Governance Reform Research Articles

POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION AND INSTITUTION BUILDING IN CAMEROON

Cameroon has been embroiled in prolonged conflicts, including the Anglophone Crisis and the Boko Haram insurgency, both of which have deeply impacted the nation's socio-political fabric. The central problem is the breakdown of institutions, displacement of populations, and socio-economic instability, necessitating urgent post-conflict reconstruction. This study aims to explore the key challenges and barriers to reconstruction, assess the roles of national and international actors, and analyze strategies to build institutions for sustainable peace and stability. The research draws on hybrid peace and conflict transformation theories and adopts a qualitative research design, relying on secondary data sources. Through an in-depth analysis of official documents, scholarly articles, and reports from international organizations, this study provides a comparative examination of similar post-conflict settings, such as Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Data were systematically analyzed to identify key themes related to governance, security, and institutional reform. Findings reveal that political instability, lack of decentralization, and limited financial resources significantly hinder effective reconstruction efforts. Governance challenges, including corruption and centralization of power, impede institution-building, while socio- economic issues, such as ethnic and linguistic divisions, further complicate peacebuilding efforts. International actors and NGOs play a vital role but often lack coordination, limiting the effectiveness of their interventions. The study concludes that Cameroon’s post-conflict reconstruction requires comprehensive reforms. Decentralization, inclusive governance, and accountability must be prioritized. International efforts should align with local needs, emphasizing long-term development over short-term aid. Effective security sector reform, alongside strategies for institutional capacity-building, will be essential to fostering peace and preventing future conflict.

Negotiating Urban Development in Africa: Transnational Communities of Embedded Support in Dar es Salaam

ABSTRACTThis article brings together recent debates in urban and development studies to illuminate the understudied politics and compromise involved in the rollout of globally funded urban development in Africa. The argument presented builds on a detailed analysis of the World Bank's urban development portfolio in Tanzania, with a specific focus on the Dar es Salaam Metro‐politan Development Project, to draw attention to the disjuncture between rising urban investments and persistently low levels of city‐level autonomy in urban Africa. Challenging views of cities as either active agents or mere subjects of urban development, the article focuses on the negotiation strategies that have been employed by donors and recipients alike to enable the continued disbursement of urban development funding. The pragmatic and non‐confrontational nature of these negotiation strategies is illustrated by highlighting the role of a transnational community of urban development professionals who contribute to embedding local support for policy reform from within. It is argued that while this community has been key to enabling the massive growth of the World Bank's urban lending portfolio in Tanzania, it has also contributed to undermining effective local government reform, thereby reshaping conventionally assumed pathways and understandings of urban agency and development.

IMPACT OF POLITICAL APATHY ON THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA

This study investigates the multifaceted impact of political apathy on the democratic process and governance in Nigeria, with a focus on local government elections in Ogun State. Through a descriptive research design, data was collected from 230 male and female adults in Ogun State, employing stratified and simple random sampling methods. Statistical analysis, including means and correlation analysis, was utilized to examine factors contributing to political apathy, manifestations of apathy, and its consequences on governance. The findings revealed widespread agreement among respondents regarding factors contributing to political apathy, including corruption, ethnic and religious divisions, and socio-economic disparities. Moreover, low voter turnout, limited civic engagement, and elite capture of political institutions are identified as manifestations of political apathy, undermining democratic principles such as representation and accountability. The consequences of political apathy on governance are profound, exacerbating socio-economic inequalities and eroding democratic legitimacy and accountability. Recommendations are provided to address these challenges, including comprehensive governance reforms, promotion of civic engagement, and initiatives to address socio-economic inequalities. These findings underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to combat political apathy and revitalize democratic governance in Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in political processes.

The Law of Natural Resources Management for Economic Prosperity: A Critical Analysis of Law No. 3 of 2020 on Mineral and Coal Mining

This research critically analyzes Law No. 3 of 2020 on Mineral and Coal Mining, focusing on its impact on natural resource management for economic welfare in Indonesia. Utilizing a normative legal research method, the study examines the law’s potential to strengthen the mining sector and increase its contribution to the national economy. While the law aims to boost investment and revenue, it faces significant challenges related to environmental sustainability, local community rights, and governance. The findings reveal that criticisms of Law No. 3/2020 underscore the need for a more balanced approach, ensuring that economic interests do not compromise environmental protection and social justice. To achieve sustainable, fair, and transparent mining sector management, governance reforms and stronger law enforcement are essential. This will ensure that Indonesia's natural resources are managed equitably for the benefit of all, not just a select few.

