Governance Issues Research Articles

Evaluasi Pengelolaan Sampah Menggunakan Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) Waste Assessment Tool Kota Palembang

Waste is a problem that cannot be ignored because it is always generated in all aspects of life. The Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities CRIC Waste Assessment Tool helps in analyzing the current situation in the city and provides important and practical recommendations from both technical aspects, governance, and social issues. The research aims to evaluate urban waste management using the Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) Waste Assessment Tool based on management technology in Palembang City. A quantitative strategy was used in this research, along with a descriptive and verification research method. Secondary data is taken from the national waste management information system and other literature to fill in the CRIC Waste Assessment Tool application. Data analysis using CRIC Tool covers waste management, governance, economy and knowledge of citizens, GHG emissions. The results of measuring waste management performance with CRIC show that waste management in the city is still low, most of the waste is disposed of uncontrollably, resulting in SLCPs. Waste banks and TPS3R are still lacking. Achievement of waste management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has only reached 50% of the recommended target. Proper waste handling is still lacking, such as reduced dumping, open burning, and better composting practices. This will support modifications in waste handling from the community, which can support waste management technology development.

The Fata Conundrum: A Study of the Post-Merger Administrative Chaos

This research examines the post-merger administrative changes in the Erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) almost six years after the 2018 merger. Policymakers may be optimistic, but the region still has a lot of governance and administrative issues. The problems stem from a hastily merger procedure without adequate planning and impact estimation. The study highlights the nature of the merger and its impact on governance by examining the transition from Political Agents (PA) to Deputy Commissioners (DC). The post-merger justice system has been completely inactive and failed. The research highlights that the transformation of Levis and Khasadars into KP Police was a flawed decision of the government. The administrative capacity and difficulties following the merger are examined in this study using the Institutional Capacity Framework. The results show that the merger's promises have not been fulfilled, and the new administrative structure still struggles to gain public trust.

Цифровая гегемония США: особенности, цели и последствия

The article analyses the characteristics, goals and consequences of the US digital hegemony. The article argues that this hegemony has allowed the United States to maintain global leadership in innovation and to use its dominant position in cyberspace to unilaterally influence other countries. As a result of US digital hegemony, the rules of global data governance have become fragmented and issues such as cybersecurity, cross-border data flows and digital sovereignty have attracted widespread international attention. The "game" between the US and China around digital governance issues has escalated and is reflected in geopolitical and economic dimensions, influencing the shaping of global digital governance. The article argues that it is necessary to promote a more democratic and inclusive global digital order, mitigate the effects of unilateral rulemaking by the US and other countries, and promote the balanced development of the global digital economy.

Economic, equity, and political trade-offs in energy transition in irrigation in Bihar, India

Affordable and reliable energy is an important driver for improving access to irrigation in South Asia. Policies for improving electricity access and augmenting supply are likely to impact affordability and equity in irrigation access, especially in regions where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. In this paper, we focus on the state of Bihar in eastern India to study trade-offs across economic, equity, and political dimensions of energy transition in irrigation. We argue that in the context of the nascent but steadily increasing solar-powered irrigation, a decentralised energy regime is techno-economically and socio-politically distinct from a conventional centralised grid supply. With different economic costs, governance issues, and varied incentives of stakeholders, there are significant trade-offs associated with the two pathways of energisation. We further assess the multidimensional trade-offs associated with the conventional ‘centralised’ and the modern ‘decentralised’ energy supply systems for irrigation to present a comprehensive understanding of the technical systems aiming to address economic development and livelihood security issues. We find that the life cycle costs (LCC) of centralised grid supply are not only higher than that of decentralised solar-powered irrigation (SIP) but also the LCC for grid supply has a high sensitivity to average cost to supply electricity (ACS). We also find that at lower pumping hours or lower average cost to supply (ACS), grid electricity is competitive compared to SIP, but with an increase in pumping hours, ACS or both, there is a considerable increase in the LCC of the grid connected pump, making SIP a more economical option. Furthermore, we augment the analysis using primary data on farmers to examine the economic, equity, and political trade-offs. By highlighting the complexities associated with the diffusion of decentralised energy solutions in irrigation, our findings provide useful insights for public policy related to energy transition in irrigation in India.

