Time: Wednesday, 03/July/2024: 9:00am - 10:30am Session Chair: Dr. Adrian M. VELAZQUEZ VAZQUEZ, University of La Verne Session Chair: Prof. Frank NAERT, Ghent University |
Location: MODLEC Room 5 [A1] Modular Lecture Venue (165), Ground Floor, Bloemfontein Campus. |
Exploring Institutional Arrangements in Multi-Stakeholder Programmes - a Case of a South African National Government Department
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Problem Statement and Purpose
Despite the proliferation of donor funding by the European Union (EU) and other donors for public sector programmes in South Africa, there are often tensions between the donor and the recipient country when developing Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) institutional arrangements. Currently, recipient countries bear heavy transaction costs due to different donors using distinct institutional arrangements. As a result, managing contrasting donor procedures and meeting different donor requirements takes up a large proportion of recipient countries’ administrative capacity. This situation presents both challenges and opportunities to policy makers (Riddell, 2008). The main challenge is that differing donor institutional arrangements have a heavy aid transaction cost for recipient countries. However, there is an opportunity to develop an innovative approach that can be used in other similar contexts to reduce aid transaction costs for both donors and recipients. Thus, it is critical to understand how to structure institutional arrangements in undertaking multi-stakeholder donor supported programmes. The study aims to explore how ODA institutional arrangements are developed in multi-stakeholder donor supported programmes. Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) was employed to shed light on why actors choose one institutional arrangement over another (Jobin, 2008) based on the transaction costs involved. Scant attention has been paid to assessing how transaction costs influence aid institutional arrangements (Paul and Vandeninden, 2012). This study aims to close this gap.
Methodology
Based on the conceptual framework identified in the literature review, this study adopted a qualitative research strategy to understand how institutional arrangements in multi-stakeholder ODA programmes are formed. A qualitative research strategy was appropriate for this research in that it assisted in exploring and unpacking the nuances surrounding the formation of institutional arrangements in a multi-stakeholder programme and in exploring donors’ influence thereon. This research followed a case study research design. This design was appropriate because it focuses on a single instance of a social phenomenon (Babbie, 2016). The target population of this study was middle to senior management personnel at the Ecosystem Development for Small Enterprises (EDSE), the National Treasury (NT) and the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD). Purposive sampling was employed to select the respondents. The research site was the EDSE Programme. This study utilised semi-structured interviews to collect the qualitative primary data from participants. After collecting the data, the interviews were transcribed verbatim. The verbatim transcribed interview transcripts were manually subjected to thematic analysis.
Findings
The main finding is that different donors require distinct institutional arrangements. This creates onerous accountability processes in multi-stakeholder institutional arrangements which increase aid transaction costs for recipient countries and undermine the prospects of aid effectiveness. It was also found that ODA institutional arrangements and their attendant rules and conditionalities are heavily influenced by donors with scant input by the SA government. Budget support programmes are the favoured form of ODA in South Africa, mainly because they entail fewer administrative burdens and transaction costs as the funds are deposited directly into the respective departments’ fiscal budgets
Proposals
In order to reduce excessive ODA administrative burdens and transaction costs, the South African government should consider crafting an overarching ODA Act to govern ODA institutional arrangements. This would go a long way towards bringing certainty to the regulatory aspects of ODA and would likely reduce aid transaction costs. Similarly, to reduce ODA transaction costs, the National Treasury’s IDC Unit will be critical in ensuring harmonisation of ODA institutional arrangements.
References
Adaptation Fund. (2011) Project level results framework and baseline guideline document. Available at: http://www.oecd.org/env/cc/48332155.pdf.
Alexander, E. A. (2012) "The Effects of Legal, Normative, and Cultural-Cognitive Institutions on Innovation in Technology Alliances", Technology Alliances, 52(6), pp. 791–815.
Ali, R. (2015) ‘Rethinking representation: negotiating positionality, power and space in the field’, Gender, Place and Culture. Taylor & Francis, 22(6), pp. 783–800. doi: 10.1080/0966369X.2014.917278.
Alvarez, C. and Urbano, D. (2012) ‘Cultural-cognitive Dimension and Entrepreneurial Activity: A Cross-country Study’, Revista de Estudios Sociales No. 35, 16760(44), pp. 146–157. doi: 10.7440/res44.2012.14.
