Viewpoint Leadership lessons for institutional development in Albania and Kosovo: handout versus giving a hand

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-359
Author(s):  
Fron Nahzi
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Democratic Development ◽  
Leadership Lessons ◽  
Contemporary Context ◽  
Local Leaders

PurposeThis essay draws on my experience in the democratic development of Albania and Kosovo. These leadership insights are shared in the contemporary context of the changes in the past ten years to the international development landscape in the Western Balkans and Central and Eastern Europe. My professional reflections on leading efforts to establish democratic institutions form the basis of these case studies on Albania and Kosovo. Drawing on these reflections (Schon, 1982) can generate a deeper understanding of the leadership practices that facilitated a successful transition, as well as make explicit the implicit practices in leadership that resulted in less than successful efforts.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of the democratic development challenges in Albania and Kosovo are based on my experience in managing multi-million dollar nation building programs in both countries.FindingsThe democratic development of Kosovo and Albania illustrate the challenges that most leaders in governments and civil society face working in transitional societies. It should come as no surprise that their respective roles and goals will come into conflict as local leaders fight to hold onto power, while many Western good governance programs promote sharing of power. This conflict is complicated by the question of to whom the NGOs and international organizations are accountable – their donor or the community they are working in?Originality/valueThe analysis is based on personal experience in developing and implementing nation-building programs in Albania and Kosovo.

scholarly journals Promoting Good Governance

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Gerald E. Caiden ◽  
Yoshikazu Kitaguchi
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
International Development ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
World Conference ◽  
The World ◽  
The United Nations

From May 31 to June 4,1999 over eight hundred participants from al1 levels of government and nongovernmental organisations attended the World Conference on Governance held in the Philippines. It had been organised by the Eastern Regional Organisation for Public Administration (EROPA), the Philippine Civil Service, and the National College of Public Administration and Governance at the University of the Philippines, in cooperation with numerous international and regional organisations, including the Asian Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Its theme was From Government to Governance with emphasis on public finance, capacity building and partnerships. But its major concern was promoting good governance, a topic which has been attracting increasing international attention since the late 1980s and has become a key objective of many technical assistance programmes. The World Conference can be seen as a culmination of these efforts to focus on good governance in institutional development and to prepare an agenda for future action by taking account of current ideas and opinions of all those involved. What follows is a brief overview of some major issues that run through the notion of promoting good governance.

Western Balkans might seek new relationship with EU

2022 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
Republika Srpska ◽  
The Eu

Significance Non-economic priorities such as nation-building and partisan political interests have often shaped large developmental projects in the Western Balkans, facilitated by no-questions-asked capital from China, Russia and Turkey. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the opportunity to attract more promising projects, not least in the pharma and digital sectors. More vigorous assessment of the environmental and economic consequences of state-led development could facilitate the region’s prosperity and alignment with the EU. Impacts Civil society groups will put significant pressure on governments and investors to raise standards. Calls for the EU to support civil society and activists in Western Balkans directly will intensify. Serbia’s economic assertiveness could contribute to isolating Kosovo and encouraging breakaway tendencies in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS).

Working with marginalized groups: towards more holistic strategies for social exclusion reduction of the Roma community in Kosovo

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albina Balidemaj
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
International Development ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Economic History ◽  
European Countries ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This paper aims to identify the successful strategies, through literature review, to be used in Kosovo to help integrate the Roma community and to reduce the community’s overall social exclusion. This paper further examines the gaps between strategies and implementation results in reducing the social exclusion of the Roma through experiences of other European countries with similar political and socio-economic history as Kosovo. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a literature review and further examines the experiences of other European countries, with similar political and socio-economic history as Kosovo and their strategies in eliminating the social exclusion for Roma communities. A holistic socio-ecological approach is used as a recommended model to be used for the development of a strategy to reduce social exclusion among Roma Communities in Kosovo. Findings The social and economic implications are extremely negative for countries with large Roma minorities, such as Western Balkan countries and the European Union (EU) as a whole. Roma inclusion policies both in the EU and Western Balkans contain considerable flaws and tend to ignore the variables of discrimination and antigypsyism. There is an obvious need to act more urgently to prevent the exclusion of Roma and to create strategies for better inclusion. Overall, gaps seem to remain between the strategies and implementation results. Practical implications This paper aims to add to the existing literature about the ongoing efforts of the international development assistance community and communities in the developing world. This paper also aims to show the gaps in ongoing efforts and provide generic recommendations that may be applicable in many diverse situations with the aim of leading communities toward a self-sufficient sustainable future. Originality/value The Kosovo anti-discrimination law protects all individuals from discrimination; however, in practice, studies show that the Roma exclusion is very high in Kosovo. This paper stands among the first to analyze comparative literature and policy reviews.

