State Governance Research Articles

Scientific Legacy of Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov and the Problems of Modern Strategy

This paper represents an effort to bring new light to the unique scientific legacy of the Soviet Marshal B. Shaposhnikov. By applying his cautionary advice to the present day, we can identify the underlying causes of the decline in strategic thinking among the world’s leading powers. Strategic theory, as a method of scientific analysis, sits at an intersection of disciplines. Born of military thought, it soon caught the attention of historians. Today, the field of strategic theory is being increasingly contested by political scientists and foreign affairs analysts. The disconnect between strategy and policy remains one of the most dangerous pitfalls in state governance. While the problems, achievements and contradictions of strategy usually appear topical and relevant, they are best revealed in a wider historical context.

Managing Tax Compliance Through Collective Action Framework in Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) Goal: Lesson from Three Indonesian Cities

Objective: This study will examine how the government and citizens view taxes as a collective action in state governance for Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) goal. Method: This research used questionnaires with a purposive random sampling method to collect data, and the data was tested using Structural Equation Modeling with the Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) analysis. Results and Discussion: The results of the goodness of fit test of the three research areas show a significant value. The SEM-PLS analysis of hypothesis model testing results shows that all hypotheses are accepted in all three cities, but there are 3 hypotheses were rejected in one of the cities. The results of this study show a strong causal relationship between high levels of local tax payment compliance in the context of collective action. The Taxpayer Awareness variable influences the Taxpayer Compliance variable in Madiun and Mojokerto cities; however, in Probolinggo City, Taxpayer Compliance is influenced by Collaborative Governance. Increasing tax compliance is crucial for socio-economic development and contributes to the SDG 8 goal. Research Implications: Furthermore, the results showed that tax compliance is still in the low category. This challenges local governments to increase public awareness of the importance of paying taxes. Therefore, further research is needed to determine the collective action in increasing tax compliance warranted to achieve Indonesia's target of tax ratio rate.

The Cold War Resurgence: A Discourse on the Rivalry between ECOWAS and AES in West Africa

The Cold War, a descriptive of 45year (1945-1990) of ideological rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union, as well as their competing coalitions, which sought to contain each other‘s expansion and gain worldwide predominance has constituted one of the most notable events and a discourse topic in International Relations. Scholars have indicated the emergence of economic interdependence of states, the increasing need of societal security, environmental security, human security, the rise of capitalism and the role of non-states actors expounded within the various strands of liberal theory to have marked the end of realist/military construct of world politics that gained prominence during the Cold War. However, this research argues on the possible continuation of the old Cold War in the present contemporary era using the recent unfolding rivalry within the West African region as a case study. Recently, the Sahel region in West Africa has been confronted with political instability and security challenges, marked by the rise of insurgent movements, military coups and deteriorating state governance. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) was created in September 2023 by the three military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso as a counterweight to ECOWAS and the postcolonial influence of France and other Western allies. With the adoption of qualitative research method, depending mainly on secondary sources, this research examines the possibility of the Cold War resurgence between the two opposing blocs in West Africa (ECOWAS and AES), the prospect of the region becoming a proxy battleground through the involvements of opposing international allies (western and anti-western allies).

State policy for managing seismic territories in Kazakhstan

Despite the relatively small number of destructive earthquakes in modern times, their numerous faults mean that the danger of earthquakes is still high. The purpose of the study is to study the chronology of the earthquake in the territory of Kazakhstan and its consequences, as well as to identify the features of the state governance system for seismic activity in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The methods intended to analyze historical facts and describe public policies, as well as visualize maps of tectonic plates in the Almaty city were used in this study. The results showed that the most seismic zone in the Republic of Kazakhstan is the Almaty city, located on 27 tectonic plates. The Almaty city was twice subjected to devastating earthquakes; therefore, the recurrence rate of destructive earthquakes is high. In this regard, an effective earthquake mitigation policy is required to minimize damage. Besides, this study describes the state seismology governance system in Kazakhstan. The study results can be the basis for the development of comprehensive measures intended to reduce the destructive consequences for seismically active zones.