Babbie, E. (2016) The Practice of Social Research. 14th edn. Boston: Cengage Learning.
Baldwin, E. (2019) ‘Exploring How Institutional Arrangements Shape Stakeholder Influence on Policy Decisions: A Comparative Analysis in the Energy Sector’, Public Administration Review, 79(2), pp. 246–255. doi: 10.1111/puar.12953.
Besharati, N. A. and SAIIA (2013) South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA): Strategic Aid or Development Packages for Africa? Economic Diplomacy Programme Research Report.
Bigsten, A. (2006) ‘Donor coordination and the uses of aid’, Revue d’Economie du Developpement, 20(2–3), pp. 77–103. doi: 10.3917/edd.202.0077.
Bryman, A. (2016) Social Research Methods. 5th edn. Oxford University Press.
Butler, R. (1997) ‘Institutions and organizations’, European Management Journal, 15(4), pp. 473–474. doi: 10.1016/s0263-2373(97)89895-7.
Cooper, Donald, R. and Schindler, Pamela, S. (2014) Business Research Methods. 12th edn. McGraw-Hill.
Department of Small Business Development (2019) Department of Small Business Development Annual Performance Plan. Pretoria. Available at: http://pmg-assets.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/DSBD_Approved_APP_20192020.pdf.
Fengler, W. and Kharas, H. (2010) ‘Overview: Delivering Aid Differently’, Delivering Aid Differently: Lessons from the Field, pp. 1–41.
Ferguson, J. (1994) The Anti-Politics Machine. Minnesota: University of Cambridge.
Guerra-Lopez, I. and Hicks, K. (2015) ‘The participatory design of a performance oriented monitoring and evaluation system in an international development environment’, Eval Program Plann, 48, pp. 21–30. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2014.09.003.
Harmer, Adele; Ray, B. D. (2009) ‘Study on the relevance and applicability of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in Humanitarian Assistance’, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI, London (March).
Harris, J. (2006) Harmonising Donor Practices for Effective Aid Delivery – Volume 2.
Hassenforder, E., Pittock, J., Barretau, O., Daniell, K., A., and Ferrand, N. (2016) ‘The MEPPP Framework: A Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Participatory Planning Processes’, Environmental Management, 57(1), pp. 79–96. doi: 10.1007/s00267-015-0599-5.
Hill, M. and Hupe, P. (2002) Implementing Public Policy: Governance in Theory and in Practice. 1st edn. Sage: London..
Hlatshwayo, N. and Wotela, K. (2018) ‘Social Capital as Survival Strategy for Immigrants in South Africa: A Conceptual Framework’, Immigration and Development. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.72063.
Hoffman, A. J. (1999) ‘Institutional Evolution and Change : Environmentalism and the U .S. Chemical Industry, The Academy of Management Journal, 42(4), pp . 351-371
Jobin, D. (2008) ‘A transaction cost-based approach to partnership performance evaluation’, Evaluation, 14(4), pp. 437–465. doi: 10.1177/1356389008095487.
Khan, M. S., Meghani, A., Liverani, M., Roychowdhury, I., and Parkhurst. (2018) ‘How do external donors influence national health policy processes? Experiences of domestic policy actors in Cambodia and Pakistan’, Health Policy and Planning, 33(2), pp. 215–223. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx145.
De la Torre-Castro, M. and Lindström, L. (2010) ‘Fishing institutions: Addressing regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive elements to enhance fisheries management’, Marine Policy, 34(1), pp. 77–84. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2009.04.012.
Landsberg, C. (2016) ‘African Solutions for African Problems: Quiet Diplomacy and South Africa’s Diplomatic Strategy Towards Zimbabwe’, Journal for Contemporary History, 41(1), pp. 126–148. doi: 10.18820/24150509/jch.v41i1.7.
MacDonald, A., Clarke, A. and Huang, L. (2019) ‘Multi-stakeholder Partnerships for Sustainability: Designing Decision-Making Processes for Partnership Capacity’, Journal of Business Ethics, 160(2), pp. 409–426. doi: 10.1007/s10551-018-3885-3.
Maguire, M. and Delahunt, B. (2017) ‘Doing a Thematic Analysis: A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide for Learning and...: Discovery Service for Trinity College Dublin (University)’, Aishe-J, 3(3), pp. 3351–33514.
