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Despite the incessant poor service delivery serving as a reminder to the existence of governance challenges, the existing literature gives scant attention to what constitute governance challenges in public organisations. Thus, informed by the New Public Management theory and Public Choice Theory, the impetus of this study is to explore the governance challenges in South African public organisations. A mixed research approach, nested within the exploratory research design, was utilised in which multilevel and multisource data was solicited to accomplish the study’s objectives with semi-structured interviews conducted with traditional leaders and close-ended questionnaires administered to municipal officials and councillors from four local municipalities in South Africa. While quantitative usable data collected from 109 municipal officials and councillors were subjected to relative importance index analysis, qualitative data from 14 traditional leaders were thematically analysed. The results revealed both structural constraints (scarce resources challenges, lack of funds and unnecessary delays) and behavioural-specific dilemmas (corruption, nepotism, lack of accountability) as the worst dilemmas that hinder sound governance. The evidence from the study also indicated the systematic complexities (political uncertainties, improper consultation and high bottlenecks in society) as the second worst constraints to proper governance. The study provides both practical and theoretical implications.

Since the coronavirus disease 2019, called COVID-19, has overwhelmed the high-income countries with ample resources and established health-care system, we argue that there are plausible concerns why it may devastate the low-income countries like Pakistan. Focusing on Pakistan, we highlight the underlying reasons, eg, demographic features, ineffective health-care system, economic and political inequalities, corruption, and socio-cultural characteristics, that create fertile grounds for COVID-19 to overwhelm low-income countries. This study presents Pakistan’s brief profile to demonstrate these underlying structures that may make low-income countries like Pakistan more vulnerable in the face of an unceasing COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that the country may make appropriate and possibly effective short-term preparedness measures to halt or slow the transmission of the virus, and deal with its current implications as well as it may pay significant attention to long-term measures to deal effectively with COVID-19’s longer-term effects. These measures will help them, including Pakistan, to deal appropriately with a similar future critical event.

A cross-sectional-based study was conducted in Torghar Pakistan to analyze the association between impacts of poor governance and household food security through sociological lens. A sample size of 379 household heads was chosen randomly for data collection through structured questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed in terms of bivariate and multivariate analyses, and binary logit model. At bivariate analysis, the study found that inadequate governance, political instability in terms of shortage of food supply chain, smuggling of food commodities had open new vistas toward starvation and household food insecurity. At multivariate analysis, the family composition has vivid association between household food security and poor governance. Although religious education and lower level of education deteriorate the existing food security at household level were also explored. Lastly, at binary logistic regression model depicted that increased in poor governance influence household food security negatively. Thus, the government should collaborate with local political leaders to identify those lacunas and institutional weakness that affect the good governance patterns in terms of smuggling and nepotism which deteriorate the existing channel of food supply chain during militancy were put forwarded some of the recommendations in light of the present study.

'Cities in a Globalizing World' stresses that quality of governance can determine whether the burgeoning cities of the developing world can become global centers of opportunity or urban examples of over crowding and underachievement.

In the recent past, scholars have delved into the challenges African countries face in establishing Western-style democracy, often overlooking the insights provided by literary works. Most political and social science writers attribute these challenges to corruption, ethnic mobilization, and illiteracy (Forson et al. 2016). However, little attention has been given to the similarities between colonial structures and post-independent African autocracies as delineated in literary works. The pioneer modern states in Africa emerged during colonialism and were inherently authoritarian, with aims inconsistent with democratic principles. While early Black thinkers highlight colonial violence as a key aspect to mimic for Africa’s liberation, contemporary scholarship has paid little attention to imitation of other colonial elements such as negative ethnicity, autocracy, corruption, political assassinations, and murders in literary works. This study examines the nexus between poor governance and colonial heritage as represented in Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautiful One Are Not Yet Born (1968), Brian Chikwava’s Harare North (2009), and David Mulwa’s Inheritance (2005). This analytical study was carried out on the three African works of fiction and drama to interrogate the impact of colonial heritage on the sparse democratic gains and poor governance in sub-Saharan Africa today. The primary texts were purposively sampled because of the prevalence of the subject. Using qualitative inquiry, I deploy narrative research to analyze data from primary and secondary texts. The study was anchored in Homi Bhabha’s postcolonial concept of mimicry as a theoretical base for interpretation.

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the body of literature that examined the consequences of corruption, particularly on good governance. Design/methodology/approach This paper is basically desk research. It relies on previous academic literature on corruption and governance. Findings This paper identifies the various ways corruption has hindered the elements of governance and highlights areas where energies towards ensuring good governance and a corruption-free society should be channelled. Originality/value The scope of this paper is limited to issues and literature relating to the effects of corruption on governance, particularly in developing countries.

This volume provides an analytical framework and operational approaches needed for the implementation of results-based accountability. The volume makes a major contribution to the literature on public management and evaluation. Major subject areas covered in this book include: performance based accountability, e-government, legal and institutional framework to hold government to account; fighting corruption; external accountability and the role of supreme audit institutions on detecting fraud and corruption.

Civil war is a complex event affected by numerous factors. Recent research is intended to concentrate on poor governance as a cause of civil war. Despite the various way in which civil war can be addressed, the article shows that governance provide a strong framework to study civil war. Civil war in Syria which was started in 2011 provide an important and rich area of investigation into the study of civil war. The findings support the theoretical argument that poor governance paved the way to civil war in Syria. Governance indicators would be more meaningful when are investigated considering the factors like ethic and religious diversity, and the nature of regional and international systems. Civil war is a complex event affected by numerous factors. Recent research is intended to concentrate on poor governance as a cause of civil war. Despite the various way in which civil war can be addressed, the article shows that governance provide a strong framework to study civil war. Civil war in Syria which was started in 2011 provide an important and rich area of investigation into the study of civil war. The findings support the theoretical argument that poor governance paved the way to civil war in Syria. Governance indicators would be more meaningful when are investigated considering the factors like ethic and religious diversity, and the nature of regional and international systems.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the host country determinants of Chinese Outward FDI (OFDI) and, given these determinants, examines whether Chinese OFDI in MENA is less than elsewhere. Design/methodology/approach Data for the top 40 Chinese OFDI recipients including seven MENA countries from 2003 to 2012 were obtained. A pooled ordinary least squares estimation technique on the lagged explanatory variables and the lagged dependent variable – flows and stocks alternatively – with robust standard errors was used. Findings Chinese OFDI is market, resource and efficiency seeking and is attracted by poor governance. The seven MENA countries seemingly receive significantly less Chinese OFDI flows compared to other countries. However, careful inspection shows that UAE is creating this bias. This maybe because exporting to UAE rather than licensing or FDI seems like the best scenario, or UAE is already satiated with FDI from other countries, or China is waiting for the right time to enter such an FDI-competitive market like that of UAE. Originality/value Chinese OFDI is particularly important for MENA because it has a comparative advantage relative to other FDI source countries, and no research so far has investigated if it is less than in other regions, which could provide insights on how to attract it.

This book provides a new institutional economics perspective on alternative models of local governance, offering a comprehensive view of local government organization and finance in the developing world. The experiences of ten developing/transition economies are reviewed to draw lessons of general interest in strengthening responsive, responsible, and accountable local governance. The book is written in simple user friendly language to facilitate a wider readership by policy makers and practitioners in addition to students and scholars of public finance, economics and politics.