Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries

288 Pages·2014·2.91 MB·English

by  Gedeon M. Mudacumura (auth.)

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
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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
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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