Sectoral Ministries Research Articles

Climate mainstreaming via national climate funds: the experiences of Bangladesh and Ethiopia

ABSTRACT A number of countries have established national climate funds to finance climate actions. This paper explores how these funds help to mainstream climate change and examines the barriers they encounter in the process. The analytical framework uses a process-based understanding of policy integration to examine how financial incentives are able to support climate mainstreaming. Methodologically, this paper examines the experience of the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund and Ethiopia's Climate Resilient Green Economy Facility. Policymakers, officials related to the funds, and other stakeholders were interviewed. This paper finds that national climate funds sought to achieve mainstreaming by engaging with sectoral ministries. Such engagement was expected to lead to changes in sectoral and system-wide policy goals and instruments. The three main approaches for sectoral engagement were: serving as implementing entities, participating in fund governance, and via in-house climate change units. The findings underscore how finance received by the funds shapes programming, how the lack of detailed plans limit the ability of policies to pull in the finance desired, and the inconsistent role played by climate change units. A disaggregated approach to climate mainstreaming allows us to identify where and how financial incentives can be useful.

Nutrition education competencies of agricultural extension workers in Uganda

ABSTRACT Purpose To determine the nutrition competency level and training needs of agricultural extension workers (AEWs) in Uganda. Design/Methodology/Approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four districts with 61 private and 163 public AEWs. Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires and analysed using means, Chi-square and Mean Weighted Discrepancy Score. Findings AEWs require 9 core competence domains: Basic nutrition; Nutrition needs of household members; Hygiene and sanitation; Post-harvest handling; Planning and resource allocation among others. AEWs were above average competence in most (8) competency domains. Private AEWs perceived themselves to be more competent (( = 4.26) than the public AEWs (), χ2 (224) = 20.1182, p = < 0.01). Prioritized needs by public and private AEWs were; Understanding nutrition needs of different household members, Farming systems that promote nutrition and Postharvest handling and food safety. Practical Implications Pre-service and in-service training of AEWs should focus on the identified core competence domains and the priority training needs respectively, depending on the organization contexts. Theoretical Implications This study demonstrates that the competency profile of AEWs should include community based nutrition education. Situations where private AEWs have higher capacity than their public sector counterparts, present an opportunity for cross-learning. Originality/Value Community based nutrition education has been traditionally the mandate of health sector ministries, and the capacity requirements of AEWs who are not nutrition experts has been contested. This study provides empirical evidence regarding nutrition education competence needs of AEWs to enable them ably complement other sectors in multi-sectoral nutrition policy contexts.

Relationship between Internal Organizational Communication and its Effect on Managers' Performance (Case Study of Afghanistan's Sector Ministries from 2010-2019)

Relationship between Internal Organizational Communication and its Effect on Managers' Performance (Case Study of Afghanistan's Sector Ministries from 2010-2019)

How Production Factors Affect Sustainable Development in a Region

The paper assesses how production factors affect the sustainable development of Yakutia, a Russian region. The function of sustainable development assumed here is the total shipments of the region’s administrative districts. The function of territorial arrangement of production has the following factors as variables: agglomeration, labor, capital, and infrastructure security. Analysis uses statistics on those factors over 2006-2017, operational data from sectoral ministries, and the 2002/2010 National Census data. The research applies integral assessment of the factors reduced to dimensionless values of 0 to 10 for comparability. Shipments are adjusted for inflation, with 2006 prices being used as the baseline. For price comparison, the value products shipped from industrial districts at global prices is adjusted for exchange rate fluctuations. The next step is to compute the coefficients of correlation between these factors and the total shipments with a breakdown by type: agriculture vs industry. A sufficient retrospective, an array of comparable data, and multiple correlation analysis have produced an output that is close to the actual situation in the region’s economy.

