Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries PDF
Preview Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries
Public Administration, Governance and Globalization Gedeon M. Mudacumura Göktuğ Morçöl E ditors Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries Public Administration, Governance and Globalization Series Editor Ali Farazmand Florida Atlantic University FL, USA For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/8656 Public Administration, Governance and Globalization Ali Farazmand, Series Editor The aim of Public Administration, Governance and Globalization (PAGG) is to publish primary research and theoretical contributions as well as practical reports on fi eldwork to help advance the knowledge and understanding about public, nonprofi t, private, and nongovernmental organizations and institutions. The governance, administration, and management of these organizations at local, national, regional, and international levels will be discussed in the context of this age of rapid change and globalization. This series on public management offers original materials that contribute to our better understanding of the critical issues as well as routine processes of governance and public administration, now more than ever because of the intricate forces of globalization that affect almost every nation-states and their policy choices at all jurisdictions across the world. The series covers a wide range of topics that address the key issues of interest to scholars, educators, practitioners, and policymakers in public administration capacities around the globe. Books in the series could be research monographs, edited volumes, textbooks, reference volumes or handbooks. ğ Gedeon M. Mudacumura • Göktu Morçöl Editors Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries Editors Gedeon M. Mudacumura Göktuğ Morçöl Department of Social & Behavioral School of Public Affairs Sciences Pennsylvania State University Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Middletown , PA , USA Philadelphia , PA , USA ISBN 978-3-319-03142-2 ISBN 978-3-319-03143-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03143-9 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013955571 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014 T his work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifi cally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. T he use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) To our sons, Daniel and Taylan, and other young citizens of the world —GMM and GM Pref ace Despite the fact that large amounts of human and fi nancial resources have been invested to promote sustainable development in developing countries, statistics show that the majority of these countries have not yet achieved signifi cant improve- ments in their people’s living standards. The inadequate socioeconomic develop- ment policies in these countries, coupled with poor governance, have negatively impacted the lives of millions of people. Particularly, African countries have been affected by these inadequacies. Despite its abundant natural and human resources, Africa is the only developing region of the world that has grown consistently poorer over the past fi ve or more decades. I n the 1990s, “sustainable development” became a catchword that captured the attention not only of environmental scientists and activists but also of some mainstream economists, social scientists, and policymakers. Sustainable development attracted greater attention during the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, where world leaders concluded that no group of nation could develop sustainably while others remained hungry and poor. Over 20 years after the Rio conference, the majority of developing nations are still trapped in poverty, despite a substantial amount of donor money poured into those countries. This outcome made a large number of academics and activists to question the usefulness of foreign aid. Some even question whether foreign aid has prevented poor nations from achieving their development goals. Then what are the keys to understanding why and how nations develop sustainably or not? The contributors to this edited volume attempt to shed light on this question. They focus particularly on the problems of democratic governance and corruption in these countries as the key issues in sustainable development. Arguably, undemo- cratic and poor governance and corruption are the most important systemic factors that contribute to underdevelopment and poverty in many countries. Because of poor governance and corruption, the institutional foundations of most developing countries are weakened, public funds are misappropriated, and policies and pro- grams aimed at reducing poverty and fostering sustainable economic development are undermined. vii viii Preface The contributors explore a variety of issues including, but not limited to, the relevance of designing and enforcing accountability and transparency mechanisms, importance of understanding corruption from historical and cultural perspectives, critical roles of civil society organizations in fi ghting corruption, impact of decen- tralization on local governance, regional democratic governance initiatives, and specifi c anti-corruption strategies implemented in various countries. T he underlying theme running throughout the book is the ongoing demands of the peoples of the developing world for effective democratic institutions and con- crete strategies to curb corruption in public affairs. This demand has increased in the last few decades, as these societies became more sophisticated and more intercon- nected through the Internet and social media. As the editors of the volume, we acknowledge the insightful contributions by the authors of its chapters. We also thank Professor Ali Farazmand, the editor of the Springer book series in Public Administration, Governance, and Globalization, for giving us the opportunity to publish this book. The most valuable help and insight of Jon Gurstelle of Springer International Publishing Inc. during the publication process should also be acknowledged. Last, but not least, we want to acknowledge Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the School of Public Affairs at the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg, the African Studies and Middle East Centers at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Rwanda Governance Board for fi nancially sup- porting the 2012 International Conference on Democratic Governance that was held in Philadelphia. That conference provided a forum where the contributors of this volume shared and discussed their initial thoughts, which were the bases of the chapters of this edited volume. Cheyney , PA, USA Gedeon M. Mudacumura Middletown , PA, USA Göktuğ Morçöl Contents 1 Multiple Dimensions of Governance ..................................................... 1 Gedeon M. Mudacumura Part I Governance and Development: Underlying Premises 2 Debate on Governance in Africa: An Emerging Political Economy Paradigm .......................................... 19 Anne Mette Kjær 3 Accountability and Transparency: Cornerstones of Development and Democratic Governance .............. 37 Gedeon M. Mudacumura 4 Role of Legislation for Social Accountability: A Comparison of South Africa and Zambia ......................................... 57 Laura Miti and Sandra Matatu 5 Reinventing Public Governance in Singapore: Major Reform Premises, Initiatives, and Consequences ..................... 73 M. Shamsul Haque Part II Democratization, Decentralization, and Governance 6 Decentralization in Uganda: Towards Democratic Local Governance or Political Expediency? ......................................... 95 Genevieve Enid Meyers 7 Limitations of Middle Eastern Educational System in Democratic Governance ..................................................................... 111 Judith A. Cochran 8 Tribes and Democratization/De-democratization in Libya ................. 121 Kumru Toktamış ix
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