THE MACHINERY OF IRAQI WATER INSTITUTIONS: The Development of Institutions in a Post War State

The current state of Iraq regarding water issues is quite poor despite ongoing efforts to rebuild water infrastructures. Investigating the underlying problems with failed water infrastructures, this paper aims at identifying water institutions as the key to the failure of water governance in Iraq. Utilizing the theories of New Institutionalism, a mechanical model of institutions is formulated, identifying the various components of institutions. Based upon empirical findings we address how water institutions are being built in the ‘new’ Iraq, post Saddam Hussein and focus on the translation of norms and values to the institutional development. Based upon a political institutional approach, the assessment of the elements which enables an institution to function is also analyzed in the form of integrity and competence which will be described as the ‘oil’ of the institution machine. Overall the paper will identify that Iraq is still in a proto-institutional setting that is still developing

The Veterans Affairs scandal reflects the tangled web of accountability in U.S. government

This month has seen an unfolding scandal over ‘secret’ Veterans Affairs lists for veterans waiting to see doctors, and now many Republicans and Democrats are calling for the resignation of Secretary Eric Shinseki. Barbara Romzek writes that the scandal stems from the burdens placed on Veterans Affairs employees who gamed the waiting list system in order to please their own bosses. She argues that the scandal reflects the tangled web of accountability placed on Veterans Administration at the same time as it has experienced a massive increase in demand for healthcare from veterans. While firing Shinseki and others may give the perception of ‘doing something’, she writes, it will do little to solve the underlying problems

New Governance for Rural America: Creating Intergovernmental Partnerships

Throughout the 1990s public demand for a fundamental shift in the relationship between government and its citizens has intensified. In response, a new governance model has emerged, emphasizing decreased federal control in favor of intergovernmental collaboration and increased involvement of state, local, and private agencies. As the authors of this volume show, one of the best examples of new governance can be found in the National and State Rural Development Councils (NRDC and SRDC), created in 1990 as the result of President Bush\u27s Rural Development Initiative and now called the Rural Development Partnership. This effort was part of a move within policymaking circles to redefine a rural America that was no longer synonymous with family farming and that required innovative new solutions for economic revival. By 1994 twenty-nine states had created and ten other states were in the process of forming such councils. In this first detailed analysis of the NRDC and SRDCs, the authors examine the successes and failures of the original eight councils in Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington; as well as eight other councils subsequently created in Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Vermont, New York, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Combining empirical analysis with current theories about networks and inter-organizational relations, this volume should appeal to academics and practitioners interested in rural development policy, public administration, public policy and management, and intergovernmental relations. Description Beryl A. Radin is professor of Public Administration and Policy in the Graduate School of Public Affairs at Rockefeller College of the State University of New York at Albany. This Kansas Open Books title is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program.https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/kansas_open_books/1051/thumbnail.jp

Beyond Accountability: Political Legitimacy and Delegated Water Governance in Australia

Studies of delegated agencies commonly emphasize the importance of accountability for these unelected bodies to secure authority to govern. This article argues that beyond formal accountability measures, developing legitimacy through interaction with external stakeholders is critical to agency authority. In doing so, the article makes a distinctive contribution by applying a new conceptual model based on organizational sociology and identifying multiple dimensions along which legitimacy is lost and won, and hence authority secured. The article presents original findings from a case study of how the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, an Australian water agency established in 2007, attempted to achieve ‘political legitimacy’. Findings show that the Agency achieved legitimacy via appeals to common normative/ethical values and developing commonly used information and news outlets, despite facing opposition from stakeholders on the socioeconomic impact of its policies. The conclusion argues that the framework can usefully be applied to other agencies in ‘wicked problem’ policy areas

Theoretical frontiers in representative bureaucracy: new directions for research

The notion of a representative bureaucracy has generated a great deal of research although many issues are yet to be resolved and some have not been addressed. This theoretical essay uses a contingency theory approach to address a set of key questions relevant to representative bureaucracy. It discusses who is represented and what values get represented at the aggregate level, why bureaucrats represent, who they represent, and which bureaucrats represent at the individual level, and the empirical issues of critical mass, intersectionality, and how representation might change as a minority becomes a majority. The essay proposes 15 testable hypotheses and four modeling recommendations for empirical analysis

Monitoring the moneylenders: institutional accountability and environmental governance at the World Bank’s inspection panel

This article discusses how Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) such as an Inspection Panel have the potential to improve both the legitimacy and environmental governance of multilateral financial institutions such as the World Bank. The World Bank provides loans and credit to developing countries to stimulate social and economic development in an attempt to alleviate poverty, often investing in infrastructure projects such as pipelines, power plants, and oil and gas fields. With billions in annual lending, the World Bank is the largest international financial institution in the world. Between 1994, when it started operations, and June 2015, the World Bank Inspection Panel received 103 requests for inspection across more than 50 countries that resulted in 34 approved investigations. Based on a qualitative case study methodology, the study finds that institutional accountability has inherent value in improving the internal governance of an institution—in this case the World Bank—and its ability to achieve development and sustainability goals. Yet to be effective, collaborative governance needs steered by committed and independent leaders on all sides, and there are limits to what IAMs such as the IP can accomplish. Understanding the internal dynamics, processes, and accountability mechanisms of the World Bank offers a rare chance to test the efficacy of institutional accountability in practice. Moreover, this study shows how attributes reflecting independence, impartiality, transparency, professionalism, accessibility, and responsiveness are crucial to improving governance outcomes and more equitable decision-making processes— themes highly relevant to public policy and development studies as well as environmental governance and the extractive industries

Towards a conceptual framework of beneficiary accountability by NGOs:An Indonesian case study

Beneficiary accountability (BA) by NGOs is a contested notion. Extant research suggests disparity and complexity over its meanings, practices and forms. Its operationalisation, although important, has been a challenge for the NGO scholars, practitioners, donors and the relevant policymakers. In this study, we offer a conceptual framework of BA based on extensive literature review. It highlights four key attributes of BA – casually demanded, action based, quasi-instrumental and focuses on beneficiary self-reliance. We then empirically illustrate the framework by drawing evidence from a case study. The data for this research has been collected via a fieldwork based case study in Indonesia and the methods employed include interviews, focus groups, observation and documentary analysis

Are Public-Private Partnerships a Healthy Option? A Systematic Literature Review of “Constructive” Partnerships between Public and Private Actors

Governments around the world, but especially in Europe, have increasingly used private sector involvement in developing, financing and providing public health infrastructure and service delivery through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Although PPPs have attracted practitioner and academic interest over the last two decades, there has been no attempt to integrate the general management and health management literatures to provide a holistic view of PPPs in healthcare delivery. This study analyzes over 1,400 publications from a wide range of disciplines over a 20-year time period. We find that despite the scale and significance of the phenomenon, there is relatively limited conceptualization and in-depth empirical investigation. Based on bibliographic and content analyses, we synthesize formerly dispersed research perspectives into a comprehensive multi-dimensional framework of public-private partnerships. In so doing, we provide new directions for further research and practice

Creating change in government to address the social determinants of health: how can efforts be improved?

Background - The evidence base for the impact of social determinants of health has been strengthened considerably in the last decade. Increasingly, the public health field is using this as a foundation for arguments and actions to change government policies. The Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, alongside recommendations from the 2010 Marmot Review into health inequalities in the UK (which we refer to as the ‘Fairness Agenda’), go beyond advocating for the redesign of individual policies, to shaping the government structures and processes that facilitate the implementation of these policies. In doing so, public health is drawing on recent trends in public policy towards ‘joined up government’, where greater integration is sought between government departments, agencies and actors outside of government. Methods - In this paper we provide a meta-synthesis of the empirical public policy research into joined up government, drawing out characteristics associated with successful joined up initiatives. - We use this thematic synthesis as a basis for comparing and contrasting emerging public health interventions concerned with joined-up action across government. Results - We find that HiAP and the Fairness Agenda exhibit some of the characteristics associated with successful joined up initiatives, however they also utilise ‘change instruments’ that have been found to be ineffective. Moreover, we find that – like many joined up initiatives – there is room for improvement in the alignment between the goals of the interventions and their design. Conclusion - Drawing on public policy studies, we recommend a number of strategies to increase the efficacy of current interventions. More broadly, we argue that up-stream interventions need to be ‘fit-for-purpose’, and cannot be easily replicated from one context to the next