Inclusive Governance Research Articles

Toward more inclusive wetland governance and the role of women and other marginalized groups in the Cambodian Mekong Delta: a case study of Boeung Preklapov Wetland in Takeo Province

This paper advances the understanding of the challenges of participatory wetland management in the Cambodian Mekong Delta. It shows that despite the increasing number of policies promoting women’s participation in resource management decision-making, the implementation of these policies remains inconsistent and ineffective. The research focuses on wetland-dependent communities along the Cambodia-Vietnam border that have been studied less on the Cambodian side. It identifies the main obstacles that impede women’s participation at different levels of governance. It also looks at the role of other marginalized groups, such as ethnic minorities and the landless poor, in wetland management. The study reveals that at the household level, both men and women participate in fishing, harvesting wetland resources, and farming activities and partake in decision-making fairly and equally. However, women’s participation remains nominal at best at the commune, district, and national levels. Particularly at the commune level, where local participation is expected to be higher, the voice of women and the poor is strikingly absent. The identified obstacles to women's participation include inadequate attention paid to assigning clear and meaningful roles and responsibilities, lack of institutional resources, unequal power relations, and frequent instances of exclusionary elite capture.

IMPACT OF BOARD MEETINGS AND GENDER DIVERSITY ON FINANCIAL HEALTH OF INDIAN COMPANIES: A REVIEW AND EXPANDED INSIGHTS

This paper explores the role of board meetings and gender diversity in enhancing the financial health of Indian companies. By reviewing empirical studies and theoretical frameworks, the research highlights the significant contributions of frequent board meetings and gender-diverse boards to financial stability, risk management, and profitability. The findings reinforce the importance of inclusive corporate governance practices and advocate for active participation from diverse board members in decision-making processes to drive sustainable business growth. This paper aims to expand the discussion on the mechanisms by which board meetings and gender diversity influence financial performance and suggests policy recommendations for improving governance structures.

Unlocking the Power of Digital Commons: Data Cooperatives as a Pathway for Data Sovereign, Innovative and Equitable Digital Communities

Network effects, economies of scale, and lock-in-effects increasingly lead to a concentration of digital resources and capabilities, hindering the free and equitable development of digital entrepreneurship, new skills, and jobs, especially in small communities and their small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”). To ensure the affordability and accessibility of technologies, promote digital entrepreneurship and community well-being, and protect digital rights, we propose data cooperatives as a vehicle for secure, trusted, and sovereign data exchange. In post-pandemic times, community/SME-led cooperatives can play a vital role by ensuring that supply chains to support digital commons are uninterrupted, resilient, and decentralized. Digital commons and data sovereignty provide communities with affordable and easy access to information and the ability to collectively negotiate data-related decisions. Moreover, cooperative commons (a) provide access to the infrastructure that underpins the modern economy, (b) preserve property rights, and (c) ensure that privatization and monopolization do not further erode self-determination, especially in a world increasingly mediated by AI. Thus, governance plays a significant role in accelerating communities’/SMEs’ digital transformation and addressing their challenges. Cooperatives thrive on digital governance and standards such as open trusted application programming interfaces (“APIs”) that increase the efficiency, technological capabilities, and capacities of participants and, most importantly, integrate, enable, and accelerate the digital transformation of SMEs in the overall process. This review article analyses an array of transformative use cases that underline the potential of cooperative data governance. These case studies exemplify how data and platform cooperatives, through their innovative value creation mechanisms, can elevate digital commons and value chains to a new dimension of collaboration, thereby addressing pressing societal issues. Guided by our research aim, we propose a policy framework that supports the practical implementation of digital federation platforms and data cooperatives. This policy blueprint intends to facilitate sustainable development in both the Global South and North, fostering equitable and inclusive data governance strategies.

Between two Acts: competing narratives, activism and governance in Singapore’s digital sphere

Civil society in Singapore has existed in the interstices of society with frequent instances of conflict with the government. The ruling People’s Action Party government has had a long history of quashing its political opponents, and this same approach has influenced how the government deals with social-political dissent, ranging from human rights groups being gazetted and their funding source curtailed, to opposition politicians and free speech advocates sued for libel and contempt of court. This paper examines how the Singapore government has made two significant moves towards online media that appears at once restrictive and accommodating towards dissent. The first is the increase in legal and regulatory burdens on the media, while the second is a perceptibly generous invitation for media freedom advocates to discuss and debate about such legal frameworks. We contend that this dualism, far from signalling inclusive governance with a firm hand, only affirms the Singapore government’s authoritarian tendencies towards media freedom advocates. This paper juxtaposes the evolution of narratives of dissent between the 2013 Amendment to the Broadcasting Act to the 2019 public debate on the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). We explore the dynamics of resistance and posit that, even with the enlarged space for free speech in Singapore, the practice in public discourse points to further curtailment of such free speech.

