"An excellent addition to our understanding of rural development and intergovernmental management. Its solid scholarship, enlightened conceptual framework, and clear writing style make it a welcome addition to the field of public policy and administration". -- B. J. Reed, University of Nebraska at Omaha.
The study of governance has risen to prominence as a way of describing and explaining changes in our world. The SAGE Handbook of Governance presents an authoritative and innovative overview of this fascinating field, with particular emphasis on the significant new and emerging theoretical issues and policy innovations. The Handbook is divided into three parts. Part one explores the major theories influencing current thinking and shaping future research in the field of governance. Part two deals specifically with changing practices and policy innovations, including the changing role of the state, transnational and global governance, markets and networks, public management, and budgeting and finance. Part three explores the dilemmas of managing governance, including attempts to rethink democracy and citizenship as well as specific policy issues such as capacity building, regulation, and sustainable development. This volume is an excellent resource for advanced students and researchers in political science, economics, geography, sociology, and public administration. Mark Bevir is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
A new definition of capacity-building is evolving--one tha t is veering away from conventional ideas of organizational engineering . As it encompasses the broad environment or system in which social changes occur, capacitybuilding has become more complex, yet also more rewarding . Today, some of the buzzwords are empowerment, social capital, enabling environment. Moreover, culture, values and power rela tions that influence and motivate organizations and individuals are gaining more attention. There is respect and even appreciation now for informal patterns of personal and culture-bound organizational behavior- the unwritten rules of the game, so to speak. As well, there is the urge to complement, not replace, indigenous ha bits and practices. All of these are progressively coalescing into a body of concepts called capacity development.
In recent decades, the responsibility for initiating regeneration programmes has been placed firmly in the hands of rural communities, with the rationale being that local people are best placed to know their own problems and, consequently, to develop their own solutions. Despite the popularity of this approach, the self-help approach has its own problems and can be seen as an attempt by governments to reduce public spending. This book provides a critical account of the discourses and practices of self-help in contemporary rural development policies of Australia and other western nations. Although it examines the problems of the self-help approach, it moves beyond a straightforward exposition of the impediments to self-help. Instead, taking a Foucauldian governmentality perspective, it puts forward a theoretical analysis of the self-help concept, assessing it as a means of governing rural development in an advanced liberal manner. It argues that self-help should not be regarded as either the empowerment or the abandonment of rural citizens by a shrinking state, but rather the application of new ways of thinking about and acting upon rural development.
In todays increasingly interconnected and global society, the protection of basic liberties is an important consideration in public policy and international relations. Profitable social interactions can begin only when a foundation of trust has been laid between two parties. Human Rights and Ethics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications considers some of the most important issues in the ethics of human interaction, whether in business, politics, or science and technology. Covering issues such as cybercrime, bioethics, medical care, and corporate leadership, this four-volume reference work will serve as a crucial resource for leaders, innovators, educators, and other personnel living and working in the modern world.
Among municipalities in developing nations, systemic issues such as corruption, mismanagement, and limited accountability plague local governance, impeding development efforts and hindering effective service delivery. This perpetual cycle of failure undermines the aspirations outlined in municipal plans, erodes public trust, and perpetuates socio-economic disparities. Despite recognizing these challenges, tangible solutions remain elusive, leaving communities trapped in a cycle of underdevelopment and frustration. Exploring Effective Municipal Planning and Implementation offers a comprehensive exploration of these pressing issues, and consolidates expertise and insights of academics and practitioners. Through rigorous analysis and innovative approaches, this book dissects the root causes of municipal failures, and identifies practical mechanisms for improvement. Delving into municipal planning, budgeting, and governance, this book equips readers with the knowledge and tools needed to drive meaningful change in local governance practices. This book focuses on transforming struggling municipalities into entities of effective governance and sustainable development. Harness the collective wisdom of experts from around the globe with this book, and discover the hope you have been seeking for your community to break free from cycle of municipal hardship.
"This book provides research on the current actions being taken by developing countries toward the design, development, and implementation of e-government policies"--Provided by publisher.
The world development institutions commonly present 'urban governance' as an antidote to the so-called 'urbanisation of poverty' and 'parasitic urbanism' in Africa. Governance for Pro-Poor Urban Development is a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the meaning, nature, and effects of 'urban governance' in theory and in practice, with a focus on Ghana, a country widely regarded as an island of good governance in the sub region. The book illustrates how diverse groups experience urban governance differently and contextualizes how this experience has worsened social differentiation in cities. This book will be of great interest to students, teachers, and researchers in development studies, and highly relevant to anyone with an interest in urban studies, geography, political economy, sociology, and African studies.
Governments play a major role in the development process, and constantly introduce reforms and policies to achieve developmental objectives. Many of these interventions have limited impact, however; schools get built but children don't learn, IT systems are introduced but not used, plans are written but not implemented. These achievement deficiencies reveal gaps in capabilities, and weaknesses in the process of building state capability. This book addresses these weaknesses and gaps. It starts by providing evidence of the capability shortfalls that currently exist in many countries, showing that many governments lack basic capacities even after decades of reforms and capacity building efforts. The book then analyses this evidence, identifying capability traps that hold many governments back - particularly related to isomorphic mimicry (where governments copy best practice solutions from other countries that make them look more capable even if they are not more capable) and premature load bearing (where governments adopt new mechanisms that they cannot actually make work, given weak extant capacities). The book then describes a process that governments can use to escape these capability traps. Called PDIA (problem driven iterative adaptation), this process empowers people working in governments to find and fit solutions to the problems they face. The discussion about this process is structured in a practical manner so that readers can actually apply tools and ideas to the capability challenges they face in their own contexts. These applications will help readers devise policies and reforms that have more impact than those of the past.
Perspectives on Management Capacity Building provides a lively spectrum of views on the problems and prospects of improving the management and performance of municipal governments in the United States. Leading specialists in public administration probe the management needs of local governments and explore ways in which they can improve their capacity to manage. Today, state and local governments are caught in the transition between the expansionism of the post-World War II years and the retrenchment era of the late seventies and eighties. Improved management capacity has emerged as the most effective way for local governments to ride out the economic and political pressures confronting them. This book first investigates the meaning of the term "management capacity." It then considers how management needs have changed in the post-war period and how these needs vary among large cities, suburbs, and rural communities. Two of the contributions explore the organizational politics of management improvement while others look at the functional areas of computers and financial management. The book also addresses human resource problems such as labor relations, management development, and training of municipal legislators, and concludes with several viewpoints on federal efforts to improve local management capacity.