March, J. G. and Olsen, J. P. (1986) ‘Popular Sovereignty and the Search for Appropriate Institutions’, Journal of Public Policy. University of the Witwatersrand, 6(4), pp. 341–370. doi: 10.1017/S0143814X00004207.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M. and Saldana, J. (2014) Qualitative Data Anlaysis. Sage Publication, Inc. Available at: file:///C:/Users/youhe/Downloads/kdoc_o_00042_01.pdf.
Mills, S., Lee, J. K. and Rassekh, B. M. (2019) ‘A multisectoral institutional arrangements approach to integrating civil registration, vital statistics, and identity management systems’, Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 38(Suppl 1), pp. 1–8. doi: 10.1186/s41043-019-0179-z.
Moyo, D. (2009) Dead Aid. London: Penguin.
National Treasury (2013) Budget Support in South Africa: Management of Budget Support Programmes. Pretoria. Available at: http://www.treasury.gov.za/publications/other/BudgetSupportManuals/Module 5 final 05-12-2013.pdf.
National Treasury of South Africa (2003) Policy Framework and Procedural Guidelines for the Management of Official Development Assistance. Available at: http://pmg-assets.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docs/2003/appendices/030311guidlines.htm (Accessed: 1 September 2019).
National Treasury of South Africa (2013) Budget Support in South Africa Financing Agreement Contractual Clauses. Available at: http://www.treasury.gov.za/publications/other/BudgetSupportManuals/Module 4 final 05-12-2013.pdf.
Nelson, H., Nikolakis, W. and Martin-Chan, K. (2019) ‘The effect of institutional arrangements on economic performance among first nations: Evidence from forestry in BC’, Forest Policy and Economics. Elsevier, 107(March), p. 101922. doi: 10.1016/j.forpol.2019.05.008.
Neuman, W., L. (2014) Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. 7th edn. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited.
OECD (2017) ‘Session 1 : Country focus: Linking and aligning the results frameworks of providers and country partners. Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation’, (February). Available at: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=OECD,+2017+Linking+and+aligning+the+results+frameworks+of++providers+and+country+partners++Evidence+from+the+2016+monitoring+round+of+the++Global+Partnership+for+Effective+Development+Co-operation&ie=UT.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2018) ‘What Is NotOfficial Development Assistance (ODA)?’, (April), pp. 2018–2021. Available at: www.oecd.org/dac%0Ahttp://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/What-is-ODA.pdf.
Ostrom, E., Schroeder, L. and Wynne, S. (1993) ‘Analyzing the performance of alternative institutional arrangements for sustaining rural infrastructure in developing countries’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 3(1), pp. 11–45. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a037157.
Palinkas,L., A., Horwitz, S., M., Green, C., A., Wisdon, J., P., Duan, N. and Hoagwood, 2015) ‘Dentists face added drug regulation.’, Dental Survey, 44(12), p. 73. doi: 10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y.
Palthe, J. (2014) ‘Regulative, Normative, and Cognitive Elements of Organizations: Implications for Managing Change’, Management and Organizational Studies, 1(2), pp. 59–66. doi: 10.5430/mos.v1n2p59.
Paul, E. and Vandeninden, F. (2012) ‘Foreign Aid Transaction Costs: What Are They and When Are They Minimised?’, Development Policy Review, 30(3), pp. 283–304. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7679.2012.00577.x.
Peton, H. and Pezé, S. (2014) ‘The unsuspected dynamics of the regulative pillar: The case of Faute inexcusable in France’, Management (France), 17(3), pp. 145–179. doi: 10.3917/mana.173.0001.
Renzio, P. De (2016) ‘Accountability dilemmas in foreign aid’, (August), pp. 1–16.
Riddell, A. (2008) ‘Issues and challenges raised by development agencies in implementing the new modalities of aid to education’, Prospects, 38(3), pp. 363–376. doi: 10.1007/s11125-009-9082-5.
Schneider, H. and Gilson, L. (1999) ‘Small fish in a big pond? External aid and the health sector in South Africa’, Health Policy and Planning, 14(3), pp. 264–272. doi: 10.1093/heapol/14.3.264.