Sustainable development goals and environmental performance: Exploring the contribution of governance, energy, and growth

This study investigates the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, governance quality, and economic growth on environmental sustainability across frontier, emerging, and developed economies from 2001 to 2021. The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are environmental sustainability measures. The study addresses potential endogeneity issues through advanced econometric techniques and explores the differential impacts of energy sources, governance structures, and economic factors on environmental performance. The findings reveal significant variations in how these factors influence environmental sustainability across frontier, emerging, and developed economies. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between renewable energy consumption and governance quality with environmental sustainability, while non-renewable energy consumption exhibits a negative association. Economic growth emerges as a crucial factor influencing both environmental performance and the advancement of SDGs. This research contributes to the expanding literature on environmental sustainability by presenting a comprehensive analysis of its determinants across different economic contexts. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, underscoring the importance of tailored approaches to energy policy, governance reforms, and economic development strategies in the pursuit of environmental sustainability goals.

PwC Involved in Evergrande Financial Scandal: An Ethical Crisis for the Auditing Profession?

This article discusses PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) involvement in the Evergrande financial scandal and its implications for the audit profession. The scandal exposed PwC's failure to detect and report significant financial discrepancies that led to the collapse of Evergrande, one of China's largest property developers with more than $300 billion in debt. The findings highlight weaknesses in the audit process as well as a lack of effective regulatory oversight. PwC, as one of the Big Four accounting firms, faced severe sanctions in the form of a $62 million fine and a six-month ban on operating in China. The article also explores how the scandal exacerbated the loss of public trust in the auditing profession, which is perceived as failing to maintain the integrity of financial reporting. This analysis offers important lessons about the need to strengthen ethical rules, auditor independence, and accountability in the audit process. In addition, the research recommends reforms in oversight and corporate governance to prevent similar crises in the future. This article is expected to contribute to efforts to improve audit quality and restore public confidence in the global financial system.

Sustainability of Local Public Finances from the Perspective of Territorial Disparities in the Rural Areas of Romania

The sustainability of local public finances is of general interest in the context of the socio-economic transformations of recent decades. In former communist countries such as Romania, where there has been no real reform of local government, this interest is heightened by the strong disparities between administrative units that have adapted to the new context and those that, for various reasons, have become dependent on government subsidies to be able to function. Using information derived from the budget execution for 2019–2023 at the level of the administrative units in rural areas, this study analyzes the structure of income and expenditure budgets. The territorial disparities are demonstrated by typological analyses showing strong regionalization, with a well-defined income or expenditure structure profile. In the same sense, multivariate analysis which uses a series of illustrative demographic and socio-economic profiles as explanatory variables shows significant correlations with the structure of local budgets. It is thus possible to distinguish certain regional patterns, depending on the level of development, geographical position, or quality of infrastructure. The study results demonstrate the need for genuine administrative reform to reduce the dependence of local budgets on subsidies and increase their self-sustainability, especially in rural areas.

Analysis of Regulatory Quality, Interagency Coordination, and Institutional Capacity on the Effectiveness of Public Services in Jakarta

This study examines the impact of regulatory quality, interagency coordination, and institutional capacity on the effectiveness of public services in Jakarta. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 100 respondents working in Jakarta’s public service sector. A Likert scale (1-5) questionnaire was employed to measure perceptions of the governance factors and service effectiveness, and the data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS 3). The results reveal that all three governance factors—regulatory quality, interagency coordination, and institutional capacity—significantly and positively affect public service effectiveness, with institutional capacity having the strongest influence. The findings highlight the importance of governance reforms aimed at improving regulatory frameworks, enhancing interagency collaboration, and strengthening institutional capacity to ensure efficient public service delivery in Jakarta. This research provides key insights for policymakers to optimize governance systems for better public sector performance.