Developing a middle-range theory to explain how cash transfers work to tackle the social determinants of health: A realist case study

Abstract Cash transfers (CTs) are increasingly high on the agenda of most governments and development partners in low-and middle-income countries. Even though burgeoning evidence points to CTs’ impact on the social determinants of health (SDoH), there is little evidence about how and why CTs work to influence the SDoH. This paper reports on a realist evaluation aimed at developing a middle-range theory that explains how CTs influence the SDoH by exploring program mechanisms of change and associated contextual factors. Qualitative interviewing was employed including key informant interviews (N = 36), in-depth-interviews (N = 32) and focus groups with program beneficiaries (N = 12), and observations. The study found that at the meso level, key mechanisms of collaboration and inter-sectoral working, formalisation of roles of service providers, and a shared vision across sectors were important to both the implementation and outcomes of CTs. Contextual factors that influenced program mechanisms at the meso level include active involvement of sector ministries and their decentralised departments in program policy formulation and design, availability of resources, and availability of a single registry containing information on program beneficiaries. At the micro level, program mechanisms of change identified include household empowerment, needs prioritisation and choice making, risk taking behaviour, program awareness, and beneficiaries’ voice in program decision-making and implementation. Contextual factors that influence the micro mechanisms are categorised into structural factors (e.g. community/beneficiaries’ involvement in decision-making), geographical factors (e.g. availability and access to quality services), community factors (e.g. availability of market and economic opportunities), and individual level factors (e.g. psychological context of poverty and child motivation). This realist evaluation provides evidence-based understandings regarding CTs mechanism of change in the contexts within which they operate, and can inform CT policy, design, implementation, adaptation and future evaluation.

BASES OF MODERN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

The economy of an industrial society was divided into material production and non-productive sphere, based on the differences in their reproductive processes and the opposition of production and consumption. The entire service sector acted only as a tool for bringing the finished material goods to its consumer or as a prerequisite for the creation of this good. Science is a system of knowledge of humanity about the objective laws of development and functioning of society, nature and production and technical systems, and simultaneously the activities of people to accumulate and systematize this knowledge. In the industrial economy, fundamental applied science developed relatively independently, with applied science − in the sphere of material production. In the administrative-command economy, these two branches of science were divided organizationally: the Academy of Sciences functioned and still functions as an independent mega-structure, and applied science was applied to sectoral ministries and after their liquidation almost lost funding. Meanwhile, all institutions of science are united by the community of the ultimate goal of the activity, the nature of the labor process, the means and subjects of work, the personnel, though, for applied science characterized by particularly close ties with production enterprises, where the effect of innovations is realized. The orthodox economic theory, which originates from A. Smith and D. Ricardo, analyzes technological progress with the help of production functions, but does not explain its role in the development of the economy and does not contribute to its implementation. According to V. Mayevsky, the IMF’s recommendations for transition economies, the adoption of which led to certain negative consequences, is the most striking evidence of this. The scientific and technological revolution is a simultaneous interconnected, and originates from the fundamental discoveries of science, the transition to a new technological structure. If the upheavals in science and technology as breaks of graduality in their development took place throughout the history of the development of society, the scientific and technological revolution, based on a change in the quality of the links between science and production, takes place for the first time. In modern conditions, an active role in production is played not only by instruments but also by objects of labor, and the functions of workers are far from being reduced to the movement of tools of production, but primarily include the search, analysis and creative use of new information, the organization of communication with colleagues and customers. The effectiveness of their work is connected not only with education, experience and skills, but also with personal qualities, norms of behavior, the ability to use new technologies.

Towards effective and sustainable disaster risk management in Nepal: challenges and gaps

Geo-hazards, dynamic Himalayan tectonics, high seismicity, predominant soft rock (argillaceous) formations, steep slopes, rugged (high elevation difference) terrain, when mistreated would trigger-disasters. These natural factors exacerbated by unplanned developments together with impacts of global climate change have further scaled-up disasters in Nepal. Common natural disasters in Nepal impacting the livelihoods of the people below poverty are: earthquakes, floods and landslides. The return period of former is longer (+/- 70 years)but catastrophic, e.g. Gorkha-earthquake, while latter ones are recurrent and chaotic.&#x0D; Substantial efforts have been made on disaster risk reductions (DRR) both by the state and non-state organizations. Contributions from sectoral ministries led by the Ministry of Home Affairs are primarily focused to legal provisions, strategies and policies while the departments are mandated to implement sectoral activities through projects and programs. Post Gorkha-earthquake rescue and relief operations demonstrated an exemplary solidarity among national, bilateral and international organizations. Reconstruction works are rather slow and still being continued. Despite substantial DRR efforts, outcomes are not satisfactory to the desired extent, whether it is earthquake or are floods and landslides across the country as per media and public voices reported.&#x0D; This paper aims to analyse some key questions towards effective and sustainable disaster risk management in Nepal against existing challenges and gaps in the backdrop of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030. A theory of change that would help improve effectiveness and sustainability of disaster risk management (DRM) in Nepal is envisioned and discussed

