Weak State Institutions Research Articles

Citizen monitoring in environmental disclosure: An economics perspective

Criticism is mounting that market-led and state-led initiatives for environmental impact disclosure are too limited in scope and that they rest on too strong assumptions about the quality and impartiality of monitoring and enforcement, with resulting insufficient effect on environmental sustainability. It has been proposed that citizen monitoring may contribute to counteract this void. However, to our knowledge, policy analysis in general and economics in particular has not paid much attention to this role of citizen monitoring. This paper aims to bridge that gap from an economics lens, by exploring the dynamics of disclosing local environmental impact and the potential role of citizen monitoring in environmental policy. To this end, the paper addresses monopolistic versus pluralistic environmental disclosure, letting citizen monitoring represent the latter. The study uses the mining industry as an illustrative case, because of that sector's particular transparency challenges in international value chains, typically with strong negative local environmental impact. It is shown how pluralistic information provision such as citizen monitoring can contribute to incentivizing more reliable information provision, especially in countries with weak state institutions, which is particularly important in the case of high-risk environmental impact. The findings should be of use for shaping environmental policy, providing valuable insights for both policymakers and scholars.

Domination, Collaboration and Conflict in Cabo Delgado's History of Extractivism

A long history of extractive industries and activities have shaped the societies of northern Mozambique, and the Cabo Delgado province in particular. For centuries, the growing international demand on local resources had a great impact on the northern micro-societies. The demand for cheap labour and natural resources, ranging from ivory and cotton, to timber, rubies, land, gas and more, involved thousands of local actors in its extraction, reproducing systems of local power. The persistence of poverty, inequality and conflicts, as well as simmering and sometimes grand-scale violence, fits into a long-term trend of extractivism. Through a historical approach and field observations, we focus on the political economy of extracting natural resources. We point out the persisting basic patterns of extractivism that accompanied Mozambique's integration into global markets, and continued or even deepened, in the post-independence period. These activities are oriented towards foreign markets. They are instigated by foreign investment, but invariably carried out in collaboration with a chain of national gatekeepers. In a clientelist system, local elites resort to their proximity to the state to reproduce their power, often at the expense of state expropriation. Weak state institutions have the functional effect of reproducing the elites, also serving the interests of extractivist capital. It is, however, a system with many and profound contradictions, producing conflict and violence, which also recurrently put those interests at risk.

Poverty in Nigeria: Potential Aggravating Factors

Nigeria has grappled with poverty for decades despite the abundance of natural and human resources. This study explores poverty from the income and multidimensional perspectives and reconnoitres some contemporary challenges that might potentially perpetuate poverty and snowball its level in Nigeria. This study is anchored on the state fragility theory. The study utilised the qualitative research method based on literature search from secondary sources including journal articles, books, institutional documents, and newspapers. Information was also sourced from verified internet materials, while data was descriptively analysed. Contemporary issues like weak state institutions, inflation and weak local currency, unemployment, gaps in infrastructure, corruption, poor access to health, and security challenges are conduits to keep the majority of Nigerians in poverty, and dip more people into poverty. The study recommends that government should strengthen state institutions to address these contemporary issues to alleviate poverty in Nigeria. Positive attitude towards challenges through adherence to good values and value re-orientation is also recommended.

Migrant remittances and diaspora policies in Africa

Recent years have seen a substantial increase in remittances from diaspora communities to their home countries, prompting developing economies to establish and enhance institutional mechanisms. These mechanisms aim to channel and leverage the emotional connections of emigrants to their native lands for economic purposes. This article concentrates on the influence of migrant remittances on the formulation of diaspora policies in Africa. It closely examines two clusters encompassing a total of 8 states recognized as leaders in terms of migrant remittances’ share in GDP and their absolute value, respectively. The article evaluates three primary categories of tools and practices that structure diaspora cooperation: formal institutional means, economic tools, and socio-cultural practices. The research applies a neo-institutional approach, conceiving diaspora policy as a network of interconnected practices across various spheres. By comparing cases within and between these clusters, it demonstrates diverse approaches to developing diaspora cooperation mechanisms. Additionally, the authors outline the most promising pathways for advancing diaspora policies while identifying existing barriers.They advocate for the establishment of distinct platforms for diaspora representation, deepening cooperation between origin and host states, and extending certain diaspora policy mechanisms to subnational and supranational levels. However, the development of diaspora politics in the examined cases is impeded by insufficient resources, weak state institutions, and state reluctance to cede control over their population's interaction with external actors. Despite the prevalent notion that the evolution of diaspora cooperation mechanisms correlates with the volume of migrant remittances, empirical analysis within the African context exposes the explanatory limitations of such a model.