Power struggles and resource control in Sudan: Analyzing the dynamics of local communities, regional elites, and the state in Sudan's natural resource governance

This paper discusses the complex dynamics of natural resource governance in Sudan, focusing on the interactions between local communities, regional elites, and the state. With abundant natural resources such as oil, minerals, and fertile agricultural land, Sudan has great potential to advance its economic development. However, historical legacies of marginalization, socio-political inequalities, and centralized models of governance have turned this into a landscape marked by power struggles and conflict. Local communities, often dependent on these resources for their livelihood, experience issues related to their exclusion from decision-making, receiving low compensation, and environmental depredation. Regional elites position themselves as brokers, and use their socio-political influence to gain benefits from both the state and corporate actors at the expense of the local population. Meanwhile, central state governance strategies of national revenue generation often align with external investors and widen the rift with local and regional stakeholders. This paper highlights the fundamental causes of resource-related conflicts and inequalities in Sudan through a critical analysis of historical contexts, power dynamics, and governance frameworks. It advocates for an urgent need to adopt inclusive and decentralized governance structures that give priority to equity, sustainability, and the active participation of local communities in decision-making. The findings contribute to broader discourses on natural resource governance, conflict resolution, and sustainable development in resource-rich but politically complex nations.

The State Governance of Intellectual Capital as a Factor of Economic Growth: A Case of the Resource-Oriented Economy of Kazakhstan

The State Governance of Intellectual Capital as a Factor of Economic Growth: A Case of the Resource-Oriented Economy of Kazakhstan

Cities under state capitalism

State interventions in urban development and planning are not new to state capitalism, even though intensifying ‘muscular’ state responses to urban challenges can now be observed across the entire geopolitical and urban landscape. This viewpoint explores this intensifying connection between state capitalism, the capitalist state and urban governance. It argues that for strategic geopolitical and economic reasons states increasingly govern, regulate, manage and own parts of the urban built environment. However, regulatory intervention in the city cannot be mistaken for a return to the post-war development state which strongly focused on promoting spatial development and industrial policy and protecting social welfarism and labour conditions. Rather, the new state capitalism is about proactive market intervention so that states and their partners can profit from the growth, wealth and revenue that cities have to offer. As for that, this commentary concludes with four avenues for future research at the boundaries of state capitalism and urban governance. Examples from cities in the Global North, Global South and Global East are given to illustrate the broader argument. Shifting geopolitics are also discussed as a driver of state rescaling and reterritorialisation.

THE STATE, DEVELOPMENT, DEMOCRACY, AND PEACE IN UNRECOGNISED SOMALILAND

This study examines the national state-building experiment in Somaliland, an unrecognised state in the Horn of Africa, in the three decades after its independence from Somalia in 1991. There are three dimensions of national state-building in Somaliland discussed in this study, namely economic growth, political development (with a particular emphasis on democratisation), and peacebuilding. This study uses a qualitative-descriptive methodology, utilising previous studies and mass media publications to assess the role of the Somalilander state vis-à-vis those three dimensions. This study discovered that the Somalilander state and its government can be considered as a strong state. Furthermore, the Somalilander state has an instrumental role in encouraging economic growth by way of cooperation with national and foreign business interests, encouraging political development through a highly successful, novel method of democratisation and political institutionalisation through deliberation and consensus in cooperation with traditional and religious institutions present in the country’s territory, and encourages peacebuilding within the country’s territory by neutralising threats of terrorism and horizontal interclan conflict through inclusive state governance. This study also finds that the Somalilander government’s role is central in uniting the various clans and armed militia groups of the country into unified state institutions, in a way that is absent in southern Somalia. Therefore, this study finds that the “Somalilander Way” as practiced by the Somalilander government for the past three decades is a good example for other states in the world coming out from conflicts.