Carbon footprint of household meat consumption in China: A life-cycle-based perspective

The food industry accounts for 25% of global carbon emissions, of which animal food accounts for 57%. Therefore, the reduction of carbon emissions from meat products consumption is one of the important issues of global climate governance. This study calculates and compares the carbon footprints of major meat products in China at various stages of production and consumption and the trends of their development based on life cycle assessment and questionnaires, which will help to understand the emission characteristics and reduction potential of the food sector in China. The results show that the main stages of the life cycle and the size of the total carbon footprint of the meat category for the same unit standard exhibit the following order: beef > mutton > pork > poultry (chicken and duck) > seafood (fish and shrimp); the farming factor has a greater impact on carbon emissions, followed by transportation and a smaller impact at the meal-making stage; from 2010 to 2021, China's total meat products consumption and carbon emissions continue to increase, but the structure of meat consumption is gradually diversified and balanced, and the trend of carbon emissions shows a slowdown in growth with structural changes. Finally, based on the results of the study, this paper proposes countermeasures for meat production and consumption.

Plantation forestry in Paraguay emerges

Over the last two decades, investors in the forestry sector have been increasingly active in Paraguay, establishing tree plantations with the aim of profiting from the burgeoning global demand for wood and fiber. Growth rates for commercial tree species are good to excellent, and the country has over 7.6 million hectares (Mha) of land with high to very high potential for cultivating them. Since 2010, Paraguay’s plantation area has quadrupled to more than 204,631 ha and planting rates accelerated sharply in 2023. This wave of planting and related forest industries is bringing jobs to rural communities and helping to diversify the country’s economy. Despite these positives, plantation forestry in Paraguay faces some hurdles: high transportation costs from this landlocked country to overseas markets, time-consuming bureaucratic processes, and governance issues. Another challenge is mainstreaming plantation-grown wood into the domestic supply chain, especially for fuelwood, one of the most important sources of energy for Paraguayan households and industry. With native wood now in short supply due to decades of heavy deforestation and overcutting, sustainable fuelwood plantations are needed to fill the gap. Major investments are nevertheless moving ahead. A new multibillion-dollar pulp mill under construction, an uptick in tree planting, the resolve to address domestic needs, especially for fuelwood, and decades of experience managing modest-sized plantations suggest that Paraguay’s plantation forestry sector is poised to expand. Bolstering this expansion with environmental and social best practices will help underpin its sustainability over the long term.

Economic Complexity and Good Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross Country Analysis

The underlying problems of Sub-Saharan African development are a result of a crisis in governance. Over the years, issues of governance and economic development have been the focus of debate in academia. However, the existing literature has not adequately explored the association between good governance and economic complexity. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate the short-run and long-run relationships between economic complexity and good governance in 27 Sub-Saharan African countries for the period 1996–2019 using the PMG-ARDL model. The findings reveal that economic complexity, foreign aid, and the Gini coefficient have a positive and statistically significant long-run impact on good governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the null hypothesis that economic complexity has a significantly positive impact on good governance is accepted by these findings. The short-run dynamics results reveal that economic complexity and foreign aid have a negative and insignificant impact on good governance, while foreign direct investment, the Gini coefficient, and unemployment have a positive and insignificant impact on good governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on the findings, it is recommended that policymakers in the region place more emphasis on structural transformations to transform their productive structures, which will ultimately lead to higher economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Policies geared towards the diversification of exports (i.e., economic complexity) in the region for economic growth and development are also recommended.