Determinants of transnational organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean: an analysis of socio-economic drivers

The article analyzes the socio-economic factors that determine the development of transnational organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. The reasons for the development of this phenomenon in the region can be divided into poor governance, corruption, low level of human development, problems of inequality and social mobility, as well as the geostrategic position of the countries of the region. The article focuses on the comparison of the most and least vulnerable to organized crime countries in Latin America. The author concludes that the most common factors are weak state institutions, high levels of corruption and social inequality, and insufficient effectiveness of anti-money laundering measures. Venezuela, Mexico, Haiti and some other countries in the region are particularly vulnerable. To mitigate the risks, the author proposes a comprehensive approach that includes strengthening institutions, the rule of law, and combating corruption and inequality. The work makes a significant contribution to understanding the causes of the growth of organized crime in Latin America.

Looking beyond democratic backsliding: analysing the political economy context of Turkey’s regime trajectory through a mode of participation approach

ABSTRACT This article challenges the “democratic backsliding” accounts of Turkey’s recent regime trajectory that are conceptually premised on a neo-Weberian understanding of the relationship between the state and society/markets. It uses a “modes of participation” (MOP) approach that is informed by a Gramscian theorization of the state-society complex. It is argued that Turkey’s neo-liberal capitalist development during the Justice and Development Party (AKP) era has not been conducive to allowing for the formation of cohesive alliances in support of liberal democratic representation. Instead, the country’s already oppressed and divided labour force has further been fragmented under the neo-liberal economic policy, while its middle and business classes have supported democracy only when it has been in their interest, and intellectuals have been co-opted. Hence, the way the AKP governs Turkey is not because of weak or ineffective state institutions. It is rather rooted in the structural tensions in Turkey’s capitalist development that require the ruling elites’ mediation through a variety of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary mechanisms of resource allocation to maintain their dominant position in the political arena.

Terrorism, Trust, and Identity: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Nigeria

AbstractWe study the effects of terrorism on political trust and national versus ethnic identification. Making use of unexpected attacks by the extremist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, which occurred during the fieldwork of a public opinion survey in 2014, we show that even in a context of weak state institutions and frequent terrorist activities, terror attacks significantly increase political trust. We also find that the attacks significantly reduced the salience of respondents' national identity, instead increasing ethnic identification. These findings run counter to arguments that “rally around the flag” effects following terror attacks result from increased patriotism. The results have important implications for understanding the effects of terrorism in contexts of weak state institutions, frequent political violence, and politically salient ethnic divisions.

СТАРТАП-ПРОЄКТИ В СИСТЕМІ РОЗВИТКУ ТРАНСПОРТНОЇ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ УКРАЇНИ

The implementation of innovative projects, in particular startup projects, plays an important role in the development of the economy of a modern state. Transport and its infrastructure are a strategic area of a country's economy. Innovative development is relevant for the transport infrastructure of Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to investigate the potential for the development of startup projects in the functioning of the transport infrastructure and to assess the potential of public-private partnerships for ensuring the innovative development of Ukraine's transport sector.The study is based on the use of general scientific and special scientific methods of scientific knowledge. The method of system analysis was used to study the preconditions for the innovative development of the Ukrainian transport infrastructure. The system-structural method was used to study basic measures to develop startup projects.The state of development of Ukraine's innovative sector has been analyzed. The weaknesses and strengths, prerequisites for the restoration and strengthening of Ukraine's innovation potential are systematized. Weak state institutions, an unfavorable environment for innovative business conduct, an unfriendly financial system are threats to the development of the country's innovation potential and its transport infrastructure.The implementation of startup projects is a prerequisite for the successful functioning and progress of the economy on innovative principles. Factors that restrain the development of the national startup industry have been systematized. Slow development of the innovation ecosystem, a decrease in budgetary support for education and science, migration processes caused by war can destroy the advantages of the country in the innovation sector.The principles of public-private partnerships in the implementation of innovative projects, in particular startups, are defined in the article. The limitations and conditions for the innovative development of Ukraine's transport infrastructure are justified. The transport infrastructure has suffered significant damage during the war, and its resto ration should take place using innovative technologies. The absence of effective programs for using the mechanism of public-private partnerships in conditions of limited financial resources is an obstacle to the implementation of innovative projects.Conditions and peculiarities of forming startup platforms in the transportation sector are considered. The implementation of innovative projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of seaports in accordance with the concept of the «blue economy» is investigated. Increasing the stability of the transportation system is a relevant task of the modern era. Improving the tools of public-private partnership in the field of innovative development of transportation infrastructure is a prerequisite for reviving the country's economic system. The system of effective tools for such a partnership is the subject of further research. Keywords: startup projects, innovations, innovative projects, transport infra-structure, development

Уголовная ответственность за создание террористической организации и участие в ней

Introduction. Terrorism does not disdain to incur huge casualties among innocent civilians, and terrorist organizations do not and cannot have just motives for their actions. Terrorist organizations not only kill innocent people, but also destroy historical heritage, cause discord in relations between peoples and countries, which can lead to the termination of the existence of the state, its dismemberment into “appanage principalities”, and even peoples. Materials and methods. The research is based on the analysis of texts by Russian and foreign scientists, which can be divided into two groups: historical and legal. It is very useful to use such methods as historical, systematic, logical and sociological, as well as comparative legal and statistical methods of scientific cognition when studying terrorist organizations. Also, when studying the topic of the article, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, international legal acts, federal legislation, court decisions and departmental regulations were used. Analysis. Terrorist crimes are crimes committed with the aim of creating panic; the purpose of which is to instill fear in society, create a sense of insecurity, and influence decision-making by state bodies. Results. Countries with problems of unemployment and weak state institutions are the most favorable ground for the activities of terrorist organizations. The provision of a full-fledged education and the responsibility of the state to citizens are vital in solving the problem of eradicating terrorism. The norms of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on crimes of a terrorist nature are not always applied correctly, in addition, they are largely scattered in different parts. In this regard, it is necessary to further study the issues of qualification, it is necessary to improve legislation in the field of terrorism in order to achieve complete safety of life in the Russian Federation.

РЕЛИГИЯ И КУЛЬТУРА КАК ФАКТОРЫ ДОВЕРИЯ ВО ВНЕШНЕЙ ТОРГОВЛЕ

Growing tension around Russia in the global economy, the need to reorient foreign trade flows to countries that differ from Russia in cultural and religious aspects, as well as a growing number of publications aimed at studying economic effects of culture, religion and trust, makes it necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature on the influence of culture and religion on foreign trade activities. Based on the analysis of religious literatureand scientific empirical research and using the methods of systematization, generalization, meta-analysis, conceptual approaches of socio-cultural anthropology and cross-cultural psychology, the paper proposes a theoretical justification for the mechanism of the influence of religion and culture on foreign trade. Two approaches to the influence of culture on foreigntrade activity are theoretically substantiated. Within the framework of the first approach, the proximity of cultural values contributes to the growth of foreign trade activity. Within the second framework, cultural openness and tolerance for foreign cultures have limited potential to increase mutual trade. Based on the analysis of scientific and religious literature,three groups of channels of the mechanism of the influence of religion on foreign trade are substantiated. The first group of channels, which are based on a person's psychological perception of God and His deeds, includes: influence through the perception of entrepreneurial risk as God's providence and impact through the fear of trading partners before God's punishment for non-fulfillment of obligations. The second group of channels, the mechanism of influenceof which is based on the similarity and difference of religious dogmas, includes: influence based on different religious dogmas, influence through the trust of trading partners due to the similarity of religious values and influence through religious openness and tolerance towards other faiths. The third group of channels, the mechanism of which is based on institutional theories, includes: influence through the development of religious competition, the influence of religious institutions as an alternative to weak state institutions and the influence of religion as the basis of trust between trading partners.