Ethnolinguistic peculiarities of the language of ‘power’ on the material of historical and legendary heroes of Yakuts

The article focuses on the study of the language of "power" based on the speech forms of Tyghyn Darkhan, a historical figure of the Sakha people, conducted within the framework of ethnolinguistic analysis. The relevance of the research is determined by the need for an in-depth examination of the phenomenon of leadership in the national settlements of the Russian Arctic, as well as the analysis of grassroots perceptions of state governance. This study, based on Yakut folklore materials, contributes to expanding knowledge about the mechanisms of power and leadership in northern sociocultural contexts. The novelty of the study lies in its first-ever approach to analyzing the language of "power" through the lens of Yakut folklore, which allows for the identification of unique features of political discourse. This opens up opportunities to analyze rhetorical strategies, manipulative techniques, and mechanisms for achieving balance in relationships between power and society. The research aims to analyze the language of "power" through the speech forms of Tyghyn Darkhan to identify the ways leadership qualities were constructed and power relationships were established in traditional Sakha society. To achieve this goal, folklore sources related to the image of the hero were studied, key linguistic tools were identified, and their functional roles in political discourse were analyzed. The methodological foundation of the study includes descriptive, comparative-historical, semantic, and discourse analysis. Particular attention is paid to the interpretation of texts in their cultural and historical context. The results demonstrate that Tyghyn Darkhan's language played a significant role in consolidating his authority, fostering social integration, and regulating societal relations. His rhetorical strategies combined traditional and innovative approaches, highlighting his importance for understanding the mechanisms of power in ethnic communities. The findings make a substantial contribution to the development of ethnolinguistics and political anthropology. Future research prospects include extending the analysis to the linguistic practices of other northern peoples, which will deepen the understanding of the role of language in sociopolitical processes in Arctic regions.

The role of the “third sector” in the political careers of men and women in Russia

Gender asymmetry in the distribution within Russian politics suggests the presence of a "glass ceiling" that does not allow women to fully realise their potential. Thearticle is devoted to the assessment of socio-political activity as social capital that helps women to co-opt into the state governance system and overcome internal restrictions. In world practice, public non-governmental non-profit organisations have come to be viewed as a special segment of the economy - the "third sector”. It plays an increasingly significant role in the development of civil society and influences the political sphere in Russia. The purpose of the study was to assess the third sector as a pool of recruitment to power. Using the method of retrospective biographical analysis of eight hundred successful acting politicians and managers of both sexes, an analysis of their incorporation into the state system was carried out, gender differences between political trajectories were identified. The most effective in structure were all-Russian public organisations with an extensive network of branches throughout the country, which allows them to accumulate social and administrative resources and successfully incorporate their representatives into government bodies. The partyliftfunctions successfully for both sexes. The analysis allows us to conclude that the third sector is a pool of recruitment into the country's political system; vertical mobility has a number of gender differences. For women, the social capital that allows for vertical mobility is a party career, experience in the system of public chambers, participation in the People's Front "For Russia" movement, as well as in professional and charitable NGOs. For them, activity in the public field is an effective way to build a political trajectory to any level of the power pyramid. The business community, through non-profit associations, tries not only to be useful to the state, but also quite successfully uses them to incorporate its members into various branches of government, but thisliftoperates mainly for men.

Traditionalism in China’s State Governance: Regional Specificity

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the increasing importance and influence of global and, at the same time, regional processes on the process of governance. The purpose of the article is to identify the regional specifics of traditionalism as a systemic phenomenon in the processes of state governance in China; in this case, we consider China as a region participating in global and transregional relations. Materials and Methods. The study is based on sociologist R. Redfield’s concept of social organization tradition, which distinguished between “big” and “small” traditions, and the adaptation of this concept in Chinese sociology. In order to identify the relationship between traditionalism and Chinese specificity of public administration in their historical aspect and to determine the current region-specific trends of traditionalism’s influence on public administration, scientific studies of Chinese sociologists were analyzed. Results. In particular, the systemic characteristics of traditionalism are examined along two interrelated dimensions: philosophical, which determines the value orientations of society, and practical, which aims to ensure stable social interaction. Special attention is paid to the “great state tradition”, which in modern Asia with China as an example manifests itself in the adaptation of traditional management concepts to modern conditions. The processes of penetration of traditional values into political discourse and ideology are studied, emphasizing that modern traditionalism is not a return to the past, but a tool for searching for arguments in the past to actualize modern managment concepts. Discussion and conclusion. The regional specificity of state governance is largely determined by the “big state tradition”, which remains a significant factor of the governance system in China, influences the “little tradition” and seeks ways to adapt to it. The practical significance of the article lies in the possibility of using its results in planning interaction with administrative departments and public structures of the PRC.

