The impact of favouritism on the business climate: a study on Wasta in Jordan

"Wide-ranging agreement exists today that a good business climate is central to economic growth and poverty alleviation. But questions remain open about the role of the state in creating a good business climate. This study is intended to answer some of these questions. The Arab Human Development Report 2004 stresses that sustainable economic growth cannot be achieved in the MENA countries without improved governance. One of the core dimensions of good governance is transparency and the control of corruption. The latter in particular is important for a good business climate (World Bank 2005f). Corruption can take different forms, one of them being favouritism which is very widespread in the MENA region. It is usually referred to there as 'wasta', which is Arabic for 'relation' or 'connection', and describes the use of personal relations for preferential treatment. The present study focuses on the economic effects of wasta. It has a twofold aim: first to find out how the use of wasta in state-business relations affects the business climate and investment and, thereby, economic development at large, and, second, to identify starting points for curtailing the use of wasta. All reference is hereby to Jordan, which has been selected for this case study for pragmatic reasons. Chapter 2 presents the conceptual framework of the study: It defines first the key terms and concepts of the study: business climate, state-business relations, favouritism, and wasta. After that, it discusses in general terms why and how favouritism may affect the business climate. Finally, the chapter draws upon theoretical literature to give possible explanations for the prevalence of favouritism in a given country. Chapter 3 is based on the results of Chapter 2 and delineates the hypotheses tested by our empirical research in Jordan. In addition, it gives a detailed account of our research methodology. Chapter 4 outlines the main features of the business climate in Jordan: It identifies the main problems perceived by businesspeople and discusses possible reasons for these weaknesses. The chapter concludes that statebusiness relations are a major area of concern for investors in Jordan. Chapter 5 turns to the role of wasta in Jordan. It shows how the use of wasta permeates all areas of economic and social life and gives an insight into the ambiguous attitudes of Jordanians toward wasta. Chapter 6 is devoted to the effects of wasta on the business climate and on investment. It shows that the prevalence of wasta in Jordan makes statebusiness relations unfair and inefficient. In addition, wasta establishes incentives for investment in social relations rather than in productive capital,thus lowering the rate of capital formation in Jordan. Chapter 7 concludes with policy recommendations." (excerpt

Participatory Governance, accountability, and responsiveness

Die Dissertation untersucht ob partizipative Governance ein effektives Mittel ist um lokale Regierungen in Guatemala dazu zu bewegen ihren Wählern gegenüber verstärkt Rechenschaft abzulegen und den Haushalt mehr an den Bedürfnissen der Armen auszu-richten. Das erste Papier bereitet die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse zur Wirkung von und den Bedingungen für effektive partizipative Governance auf. Das zweite Papier stellt ein neues Verfahren zur Kalibrierung qualitativer Interviewdaten für fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) vor. In einer qualitativ-vergleichenden Ana-lyse von zehn ländlichen Gemeinden untersucht das dritte Papier wie sich effektive par-tizipative Governance, politischer Wettbewerb und Zugang zu lokalen Medien auf die Haushaltsgestaltung einer Lokalregierung auswirken. Das vierte Papier analysiert mit derselben Methode die Bedingungen für effektive partizipative Governance. Das fünfte Papier präsentiert eine Fallstudie zweier Gemeinden und diskutiert Politikoptionen für die Implementierung von partizipativer Governance in Guatemala. Die Ergebnisse der Papiere zeigen, dass effektive partizipative Governance in Kombination mit starkem politischem Wettbewerb zu einer armutsorientierteren Ausrichtung öffentlicher Ausga-ben in den zehn Gemeinden führt, da Wähler besser informiert sind. Jedoch deuten die Ergebnisse auch darauf hin, dass partizipative Governance wegen des geringen Grades zivilgesellschaftlicher Organisation, des niedrigen Bildungsniveaus und hoher Armut in Guatemala nicht effektiv implementiert wird. Partizipative Governance kann also lokale Regierungen dazu bewegen Rechenschaft abzulegen und den Haushalt armutsorientier-ter zu gestalten. Ihre effektive Implementierung wird jedoch in Guatemala lange dauern und einen hohen Ressourceneinsatz erfordern. Daher sollten politische Entscheidungs-träger und Geber auch die Stärkung anderer Informations- und Rechenschaftslegungs-mechanismen, wie der Gemeinderäte, in Betracht ziehen.This thesis analyses whether participatory governance is an effective means for increas-ing local government accountability and for making local government spending more responsive to the needs of the poor in rural Guatemala. The first paper evaluates the scientific evidence on the impact of and the conditions for effective participatory gov-ernance. The second paper presents a new technique for calibrating qualitative interview data for fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). In a qualitative compara-tive analysis of ten rural Guatemalan municipalities the third paper examines how effec-tive participatory governance, competitive elections, and access to local media influence the allocation of local government spending. The fourth paper analyses the conditions for effective participatory governance with the same empirical method. The fifth paper presents a comparative case study of two municipalities and discusses policy options for implementing participatory governance in Guatemala. Overall, the papers’ findings show that effective participatory governance is sufficient for local government responsiveness in the study area when it is combined with competitive elections, because it increases voter information about local government performance. Yet, the findings also suggest that it will be difficult to implement participatory governance effectively in Guatemala due to the low degree of civil society organization, the low level of education of the population and the high level of poverty. The conclusion drawn from these findings is that effective participatory governance arrangements can make local governments more accountable and responsive, but that it will require much time and resources to implement them. Policy makers and donors should therefore also consider strengthening other information mechanisms, as well as existing accountability mechanisms, such as elected Municipal Councils

