approaches to sustainable development. Emphasis is placed on commitment to health equity and the use of strategic partnerships for health at global, national, and local levels. Improving the health and well-being of populations, as well as public health equity, are core principles of the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These principles are expressed in SDG 3, which promotes universal access to health services and systems and recognizes global health as a basic human right. It highlights the importance of strategic partnerships to combat emerging health crises, improve public health indices, and address the burden of chronic disease. These partnerships are contemplated in SDG 17 and are manifested in different modalities, such as network governance, cross-sector collaboration, public-private partnership, and social participation. This diversity of alliances has played an important role in scaling up and strengthening universal health systems around the world, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. The text concludes by presenting the essential characteristics of these inter-organizational and inter-institutional alliances in the field of global health.

Enhancing Najran’s sustainable smart city development in the face of urbanization challenges in Saudi- Arabia

ABSTRACT This research offers valuable perspectives on the nexus between urbanization and the smart environment within the Najran city, Saudi Arabian context. Najran City, with its diverse districts and evolving urban landscape, is at the forefront of adopting advanced technologies and participatory governance models to create a resilient, environmentally conscious, and sustainable urban environment, likewise positioning itself as a model of smart urban development but is also fostering an innovation-driven community equipped to address the difficulties and exploit the prospects given by the 21st century. The study systematically analyzes the multifaceted factors of smart city variables in Saudi Arabia and their direct impact on urban sustainability through extensive quantitative investigations. This study reveals the positive correlations between smart city attributes, on the attainment of urban sustainability. In order words, the smart city’s attributes such as IoT (Internet of Things) devices, smart infrastructure, and data-driven solutions are linked to the creation of a resilient urban environment in the face of urbanization and sustainability challenges. On the other hand, the study noted that the integration of smart technologies might lead to unintended consequences in urban planning. For example, an overemphasis on technology may overshadow human-centric approaches, which might potentially affect the community well-being and social cohesion. Study’s insights provide policymakers, urban planners, and players with an in-depth knowledge of the pathways to harness smart city attributes for sustainable Najran urban development. The implications of this research extend beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia, serving as a valuable reference for regions worldwide grappling with similar urbanization and sustainability challenges in the 21st century. By harnessing the potential of smart cities, Saudi Arabia and other nations can pave the way for greener, more resilient urban futures.