Evaluating the Long-Term Impact of Sustainable Tourism Practices on Local Communities and Natural Resources in Developing Countries

This study evaluates the long-term impact of sustainable tourism practices on local communities and natural resources in developing countries. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted case studies in regions known for their biodiversity and tourism reliance. Quantitative data was collected through environmental monitoring and economic indicators, while qualitative insights were obtained from interviews with local stakeholders. The findings indicate that sustainable tourism practices contribute to environmental preservation and provide economic benefits to local communities. However, the success of these practices is contingent on robust policy frameworks, community engagement, and ongoing education. Despite initial positive outcomes, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited funding, and governance issues persist. This research underscores the importance of tailored sustainable tourism strategies that address specific local contexts and promotes the integration of comprehensive management plans to ensure long-term sustainability. Recommendations for policymakers and practitioners are provided to enhance the efficacy of sustainable tourism initiatives in developing countries.

Governance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Interoperability: Questions of Trust

Although the rapidly emerging capabilities of AI bring potential benefits that could be transformative for cyber security, significant threats have emerged that continue to grow in impact and scale. One proposed solution to addressing important risks in AI is the emergence of strategies for AI governance. Yet, as this conceptual early-stage research argues, what is crucial for individuals, businesses, public institutions, including the military, and for high-risk environments, are questions concerning trust in AI governance. Will governance of AI be trusted? As an example, during 2023, several AI governance initiatives and strategies emerged, with some nation states proposing legislation while others looked to treaties and collaboration as solutions. Indeed, at a supra-national level, the United Nations expert multinational stakeholder Policy Network on AI (PNAI) formed to examine key issues in current AI governance. These include the interoperability of governance, data governance mechanisms, AI in supporting inclusion and the transition of nations. To help our understanding of trust in AI governance, the focus for this paper is limited in scope to interoperability in AI governance. Interoperability encompasses different aspects, policy initiatives (such as frameworks, legislation, or treaties), systems and their abilities to communicate and work together. The approach taken in this early-stage research is framed as questions of trust in AI governance. The paper therefore reviews the nature of different AI governance strategies developed and implemented by a range of key nation states and supra-national actors. This is followed by an evaluation of the role of trust, focused on AI governance strategies, in the context of interoperability in AI governance. Trust-building strategies are also considered, with a focus on leveraging the separate elements involved in trust-building to assist our understanding of the implementation of trusted AI governance. The contribution of this early-stage research is to highlight issues that may not be considered by the technical community and to contribute to developing a platform and a research approach that informs policy- learning for institutions, practitioners and academics.

The propensity for negative media reporting of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Australia

The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) Plan, or simply ‘Basin Plan’, represents one of the world's largest returns from consumptive (irrigation) water extraction to environmental use. The Plan has been mired in controversy from when its first draft was burned by irrigators in 2010, and as such has been a source of extensive media reporting. Given the ability of journalism in both informing and influencing public debates, as well as the political deliberation process, we sought to understand the themes and representation of the Plan in media newspapers. This study analysed 6694 media articles referring to the Basin Plan, across 135 outlets, from 2008 to 2022. All articles were sentiment coded using four different natural language processing (NLP) models, with additional manual coding of randomly selected 552 articles. Three-quarters of the total articles were coded as negative using the best-fitting DistilBERT NLP sentiment analysis, while the manual coding suggested almost half were negative in tone. Both methods found that negative stories far outweighed positive stories, suggesting very little ‘balance’ in media Basin Plan reporting. A regression analysis found that rural media outlets were more likely to report negative MDB stories, and that the states of South Australia and Queensland were more likely to report positive stories. Themes of irrigator victimisation and community economic decline dominated news articles (especially negative stories); followed by Basin Plan process, outcomes and governance issues; fights between states; and environmental issues. Environmental themes were relatively less discussed, and Indigenous issues were only referred to in a tiny fraction of all media stories. The study's results provide evidence that the media plays critical roles in water policy debates, giving prominent coverage - with little critical discernment of actual economic impacts - to certain actors with clear ideological and vested interests in the outcomes. Far less media coverage was given to more complex issues such as climate change, long-term structural change for irrigation communities, ecological crises, and sharing water with those who have little.