The territorial politics of land use planning in Laos

This paper examines land use planning processes in Laos, particularly how they are shaped and reshaped by key actors’ interests and strategies across scales and how they are closely interlinked with state logics of territorialization. It critiques dominant perspectives that view land use planning as a tool for bridging policy and institutional divides to generate holistic land governance. Instead, it presents land use planning as a function of power and a contested arena of power struggle, driven primarily by the development targets of sectoral ministries and the interests of powerful local actors. We show how bureaucratic competition and sectoral fragmentation prevail directly within Laos’s National Land Master Plan formulation process. The paper shows how the logics of land governance in Laos are comprised of a disjuncture between national and local land use planning processes and, a disconnect between formal land use planning and actual land use across scales.

Ensuring the quality of basic service delivery in decentralised local governments through the Minimum Service Standard policy: how does it work

This paper discusses the impact of the implementation of Minimum Service Standard (MSS) policy on the quality of basic services district/city governments deliver to their citizenry in Indonesia. One of the expectations of the decentralisation policy, which got underway in 1999 was to contribute to the improvement of the quality of public services. The issuing of Indonesian Government Regulation (GR) No. 65/2005, which outlined guidelines on setting and implementing MSS for all sectoral ministries was very much in line with that process. Study results obtained from a survey of the local government officials attest to the reality that most local governments are yet to implement the 15 MSS set by the 15 sectoral ministries. Some of the factors that have hampered the implementation of MSS include lack of clarity on substance of MSS policy (unclear concept of basic services and MSS; variety of approaches used in various sectoral ministries, such as input, process, output and outcome), and constraints that implementing organisations face (insufficient budget allocation and human resource capacity, unclear functional assignments, and lack of integration of MSS in local government development plans).

Ensuring the quality of basic service delivery in decentralised local governments through the Minimum Service Standard policy: how does it work

This paper discusses the impact of the implementation of Minimum Service Standard (MSS) policy on the quality of basic services district/city governments deliver to their citizenry in Indonesia. One of the expectations of the decentralisation policy, which got underway in 1999 was to contribute to the improvement of the quality of public services. The issuing of Indonesian Government Regulation (GR) No. 65/2005, which outlined guidelines on setting and implementing MSS for all sectoral ministries was very much in line with that process. Study results obtained from a survey of the local government officials attest to the reality that most local governments are yet to implement the 15 MSS set by the 15 sectoral ministries. Some of the factors that have hampered the implementation of MSS include lack of clarity on substance of MSS policy (unclear concept of basic services and MSS; variety of approaches used in various sectoral ministries, such as input, process, output and outcome), and constraints that implementing organisations face (insufficient budget allocation and human resource capacity, unclear functional assignments, and lack of integration of MSS in local government development plans).

Інституціоналізація системи координації європейської політики: досвід Польщі.