Conflict, epidemic and faith communities: church-state relations during the fight against Covid-19 in north-eastern DR Congo

BackgroundUnderstanding and improving access to essential services in (post)-conflict settings requires paying particular attention to the actors who occupy the space left ‘empty’ by weak or deficient State institutions. Religious institutions often play a fundamental role among these actors and typically benefit from high trust capital, a rare resource in so-called ‘fragile’ states. While there is a literature looking at the role faith organisations play to mobilise and sensitise communities during emergencies, our focus is on a different dimension: the reconfiguration of the relationship between religion and health authorities impelled by health crises.MethodsWe analyse observations, interviews, and focus group discussions with 21 leaders from eight different religious groups in Ituri province in 2020–2021.ResultsFaith institutions handled the Covid-19 lockdown period by using and redeploying structures at the grassroots level but also by responding to health authorities’ call for support. New actors usually not associated with the health system, such as revivalist churches, became involved. The interviewed religious leaders, especially those whose congregations were not previously involved in healthcare provision, felt that they were doing a favour to the State and the health authorities by engaging in community-level awareness-raising, but also, crucially, by ‘depoliticising’ Covid-19 through their public commitment against Covid-19 and work with the authorities in a context where the public response to epidemics has been highly contentious in recent years (particularly during the Ebola outbreak). The closure of places of worship during the lockdown shocked all faith leaders but, ultimately, most were inclined to follow and support health authorities. Such experience was, however, often one of frustration and of feeling unheard.ConclusionIn the short run, depoliticization may help address health emergencies, but in the longer run and in the absence of a credible space for discussion, it may affect the constructive criticism of health system responses and health system strengthening. The faith leaders are putting forward the desire for a relationship that is not just subordination of the religious to the imperatives of health care but a dialogue that allows the experiences of the faithful in conflict zones to be brought to the fore.

Implementation of the Decisions and Judgments of African Regional Human Rights Tribunals: Reflections on the Barriers to State Compliance and the Lessons Learnt

There are three main regional human rights tribunals (HRTs) in Africa, namely the African Commission, the African Court and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. In addition to these, there are political bodies within the African Union responsible for implementing human rights mandates as well as several sub-regional courts established for the primary purpose of adjudicating trade disputes and facilitating political integration which have issued notable human rights decisions and judgments. Accordingly, Africa is not lacking in human rights jurisprudence. What is lacking, however, is genuine commitment on the part of state actors to implement the decisions and judgments of the various human rights bodies. This article examines the factors responsible for slowing down the pace and rate of state compliance in Africa. It argues, among other things, that compliance with HRTs' decisions in Africa has been limited due to poor supervision mechanisms, weak domestic infrastructures, weak state institutions caused by 'strong men syndrome' and poor observance of the rule of law, poor institutional designs of regional and sub-regional HRTs, lack of awareness and erroneous perceptions about international human rights system, ineffective follow-up as well as a poor system of governance in many states in Africa among other factors. The article notes that attitudinal barriers and erroneous perceptions about international human rights system are central to the various barriers and thus adequate attention should be given to changing negative attitudes and perceptions among states actors and members of the public in the various African states.

Partnerships between International NonGovernmental Organizations and Grassroots Organizations for Program Success in Developing Communities

International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) all over the world who seek to improve the lives of many through their various aid and development projects are all similarly interested in ensuring project longevity and sustainability. There has been rich literature on the obstacles to success and the potential remedies to them. This essay is inspired by the success of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, The Samburu Project, whose model of partnerships with local grassroots organizations (GROs) has allowed the organization’s projects to enjoy great success. Drawing upon the experiences of The Samburu Project as well as existing literature, this essay argues that INGOs and GROs possess unique complementary characteristics that make them critical partners for project success. These characteristics include the GROs’ closeness to a given community, whose local legitimacy is a means for INGOs to bypass weak and corrupt state institutions. On the other hand, INGOs possess the necessary resources, knowledge, and global legitimacy to empower GROs and can harness the power of the international community for altruism and political pressure. Finally, the essay acknowledges the important role of the state that can either impede or facilitate an INGO-GRO partnership for program success.