Local Governance: Concepts and Roles of the Contemporary Society in Somalia

This article presents a comprehensive examination of the historical and contemporary dynamics of governance in Somalia. It begins with a review of the country's socio-political landscape, highlighting the impact of the civil war, the emergence of clan-based territories, and the rise of non-state actors. The article then traces the evolution of Somali governance from independence to the present day, emphasizing the transition from a centralized authority to a federal system. The role of external stakeholders in Somalia's reconciliation and recovery process is thoroughly analyzed, drawing attention to the complex influences of international and regional actors. A key focus of the article is the formation of the third tier of government in Somalia, the district council, under the Wadajir framework. The challenges faced by this newly established entity, including clan-based conflicts and a fragile revenue system, are discussed in detail. At the same time, the potential of the district council in fostering improved local government actions, encouraging community engagement in development and ensuring fairer resource distribution is underscored. The article concludes with a forward-looking discussion on the prospects of inclusive governance and local empowerment in Somalia's future. This comprehensive analysis serves as a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in Somali politics and governance

Co-management for sustainable development and conservation in Sanjiangyuan National Park and the surrounding Tibetan nomadic pastoralist areas

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau plays an essential role in national to regional ecological security, biodiversity conservation, and sustaining livelihood. An array of natural resource management, environmental conservation, and ecological restoration projects have been trialed and implemented in recent years in the vast Sanjiangyuan region of the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, aiming especially to ensure socio-ecologically appropriate and sustainable development of animal husbandry in the alpine grasslands. Novel approaches in China have included the introduction of more collaborative approaches in protected area management and the development and formal establishment of a new multi-purpose national park system. Many milestones have been achieved. However, such developments are driven largely by national and global goals and very little has been heard to date directly from the people most affected: those residing within the protected landscapes, i.e. the community stakeholders themselves. This empirical, perceptions-based study aims to partially fill this gap, drawing on the results of focus group discussions with community representatives supplemented by key informant interviews and a targeted review of the literature, to provide synthesized feedback and priority recommendations for improving “community co-management” collaborations for the joint benefit of Tibetan herders and protected areas. The mixed-method approach employed in this study was based on a conceptual model derived from Elinor Ostrom’s social–ecological systems framework, calibrated to local residents’ self-assessments of their household well-being. Results highlight how the most recent configuration of China’s national park model (i.e., its form and the approaches it utilizes) is generally deemed successful by community stakeholders, albeit with some notable perceived limitations mainly relating to a sense of lack of fairness and inclusiveness in the “one household, one post” co-management mechanism. The paper closes with discussion and recommendations around fundamental issues of equity, empowerment, and gender, finally pointing to the significance and, ultimately, the need to move even beyond co-management per se and to adopt a model of inclusive governance for conservation wherein joint deliberations and decision-making amongst diverse stakeholders are prioritized over the simple implementation of externally developed programs and management plans.

Achieving sustainable development goals through digitalising creative works: some evidence from social enterprises in Indonesia

This article aims to examine how businesses support the SDGs by exploring the role of social enterprises in supporting creative workers by adopting digital economic activities. This study adopts the inductive qualitative approach by observing the creative industry, conducting focus group discussions, and interviewing the main stakeholders to arrive at four findings. The findings indicate that social enterprises (1) encourage the creative workers to embrace their cultural identities by providing a digital platform, (2) support the creative workers to deal with customers by exploiting resourceful social networks, (3) promote inclusive community governance by adopting the crowdfunding platform, and (4) help the creative workers gain support from donors by showing their excellent pilot projects. The article extends the debate between neoclassical economics with profit-oriented goals and social enterprise approaches by highlighting the role of stakeholder, triple bottom line, and identity theories.

Utilization of genetic information for medicines development and equitable benefit sharing.