Understanding decoupling in response to corporate governance reform pressures

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Krenn
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Regulatory Change ◽  
Compliance Monitoring ◽  
Governance Reform ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Corporate Governance ◽  
Actual Use

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explain under what circumstances firm-level adoption of codes of good corporate governance will more likely be superficial rather than substantive in nature. The article contains lessons for any agency or country that attempts to implement deep and lasting changes in corporate governance via codes of good corporate governance. Design/methodology/approach – The article reviews the literature on compliance with codes of good corporate governance and develops a conceptual model to explain why some firms that have formally adopted a code of good governance decouple this policy from its actual use. Findings – Decoupling in response to the issuance of codes of good corporate governance will be more attractive to firms and also more sustainable under the following conditions: firms’ compliance costs are relatively high firms’ costs of outright and visible non-compliance are relatively high and outsiders’ compliance monitoring costs are relatively high. Originality/value – The article contributes to the debate on compliance and convergence and provides policymakers with a conceptual framework for assessing the likelihood of successful regulatory change in corporate governance.

Good Governance, State Capacity, and the Millennium Development Goals

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin Joshi
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
Statistical Correlations ◽  
Governance Indicators ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Per Capita

AbstractInternational development agencies argue that “good governance” is crucial to attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but there are many ways to define and measure good governance. The paper begins by examining the World Bank’s minimal state conception of governance and then proposes an alternative approach based on strengthening state capacity. The paper tests this framework by developing a provisional Millennium Governance Index (MGI) for 126 countries. In comparative empirical analysis, the MGI has noticeably higher statistical correlations than the World Bank’s governance indicators on six out of seven MDGs even after controlling for per capita income levels.

Refounding the African state and local self-governance: the neglected foundation

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Wunsch
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
African State ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
Political Relationships ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Rule Systems ◽  
Local Leaders

The political revolution of contemporary Africa has so far largely been limited to the centre and to re-establishing the same institutional forms and processes which failed Africa in the 1960s. These regimes are already showing signs of erosion. This problem can be understood through the theory of public goods. Key collective or ‘public’ goods problems impede the collective action necessary for institutional development. Top-down strategies cannot surmount these problems because they cannot integrate and unify the population or structure consensual and sustained collective action.As currently constituted, national levels of government in Africa will be poor partners with local communities in development, be it of democracy or of the economy. In many cases, national regimes only exist at all because minimal contributing sets or political monopolists controlled, were given, or mobilised the resources to establish constituting rule systems which they used to sustain their existing relative advantages during the break-up of imperial systems. As this advantage is usually at the expense of the majority which lives outside the capitals, resources and policies to improve these areas are slow in coming. The slow, bottom-up process by which a true public constitution is built, one which reflects and elaborates generally held values, is built on existing political relationships, and protects social diversity, has never been allowed to develop.Refounding the African state must resolve these problems if it is to succeed. Ethnically and religiously diverse peoples will rule themselves better under federal and consociational systems which give local leaders space to lead local institutional development, authority to play a role in national governance, a process to develop consensus on central policy and to check the centre when there is no consensus. This requires a foundation of viable, real, developed structures of local governance if it is to succeed.

