Policy & Governance Review
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219 research outputs found
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Battling COVID-19 and Disasters: Task Force Bureaucracy during Emergencies in the Philippines
Full text linkCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused significant adjustments in the landscape of public governance in the Philippines. While the world was focused on the pandemic, the Philippines had to simultaneously address the impacts of disasters such as volcanic eruption and strong typhoons. In response, the government resorted to the use of "Task Force", a military concept wherein a unit is designed to work on a single activity. This paper aims to answer the research question: how does the Philippine government operationalize task forces during emergencies such as COVID-19 and other disasters? Using secondary research as methodology, it examines the reconfigurations in the national government in terms of leadership, structure, human capital, policies and practices for disaster management. It analyzes the strengths and challenges of drastic reinventions in public administration and governance while in the middle of a crisis situation wherein all sectors are affected and their implications for the post-pandemic period
Digital Sociocracy: Navigating Governance Challenges in Southeast Asia
Full text linkDigital sociocracy merges digital technology with sociocratic principles to improve participatory governance. This framework utilizes digital tools to enhance inclusivity, transparency, and efficiency across sectors such as urban management and energy systems. It advocates eight principles: Accountability, Equivalence, Consent, Transparency, Empiricism, Continuous Improvement, Digital, and Effectiveness to tackle governance challenges and support sustainable development. In Southeast Asia, the application of digital sociocracy encounters challenges such as digital literacy gaps and socioeconomic disparities. However, there are significant opportunities, as evidenced by initiatives that enhance governance quality and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Singapore has emerged as a leader in adopting digital tools for participative governance, while other nations have shown varied progress and obstacles. This research formulates a quantitative model to evaluate the feasibility of digital sociocracy by employing indicators from global databases, such as the World Bank and SDG dashboards. These findings underscore the potential of digital sociocracy to bridge governance gaps, enhance citizen engagement, and promote equitable development. This study offers a strategic framework for policymakers to address the complexity of digital governance in Southeast Asia
Development of Leads to Social Inclusion Why do Similar Projects Have Different Outcomes? A Perspective on Local Government Actors
Full text linkThis study aimed to investigate the factors that contribute to social inclusion through urban redevelopment projects in metropolitan areas. Existing research argues that Japan's urban development system promotes redevelopment projects that prioritize corporate interests, while neglecting the interests of residents. Nevertheless, most redevelopment projects in Japan are led by local governments and their incentives are not limited to attracting corporate investment. Therefore, through case study analysis, this study examines how the involvement of local actors (bureaucrats) in redevelopment projects affects the degree of social inclusion. The hypothesis is that bureaucrat-led redevelopment, which is managed and led by the local administration with the master plan of the city, is likely to lead to social inclusion. The significance of this study is to expand the literature on the impact of gentrification policies on social inclusion by examining the case of Japan and providing suggestions for policymakers seeking sustainable urban development
Selected Political Hoax Cases on Social Media: Multimodal in Forensic Linguistics
Full text linkThis study explores the complexities of political hoaxes on social media through the lens of multimodal forensic linguistics, focusing on integrating verbal and visual elements in the construction and dissemination of misinformation. By analyzing five prominent political hoaxes in the Indonesian context, the research applies a multimodal pragmatic framework, incorporating semantic representations of an individual mode, semantic representation of multimodal mode, and inferential meanings elaborated using post-truth escapism to examine the mechanisms of hoax narrative construction. The findings reveal how hoaxes use multimodal meanings across modes to manipulate public opinion and foster post-truth realities. The study highlights the critical role of multimodal elements, such as visual mode combined with emotive language in verbal mode, to reinforce hoaxes and shape ideologically biased narratives. It further discusses the implications of these findings for forensic linguistic analysis, emphasizing the need for refined methodologies that incorporate both verbal and visual modes in legal discourse. The study contributes to the growing field of multimodal forensic linguistics by offering a comprehensive approach to analyzing political hoaxes and their strategy for eroding trust in factual information
Accelerated Digital Transformation and Development of Digital Talent in Local Governments under Japan's Bureaucratic Policies