Advances in genomic research have significantly enhanced modern drug development. However, equitable benefit sharing of the results of scientific advancement has not always been achieved. This paper shows how molecular biology has modified medicines development while also leaving open significant challenges for benefit sharing. Presented here is a conceptual modeling describing the processes in genetic-related medicines development and how these are related to specific ethical considerations. The focus is on three important areas: 1) population genetics and the need for discrimination prevention; 2) pharmacogenomics and the need for inclusive governance; and 3) global health to be achieved in open science frameworks. Benefit sharing is taken as the ethical value that underlies all these aspects. The implementation of benefit sharing requires a value shift in which the outcomes of health science are not viewed simply as trade commodities but also as a "global public good". This approach should lead to genetic science to contribute to promoting the fundamental human right to health to all members of the global community.

Islamic Finance in the Era of Financial Technology: A Bibliometric Review of Future Trends

This study focused on a current study on Islamic finance and financial technology as well as prospective topics for future research. As a bibliometric and visualization tool for the Web of Science core collection database and viewer-based literature, 918 papers dealing with Islamic finance and financial technology authored between 1999 and 2022 were analyzed. Cluster analysis, all-keyword co-occurrence analysis, and bibliographic coupling mapping are all investigated in the study. This research enables us to propose future research paths that may be useful in reflecting on the significant impact that technology will have on the growth of Islamic finance and financial technology. The survey discovered four main research trends: the first trend shown is “Financial Inclusion and Corporate Governance in Islamic Fintech”. The second trend focuses on “information technology and future financial Islamic services”. The third trend is “The Transformation of Islamic Finance: How Fintech is Changing the Game”. The fourth trend is related to “Islamic Finance: A Growing Force in the Digital Age”. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of research trends at the intersection of Islamic finance and financial technology, identifying future research directions.

Public-private MaaS: Unchallenged assumptions and issues of conflict in Sweden

Despite an increase in Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) initiatives that aim to pave the way for both public and private MaaS Operators, such MaaS models have received limited scholarly attention. Uncertainties therefore remain in terms of how public-private MaaS can be realized and governed. This paper addresses this problem through an exploratory case study of an attempt to reform the business ecosystem for mobility services in Sweden, which is conceptualized as a move towards public-private MaaS. Inspired by the What-is-the-Problem-Represented-to-Be approach, the paper analyzes what problem representations and assumptions underpin the proposed reform and outlines issues of conflict across the involved actors. Drawing on these findings, the paper highlights disagreements on problems, centralization, and responsibilities as challenges to public-private MaaS developments and proposes that an inclusive and pragmatic governance strategy is key for effective and democratic governance of MaaS. Additionally, three avenues for future research are identified: development of analytical tools that better represent the complexity of MaaS governance choices, studies of how the prevailing narrative around MaaS influences developments, and analyses of governance strategies’ effectiveness in relation to political objectives for MaaS developments.

The Road to Inclusive Decentralized Village Governance in Indonesia

Currently, every country strives to create inclusive governance. However, these efforts are still often stalled. After long decades of the implementation of decentralization in various countries, only a few studies examined the practices of inclusive governance in village-level decentralization. This study explores how inclusive governance is implemented in the decentralized village and what challenges hinder inclusive governance goals in the setting of village decentralization. The study found that there are various results from the implementation of inclusive governance in every village. Developed villages tend to be more likely to realize inclusive governance because they have a variety of good supporting factors. The success of inclusive governance is very dependent on supporting factors and challenges in the decentralized village.

What innovative practices and processes are used to deliver psychosocial care in India? A qualitative case study of three non-profit community mental health organisations