Improving the Implementation of Sport Governance with an Analysis of Its Determinants: The Case of Sport National Governing Bodies in Switzerland

This research investigates new empirical routes to improve the implementation of sport governance by sports organizations. It asks the question: what determinants influence the decision of sport national governing bodies in Switzerland to implement sport governance? It builds on implementation deficits highlighted by benchmark analysis, an exploratory literature review and a description of the non-profit sector. This paper invites a reflection on the challenges and difficulties related to sport governance standards. The method builds on an exploratory, inductive and qualitative research design. The data comprise interviews with 10 decision makers of national sport federations and the national umbrella federation of sport and Olympic committee analyzed by theme-based coding. The analysis highlights five meta-themes associated with determinants: (1) strategic priority, (2) decision makers’ knowledge on the concept of sport governance, (3) sport governance issues, (4) resources, and (5) personal attributes of decision makers. The results and findings indicate that improving the implementation of sport governance is a multidimensional issue that mainly involves organizational and individual elements, and calls for a tiered approach rather than a “one size-fits all” approach.

Post Flood Economic Challenges; Resilience and Rehabilitation Strategies With Thematic Analysis Approach. A Case of Larkana

Climate change has exacerbated the frequency and severity of floods, leading to devastating impacts worldwide. Pakistan has seen two catastrophic floods in recent years; at present, the full extent of the consequences of these calamities is still not fully acknowledged. Scarcity of water, rise in temperature, and floods are some cruel consequences that Pakistan has to bear. Floods may lead to huge economic problems not only for people in general but also for the communities. For instance, the condition of flooding in Larkana, which is the province where the agricultural activities are too much, could bring about financial and mental health problems. To tackle this research gap, this study implemented a qualitative research approach and conducted a thematic analysis to explore the economic challenges encountered in the Larkana region as a result of floods. Theme analysis is a method by which the researcher finds the sequential patterns in the data. Thus, the researcher is able to point out the issues that people face in reality. Resilient plans and rehabilitation measures can contribute to the solutions to these challenges, varying from immediate recovery to sustainable development. A multifaceted plan that encompasses immediate rescue operations and strengthening of resilience is a must. Social cohesion, environmental protection measures and governance issues are most relevant for the effective economic recovery after floods. The economic regeneration strategy in flood-prone areas must address complex issues to ensure local resilience and preparedness for the coming years.

In the Multitude of Words, Sin is Not Lacking: Are Codes of Ethics Promoting Corporate Responsibility or Providing Legal Shields?

In the wake of corporate governance scandals, questions arise about the effectiveness and intent of corporate ethical codes: Are they genuine governance mechanisms to enhance corporate responsibility, or are they mere shields against legal risks? This study delves into the linguistic choices within ethical codes, positing that these choices serve as communication devices that articulate a firm’s institutional logic. We use stakeholder theory to differentiate between code language that is governed by instrumental (legal-oriented) or normative (behavior-oriented) logic. Upon analyzing the lexicon of Fortune 500 corporate codes, our findings reveal that behavior-oriented codes are associated with a decrease in the number of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Yet, they correspond to an increase in class action lawsuits. By contrast, legal-oriented codes are linked to an increase in ESG issues but to reduced legal litigation. Notably, firms that blend approaches from both logics experience lower litigation rates. These findings enrich the discourse on stakeholder theory and provide practical guidance for organizations aiming to refine their ethical codes. This refinement seeks to enhance ethical behavior and mitigate corporate risks.