The experience of Tunisian public healthcare system toward decentralization to the reduction of health inequalities in low-, middle- income countries

From 2014 to 2021, Tunisian government had a firm will to implement a progressive decentralization of welfare state governance, as outlined in its democratic Constitution. The Tunisian public healthcare system was selected as a pilot sector for experimenting with decentralization to reduce disparities in access to and quality of health services across different regions. This paper aimed to formulate an effective strategy for healthcare system decentralization in low- and middle-income countries, drawing on past experiences of its implementation. Country case study resulted the best methodology to achieve that goal. Top heath management, figured out by regional hospitals’ directors, was consulted to describe the technical, managerial and cultural “heritage” collected during the development process of the decentralization reform in public healthcare system in Tunisia. Findings revealed the Tunisian healthcare system decentralization should be, in first instance, the establishment of different decentralization paths according with regional pre-conditions, and then, of common protocols and procedures at national level for overcoming current differences between Tunisian territories. Decentralization process must be tailored to the specific needs of the regional Tunisian contexts to be effective but with a national control on that. Drawing from the Tunisian experience, proposed suggestions were valuable for the definition of an effective national healthcare system decentralization reform strategy more generally in low- and middle- income countries, especially in Middle East and North Africa region’s countries. Due to the common recent democratic history and welfare state approach, these countries could use this “heritage” to apply effective decentralizing reform strategies for reducing territorial inequalities, in this case territorial health inequalities.

Taming the Leviathan? The Reason of State in International Law

Abstract In humanist political theory, the reason of state mostly described a course of action that did not follow the usual criteria of law but rather what was useful. Nonetheless, a broader understanding of the reason of state focused on the community’s core values. Such common interests (ius status or ragion di stato) could be contrasted with, and balanced against, those of the international community (ius gentium or ragione delle genti). According to the latter view, the reason of state did not abolish the rule of law. Rather, it indicated state governance to preserve public safety (conservare lo stato). The article investigates how Alberico Gentili (1552–1608), a religious refugee and Regius Professor at the University of Oxford, transplanted the reason of state from political theory into the law of nations while subjecting it to natural law (ius naturalis), which can be compared to the contemporary notion of jus cogens.

Conflict of interest: approaches to the implementation of the definition in the legislation of Ukraine

The article continues the scientific and legal discourse surrounding the definition of «conflict of interests». The relevance of this topic stems from the growing incorporation of the concept into public administration systems in countries integrating into the international community. At the national level, mechanisms for preventing and managing conflicts of interest are developed by implementing international treaties and adopting methodological recommendations from international organizations, which provide the organizational and legal framework. However, the specific features of state governance and legal traditions influence how the concept is applied within a country’s existing political and legal system. While many scholars have explored the issue of conflicts of interest, the approach to its conceptual implementation within national legal frameworks, in our view, remains underdeveloped. The definition of «conflict of interests» and the approaches to its application in law-making and law-enforcement activities remain subjects of debate. This article examines current approaches to defining the definition of «conflict of interests» and explores modern strategies for creating a legal framework to address conflicts of interest in Ukraine. It also highlights the law­enforcement aspect of the issue. The article argues that the integration of anti-corruption laws with professional ethics standards into a unified legal system in Ukraine is largely declarative. Moreover, it is noted that the current legal definition of «conflict of interests» lacks the precision, clarity, and certainty required for legal norms. In conclusion, the article emphasizes that a clear conceptual understanding the definition of «conflict of interests» is essential for shaping national policies aimed at preventing and managing conflicts of interests. The article emphasizes the importance of mechanisms for regulating the professional behavior of officials as an essential aspect of the concept of conflict of interests.

מאבק על הייצוגים האתניים של יהודי טורקיה במדינת ישראל הצעירה

During the period of mass immigration from 1948 to 1951, over 34,000 Jews migrated to Israel from Turkey, constituting about five percent of all immigrants arriving in Israel during that period and about one-tenth of all immigrants from Asia and Africa. During those years, the State of Israel was engaged in absorbing Jewish immigrants on an unprecedented scale and attempting to integrate ethnic groups perceived as non-modern into an Israeli melting pot. From the establishment's perspective, the connection of immigrants from Asia and Africa to their home countries was often viewed negatively due to their being perceived as pre-modern or developing and because of the definition of most of these countries as ‘enemy states.’ Against this backdrop, immigrants from these regions were widely considered to be passive agents in the formation of state governance mechanisms and even as a burden on the ‘absorbing establishment.’ In March 1949, however, Turkey became one of the only countries to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. This development not only enabled Turkish immigrants to maintain cultural, political, and even national ties to their country of origin—unlike most MENA countries—but also allowed them to position themselves as strategic players in promoting Israel’s foreign affairs. In this article, we examine the efforts of prominent leaders of the Turkish Jewish community in Israel to leverage their unique position as part of an internal struggle among these leaders over the community’s status and identity. We identify two separate systems of self-representation: one – led by Shabtai Dinar, a Foreign Ministry official and local Turkish leader affiliated with Mapai – was aligned with the Labor Movement and the Mapai establishment narrative; and the other – represented by the journalist Yitzhak Yaish (Yaech) – was relatively democratic and incorporated a variety of grassroots voices, including opposition perspectives. To examine these diverse and contrasting images, we identify, for the first time, two types of sources: material from the ‘Major Archive,’ (the Israel State Archives), which primarily deals with the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey and the involvement of Turkish Jews in that process; and material from the ‘Minor Archive,’ namely community newspapers in Israel, which reveal elements not documented by the establishment. Drawing on the case of Turkish Jews in Israel, we propose a reevaluation of the intricate interplay between grassroot voices and ‘establishment’ voices in the formation of new ethnic communities in Israel.

Features of investigating cybercrimes committed in a military environment

The article examines the peculiarities of investigating cybercrimes committed in a military environment. It emphasizes the threat of criminal activity in the military cyberspace as a major factor negatively impacting critical information infrastructure, particularly state governance systems, essential services, energy, transportation, nuclear and chemical industries, and the banking sector. The article identifies and analyzes factors that complicate the pre-trial investigation process, including limited capabilities for documenting the scene of the cybercrime and the evidence collected, the risk to the personal safety of investigators and law enforcement representatives during investigative activities in areas of active hostilities, the presence of a specialized entity committing the criminal offense, and potential resistance from military unit commanders in cases of improper execution of their duties that facilitated the commission of the crime by their subordinates. Special attention is given to finding solutions to these problematic issues, resulting in the formulation of proposals aimed at improving the quality of investigations into criminal offenses in military settings committed in cyberspace. The article outlines the prospects for further research in this area, which include the continued development of methodologies and standards for conducting investigative activities considering the specifics of military cyberspace, forecasting the implications of implementing international practices, particularly from NATO member countries, into domestic forensic technologies, as well as enhancing technological innovations to improve the quality of investigations into criminal offenses in military environments committed in cyberspace.

JIRGA IN AFGHANISTAN: ITS FUNCTIONS, CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

The Afghan “Jirga” system is considered one of the most ancient and well-respected institutions widely used for resolving civil and criminal disputes. The Jirga operates on a basic mechanism, which includes local customs and traditions. It offers swift, accessible, and affordable justice to the local communities. This paper aims to examine the Jirga, and its functions as a traditional mechanism for dispute resolution while identifying contemporary challenges, and evaluating their prospects in Afghanistan. The study seeks to provide insights into how the Jirga system can evolve to meet modern demands while preserving its cultural significance and effectiveness in local dispute resolution. The research adopts a non-doctrinal and library-based research methodology. The research used explanatory, descriptive, and analytical approaches. Non-doctrinal legal research adopts an empirical approach, focusing on collecting and analysing data. It employs techniques such as surveys, interviews, observations, and statistical analysis to gain insights into the dynamics between law and society. In this part, some interviews were conducted with the Jirga professionals to collect data. The library-based research involves gathering, explaining, and analytically analysing existing academic and scholarly sources like textbooks, journal articles, authoritative reports, academic conferences, and scholarly databases. Despite its advantages, this paper identified a number of challenges with the Jirga such as human rights concerns, inclusivity, and some contradictions with Shariah provisions and Afghan statutory laws. This research is significant for policymakers, scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders interested in the integration of the traditional justice system with state governance and the promotion of peace and justice in Afghanistan.

