South Sudan will get a larger budget but not reforms

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Reform ◽  
Underdeveloped Countries ◽  
Public Financial Management ◽  
Real Change ◽  
Oil Wealth

Subject South Sudan's budget and reform outlook. Significance Relative to other underdeveloped countries, oil wealth has given South Sudan potential economic advantages. However, an entrenched system of financial patronage and embezzlement has persistently undermined official budget targets. Despite occasional promises, President Salva Kiir’s government has never made a firm priority of development or public financial management reform. It has not even made good on its pledge to allocate 100 million dollars to finance the 2018 peace agreement that nominally ended its five-year civil war. Impacts Significant public financial management reform will not happen until there is a real change of government, starting with Kiir. Major new oil investments will not materialise, despite some purported plans. External initiatives to improve public financial management will only have marginal impact.

scholarly journals International donors as enablers of institutional change in turbulent times?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Vakulenko
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Reform ◽  
Public Financial Management ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Global And Local

PurposeThe purpose is to explore the role of international financial institutions (IFIs) during public financial management reform in a transitional economy. In particular, the study focuses on interaction between external enablers and local actors.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a qualitative study of public financial management reform in Ukraine during 1991–2014. This period is divided into stages corresponding with two projects financed by the World Bank: “Treasury System” and “Public Finance Modernization.”FindingsFirst, IFIs supported a Ukrainian economy weakened by financial crisis and insisted on a comprehensive reform of public financial management to facilitate recovery. By strategically addressing local challenges, eliminating local uncertainties and maintaining stable interactions, IFIs gained support from the central government. Local actors continued the reform by negotiating with other actors and getting quorum support. In the second stage, IFIs could not implement planned changes. Even though the change was well-perceived at the beginning, developed tensions between local actors were overlooked by IFIs, which resulted in loss of commitment of the State Treasury representatives. The continuous political instability in Ukraine constrained interaction between IFIs and the Ministry of Finance and reduced political will for conducting reforms.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the debate on the adequacy of externally driven public management reforms in developing countries by exploring actions and interactions of global and local actors during the change in public sector practices.

South Sudan faces a rocky road to first elections

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Bargaining Power ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Military Strength

Significance The current government’s mandate was meant to end this year. Instead, elections prescribed for 2021 have been delayed to 2023, ostensibly to allow more time to implement the 2018 peace agreement that ended the country’s civil war. Even with such a delay, the path to elections is likely to be littered with challenges. Impacts Few new opposition groups will consider forming political parties, as military strength is still viewed as the only viable route to power. Opposition groups may form alliances to boost their bargaining power, but talking with government is seen as more viable than toppling it. The post-election period will also be volatile, amid likely rejections of results or attempts to negotiate access to non-elected posts.

scholarly journals Public financial management reform: an ongoing journey towards good governance

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fadi Alkaraan
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Reform ◽  
Public Financial Management ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the influence of contextual factors on public financial management reform (PFMR) process. It provides a comprehensive analytical view of PFMR in the UAE over the period (2003-2016). Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a case study approach as a research methodology. It draws on archival data as well as interviews with key staff of the Ministry of Finance (MoF). A contingency model is used as conceptual framework to examine PFMR in the UAE. Findings Finding of this study show that the PFMR process cannot be viewed as an isolated initiative, rather, as part of a set of broader NPM reforms to strengthen public accountability for performance. The transition process creates major organisational changes; strategy, structure (new rules and roles), culture (core values about organisational vision, mission, and objectives). Benchmarks and milestones have been set in the accompanying monitoring matrix, though in practice, delays have typically occurred in the implementation of reforms. Challenges ahead facing the MoF are addressed. Research limitations/implications The findings should be understood in the economic, social and historical contexts of the UAE. Given the narrow scope of this paper, a single case study was conducted. Crucial themes for future research including how public sector executives employ effective independent measures of outcomes. The impact of basic supporting subsystems in translating strategic priorities and integrating them into the federal budget. Practical implications Research on PFMR is inherently practical. Essential factors for successful implantation of PFMR include government strategy, regulatory framework, information communication technology, technical experience, strong leadership, long-term political and administrative commitments, strategic pre-decision control mechanisms and accurate performance measurement. Originality/value This paper contributes to the limited studies on PFMR in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Lessons of this study may be valid for other countries considering similar developments in their PFMR.