The article is an analysis of the Polish European policy coordination system and its planned changes regarding both its institutional structure as well as its current legal and institutional development. The analysis is supported by an elaboration on the European Union’s (EU’s) general matters coordination system as one of the most important aspects of the Europeanization of EU Member States (MS). The central thesis of this article proposes that the Polish coordination system is not based on a single, clear model (although it has been influenced by certain solutions applied in different models), but rather it is inconsistent, stretched between ambitions to include European issues in the daily operations of public administration institutions and the tendency to treat European issues as a political tool. The models of coordination are briefly presented in the article. The level of efficiency of European policy coordination in Poland is briefly characterized in the article mainly considering the Metcalfe scale and the World Bank benchmarks. The article also indicates Poland's coalition potential in voting in the European Council. The current system of co-ordination in Poland (set up by the reform of 2009) is based on dual center, namely on Committee for European Affairs, located in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and reporting to the PM as well as on Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The reform of 2009 was necessary to efficiently prepare the Polish Presidency in the Council of the European Union (2011). In the system decentralization is steadily challenged by the tendency to centralize, sectoral ministries have relatively large autonomy, but are nevertheless steadily challenged by the MFA, PM, the minister responsible for European affairs (yet with weak political power as a deputy minister in MFA), finally (since 2015) by strong political leader of PiS. The Polish coordination system is planned to be replaced by one main center in the PMO, with the MFA providing a supporting role. The strong influence of the PM in EU coordination models usually leads to centralization and better efficiency of representing policy preferences at the European level. In comparison, systems lead by the MFA are more efficient in implementing EU policies. Law and Justice – the Polish ruling party (PiS) - is planning to shift the center of the coordination system to the PMO for the purpose of centralization and easier control by the Prime Minister (or, as many analysts state, by the leader of PiS), as well as to make it more efficient. This is related not only to the fact that the position of the MFA in Poland is recently rather weak and of the PM quite strong but also to the fact that Poland has been involved in numerous conflicts with the EU institutions over the question of rule of law, which has increased necessity of involvement of politics into Poland-EU relations. However, the planned reform may deprive professional and highly-skilled public administration employees of influence on this process. It can also undermine the Polish participation in the multi-level activities of EU institutions, impeding the Europeanization. Taking into consideration the fact that Polish EU policy is rather reactive, centralizing the system and making it more politicized can bring clearer, better-grounded and stronger voice regarding Polish policy preferences in the EU. However, it can also make this voice more radically nationally-oriented than ever before.

Облікова політика щодо основних засобів як фактор підвищення ефективності управління.

Achieving the tactical and strategic goals that are set by the company is impossible without a thoughtful accounting policy as the basis of an effective accounting system. The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and sectoral ministries provide guidance on the methodology for accounting policies for accounting areas. But in practice, many businesses formally refer to accounting policies, while duplicating methodological recommendations or regulations, do not take into account the specifics of their activities and accounting cycle. Therefore, research into the content of accounting policies is interesting in terms of improving management effectiveness. Despite the considerable amount of research on this topic, the content of accounting policies for fixed assets remains relevant and needs further research, given the dynamics of economic processes in the world and Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to investigate the content of accounting policies in terms of the impact on the effectiveness of management of fixed assets. The elements of accounting policies for fixed assets and problems that arise in accounting practices in their formation are analyzed in detail. Taking into account the identified problems, the algorithm of the accounting policy-making process is proposed and the macro- and micro-level factors that influence the components of accounting policy are distinguished. According to the results of the research, it is established that a balanced accounting policy for fixed assets can improve management efficiency, achieve the goals set, optimize the costs of the enterprise. The focus of further research will be to consider accounting practices for the implementation of policies on fixed assets of the domestic enterprise.

REGIONAL LEADERS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THEIR IDEAS ON ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT IN 1965–1985, SIBERIA*

The study defines the positions of the first secretaries of the Siberian regional committees of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in the field of economic management in 1965 – 1985. After sector ministries had been restored, regional CPSU leaders declared that management institutions had to be moved to production centers, thus demanding the organization of inter-regional sector bodies on their territories. The paper shows how regional initiatives were supported by the central party-state bodies that introduced public debates and kept sending letters to the CPSU Central Committee, the heads of the USSR Council of Ministers, and the USSR State Planning Committee. The author managed to reveal the conflicts between the first secretaries of the regional committees of the CPSU. The conflicts were caused by the growing need to control the territorial administration bodies of the allied ministries and departments. One may conclude that the regional party bodies intended to strengthen the coordination of the local economic policy. However, the policy was controversial: on the one hand, there was a need to eliminate the redundant management levels of sector ministries and departments; on the other hand, there was a strong motivation to increase the staff of sector departments of regional and regional party committees.

AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX OF THE RIVNE REGION IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 1960S

It is noted that in the early 1960s in the Ukrainian SSR economy the "negative tendencies" caused by the imperfection of activities of Regional Economic Soviets, as well as a number of subjective factors (significant shabbiness of the basic production funds, deformed structure of the allocation of productive forces, slowing down in real income growth). While analyzing the agro-industrial complex of the Rivne region, the successes and failures of the party-Soviet leadership in the development of major industries and agriculture are shown, and the shortcomings of the heads of individual industrial enterprises are pointed out. It was stressed that the Lviv Regional Economic Soviet and its management paid insufficient attention to subordinate enterprises. He weakly supervised their work and did not provide specific assistance in overcoming their backwardness, nor provided qualified personnel. It has been shown that such programs as accelerating technological progress in all industries, improving technical and economic indicators in industry and construction, as well as implementing the experience of enterprises that have effectively used capital investment, have minimized labor costs per unit of output, remained unfulfilled. Solving these problems would allow increasing the level of industrial production, to solve the problem of employment of unemployed people, to use natural resources more effectively. The author argues that the economic reform of 1965, which helps to the restoration of a centralized governance model based on Union-wide sectoral ministries and agencies, was inevitable. Further research prospects are the analysis of the living standards of the USSR population in the 1950s and 1960s in the context of the current socio-economic and socio-political processes. Keywords: Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU), Rivne region, industry, economy, economic stagnation, State Planning Committee of the USSR.

Assessing Coherence between Sector Policies and Climate Compatible Development: Opportunities for Triple Wins

Climate Compatible Development (CCD) aims to deliver adaptation and mitigation without compromising development progress. To date, adaptation, mitigation and development related to key climate-sensitive sectors have often been treated separately. This paper uses qualitative document analysis, content analysis, expert interviews and a multi-stakeholder workshop to: examine the extent to which policies in climate-sensitive sectors align in framing adaptation, mitigation and development action; and identify key areas of policy coherence in Ghana. The paper answers the following questions: (i) To what extent are Ghana’s agriculture, energy, water, forest and wildlife sector policies aligned with climate adaptation, mitigation and development? (ii) What is the extent of policy coherence amongst climate-sensitive sector policies? (iii) Where are the key intervention points available to enhance CCD activities? Findings demonstrate that Ghana’s climate-sensitive sector policies in agriculture, water, energy, forest and wildlife arenas have elements that demonstrate good alignment with adaptation, mitigation, and development priorities. However, as yet, there is only “limited coherence” between climate-sensitive sector policies. The paper identifies the following intervention points: (i) the need to attach greater importance to the threat posed by climate change to agriculture; and (ii) the need to address the lack of inter-agency and inter-ministerial approaches for building partnerships with other stakeholders. Multi-stakeholder workshop discussions highlighted significant challenges relating to limited coordination amongst institutions and agencies, limited institutional capacity and a lack of resources in ensuring coherence. This requires strengthening of national institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide appropriate mechanisms to ensure effective collaboration amongst climate-sensitive sectors to deliver “triple wins”. The EPA could exert greater influence by nominating “climate champions” in sector ministries.

Report on Corporate Governance in State-owned Enterprises – the Polish Perspective

Since the last Polish parliamentary elections in 2015, some deep changes have been announced in the legal framework of state-owned companies. The changes are supposed to be mainly targeted at setting different rules of remuneration policy of the boards’ members compared to private-owned companies. They are meant to conquer recognised abuses in management and supervision areas of state-owned companies, which have not been overcome by recent, quite liberal legal regulations, nor by self-limitation and self-control. In addition corporate governance in Polish state-owned enterprises is facing massive changes. At the beginning of 2016, former Minister of Treasury Dawid Jackiewicz announced liquidation of the Ministry of Treasury in January 2017, and the revision of State’s supervision over the SOE. After liquidation of the Ministry of Treasury, ownership rights over SOEs will be exercised by sector ministries. The aim of the paper is to analyse the implementation of Chapter II of the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises’ provisions into Polish legal order governing state-owned enterprises.