Scott, W. R., Smith, K. G. and Hitt, M. A. (2004) 'Institutional Theory: Contributing to a Theoretical Research Program'. In: Great minds in management: The process of theory development, (January 2005), pp. 460–485. doi: 10.1126/science.1182238.
Serrona, K. R. B., Yu, J., Aguinaldo, E., Florence, L., M. ‘Developing a monitoring and evaluation framework to integrate and formalize the informal waste and recycling sector: the case of the Philippine National Framework Plan’, Waste Management & Research: The Journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA, 32(9), pp. 882–95. doi: 10.1177/0734242X14542146.
Shah, A. (2017) ‘Development assistance and conditionality: Challenges in design and options for more effective assistance’, OECD (April).
Sumner, A. and Tribe, M. (2008) International Development Studies Theories and Methods in Research and Practice. University of the Witwatersrand. doi: 10.1017/S0143814X00004207.
The National Treasury (2013) Budget Support in South Africa Managing Budget Support Funds within the South African Public Accountability System.
Verdinelli, S. and Scagnoli, N. I. (2013) ‘Data display in qualitative research’, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 12(1), pp. 359–381. doi: 10.1177/160940691301200117.
Williamson, O. E. (1981) ‘The Economics of Organization: The Transaction Cost Approach’, American Journal of Sociology, 87(3), pp. 548–577. doi: 10.1086/227496.
Winters, M. S. (2012) ‘The Obstacles to Foreign Aid Harmonization: Lessons from Decentralization Support in Indonesia’, Studies in Comparative International Development, 47(3), pp. 316–341. doi: 10.1007/s12116-012-9114-7.
Balancing the Innovation and Accessing to Medicines to Implement the Public Health Policies
Sichuan Administration Institute
Problem Statement and Purpose
In 2015, the World Health Organization released the World Cancer Report stating that global cancer cases will grow rapidly in the future. The report predicts that the annual global cancer cases will increase to 19 million in 2025 and may increase to 24 million in 2035. Among them, the cancer incidence in some developing countries is close to the world level, but the mortality rate is higher than the world level and the level of developed countries. At the same time, most anti-cancer drugs in some developing countries come from developed countries in Europe and the United States. Due to the genetic differences between different races, the limitations of different pharmaceutical companies’ research and development technologies, and the high cost of anti-cancer drug research and development, people in different regions have different rights to life and health based on the availability of anti-cancer drugs in developed and developing countries. Presenting different forms of protection.
Methodology
Although the "Doha Declaration" issued in 2001 stated "to promote access to existing medicines and the research and development of new medicines in a manner that supports public health", it emphasized that members of the World Trade Organization can use it under certain conditions. Generic drugs used to treat diseases such as AIDS are exported to countries that can neither afford nor produce these drugs. However, developed countries maintain trade barriers against developing countries for drugs with competitive advantages based on the concept of absolute protection of patent rights.
Findings
At the same time, because the cancer incidence and mortality rates in developing countries are lower than those in developed countries, the demand for market-driven anti-cancer drug R&D innovation in the latter is far lower than that in the former. The issue of availability of anticancer drugs in developing countries remains unresolved.
Proposals
In this case, international organizations represented by the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization can actively promote free trade of anti-cancer drugs in supply and demand countries and balance the protection of property rights of drug research and development results with the life and health rights of patients.
References
1.L.R.Helfer.The New Innovation Frontier?Intellectual Property and the European Court of Human Rights[J].Harvard International Law Journal,2008,49(1):1-53.
2.G.W.Austin and L.R.Helfer.Human Rights and Intellectual property[M].Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,2011.
Concepts, Issues, and Countermeasures of Global Governance System
Gansu Administration Institute, China, People's Republic of
Problem Statement and Purpose
The global governance system refers to the sum of a series of systems, rules, and mechanisms formulated and implemented by sovereign states, international organizations, multinational corporations, and other governance entities to address public issues in the international community. The main problems facing the current global governance system include three aspects.
Firstly, global issues are becoming increasingly prominent.
Secondly, the reform of the four major international organizations on which the global governance system relies is difficult.
Thirdly, the selfish behavior of Western powers has damaged the effectiveness of global governance.
he research aims to explore ways to address global governance issues.
Methodology
Qualitative research method. Qualitative research is mainly used to study the problems and proposed solutions in the global governance system.
