In this issue, we have a few articles which deal directly with governance and one could argue that several of the other articles in this and many of our other issues also have stories to tell around the governance of the agencies and government departments they work with. A great deal of governance research now focuses on the idea that decentralisation of power helps reduce the worst excesses of corruption and the concentration of power into very few hands. As I write this, the elections in Zimbabwe are being concluded. Regardless of which of the main parties wins, the bigger question will be whether they continue with the same sort of repressive autocracy which has characterised Zimbabwean politics for almost 40 years since independence? Or will there genuinely be a new dawn? It is clear that it is hard for corrupt rulers to step down for fear that eventually justice may catch up with them once they no longer have power. The problem is that this just leads to even greater repression by power holders in order to avoid a loss of power.
It is difficult to say whether the apparent increased corruption globally is the result of greater transparency which brings to light such corruption, or whether corruption has increased due to a range of contemporary factors including the greater flow of money which comes with economic growth, alongside greater materialism and a global culture where excessive wealth is considered a positive rather than negative indicator of economic health. The problem with corruption is that it starts to permeate all areas of life, from mega corruption at the top (presidents siphoning off billions or party officials in some authoritarian countries walking out of their countries with suitcases full of cash) through to the everyday small amounts that citizens have to pay just to get the most innocuous piece of paper signed or service delivered. One solution has been to improve transparency so that citizens can see what services they should be receiving, and how much money has been allocated to such services or other government programmes. New approaches which stress decentralisation are further attempts to ensure that citizens can engage with their own locality to at least increase the social accountability of local authorities. Elsewhere we are witnessing the increased use of technology to improve the delivery of services and cash transfers and reduce the opportunities for corruption. For example, the use of mobile-phone-based banking, or transfer payments such as pensions, as well as online transactions which bypass the outstretched human hand which seeks payment before approving or issuing documents for citizens. Increasingly, in the face of endemic corruption, it would appear that governance is becoming a crucial factor in almost all forms of development in practice.
In this issue, Elizabeth Clarke, Tamara Jackson, Khamlouang Keoka, Viengsavanh Phimphachanvongsod, Pheng Sengxua, Phetsamone Simali, and Len Wade report on a complex systems approach to innovation which saw a massive take up of a new rice cropping technique in Laos because it dramatically reduced time and money production costs. They break down the different factors which enabled the take up of the new technology, some of which were very specific to the Laotian communities and enabled due to the programmes’ innovative and flexible approaches.
Mila Sell, Hilkka Vihinen, Galfato Gabiso, and Kristina Lindström have also taken a systems approach to innovation, this time in an agricultural programme in Ethiopia. They show how a contextualised systems approach to innovation can lead to significant improvements in both yields and diversity of crops, as well as the increased confidence of farmers in adapting to the changes.
Naohiko Omata and Noriko Takahashi have evaluated the effect of skills training programmes for returnees in Liberia over several years. Their study shows that time is required for returnees to re-establish themselves in their home country and to establish small businesses or obtain employment. Despite the negative impact of the Ebola crisis, many of the trainees managed to obtain improved incomes, although others found the training insufficient and other factors inhibited their employment prospects.
Liam Riley and Mary Caesar’s article explores data from the hungry cities project to try and understand the degree to which a gendered lens can help explain issues around urban food security in two very different contexts in Mozambique and China.
Terry Evans, Gail Casey, and Patricia Paraide describe an experiment to see whether it would be possible to support community-based action research in relatively isolated parts of Papua New Guinea. In this case, the emphasis was around different aspects of gender awareness and equity. The support provided entailed both face-to-face training and follow-up support via mobile phones. The authors conclude that even in remote areas it is possible to facilitate community-based action research, assuming connectivity.
Paula Quigley, Cathy Green, Miniratu Soyoola, Tendayi Kureya, Caroline Barber, and Kenneth Mubuyaeta review a maternal health programme in Zambia which aimed to improve maternal and child health, mainly in rural areas which were lagging behind improvements being achieved in urban Zambia. They describe the approach and results of the programme and note some of the important ways in which it managed to achieve considerable success.
Joseph Ajefu examines whether parental income affects decisions on children’s human capital accumulation and labour market participation in India. The study found that there was a positive effect of parents’ income on children’s schooling but a negative effect on children’s work.
We also have three articles which in different ways look at local-level governance. Bjorn Van Campenhout, Emmanuel Bizimungu, Jennifer Smart, and Nassul Kabunga provide a qualitative study of community governance in Uganda, focusing on a system of public events at sub-district level bringing together relevant government officials and the general public to review progress across a range of services and sectors. Overall, many respondents felt that this system had greatly improved the delivery of government services, and the authors share some of the ways these improvements happened through identifying the ‘pathways to impact’.
Cathrine Madziva has analysed the impact of the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe on local NGOs, CBOs, and their work and partnerships. The author concludes that the disruption, which included anti-civil society policies and direct intimidation, compounded the economic crisis by reducing the activities of civil society in several sectors. INGOs and donors were also constrained in their support to important areas of international cooperation in a country under huge economic stress and ongoing challenges to health and other issues. Many of the foreign agencies ceased working in Zimbabwe.
A.M.H. Kamrul Ahsan undertook a detailed study of the coordination or lack of between different government departments at a upazila (local district) level in Bangladesh. The author notes the problems of coordination between different agencies and departments due to overlapping and confused responsibilities, leading to a lack of trust between different actors within the civil service, all resulting in a failure to actually implement policy decisions, and leading to a wastage of resources. The failure of governance is placed on ambiguous protocols and a tension between informal and formal means of communication and coordination.
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