Governance quality and sustainability: Uncovering the moderating role of commitment and assessment

Corporate governance reform in Indonesia after the Asian financial crisis and global scandals shows a lag in effectiveness, with the lowest governance rating of 33.6 in 2020. Despite regulatory improvements, weak leadership commitment and failure of governance implementation hinder improvements. In-depth evaluation and reform are needed for significant improvement. Governance quality and commitment are important for sustainability, but the study has limitations. This, raises violations in governance and sustainability, which requires further exploration of external variables and factors. This study integrates RBV to understand the effect of governance assessment and quality on corporate sustainability on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study assesses the effect of Commitment (M1) and Governance Quality (X) on Sustainability (Y) to show significant results. This study explanatory uses a survey with a Likert Scale to evaluate commitment, governance, and sustainability involving management with a higher education background, using a questionnaire distributed via email and WhatsApp. This study uses the SEM-PLS procedure with SmartPLS 3.2.9 to test the relationship between variables and construct validity, as well as model evaluation. This study shows that Commitment (M1) and Governance Quality (X) have a significant influence on Sustainability (Y), with T Statistics of 6.494 and 3.431, and p-values of 0.000 and 0.001. In contrast, Assessment (M2) has no significant influence, with T Statistics below 1.96 and p-value greater than 0.05. The blindfolding analysis model shows a Q² for Sustainability (Y) of 0.539, with R² of 0.756 and R² Adjusted of 0.744. Future research should explore additional factors or different methodologies to deepen understanding.

Governance and health system reform: a case study of new health regions in Ireland, 2018-2023

Abstract Background While the significance of good governance is recognised within health systems research, its role in health system reform is underexplored. This research focuses on the establishment of new decentralised regional health structures in Ireland in the period 2018-2023, examining how aspects of governance impacted the decentralisation reform process, from policy design through to implementation. Methods The research applied a qualitative, multi-method approach involving analysis of official documents relevant to the regional decentralisation process, and 12 semi-structured interviews with key informants from across the health sector. The research applies the TAPIC framework for health governance as its analytic framework and the data is analysed using thematic analysis. Results Deficiencies in accountability arrangements, poor transparency within the system and vis-à-vis external stakeholders, and a lack of clarity of roles and responsibilities for various process and key decisions related to the reform were identified as undermining progress at various stages of Ireland’s decentralisation reform process. An underlying distrust between key institutional actors was identified. These findings are grounded in complex social, cultural, and political and institutional developments in Ireland’s history. Also of note is the interwovenness of the five TAPIC domains and the importance of engaging with the complexity and relationality intrinsic to health system reform processes to achieve the aim(s) of the reform in question. Conclusions Large scale health system reform is a complex process and its governance presents distinct challenges and opportunities for stakeholders. To understand and address these, critical analysis of the historical context surrounding the policy reform and the institutional relationships at its core are needed. Key messages • Governance plays a crucial if overlooked role in health systems reform. Effective governance arrangements are central to the successful design and implementation of reform initiatives. • Ensuring a strong link between policy design and implementation processes is crucial to the success of health systems reform.

Comparative analysis of Indonesia's economic resilience in the Asia-Pacific context

Background: economic resilience, defined as the ability of an economy to absorb and recover from shocks, is crucial for sustainable development. This study aims to assess and compare Indonesia's economic resilience with other Asia-Pacific countries in the post-COVID-19 era. Methods: Using Briguglio's theoretical framework, the study evaluates economic resilience through four key dimensions: macroeconomic stability, microeconomic efficiency, governance, and social development. Data from 2019 to 2023 were collected from international sources such as the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP. Finding: The results indicate that Indonesia consistently ranks lower on the Economic Resilience Index (ERI) compared to its regional peers. The country's underperformance is particularly evident in microeconomic efficiency and governance, where it lags behind more resilient economies like Singapore and New Zealand. However, Indonesia has shown gradual improvements in social development indicators, suggesting a positive trend in human capital development. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for Indonesia to implement significant reforms in market regulation, governance, and social infrastructure to enhance its economic resilience. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of economic resilience in the Asia-Pacific region and provide actionable insights for policymakers aiming to strengthen Indonesia's economic stability and sustainability. Novelty: This study is among the first to apply Briguglio's framework to a comparative analysis of economic resilience across Asia-Pacific countries in the post-COVID-19 context, with a specific focus on Indonesia. The research highlights the unique challenges and opportunities for Indonesia in building economic resilience, providing new insights into the specific areas where policy interventions are most needed.

The Effects of Governance-Related Regulatory Reform: Ownership Structure and Earnings Management in Vietnamese Listed Firms

The purpose of this study is to examine how the influence of the internal corporate governance mechanism, namely ownership structure, on firms’ earnings management (EM) practices and insider choices between accrual-based and real EM changed after regulatory reform in Vietnam. The author considers the role of three ownership types, managerial, state and foreign, and assess how the relation between ownership structure and EM was affected by the Code of Corporate Governance reform. The study relies on a comprehensive sample of 4,408 firm-year observations of 596 firms listed on either the HOSE or HNX between 2008 and 2016. The study finds a significant effect of the reform on the relation between ownership structure and EM. Thus, the reform mitigated agency problems of managers and foreign investors in Vietnamese listed firms. The study contributes to the literature as it provides a more complete picture of the effects of managerial, state and foreign ownership on EM where the protection of minority investors is generally weak and legal enforcement is low in a developing economy.

Executive pay restrictions, political promotion, and firm efficiency: Evidence from China

Using the mandatory reform in executive pay restrictions within Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a quasi-natural experiment, we investigate the effects of compensation incentives and political promotion on firm efficiency. Our difference-in-differences analyses reveal that firm efficiency significantly decreases following the reform, and political promotion can attenuate this negative association. Firm risk-taking is a potential mechanism underlying this observed phenomenon. The negative relationship and mitigation effect are more pronounced for central SOEs and commercial class II SOEs. Furthermore, these findings exhibit variations based on distinctive attributes in compensation structures, CEO characteristics, and political promotion ranks. Overall, our study underscores the complementary roles of explicit and implicit incentives within SOEs, providing a strong rationale for government regulation and reform of executive compensation.

Rational Use of Water Resources in Agriculture (In the Case of Uzbekistan)

Efficient water resource management is critical for continued agricultural development, especially in regions like Uzbekistan where lack of water has been a major challenge. Sticking with Central Asia, Uzbekistan is another country that relies heavily on its agricultural sector and uses more than 90% of its freshwater assets. This research wants to assess the current water management practices in Uzbekistan agriculture, examine their efficiency and identify potential improvements. This is a mixed-methods study, including field surveys, irrigation performance data analysis and case studies from multiple sites in Uzbekistan. The findings suggest that traditional methods of irrigation, especially furrow irrigation, dominate agriculture resulting in considerable amounts of evaporation and infiltration losses within the irrigated farms. Drip and sprinkle systems fall under future irrigation alongside modern irrigation technology to maximize water consumption efficiency by gaining around 40%. Furthermore, water governance reforms and policy changes aimed at freeing up 'water for money'/stimulating demand for water-saving technology are viewed as critical steps to long-term water sustainability. This insight suggests that we can, and must do the right thing by improving agricultural water resource management, so that food demand is met without depleting finite quantities of critical water supplies. These findings should improve understanding of water resource management in arid areas and offer tangible solutions for policy makers and farmers in Uzbekistan. Development of better irrigation methods and effective governance approaches will be critical to sustaining agricultural production coupled with environmental protection.

X-raying Human Rights Violations by Government Agencies in Nigeria's Democratic System of Government

Respect for human rights is diminishing within Nigeria's democracy, with the political elite often acting with impunity and ignoring the rule of law. Gender discrimination and exclusion of marginalized citizens persist in politics. This study investigated human rights violations by government agencies in Nigeria, with the aim of enhancing understanding of the situation and proposing policy recommendations for promoting human rights. The study employed a descriptive survey research design, with 150 individuals randomly selected from government agencies in Lagos state. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, with the analysis focusing on patterns in conversations, text, and activities. The findings reveal the emotional and systemic impacts of government agencies' human rights violations, calling for sweeping reforms and enhanced accountability. Respondents also stress the complexity of accountability challenges and advocate for a collaborative approach. They offer valuable strategies, including government reforms, civil society involvement, education and awareness, learning from successful examples, and using media and digital platforms to promote human rights and accountability. The study concluded that the findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive and collaborative efforts to address the multifaceted challenges of human rights violations in Nigeria. This requires the involvement of all stakeholders, including the government, civil society organizations, and the media. Sweeping reforms and enhanced accountability mechanisms are essential to ensure justice and the protection of human rights for all Nigerians. This study provides a valuable overview of human rights violations by government agencies in Nigeria's democratic system of government. The findings highlight the need for urgent action to address the root causes of these violations and to ensure accountability for perpetrators. The study's recommendations offer a roadmap for promoting human rights and strengthening democracy in Nigeria.