Beekeeping as a family artisan entrepreneurship business

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veland Ramadani ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich ◽  
Leo-Paul Dana ◽  
Ramo Palalic ◽  
Laxman Panthi
Keyword(s):  
Family Business ◽  
Transition Economy ◽  
Rural Families ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Throughout Macedonia, beekeeping is becoming popular regardless of ethnicity. Studying ethnicity, the purpose of this paper is to determine what beekeepers in Macedonia thought in their own words about their beekeeping entrepreneurship. The objective is to identify whether motivations of ethnic Albanian beekeepers in Macedonia were the same or different compared to those of ethnic Macedonians in the same country, and if different, how. Design/methodology/approach To accomplish this objective, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 beekeepers in Macedonia. A total of 29 interviews were conducted face-to-face and the other 11 by phone. The first set of interviews took place between December 2016 and February 2017, followed by more interviews in June 2017. In total, 27 respondents said they were ethnic Albanians, and 13 identified themselves as ethnic Macedonians. Also, ten respondents were women. While eight were full-time beekeepers, 32 were part-time beekeepers. Findings The results indicated that beekeeping businesses play a significant role in the transition economy of Macedonia. Beekeeping provides additional earnings that support rural families and keeps them financially stable. The majority of both Albanians and Macedonians understood that beekeeping on a part-time job basis provided a needed supplement to their income. Some part-time beekeepers are also working as auto-mechanics, locksmiths, medical doctors, restaurant/cafeteria owners, and tailors. A few in the sample were retired from their jobs or full-time beekeepers. An important difference between ethnic Albanian beekeepers and ethnic Macedonians in Macedonia is that the majority of ethnic Albanian participants see beekeeping as following in “my father’s footsteps”, while most Macedonians were motivated by the perceived opportunity of having a good business. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the research are twofold. First, financial data of family beekeeping are not available, which would be useful in determining the contribution made to economic development. It is common, especially in transition economies such as the western Balkans, that financial results are very sensitive to their owners. Second, unavailable databases for beekeepers make any quantitative approach difficult, if not impossible, resulting in most research using the qualitative research approach. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to treat beekeeping as a form of artisan entrepreneurship, which also contributes to the understanding of family business. As in other countries, the important and operation of the family business among family members in Macedonia is passed from generation to generation. The results of this research revealed the value of networking, which was found to be very important to income. For beekeepers to develop, grow, and be branded in the community, networking is an important ingredient.

Is internal and external mechanism of governance enriching the performance of the banking sector of Pakistan?

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sundas Sohail ◽  
Farhat Rasul ◽  
Ummara Fatima
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
General Meeting ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how governance mechanisms (internal and external) enhance the performance of the return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE), earning per share (EPS) and dividend payout ratios (DP) of the banks of Pakistan. The study incorporates not only the internal factors of governance (board size, out-ratio, annual general meeting, managerial ownership, institutional ownership, block holder stock ownership and financial transparency) but also the external factors (legal infrastructure and protection of minority shareholders, and the market for corporate control). Design/methodology/approach The sample size of the study consists of 30 banks (public, private and specialized) listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE) for the period 2008-2014. The panel data techniques (fixed or random effect model) have been used for the empirical analysis after verification by Hausman (1978) test. Findings The results revealed that not only do the internal mechanisms of governance enhance the performance of the banking sector of Pakistan but external governance also plays a substantial role in enriching the performance. The findings conclude that for a good governance structure, both internal and external mechanisms are equally important, to accelerate the performance of the banking sector. Research limitations/implications Internal and external mechanisms of corporate governance can also be checked by adding some more variables (ownership i.e. foreign, female and family as internal and auditor as external), but they are not added in this work due to data unavailability. Practical implications The study contributes to the literature and could be useful for the policy makers who need to force banks to mandate codes of governance through which they can create an efficient board structure and augment the performance. The investments from different forms of ownership can be accelerated if they follow the codes properly. Social implications The study facilitates the bankers in incorporating sound codes of corporate governance to enhance the performance of the banks. Originality/value This work is unique as no one has explored the impact of external mechanism of governance on the performance of the banking sector of Pakistan.

Slovenia’s Jansa backs enlarging EU to Western Balkans

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Western Balkans ◽  
Content Type

Headline SLOVENIA: Jansa backs enlarging EU to Western Balkans

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