Why the First-Past-the-Post Electoral System is Elusive in Somalia

Abstract The hopes of Somalia transitioning to a democratic electoral system have once again dwindled following its recent decision to conduct the 2021/22 general elections using the old indirect clan-based model. Although this model has been widely faulted for being systematically unjust since it privileges the interests of the big clans, Somalia has for a long time relied on it to arrive at its political leaders. But the big question remains; why is it difficult for Somalia to transition to a democratic electoral system that will provide for competitive politics? The paper finds that implementing the proposed first-past-the-post electoral system in Somalia has proved difficult due to the following issues: A fragile security situation; weak state institutions; clan and sub-clan divisions; tensions between central government and federal member states; lack of political goodwill; financial and logistical challenges; and constant interference from external actors. The paper also observes that changing the electoral system is not the solution to the challenges facing the country. On the contrary, the cure to Somalia’s political conflict can only be found in its own traditional institutions. As imperfect as the clan-based model may appear, it has succeeded to a great extent in promoting unity among the different clans. It is against this backdrop that this paper recommends the strengthening of the old clan-based electoral system to realize a stable Somalia so as to pave way for democratizing the country’s electoral system in future.

Street-level bureaucracy in weak state institutions: a systematic review of the literature

The study of street-level bureaucracy has been dominated by research from the Global North. Mainstream conceptualizations are, therefore, based on observations from institutional contexts that may vary significantly from the working conditions of frontline workers elsewhere. This article takes stock of the growing body of literature on street-level bureaucracy in weak institutional contexts and brings together relevant insights from comparative political science and public administration into a coherent analytical framework. We identify four institutional factors that shape frontline working conditions and three behavioral patterns in frontline worker agency. These patterns in frontline agency – ranging from policy improvisation to informal privatization – can be understood as an institutional waterbed effect caused by institutional deficiencies, such as resource scarcity and accountability gaps: if the complexity of public service provision is not tackled at the institutional level, it is pushed towards the street-level where frontline workers cope with it in highly diverse ways. Points for practitioners Frontline workers in weak state institutions are commonly faced with highly precarious working conditions. If the structural preconditions for policy implementation and rule enforcement are unresolved, these complexities are pushed towards frontline workers that cope with them through informal privatization, policy improvisation, or alienative commitment focused on mere job survival. Frontline agency is an indispensable factor for understanding the selective and often distributive nature of service delivery and rule enforcement in the Global South.

Nigerian State and Industrialization Crises: A Lesson from Taiwan

This paper aims to examine the crises in Nigeria’s industrialization process with the view to further interrogate the causes and consequences of this lingering crisis on the development of the country. To this end, the development miracle of Taiwan is brought into perspective, chiefly to explore her success story as one of the newly industrialized countries, and to identify the gaps Nigeria was not able to fill from the experience of Taipei. Given the above, this research adopted secondary data analysis and desktop research designs. The data and literature collected were qualitatively analyzed based on the dominant themes. The results showed that a combination of factors were responsible for the failure of Nigeria’s efforts to industrialize and these are: Lack of political will, rent-seeking behaviour of the leaders or political elites; infrastructural deficits, inadequate education and skills development; weak state institutions, ineffective government industrialization policies, bad governance, inappropriate land policy, low level of technology, the relegation of the agricultural sector and insufficient flow of FDIs, etc. As a way forward, it was recommended that Nigeria should look at the experience of Taiwan and borrow a cue from her, where necessary.