US rhetoric on South Sudan may prove hollow

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
The South ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
To Come

Subject US policy towards South Sudan Significance Senior US officials have recently taken a harder line with South Sudan’s leaders over the country’s civil war, having resolved that President Salva Kiir’s government is principally to blame for the ongoing conflict and the collapse of a 2015 peace deal. After two senior US officials visited Juba to make it clear that “a serious re-examination” of US policy was underway, the administration announced a new round of sanctions designations and more public condemnation. Washington has hinted that further pressure is to come, but the spike in rhetoric may be more indicative of frustration than of a new strategy. Impacts The HLRF is unlikely to rescue the peace agreement, setting the stage for more violence as the dry season approaches. The government’s already low levels of popular legitimacy will further erode amid conflict and economic decay. Absent US leadership, Europe and the UN are unlikely to forge new initiatives without a clear request from the region. Further US sanctions may bar US oil companies from entering the South Sudan market and deter other investors.

South Sudan’s government will hinder aid efforts

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Assistance ◽  
The Past ◽  
South Sudanese ◽  
Near Term

Significance South Sudan’s civil war is now in its fourth year, during which the intensity and extent of fighting has fluctuated. Despite the notional maintenance of the August 2015 peace agreement, security has deteriorated in the past year. The spread of violence has produced waves of displacement, with hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese fleeing to Uganda. Impacts The government’s fiscal position will not improve in the near term. Army units, as well as pro- and anti-government militias, will continue to be predatory towards aid. International assistance for South Sudan will overwhelmingly centre on humanitarian activities rather than longer-term development.

Guest editorialHappy endings and successful stories in public sector financial management: a lesson drawing perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-406
Author(s):  
Sandra Cohen ◽  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Isabel Brusca ◽  
Eugenio Caperchione
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Financial Management ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
And Performance

PurposePublic financial management has been characterized by the implementation of several innovations and reforms that embrace different areas and scope. These reforms aim at expenditure rationalization and efficiency enhancement, as well as the improvement of accountability and performance. Despite research having already paid attention to these innovations and reforms, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats empirically faced by public sector organizations still need to be investigated. This editorial introduces the special issue by emphasizing on the lessons that can be learned from past reform experiences.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial synthesizes some of the findings of the previous literature and evidences the necessity of both successful and unsuccessful stories, presenting a future agenda of research which emphasizes the use of case studies as a suitable method to get insights out of multiple experiences.FindingsThe four articles presented in this special issue, covering the topics of accrual accounting adoption, the use of financial statements by councilors, the use of performance information by politicians and the outsourcing of auditing in local governments, provide an overview of the efforts and challenges faced by public administrations by analyzing the influence of the institutional context, the relevance of political implications and their practical footprint.OriginalityIn this special issue, four successful stories that touch upon multiple facets of public financial management in different country contexts are discussed, and they signal important takeaway messages for further reforms.

The Price of South Sudan's Independence

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (772) ◽  
pp. 194-196
Author(s):  
Alex de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Oil Wealth

Just a few years after becoming Africa's newest nation, South Sudan is embroiled in civil war and faces bankruptcy despite its ample oil wealth, thanks to a cynical scramble for the spoils of power.

Uganda regional agenda may face setback

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Policy ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Sudanese ◽  
Regional Agenda ◽  
Better Than

Subject Uganda's regional policy. Significance Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on September 16 attended a series of meetings in Khartoum with incoming South Sudanese First Vice-President Riek Machar. Machar's spokesperson said that the main outcome was Uganda's assurance that it will withdraw its military (UPDF) from South Sudan as per the recent South Sudan peace agreement. The development reflects a wider context in which Uganda's regional clout is under strain. Impacts Military intervention in Somalia will exacerbate that country's spillover effects for insecurity in the wider region. The UPDF's role in AMISOM heightens Uganda's vulnerability to al-Shabaab attacks. However, Uganda will manage these better than Kenya, partly due to its long-term character as a security state.

South Sudan peace talks may fail to bridge reality gap

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Local Level ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Framework Agreement ◽  
Content Type

Significance A ‘framework agreement’ reached between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar in Khartoum on June 27 had been billed as a breakthrough in efforts to end South Sudan’s four-and-a-half-year civil war, but progress since then has been mired by infighting, especially around power-sharing formulas. Impacts Sudan and Uganda’s involvement as ‘guarantors’ could constrain would-be spoilers but will be deeply divisive. The several dozen other armed factions will fight to secure their place at the table. Already-dire humanitarian conditions will worsen without local-level security improvements.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document