The global mental health field seeks to close the “treatment gap” for mental illness in low-and middle-income countries by scaling evidence-based interventions. The evidence base has often bypassed psychosocial interventions by local organizations who do not fit a biomedical approach to evidence building. In India, non-profit mental health organizations are addressing care gaps through novel approaches that emphasize social recovery and inclusion.This study seeks to better understand the nature and dynamic of this innovation by examining what was working well in the practices and processes of three such community mental health care organizations. A comparative case approach was chosen for its strength as an exploratory means for inductive theory building. Three case organizations in Kerala, West Bengal and Uttarakhand states were selected based on their diverse socio-cultural and health systems settings. Qualitative data was collected in 2018–20, to examine their practices and processes using mixed methods and data sources including interviews, focus groups, participant observation and document analysis.Common strategies observed across the three organizations, included engaging community, prioritising beneficiaries, co-opting resources, devolving care, reorganising communication and recovery and integration. These strategies were further categorized into three domains: constructing a sustainable resource base, managing knowledge and redefining meanings. In contrast with conventional problem-solving approaches, these cases used an approach that built on assets and strengths using inclusive governance which enabled coordination of the community health system.This study argues that these organizations incorporate reflexive practice and two-way flows of knowledge to enable them to address complex social determinants of mental health. This has implications for how psychosocial care in CMH is conceptualized. We argue that the ways the organizations respond to the complexities of mental health difficulties contributes to reframing mental health as a social development issue, centering inclusion of people with psychosocial disabilities. Our findings argue against a polarization between biomedical and psychosocial CMH models and illustrate ways of integrating both approaches and their centrality to effective mental health care.

Relationships and responsibilities between Anishinaabek and Nokomis Giizis (Grandmother Moon) inform N’bi (Water) governance

Efforts continue to evolve for sustainable and inclusive water governance in Canada. All humanity relies on N’bi (Water) for life, yet contrasting views and knowledge on N’bi still elude water governance. Far too often, Indigenous women are left out of water governance regardless of their relationships and responsibilities to and for N’bi. Indigenous women, more specifically Anishinaabek (Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island also known as Canada and the USA) kweok (women) understand the relationships and responsibilities Nokomis Giizis (Grandmother Moon) has to N’bi through the cycles of kweok and Nokomis Giizis and how this is guided through natural law. This article explores the relationships and responsibilities between Anishinaabek kweok and Nokomis Giizis and how it can inform water governance based on Anishinaabek naaknigewin (law).

Letter from the Editor: More Geopolitics, Global Value Chains, Mature MNE Subsidiaries and an Interview with Deepak Ohri

Further recognizing the high uncertainty and volatility faced by multinational corporations (MNCs) in the current geopolitical environment, this AIB Insights issue continues our prior issue’s theme with three geopolitics-focused articles on stay or exit decisions in geopolitical crises, geopolitical resilience, and managing disengagement during political disruptions. It also contains articles on building inclusive governance of global value chains and mature subsidiaries in emerging markets, along with an interview with lebua Hotels & Resorts CEO Deepak Ohri. A brief update on the journal’s progress is also provided.

Status quo of gender inequality in South African Municipalities

Gender disparity is a significant issue that is clearly present in South African municipalities. Municipalities play an important role in providing services to individuals based on their needs and expectations because they are the level of government closest to the people. Gender inequality poses a barrier within municipalities due to discrimination, a lack of gender mainstreaming, a lack of gender policies, and a lack of women's empowerment, limiting women's capacity to contribute to civic life and municipal duties that guide the nation's growth. Inequality between the sexes makes it more difficult for women to support themselves, creating socioeconomic problems in their communities and additional issues for the government to address to ensure effective, efficient, economical, fair, and inclusive governance. This article aims to highlight areas of concern that the government could address through policies by focusing on gender disparities in South African local government from a policy standpoint. Using a qualitative desktop analysis, the article collects information under various themes. The goal is to advise local governments on ensuring gender equality in all decision-making structures and procedures. It is impossible to overstate the importance of involving local governments in the fight against gender inequality. As a result, a gap in research on gender equality in municipal government must be filled. This article seeks to contribute to this direction by examining several aspects of gender inequality at the local government level in South Africa.

LIVING ON THE MARGINS: The Socio‐spatial Representation of Urban Internally Displaced Persons in Ethiopia

AbstractIn cities in the global South, internally displaced persons (IDPs) often end up in marginalized places created by uneven processes of urbanization. While IDPs experience similar disadvantages to the urban poor living in these places, they face additional vulnerabilities related to their displacement. Building on insights from urban studies and forced migration studies, we argue in this article that a multidimensional understanding of urban marginality is a useful analytical lens with which to examine the conditions of urban IDPs. Based on multi‐sited ethnographic research in Kersa and Sululta IDP settlements of Ethiopia, this study reveals how IDPs experience similar spatial, social and symbolic marginality in different urban contexts. Our findings show the relational manifestation of segregation, social distance and stigmatization that impede IDPs’ access to urban space and services. This study also highlights how these dimensions of marginality interact and reproduce an additional layer of marginality. Our research suggests the need for inclusive urban governance in which IDPs contribute to and benefit from urbanization as citizens.