Cash waqf innovation in Islamic financial institutions and its governance issues, case studies: Indonesia, Malaysia, Türkiye

Purpose This study aims to examine the potential for waqf innovation to be developed as products and services by Islamic financial institutions, identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of cash waqf governance in Indonesia, Türkiye and Malaysia, and to explore how pandemics have influenced the role of cash waqf practices in the three countries. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative approach with an interpretative perspective, drawing on ecology theory and Ibn Khaldun’s thought. The research method includes conducting literature reviews and interviews to explore the concept and significance of cash waqf, the offerings of Islamic financial institutions and the mechanisms for good governance of cash waqf to bolster the proposed model. Findings The finding shows that a model of cash waqf governance that outlines the relationships and interactions with the goal of advancing cash waqf. The use of technology, specifically computer technology, further strengthens these interactions. Research limitations/implications This study suffers from several limitations, such as the number of countries in the sampling. Thus, future research opportunities include exploring similar initiatives in other countries and examining the connections between different sub-fields within the global cash waqf practice. Originality/value The contribution of this study serves as a guide for cash waqf organizations to promote professional, responsible and accountable management practices; reduce the risks faced by waqf managers and support them in making improvements to enhance the role of waqf in Indonesia and elsewhere; as well as provide a reference for the government and waqf agencies in promoting the importance of cash waqf governance in the country.

Building Resilience: A SWOT and TOWS Analysis of LPPKN's Role in Enhancing Population Quality and Family Well-being in Malaysia

The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) plays a crucial role in shaping Malaysia's demographic landscape, but there are challenges to be tackled. This article conducts a thorough SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of LPPKN, exploring its impact and effectiveness in promoting population and family well-being. Additionally, a TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, Strengths) analysis refines our understanding of LPPKN's strategic positioning. The research employs a dual-method approach, combining web-based desk review and structured interviews. Seven central themes emerge from the SWOT analysis, including legislative framework and policy environment; integrated educational programs; comprehensive reproductive healthcare services; innovative research; information sharing and public awareness; skilled and dedicated personnel; technological innovation and digitalization. The TOWS matrix identifies 28 potential key strategies aligning internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats. The study identifies Malaysia's legislative frameworks and policies as strengths in promoting family well-being and population management, despite ongoing challenges from evolving societal demands and international integration. Opportunities in leveraging technology for education and establishing a National Subfertility Centre are noted, countered by threats from rapid socio-economic-political changes and governance issues, requiring strategic adaptation. By integrating SWOT and TOWS analyses, this study provides recommendations for LPPKN's strategic development, aiming to foster a resilient environment that supports Malaysia's population well-being and family dynamics.

Do environmental courts drive corporate green innovation? A study based on double machine learning

AbstractTo investigate whether environmental court (EC) can drive corporate green innovation (GI) and the specific driving mechanisms, this study utilizes panel data from A‐share listed companies from 2003 to 2019. Employing a dual‐machine learning model, it explores the specific impact of EC on GI, the influencing pathways, and their heterogeneous effects on GI with different motivations, modes, and targets. The findings revealed that (1) EC significantly promote GI, a conclusion that remains valid after a series of robustness tests. (2) EC primarily drive GI through two pathways: deterrence and alert mechanisms. (3) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that EC exert differentiated impacts based on the varying motivations, modes, and targets of GI. In terms of motivation, compared to strategic GI, EC have a more significant promotional effect on substantive GI. As for the mode, EC can clearly enhance the level of utilization GI, but their promotional effect on exploration GI is not yet apparent. Regarding targeting, EC contribute more marginnally to GI in source control than in end‐of‐pipe. These empirical findings deepen our understanding of how EC promote GI. Furthermore, this study reveals the potential role of dual‐machine learning in solving environmental governance issues.

