http://www.gsdrc.org Academic and policy-relevant publications on governance and international development. en-uk Copyright © 2012 Governance and Social Development Resource Centre Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:10 GMT Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:10 GMT http://www.gsdrc.org/rss/open george@gsdrc.org george@gsdrc.org http://www.gsdrc.org/images/logos/logo_gsdrc.gif http://www.gsdrc.org 205 90 GSDRC logo Lisa Horner and Andrew Puddephatt What is democratic space and why is it important for democratic governance? Why is it fragile in the Asia-Pacific region? This paper examines the factors that affect the capacity of democratic space to give poor and marginalised groups meaningful opportunities to exercise their human rights. It shows that democracy in many Asia-Pacific countries consists mainly of formal democratic institutions rather than substantive democratic processes, values and relationships. This leaves democratic space prone both to manipulation and to closure by powerful individuals and groups. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4219&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4219&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Ank Michels This study examines citizen participation in various Western countries. It shows that citizen involvement produces a number of benefits, which vary according to the type of democratic innovation. However, since these positive effects are perceptible only to those taking part, and the number of participants is often small, the benefits to individual democratic citizenship are far more conclusive than the benefits to democracy as a whole. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4213&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4213&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Joseph Siegle et al. This paper suggests that the Arab Spring is a trigger for further democratic reforms in Africa, rather than a driver. There are few linear relationships linking events in North Africa to specific shifts in democratisation on the continent. However, the frustration propelling the protests in North Africa resonates with many Africans. The Arab Spring is instigating changes in the expectations that African citizens have of their governments. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4212&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4212&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Alina Rocha Menocal Electoral systems matter because – in interaction with other structural and institutional factors – they influence incentives regarding government effectiveness, violence and conflict, accountability, public policy, and electoral malpractice. There are trade-offs involved in all electoral systems. For example, proportional representation systems may be more likely than majority systems to produce desirable public goods – but they also foster greater corruption. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4211&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4211&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Wilson Prichard How can tax reform enhance citizen-state relations? This report examines the role of taxation in building more responsive and accountable government, and in expanding state capacity. It finds that the specific character of tax systems and of tax reform is very important to strengthening connections between taxation and broader governance gains. Governments and donors can strengthen tax-governance links through three types of actions: 1) specific measures to enhance and re-orient the dominant tax reform agenda; 2) support for civil society actors to engage in debates about tax issues; 3) managing the provision of aid in ways that maximise positive revenue-raising incentives and local accountability. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4196&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4196&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT G. Shabbir Cheema What is the role of public trust in government and political institutions? What strategies can help restore and rebuild trust in different contexts? This chapter provides a conceptual framework to look at the relationship between trust and governance. The rest of the book examines how governments in the Asia-Pacific region have tried to improve electoral and parliamentary processes, decentralise governance, and improve service delivery and access. It also reviews civil society engagement, the accountability and transparency of governance, and public sector capacity. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4194&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4194&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT Richard C. Crook and David Booth What kinds of governance arrangements are most effective in Africa in providing the public goods essential to sustained and inclusive development? Drawing on empirical research by the Africa Power and Politics Programme in Malawi, Niger and Ghana, this article challenges conventional perceptions of 'good governance'. It argues for 'practical hybrid' arrangements that combine authoritative coordination with an enabling environment for local problem-solving and a constructive use of culturally legitimate ways of working. A developmental form of neo-patrimonialism is more likely to provide the necessary institutional discipline than 'good governance' initiatives. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4162&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4162&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT World Bank Some 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of political and criminal violence. This report argues that breaking these cycles involves a) strengthening legitimate national institutions and governance to meet citizens' key needs; and b) alleviating international stresses that increase the risks of conflict (such as food price volatility and infiltration by trafficking networks). It is important to: refocus assistance on confidence building, citizen security, justice and jobs; reform the procedures of international agencies to accommodate swift, flexible, and longer-term action; respond at the regional level (such as by developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity); and to renew cooperative efforts between lower, middle, and higher income countries. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4160&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4160&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT David Booth How can a 'best fit' approach to governance improve development effectiveness? In its present form, 'good governance' is not evidence based. This brief highlights the need to build on the strengths of existing institutional arrangements when supporting governance reform in developing countries. It argues that governance assistance should be refocused on nurturing developmental leadership. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4151&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4151&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Marwan Muasher How have efforts towards political reform fared in Jordan in the past ten years? How can this performance be explained? Successive Jordanian governments have failed to dismantle the laws and institutions that thwart the development of an effective system of checks and balances. This paper charts efforts at reform, and finds that an entrenched elite has successfully fought off reform attempts in order to preserve a rentier system based on rewards for loyalty rather than merit. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4150&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4150&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT William Case Does a new democracy or electoral authoritarianism better allow legislatures to check the executive? This study examines accountability and legislative power in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia and Singapore. While legislatures are weaker under electoral authoritarian regimes than in new democracies, they define the opposition better. Opposition members try to use their limited powers to check executive abuses. However, this tends to strengthen authoritarian rule by giving it greater legitimacy. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4148&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4148&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT T. Lee and S. Odugbemi How can international development actors help citizens to hold their governments to account? This chapter highlights lessons from a multi-author volume on accountability through public opinion. It argues that to achieve accountability, the following are needed: support for transparency and access to information; a free and plural media; and institutional strengthening for civil society. Public opinion is the real force for direct accountability, and it is important to understand its power and potential. Accountability, as a goal, cannot be separated from public opinion as a defining input. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4147&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4147&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Manuel Castells This article examines the development of a global public sphere (based on global communication networks), and of 'public diplomacy' in this sphere. Globalisation has shifted debate from the national to the global domain, prompting the emergence of a global civil society, of ad hoc forms of global governance, and of a global public sphere. Public diplomacy – the diplomacy of the public, not of the government – intervenes in this global sphere, laying the ground for traditional forms of diplomacy to act beyond the strict negotiation of power relationships by building on shared cultural meaning. The global public sphere could facilitate public debate to inform the emergence of consensual global governance. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4140&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4140&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT UNESCO What has been the impact of communication – such as the media and the Internet – on cultural diversity? This chapter examines the rise of global communication, and new media. It argues that the greater prevalence of media holds opportunities and threats, especially in relation to audience fragmentation and the proliferation of stereotypes. Initiatives are needed to ensure that global audiences and cross-border programming contribute to pluralism and the free flow of ideas that foster cultural diversity. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4137&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4137&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT CommGAP How important is a government's capacity to communicate effectively with its constituents? What the role does communication play in good governance? This policy brief argues that good communication is a fundamental function of modern governance. Effective two-way communication between the government and the public strengthens legitimate public authority. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of attaining good governance outcomes. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4135&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4135&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Jan Servaes How can communication support sustainable development? This article assesses different communication strategies in terms of short- and long-term development objectives. It outlines media performance indicators, and refers to recent events in Kenya to argue for a communication for development perspective that focuses on the self-development of local communities. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4129&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4129&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT Chris Barnett et al. How can value for money best be measured in governance and conflict programming? This study reviews options for a VFM approach in relation to governance programmes, including those in conflict-affected and failed states, for the UK's Department for International Development. VFM involves examining economy, efficiency and effectiveness, identifying the links between them and drawing conclusions based on evidence about how well they perform together. It is an optimal balance that is important, as opposed to a maximum productivity ratio. The cheapest option does not always represent the best value for money. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4115&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4115&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT David Booth This article reviews research on institutions, governance and aid. Three constructive themes emerge: how and with what qualifications 'institutions rule'; the limitations of the instruments easily accessible to development assistance organisations; and the idea of context-sensitive facilitation of institutional change. Research indicates that both institutions and policy choices influence development outcomes. The nature of the 'right' institutions is context- and time period-specific, and institutional change is not self-generating. Aid needs to become more context-sensitive, more politically-informed, and less supply-driven. Donors should abandon formulaic 'best practice' interventions and think about how to build on institutions that already exist. Researchers should deliver more finely-tuned ideas about the building blocks, and the potential room for manoeuvre, in facilitating appropriate and feasible institutional innovations. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4111&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4111&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Melody Garcia Although billions of dollars have been invested on improving governance in developing countries in the past decade, few of the programmes that have received funding have been subjected to rigorous impact evaluation. The aims of the paper are to: (i) discuss the challenges in evaluating governance programmes, (ii) identify some aspects of governance that have been rigorously evaluated, and finally (iii) provide practical recommendations based from previous evaluation experience. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4101&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4101&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT Devra C. Moehler Are field experiments useful in studying the impact of development assistance on democracy and governance (DG)? This article reviews recent and ongoing DG field experiments. It considers the prospects for and obstacles to the development of a useful body of experimental evidence on the political economy of development. There are significant challenges related to the difficulty of generalising from small samples and micro-level projects. However, although the field experiments have tended towards village-level interventions, they suggest that impact evaluations can potentially address higher-level interventions and theories. http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4097&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=4097&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gsdrc&utm_source=newsfeed General governance Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT