Good Government Means Different Things in Different Countries

Recent work on good governance implies a one best way model of effective government. This work has isomorphic influences on academic, donor and reform engagements in developing countries. But the one best way model actually does not hold, even for governments that score highly on governance indicators. Governments actually look different, even if they are similarly called 'effective' or 'models of good government.' The current article examines this issue and proposes a contingent approach to explain why good governments can look different. It suggests that government structures need to be explained in terms of the governing context--not the isomorphic influence of what indicators suggest good governance is. Key contextual factors that a contingent approach would consider in appraising government include economic challenges, demographic realities, and socio and political structures. The paper draws these factors out of an inductive analysis of differences in a set of OECD countries considered examples of 'good government.'

Challenges concerning the discriminatory optical force for chiral molecules

In response to arXiv:1506.07423v1 we discuss the authors work, and our own, on proposed schemes aiming to achieve a discriminatory optical force for chiral molecules

Turbulent and Dynamic Times: The Importance of Tacit Knowledge and Organizational Learning in a Young E-Commerce Company

E-commerce is a sector that is experiencing rapid growth and is having a major impact on how consumers shop, how companies manage their branding and communications, and how transactions and deliveries are made. For new companies in this sector experiencing fast growth there are inherent management challenges. This qualitative study of a young, French e-commerce company, used semistructured interviews to assess tacit knowledge of its managers and employees. The study is designed to help identify critical organizational skills and address opportunities for learning so that the company may better leverage its organizational skills and knowledge as sustainable competitive advantages

Isomorphism and the Limits to African Public Financial Management Reform

Many reform results fall below expectations in the development arena, especially in the public sector. Do the reforms just need more time to work better, or should we adjust our expectations? In addressing this question, the current article draws from isomorphism to think about potential limits to reform in developing countries. The theory is considered appropriate for thinking about change processes in the developing world. It presents change as motivated more by the need for legitimacy than efficiency and, in identifying the mechanics of change, points to potential limits of such change: to organizational dimensions that are visible, peripheral and involves concentrated sets of professional agents. These limiting factors are applied to a study of public financial management reform in 31 African countries which shows that some dimensions do appear more limited to isomorphic influence than others. Isomorphic change may indeed face natural limits, something the development community should consider in thinking about how it goes about facilitating and motivating reform in its client countries