The Role of Deliberate Inclusive Policy on Women Participation in Governance in Kogi State

In addition to meeting the Human Right requirements of the common laws of modern states, involvement of women in governance is very imperative to achieving sustainable peace, democracy, and development. However, this study is worried at the inertia of most countries in the developing world to demonstrate this commitment through convincing deliberate initiatives despite being signatories to several relevant global conventions and protocols. This study therefore examined the activities of Kogi State Government in terms of practical steps taken towards achieving inclusiveness of female gender in the planning and execution of policies in the last six years (2011-2021). While this study relied on both primary and secondary sources for generating the expected facts, Survey design was adopted for drawing the necessary data from the primary source while Systematic Random Sampling Technique was used to generate responses from the sampled population. To analyse the facts of the study, Likert's five-point rating scale was used. The study was able to establish the ecology of the Nigerian democracy and the inherent obstacles to the involvement of women in governance in Kogi State. It recommended more effective strategies for achieving genuine inclusive governance in Kogi State.

EMERGING SECESSIONIST THREATS IN NIGERIA: A FOCUS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF IPOB AND UNKNOWN GUNMEN IN EASTERN NIGERIA

This study examines the reemergence of separatist movements in Nigeria, particularly in the Eastern region, and their impact on the security situation in the country. It reveals that the separatist groups, such as IPOB and Unknown Gunmen, have been able to mobilize support from the Igbo people by highlighting their historical, economic, and political grievances against the Nigerian state. The failure of the Nigerian state to address the legitimate grievances of ethnic minorities has contributed to the emergence of separatist movements. The analysis of reports and data sources shows that the activities of IPOB and Unknown Gunmen have had a significant impact on the security situation in the Eastern region of Nigeria. The findings of this study have important implications for the security and stability of Nigeria. The study concludes that secessionism in Nigeria has a complex and multi-layered history that is rooted in the country's colonial past and perpetuated by the failure of the Nigerian state to address the legitimate grievances of ethnic minorities. The recommendations include addressing the root causes of secessionism, promoting inclusive governance, and engaging in meaningful dialogue with separatist groups. These steps can help to find a peaceful solution to the issue of secessionism and ensure the security and stability of Nigeria.

FDI and human development: The role of governance, ODA, and national competitiveness

This study examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on human development in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. We demonstrate the moderating role of governance, official development assistance (ODI), and national competitiveness in the relationship between FDI and human development. Predatory or invasive FDI hampers human development in the host country. Governance, ODI, and national competitiveness play a positive moderating role in this relationship. Economic growth can be driven by FDI; however, FDI itself does not improve human development, as measured by healthcare, education, and income. Good governance regulates FDI ethics and protects against unhealthy FDI, thereby improving human development. A more specific and inclusive governance framework is crucial for improving human development.

TRANSPARENCY, GOVERNANCE AND FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY NEXUS: THE NIGERIA SCENARIO

The problem of fiscal unsustainability has become pronounced in Nigeria. The role of policy makers and the availability of essential information on the economy seem to be major causes of this ominous predicament. This paper aimed at investigating the causal relationship between transparency, governance and fiscal sustainability in Nigeria from 1996 to 2021, using a vector auto regression framework. The empirical results confirm a cointegration relationship between transparency, governance and fiscal sustainability. The flow of causality between control of corruption and fiscal sustainability appears to be mixed. At 1 lag, control of corruption granger causes fiscal sustainability, while at 2 lags, fiscal sustainability granger causes control of corruption at 5% and 10% significance levels. Results of the impulse response functions suggest that one standard deviation innovation on fiscal sustainability reduces fiscal deficit in the medium and long term, while results of the variance decomposition indicate that a significant variation in Nigeria’s fiscal sustainability is not attributable to changes in the political stability. It is recommended that for fiscal sustainability to be improved and sustained, mechanisms which deliberately seek to enhance improved level of fiscal discipline in the country should be employed. It is also imperative for more institutionalized policies that can improve transparency and promote inclusive governance that can curb fiscal indiscipline like budget deficit in view of stimulating fiscal sustainability in Nigeria.