LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE THE DYNAMICS OF POLICY AND PRACTICE: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF POLICY CAPACITY FOR INNOVATIVE GOVERNANCE THAT NURTURES SOCIO-POLITICAL TRANSFORMATIONS
Main Article Content
Chrispen Ciome
Southern African countries increasingly recognize that long-term growth and productivity challenges are tightly related to the capacity to innovate and to introduce new products, processes, services, and organizational routines in policy practice. This research assessed policy capacity for innovative governance as practices that aim to satisfy socio-political transformations. It is based on original data collected through a comprehensive survey of 30 purposively selected senior policy managers working within the region as provincial and national policy managers. These officials were strategically situated to assess and reflect upon the capacity for innovative governance in their areas of jurisdiction. The findings appear to show that Southern African countries are affected by the government overload challenges, bureaucracy bashing, public skepticism about the role of government; deplorable state of support for public policy infrastructure, and others. The research thus concludes that innovative approaches are needed to satisfy socio-political transformations. The research recommends rethinking the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of current policy and practice models and implores countries to embrace a collective reflection on finding new sources of growth for supporting a transition towards stronger, cleaner, and fairer economies.
Alford, J. L., and J. O’Flynn. 2021. Rethinking Public Service Delivery: Managing with External Providers. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
Amankwaa, L. (2016). Creating protocols for trustworthiness in qualitative research, Journal of Cultural Diversity, 23(3), 121-127. http://www.tuckerpub.com/jcd.htm
Bao H, Chen C, and Liu Y (2022) Innovative governance systems and green innovations of agriculture-related enterprises based on the approach of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Front. Environ. Sci. 10:990414. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.990414
Caillier, J. G. (2018). The priming effect of corruption and bureaucracy is based on citizens’ perceptions of an Agency’s performance. Public Performance & Management Review, 41(2), 201–223.
Caillier, J.G. (2020), Bureaucratic Bashing and Praising: What Effect Does it Have on the Performance Citizens Assign Agencies? Public Organizational Review 20, 685–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-020-00464-7
Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (2023), What is governance innovation? Available at: https://www.up.ac.za/centre-for-the-study-of-governance-innovation
Christiansen, J and Bunt L. (2012), policy innovation: allowing for creativity, social complexity and uncertainty in public governance. London: MindLab; Nesta
Chu, D. J. (2022). Innovation mechanism of agricultural green technology based on public goods attributes. J. South China Agric. Univ. Sci. Ed. 21 (01), 23–32. doi:10.7671/j.issn.1672-0202.2022.01.003
Clark, N. (2000), Public policy and technological change in Africa Aspects of institutions and management Capacity, Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. 27 No. 1/2, pp. 75-93.
Cleary M. R. and Stokes, S. (2023), Democracy and the Culture of Skepticism: Political Trust in Argentina and Mexico. Russell Sage, Buenos Aires. https://www.russellsage.org/publications/democracy-and-culture-skepticism-1
Cresswell, W., & Cresswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, And Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th Edition. SAGE Publications, USA https://spada.uns.ac.id/pluginfile.php/510378/mod_resource/content/1/creswell.pdf
Dean R. (2023). Deliberating Like a State: Locating Public Administration Within the Deliberative System. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance 4 (4): 346–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321723116628
Du, Y., and Ma, H. (2022). Research on innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of complexity: based on the QCA method. Research and Development Management. 34 (03), 1–9. doi:10.13581/j.cnki.rdm.20220341
Fagin, B. (1997), Skepticism and Politics, Retrieved from: http://www.csicop.org/si/show/skepticism_and_politics on 15-05-14.
Farazmand, A. (2013), Governance in the Age of Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities for South and Southeast Asia Retrieved from: http://mppgnsu-intlconf.org/docs/1.%20Ali%20Farazmand.pdf on 08-05-14.
Galego, D. Moulaert, F. Brans, M.& Santinha G. (2022) Social innovation & governance: a scoping review, Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 35:2, 265-290, DOI: 10.1080/13511610.2021.1879630
Howard, H. J. (1984), Perspectives on overloaded governments. Australian Journal of Public Administration. Vol Xliii No. 4 pp. 332-345.
Huang, J., Yi, C., and Shen, H. (2021). On innovation performance driving mechanism of overseas subsidiaries of China’s multinational enterprises-configuration analysis based on QCA method. J. Huaqiao Univ. (Phil. Soc. Sci.) 39 (04), 77–90. doi:10.16067/j.cnki.35-1049/c.2021.04.007
Kalita, A. and Mondal, S. (2012), Role of innovative institutional structures in integrated governance: A case study of integrating health and nutrition programs in Chhattisgarh, India Journal of Health Organization and Management Vol. 26 No. 6, 2012 pp. 758-777
Lynn, L.E. Jr and Stein, S. Jr (2001), “Public management”, Handbook of Public Administration, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Michael H. (2005). Public Policy Process. London: Pearson
Steinzor, R. (2012) Buireaucratic bashing, Obama style. Centre for Progressive Reform. Available at: https://progressivereform.org/cpr-blog/bureaucracy-bashing-obama-style/
Stephenson, P. (2004), Bureaucrat-bashing undermining efficiency, says the report. Society Guardian, Wednesday 2 June 2004
Thompson, R. (2014), Policy capacity: A leadership priority Retrieved from: http://www.canadiangovernmentexecutive.ca/service-delivery-policy/policy/item/1345-policy-capacity-a-leadership-priority.html On 08-05-14
Tömmel, I. & Verdun, A. (2014), Innovative Governance in EU Regional and Monetary Policy Making Retrieved from: http://www.germanlawjournal.com/pdfs/Vol14-o2/PDF_Vol_14_No_02_380-404_Articles_Toemmel_Verdun.pdf On 08-05-14
UNDP (2014), Towards Human Resilience: Sustaining MDG Progress in an Age of Economic Uncertainty Retrieved from: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Poverty%20Reduction/Inclusive%20development/Towards%20Human%20Resilience/Towards_SustainingMDGProgress_Ch8.pdf on 15-05-14.
Washington, S. (2023) An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice, Policy Design and Practice, 6:3, 283-298, DOI: 10.1080/25741292.2022.2139952
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods 6th Edition. SAGE Publications, London. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/case-study-research-and-applications/book250150
Zakaria, F. (2013), "Can America Be Fixed? The New Crisis of Democracy," Retrieved from: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138474/fareed-zakaria/can-america-be-fixed. On 15-05-14