Case study method. Mainly using the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization as examples, this study explores the difficulties and solutions faced by global governance system reform.
Findings
The main issues facing the global governance system
Firstly, global issues are becoming increasingly prominent.
Secondly, the reform of the four major international organizations on which the global governance system relies is difficult.
Thirdly, the selfish behavior of Western powers has damaged the effectiveness of global governance
Proposals
To effectively address these issues faced by the global governance system, we need to approach them from three aspects.
Firstly, we need to leverage the different roles of the main body of the global governance system.
Secondly, we need to promote reforms in the four major international organizations.
Thirdly, Western powers should abandon zero sum game thinking and assume their responsibilities in the international governance system.
References
“United Nations Charter,” signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco,and came into force on 24 October 1945.
“Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund,” Description:Washington,DC:International Monetary Fund, 2020.Includes index.
“Articles of agreement of the international bank for reconstruction and development,” July22,1944,2U.N.T.
Why and how do Chinese environmental NGOs participate in global environmental governance?
China National Academy of Governance, China, People's Republic of
Problem Statement and Purpose
1、Problem statement
With the acceleration of globalization, environmental issues are no longer a problem that can be solved by a single country or region, but require cooperation and joint efforts on a global scale. As part of the social forces, Chinese environmental non-governmental organizations actively participate in international environmental governance, fully reflecting the international factors of public governance. However, why do Chinese environmental non-governmental organizations participate in international environmental governance, and how do they participate? The answer to this question will reflect the two-way interaction between international factors and China's environmental management.
2、Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze how international factors affect the participation decisions and actions of Chinese environmental non-governmental organizations, and evaluate their contribution to global environmental governance. This will not only help deepen our understanding of the role of environmental non-governmental organizations in international environmental governance, but also provide useful references and inspiration for other countries and regions.
Methodology
3. Methodology
This article uses a variety of research methods such as literature review and case analysis. Through in-depth analysis of the international environmental governance system, public governance theory, and the development status of Chinese environmental non-governmental organizations, this article reveals the motivations for their participation in international environmental governance, including internal mission-driven and external environmental promotion factors. At the same time, this article also selects a typical Chinese environmental non-governmental organization, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation（CBCGDF）, for in-depth research, analyzes its specific practices and effectiveness in participating in international environmental governance, and explores the international factors and significance of this case in reflecting Chinese public governance.
Findings
The Chinese government encourages domestic environmental NGOs to participate in international environmental governance to compensate for the limited resources and ineffective cooperation. The Chinese environmental NGOs engage internationally to achieve their own environmental protection mission, to enhance their international influence and learn from international advanced experience and technology. Chinese environmental NGOs participate in international environmental governance through international exchanges and cooperation, information sharing, and promoting the formulation of international environmental rules. However, there are faced with insufficient funding 、limited international cooperation experience、scarcity of professionals in environmental protection and lack of domestic legal basis.
Proposals
This article proposes corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, including strengthening international cooperation and exchanges, enhancing organizational capabilities and professional standards, and gaining more international support. China also urgently need to formulate relevant laws and regulations to regulate the internationalization of Chinese environmental non-governmental organizations. International non-governmental organizations carry out projects overseas, and government overseas aid funds are an important source. China can consider increasing the proportion of foreign aid funds implemented through its own non-governmental organizations. These proposals aim to promote Chinese environmental NGOs to better participate in international environmental governance and contribute to the improvement of global environmental governance.
References
Elizabeth Planton, Wendy Leutert & Austin Strange, “Green Collaboration: International NGOs and Chinese Partners Promoting Sustainable Overseas Investments”, New Security Beat, April 11, 2024, https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2024/04/green-collaboration-international-ngos-and-chinese-partners-promoting-sustainable-overseas-investments/.
Liu, Lei & Wang, Pu & Wu, Tong. (2017). The role of nongovernmental organizations in China's climate change governance. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews: Climate Change. 8. e483. Doi: 10.1002/wcc.483.
Nikolaeva Kamila Sergeevna, “China: International Cooperation in Environmental Protection”, Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, Vol.3 No.2, 2015.
Liu, Xiaofeng, and Mia M. Bennett. “Going out and Going Green: NGOs in the Environmental Governance of Global China.” Eurasian Geography and Economics, (2023), 1–26. doi:10.1080/15387216.2023.2279549.