Opportunities and challenges for community involvement in public service provision in rural Guatemala

The purpose of the research summarized in this paper is to provide policy-relevant knowledge on the governance of rural services in Guatemala and thus to contribute to improving the provision of services that are essential for agricultural and rural development. Based on quantitative and qualitative primary data, we examine how services are actually provided today and how community preferences and participation affect service provision in rural Guatemala. Our main finding is that the provision of formally decentralized services by local governments is incomplete.Non-PRIFPRI1; Theme 6; Subtheme 6.2; GRP32DSG

¿Puede la gobernanza participativa superar asimetrías de información en los mercados políticos rurales? Un estudio de caso de dos municipios guatemaltecos

El aumento del conocimiento de los votantes sobre el desempeño del gobierno ha demostrado ser una condición clave para hacer que las elecciones funcionen como un mecanismo efectivo para rendir cuentas en los países en desarrollo. Sin embargo, sabemos muy poco sobre cómo puede ser transmitida la información acerca del desempeño del gobierno a votantes en las zonas rurales con medios de comunicación subdesarrollados. Para arrojar luz a esta cuestión, examinamos cómo la información sobre las decisiones de los gobiernos locales se transmite a los votantes en un estudio de caso de dos foros de gobernanza participativa municipal. Nuestros resultados muestran que un foro de gobernanza participativa puede funcionar como un mecanismo de suministro de información efectiva y, por lo tanto, contribuye a la receptividad del gobierno local. Sin embargo, también indican que la información no se transmite efectivamente a través de un foro de gobernanza participativa cuando los representantes del pueblo no están familiarizados con las reglas procesales de la gobernanza participativa, cuando no cuentan con el apoyo de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y cuando el costo de asistir a estas reuniones es alto

¿Puede la gobernanza participativa superar asimetrías de información en los mercados políticos rurales? Un estudio de caso de dos municipios guatemaltecos

El aumento del conocimiento de los votantes sobre el desempeño del gobierno ha demostrado ser una condición clave para hacer que las elecciones funcionen como un mecanismo efectivo para rendir cuentas en los países en desarrollo. Sin embargo, sabemos muy poco sobre cómo puede ser transmitida la información acerca del desempeño del gobierno a votantes en las zonas rurales con medios de comunicación subdesarrollados. Para arrojar luz a esta cuestión, examinamos cómo la información sobre las decisiones de los gobiernos locales se transmite a los votantes en un estudio de caso de dos foros de gobernanza participativa municipal. Nuestros resultados muestran que un foro de gobernanza participativa puede funcionar como un mecanismo de suministro de información efectiva y, por lo tanto, contribuye a la receptividad del gobierno local. Sin embargo, también indican que la información no se transmite efectivamente a través de un foro de gobernanza participativa cuando los representantes del pueblo no están familiarizados con las reglas procesales de la gobernanza participativa, cuando no cuentan con el apoyo de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y cuando el costo de asistir a estas reuniones es alto

Product Launch Analysis for an Ergonomic Scalpel Handle

The objective of this project was to develop production and marketing recommendations to bring the ergonomic scalpel handle to market. The rationale was two-fold: the ergonomic scalpel handle has significant technical advantages, and the design is ready for production assessment and testing. The methods used include evaluating recommendations from previous MQPs to select materials and finalize grip design. Using research, interviews, and pilot testing, we developed cost structures for three separate manufacturing possibilities: machining, additive manufacturing, and injection molding. The results showed that the ergonomic scalpel handle should utilize injection molding. The conclusion is that additional customer testing is required to finalize the design prior to production

Self-renewing Monolayer of Primary Colonic or Rectal Epithelial CellsSummary

Background & Aims: Three-dimensional organoid culture has fundamentally changed the in vitro study of intestinal biology enabling novel assays; however, its use is limited because of an inaccessible luminal compartment and challenges to data gathering in a three-dimensional hydrogel matrix. Long-lived, self-renewing 2-dimensional (2-D) tissue cultured from primary colon cells has not been accomplished. Methods: The surface matrix and chemical factors that sustain 2-D mouse colonic and human rectal epithelial cell monolayers with cell repertoires comparable to that in vivo were identified. Results: The monolayers formed organoids or colonoids when placed in standard Matrigel culture. As with the colonoids, the monolayers exhibited compartmentalization of proliferative and differentiated cells, with proliferative cells located near the peripheral edges of growing monolayers and differentiated cells predominated in the central regions. Screening of 77 dietary compounds and metabolites revealed altered proliferation or differentiation of the murine colonic epithelium. When exposed to a subset of the compound library, murine organoids exhibited similar responses to that of the monolayer but with differences that were likely attributable to the inaccessible organoid lumen. The response of the human primary epithelium to a compound subset was distinct from that of both the murine primary epithelium and human tumor cells. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a self-renewing 2-D murine and human monolayer derived from primary cells can serve as a physiologically relevant assay system for study of stem cell renewal and differentiation and for compound screening. The platform holds transformative potential for personalized and precision medicine and can be applied to emerging areas of disease modeling and microbiome studies. Keywords: Colonic Epithelial Cells, Monolayer, Organoids, Compound Screenin