Climate change, neoauthoritarianism, necropolitics, and state failure: the Duterte regime in the Philippines

ABSTRACT The Philippines is vulnerable to climate change and the natural hazards it has enhanced. The Philippines lacks peace, suffers from weak state institutions, and is a fragile state. Since 2016 President Rodrigo Duterte has embarked upon a war on drugs, claiming thousands of lives. This war on drugs is perceived to be a pretext for the establishment of an authoritarian government. The confluence of weak state institutions, a disregard for human rights, and weak public participation in environmental governance generates difficulty for coping with climate change in the Philippines. The intersection of climate change and state weakness is found in the violation of the human rights of environmentalists and the Philippines is among the leading countries in the world in terms of the number of environmentalists killed.

The impact of weak formal institutions on the different phases of the entrepreneurial process

While many studies examine the impact of weak formal institutions on nascent entrepreneurial activity, little attention is paid to how weak formal institutions affect the other three phases of the entrepreneurial process, i.e., intentions to start a business, new business activity, and established business. To fill this gap, this study examined how weak market and state institutions influence different phases of the entrepreneurial process. This study used data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the Index of Economic Freedom and the World Governance Indicators for 74 countries from 2008 to 2016, and applied multilevel modeling to conduct an empirical analysis. We found mixed effects of weak formal institutions on different entrepreneurial phases. In particular, weak market institutions restrict all phases of the entrepreneurial process, i.e. entrepreneurial intentions, nascent entrepreneurial activity and new business activity and established business. Weak state institutions facilitate new business activity and established business phases of the entrepreneurial process.

Terrorist organizations as hybrid actors of the international political process: a new challenge to the transatlantic community

The subject of the study is to identify the place and role of terrorist organizations in the system of international relations and global security from the point of view of strategic approaches of the Western expert-analytical community and official political institutions of nation states, the EU and NATO. Globalization, the growing influence of non-State actors, including armed groups, as well as changing views on the nature and essence of the State have contributed to the hidden or explicit subjectivization of many participants in the international political process. Special attention is paid in the article to the new concept of "hybrid actor", which is widely discussed among experts and scientists at the present time. For the first time, the paper attempts to compare the positions of the United States and its European allies on interaction with hybrid actors. Thus, in recent decades, non-State actors have evolved in terms of political, social and military capabilities. This trend is evident in the Middle East and North Africa region, where the combination of weak State institutions, the presence of conflicts and instability has provided fertile ground for the actions of armed groups. Non-State armed groups in the Middle East are extremely diverse and include local, tribal and communal formations, transnational criminal organizations and networks, classic rebel opposition groups and so on. Within this broad category, a number of non-State armed groups have evolved to perform political, social and managerial functions.

РОЛЬ НАУКОВИХ ПАРКІВ У ФОРМУВАННІ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ІННОВАЦІЙНОЇ СИСТЕМИ

The essence, main tasks, and purposes of science parks are highlighted in the article as one of the effective means of improving innovation development and the peculiarities of their functioning in Ukraine. The state does not often pay much attention to the national innovation system, and innovation becomes a business. Aside from the fact, business rarely needs to innovate in the production process if the government has protectionist policies. However, in recent years, there has been a tendency towards the growth of national innovation systems in the conditions of globalization development. The main problem is that countries with developing economies can either try to build their innovation system, expanding this chain of "education/science – business state" or remain a consumer of the products of foreign innovation systems. The development of science parks in Ukraine has become a powerful impetus for understanding the essence of innovation, innovation activity, innovation process, and national innovation system in the scientific and educational community. The article defines the legal principles of the organization and operation of science parks and considers the provisions of the current legislation that promote the development of their activities as a structural element of the innovation economy. However, weak state institutions, unfavorable environment for innovative business hinder the disclosure of entrepreneurial potential, create obstacles to the commercialization of innovation and its impact on GDP growth.The problems of carrying out the innovative activity in Ukraine and the characteristical activity problems of science parks are determined. Unequivocally that science parks can be divided into three models: American (USA, UK), Japanese (Japan) and mixed (France, Germany), each of which has its characteristics. Considering that any progressive change in a certain way is derivative of the corresponding scientific basis, the urgent problem is to determine the role of science parks in the formation of the innovative economy of Ukraine, to assess the possibilities for their strengthening and progress.