Estimation of costs in the Russian public procurement system

The growing attention of governments, international organisations and NGOs to public procurement issues over the last two decades has been accompanied by many studies on the efficiency of public procurement. However, few researchers have considered the costs of procurement regulation for public customers and private suppliers. This problem is especially acute for the public procurement system in Russia. In this paper we propose an approach to measuring public customers' procurement costs. We test this approach with the data on a large Russian public customer: Voronezh State University. We show that the proposed approach is universal and can be applied at a micro level by other public customers to measure the efficiency of their procurement and to optimise the costs. This approach can also be used as a basis for a larger inquiry into the costs and effectiveness of procurement at the level of regional authorities or sectoral ministries.

СОЗДАНИЕ ФИНАНСОВО-ПРОМЫШЛЕННЫХ ГРУПП В РОССИИ НА РУБЕЖЕ XX – XXI ВВ.

Thе article deals with the process of creating financial-industrial groups (FIGs) in the Russian Federation at the turn of the 20th - 21stcenturies. It analyzes the historical specificity of the formation of large industrial and financial associations in the post-Soviet period. The structure and mechanism of FIGs functioningare considered there. The author shows in detail the main stages of FIGs development, which were caused by the objective economic and political processes in the country. Despite the fact that all modern Russian industrial and financial associations appeared in the post-Soviet period, under the conditions of the USSR planned economy there was amassed some experience of construction and operation of large associations within the Soviet ministries of gas, aviation, automotive and other industries. In their scope and forms they resembled Western corporate structures. It was suchan industrial base which formed the basis of Russian FIGs. There are bright examples of creating Russian fi nancial-industrial groups on the basis of the former Soviet sectoral ministries -“Lukoil” and “Gazprom”. Among other things, FIGs were based on large commercial banks,that is public and private associations. Besides, the article describes the regional and interstate financial and industrial groups, as well as public corporations, which appeared in the 2000s. Within a relatively short period of time, Russian FIGs managed to pass a difficult path from the simplest corporate structures to diversified financial-industrial associations. At the turn of the 2010s, it was the state policy in the field of FIGs which largely influenced the future of the Russian economy, its opportunity to “fit” in the world balance of forces in the conditions of the sanctions declared by the West, and, to some extent, Russia’s formation of the direction and essence of perspective macroeconomic processes of globalization. In the difficult economic conditions, FIGs became a donor of funds for the Russian economy.

The Impact of Political based Recruitment’s Dimensions on the Quality of Governmental Services in Palestinian Public Ministries

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of political based recruitment (PbR) dimensions on the quality of governmental services in Palestinian public ministries. The study examined the impact through four major independent variables, which are: independency of decision making, fairness in providing governmental services, official job abuse for personal interest, and self-autonomy of the organization. This study followed the statistical analytical approach, by using a questionnaire as data collection tool, which were distributed among public employee who are working as department directors and directors on charge in social sector ministries. Results showed that decisions making independency and fairness in providing governmental services have significant effect on quality of governmental services (QoGS). The study recommended that the principle of equal opportunities in appointing senior positions must be applied the Palestinian public senior positions.

Climate policy integration in the land use sector: Mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development linkages

This article re-conceptualizes Climate Policy Integration (CPI) in the land use sector to highlight the need to assess the level of integration of mitigation and adaptation objectives and policies to minimize trade-offs and to exploit synergies. It suggests that effective CPI in the land use sector requires i) internal climate policy coherence between mitigation and adaptation objectives and policies; ii) external climate policy coherence between climate change and development objectives; iii) vertical policy integration to mainstream climate change into sectoral policies and; iv) horizontal policy integration by overarching governance structures for cross-sectoral coordination. This framework is used to examine CPI in the land use sector of Indonesia. The findings indicate that adaptation actors and policies are the main advocates of internal policy coherence. External policy coherence between mitigation and development planning is called for, but remains to be operationalized. Bureaucratic politics has in turn undermined vertical and horizontal policy integration. Under these circumstances it is unlikely that the Indonesian bureaucracy can deliver strong coordinated action addressing climate change in the land use sector, unless sectoral ministries internalize a strong mandate on internal and external climate policy coherence and find ways to coordinate policy action effectively.