Transgressive Acts: Michel Foucault's Lessons on Resistance for Nurses.

In this paper, we bring together Foucault's biography and oeuvre to explore key concepts that support the analysis of nurses' acts of resistance. Foucault reflected on the power relations taking place in health services, making his contribution especially useful for the analysis of resistance in this context. Over three decades, he proposed a nonnormative philosophy while concomitantly engaging in transgressive practices guided by values such as human rights and social justice. Hence, Foucault's philosophy and public activism are an apparent contradiction, but we argue that when analysed together they allow for a different understanding of his work. We describe the evolution of the concept of resistance in Foucault's work, supported by the approaches of Brent Picket (1996) and Miguel Morey (2013). Foucault started his work considering the idea of transgressiveness as it connects to being at the margins of society. He then spent considerable time elaborating the concept of power and identifying resistance strategies as forms of power exercise. In doing so, he considered that people engage with social change from multiple positions, including limited desire for change, fomenting reforms, or engaging in everyday revolutionary acts. As he further elaborated on power relations and defined resistance, Foucault asserted that resistance involves both repressive and productive dimensions of power, governance of biological life, state governance, and deliberate practices of illegalisms. Finally, Foucault shifted his attention to the freedom of ethical subjects, proposing the use of counter-conduct and counter-discourses to speak truth against oppression. Such framework offers a comprehensive lens for analysing nurses' acts of resistance within the complexities of the healthcare system and in society. In summary, Foucault's conceptual framework on resistance expands the role of nurses, to understand them not only as caregivers, but also as political agents capable of confronting and transforming oppressive institutional practices.

Self-Regulation as an Alternative Mechanism of Private Governance and Dispute Resolution in Russia and Kazakhstan

The article seeks to explore self-regulation as an innovative, effective legal mechanism of private governance of any economic or professional activity and dispute resolution, which aims to substitute state regulation and thereby limit state interference in the economy. The research methodology consists of the critical analysis of scholars’ publications, different legislative acts and judicial practice of their enforcement in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan as well as finding legal uncertainties and gaps and making solutions for their settlement in the sphere in question. Special attention is paid to the comparative method. On the examples of the law of these two countries, it is argued that self-regulation as such lays down the freedom of economic activity guaranteed in the constitutional, business and other legislative provisions and stipulates uniting the subjects of economic or professional activity within a self-regulatory organization mainly under the scope of corporate law. It includes (a) setting standards and other rules for pursuing any economic or professional activity by members of a self-regulatory organization; (b) monitoring compliance with such requirements and applying different alternative methods of resolution of legal disputes with the participation of its members. Such corporate normative acts adopted by non-governmental actors are suggested to be recognized as a specific type of source of private law to be clearly enshrined in the present legislation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. Unlike recommendatory documents of most non-profit organizations, they are mandatory and can be enforced through legal instruments determined in the special legislation on self-regulation. It allows the proper balance of private and public interests under the joint state and private governance of economic and professional activities. The article also stipulates enlarging the application of self-regulation to digital and other new spheres, which require a lot of rules to be adopted.

The Role of Islam in Shaping Pakistan's Political Identity and Governance

This study examines the influence of Islam in shaping Pakistan’s political identity and governance, analyzing the ways Islamic principles and values have been integrated into the nation’s constitutional and institutional frameworks. Since its inception, Pakistan has sought to balance Islamic ideology with modern statecraft, creating a unique model of governance that intertwines religious ideals with political structures. This paper investigates the historical foundations of Islam's role in Pakistan’s political development, exploring how Islamic concepts have influenced legal, social, and policy domains. By studying key constitutional amendments, political movements, and policy shifts, this research sheds light on the complex relationship between religion and state governance in Pakistan, highlighting both the achievements and challenges of incorporating Islamic ideals into contemporary political systems.