The Impact of Government Sukuk Emissions on Islamic Banking Activities in Indonesia

<p><em>This paper aims to explore the crowding-out effect in the context of Islamic economics. Specifically, has the government's issuance of sukuk resulted in a decrease or even a negative impact on the financing growth of Islamic banks? In order to examine this effect, we use monthly data from all Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia from January 2008 to December 2023. This study employs autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) for data analysis. The results indicate that the growth in outstanding government sukuk is negatively and significantly related to the financing growth of Islamic banks, especially in the short term. In the long term, the growth in outstanding government sukuk tends not to have a significant effect on banking activities. Therefore, the growth of outstanding government sukuk has directly hampered Islamic economy and banking development.</em></p>

Glitter or gold? Deriving structured insights from sustainability reports via large language models

Over the last decade, several regulatory bodies have started requiring the disclosure of non-financial information from publicly listed companies, in light of the investors’ increasing attention to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues. Publicly released information on sustainability practices is often disclosed in diverse, unstructured, and multi-modal documentation. This poses a challenge in efficiently gathering and aligning the data into a unified framework to derive insights related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Thus, using Information Extraction (IE) methods becomes an intuitive choice for delivering insightful and actionable data to stakeholders. In this study, we employ Large Language Models (LLMs), In-Context Learning, and the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) paradigm to extract structured insights related to ESG aspects from companies’ sustainability reports. We then leverage graph-based representations to conduct statistical analyses concerning the extracted insights. These analyses revealed that ESG criteria cover a wide range of topics, exceeding 500, often beyond those considered in existing categorizations, and are addressed by companies through a variety of initiatives. Moreover, disclosure similarities emerged among companies from the same region or sector, validating ongoing hypotheses in the ESG literature. Lastly, by incorporating additional company attributes into our analyses, we investigated which factors impact the most on companies’ ESG ratings, showing that ESG disclosure affects the obtained ratings more than other financial or company data.

Does state capital equity affect ESG performance of private firms?—based on the perspective of sustainable development of Chinese enterprises

Along with the intensification of global ecological problems, corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have attracted extensive attention from the investment community, and solving these issues is crucial for sustainable development. However, little is known about the research on equity structure reform on corporate ESG performance, especially state-owned capital on private firms' ESG performance. To this end, we utilize the panel data of 1,589 privately listed firms in China from 2013 to 2021 to explore the impact of state-owned capital on the ESG performance of private firms. The findings suggest that state-owned capital significantly improves the ESG performance of private firms. In addition, the results of mechanism analysis indicate that state-owned capital stimulates ESG performance through the dual path of improving the mitigation of external financial constraint problems and internal control environment problems. We also find that firms' external environmental shocks enhance the extent to which state capital injection into private firms enhances ESG performance, and these external environmental shocks include the strength of environmental regulation in the region, whether the firms' attribute is that of heavily polluting industries, and the strength of external media attention. In summary, our findings support the conjecture that state capital injection into private firms will be followed by enhanced ESG performance, and the external environment is a factor that influences this process. Our study may provide lessons for the sustainable development of private firms and dig deeper into the internal root causes and external shock factors.

The cycling boom in German cities. The role of grassroots movements in institutionalizing cycling

Cycling rates have grown consistently over recent years in cities across the globe. Nevertheless, the lack of policies to promote cycling results in dissatisfaction among cyclists in many cities. In response to this situation, local grassroots initiatives have emerged to pursue more ambitious cycling policies in German cities. However, there is limited knowledge of how grassroots movements influence the cycling policy agenda. Against this background, our article explores the relevance of the grassroots movement “Radentscheid” in four major German cities (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg) regarding institutionalizing cycling policymaking. By combining exploratory document analysis, expert interviews, and an analysis of secondary data, we show that the development of cycling over the last two decades in these cities follows three stages: (i) Commitment, when cycling is put on the political agenda; (ii) Imbalanced growth, characterized by a strong increase in cycling but little progress in cycling policies and a decrease in cycling satisfaction; and (iii) Institutional adaptation, when cycling becomes a key issue for local governments due to the pressure from the grassroots movement “Radentscheid”. This paper closes with a discussion of the main results and policy recommendations.