Impact of Indonesia's Forest Management Units on the reduction of forest loss and forest fires in Sulawesi

The establishment of Forest Management Units (Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan/ KPH) represents one of Indonesia's most significant forest governance reforms, covering the 120 million hectares of designated Forest Areas. Sharing features with the Landscape Approach, KPHs are expected to reduce deforestation and forest degradation through improved forest planning, oversight, open access avoidance, and fire prevention and response. This paper assesses the impact of KPHs on the reduction of forest loss, including forest loss due to fire, and the factors that influence this impact (e.g. KPH's primary objective, deforestation risk). We use remotely sensed data to estimate difference-in-differences models accounting for differences in baseline characteristics and multiple time periods. Our case study, Sulawesi Island, is primarily shaped by smallholder farmer land use, where KPHs can exert significant influence. We do not find evidence of an overall effect of KPHs on deforestation. However, we observe intriguing heterogeneous effects depending on the year, including significantly less deforestation in already-established KPHs during the El Niño years of 2015–16, and a notable impact on the reduction of forest loss due to fire in some early-established KPHs. These findings warrant further investigation.

The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement: Ambitious progress or business as usual?

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s proposal for a Pandemic Agreement, released in April 2024, at first blush, seems laudable (WHO 2024a). The failure of governments to coordinate a response to COVID-19, as implored by the WHO and the United Nations (UN) at the beginning of the pandemic, underlines the urgent need for reform in the global governance of pandemics. This editorial considers: how has the Agreement progressed to date? And will it adequately prepare societies to tackle future pandemics?

The Influence of Business Ethics and Diversity on ESG Disclosure: Empirical Evidence from Indonesian Firms

This study examines the impact of corporate governance mechanisms, board characteristics, and ethical leadership on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance in Indonesian companies. The analysis investigates how board ethics, independence, tenure, ownership structure, and other governance factors influence ESG scores. The findings reveal that board ethics and independence significantly improve ESG performance, supporting the role of ethical leadership and resource dependence theory in shaping corporate sustainability. Additionally, the study highlights the role of institutional ownership in driving ESG outcomes, particularly in emerging markets. Cultural factors, such as board culture, also contribute to the variability in ESG performance, suggesting the importance of aligning corporate governance practices with local values and global sustainability standards. The results have important theoretical implications, extending corporate governance theories to the context of developing economies. Practically, the findings provide insights for policymakers, corporate leaders, and investors to enhance ESG performance through effective governance reforms and ethical leadership. This study offers a significant contribution to the growing literature on ESG in emerging markets and provides a foundation for future research on corporate sustainability in different institutional settings.

Does local government debt promote firm green innovation? Evidence from the Chinese local government debt governance reform

Green innovation is a crucial strategy for fostering a green economy and achieving sustainable development. This paper focuses on the role of government debt in the sustainability of firm green innovation, particularly in the context of Chinese local government debt governance reform in 2014 (CLGDGR2014). By analyzing annual data of Chinese publicly listed firms from 2011 to 2018, the study explores the impact of CLGDGR2014 on firm green innovation and the underlying driving mechanisms. The findings suggest that CLGDGR2014 improves the firm green innovation, by alleviating firms' financing constraints and underscoring the productive function of local government debt in advancing new infrastructure development. The further analysis explores the impact of various types of debt on green innovation after CLGDGR2014 and indicates that explicit local government debt has a promoting effect while implicit local government debt is not obvious. In conclusion, this research offers new insights into leveraging and managing local government debt to stimulate green innovation.

Two-tier corporate board structure, corporate governance reforms and financial performance of firms listed on the China stock market

Two-tier corporate board structure, corporate governance reforms and financial performance of firms listed on the China stock market