Full text linkThis study examines at the role of digital talent in Japan's local governments amid the COVID-19 pandemic-induced increased drive for digital transformation (DX). As local governments work to standardize their information systems by 2025, a serious scarcity of digital expertise presents a huge obstacle. The study takes a mixed-methods approach, examining both qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys performed by the Japan Municipal Research Center, which included representatives from 815 municipalities, to evaluate strategies for acquiring and nurturing digital talent. The findings show that local governments typically use two strategies: acquiring experienced IT workers and building digital knowledge among existing civil servants through extensive training. The effectiveness of these strategies varies, with some municipalities successfully improving their digital capabilities while others continue to struggle due to insufficient alignment with organizational needs and a lack of understanding of local government functions among externally recruited professionals. The study shows that, while technical abilities are required, digital talent's ability to coordinate and integrate within the municipal environment has a substantial impact on the success of DX programs. Effective digital transformation necessitates not only the recruitment of persons with strong ICT abilities, but also the development of robust coordination and negotiating skills among digital staff in order to encourage holistic governance and combine digital plans with larger municipal duties. This approach emphasizes the importance of a diverse skill set among digital talent in navigating the intricacies of public sector digitization under Japan's bureaucratic norms
How Can Regional Collaborative Governance Promote Public Value Through Relational Leadership? Grounded Research Based on Inter-Provincial Collaboration Between Guangdong, Hunan, and Guangxi in China
Full text linkStudies on regional collaborative governance based on China's institutional context are abundant, but the leadership perspective behind regional collaborative governance has rarely been discussed in previous studies. Based on a review of relational leadership theory, this study adopts the grounded theory methodology to study the three cities bordering Guangdong, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces, condensing the components of relational leadership in regional collaborative governance and the general explanatory framework. The research found that relational leadership in regional collaborative governance is composed of mission-driven, social capital, governance resources, trust shaping, common learning, interaction mechanisms, and public value. Among them, mission-driven is the motivation, social capital and governance resources are the basic conditions, trust shaping and common learning are actions, the interaction mechanism is the carrier, and public value creation is the goal. At present, the main problem of regional collaborative governance is that the governance mechanism is "built but not run." It is necessary to build an effective network governance system through the relational leadership of leaders, improve the overall public leadership of regional governance, and promote a governance system to operate more effectively. This research not only explores the dynamic leadership process of regional collaborative governance, but also enriches the micro perspective of regional collaborative governance research, expands the theoretical space of collaborative leadership, makes up the "leadership deficit" in the field of regional collaborative governance, and has reference significance and practical enlightenment for further promoting the performance of collaborative governance in the cross-region context
The Role of the Whistle-Blowing System in Relation to Other Objection making Systems in Japan
Full text linkWhistleblowing systems in local Japanese governments represent a relatively new addition to the country's administrative framework. Originally designed as a general system applicable to both public and private sectors, these systems were later adapted for local governments with minimal adjustments. This has led to ambiguity in distinguishing whistleblowing from other established objection-making systems such as those managed by personnel commissions and equity missions. Drawing on the author's experience as the chairman of a whistleblowing committee in Fukuchiyama City, this study explores the challenges of demarcating whistleblowing from other objection channels, particularly in cases involving staff remuneration, incompetent officials, and workplace harassment. The study employs a qualitative approach, analyzing real-world cases and reviewing legal frameworks, including the Local Public Personnel Act and local bylaws. This highlights the lack of standardization of whistleblowing systems across Japanese municipalities, as each local government designs its own system within vague central guidelines. This research identifies instances where whistleblowing is used inappropriately, bypassing more specialized systems, and examines the implications of this trend. It also considers the reasons for the popularity of whistleblowing, such as the allowance for anonymous reporting and the simplicity of the process, and suggests that whistleblowing systems have expanded the scope of objection-making in Japanese local governments; they have also created confusion by overlapping with existing systems. The paper concludes with recommendations for a clearer demarcation between whistleblowing and other objection channels, emphasizing the need for better-defined roles and expertise in handling different types of complaints. This study contributes to the broader discourse on whistleblowing systems and their integration into public administration