Maladministration

Abstract: Despite the importance of government transparency to promote accountability and prevent maladministration, empirical research has failed to produce proper tools to assess and compare government transparency practices. Most contributions to the topic do not address it from a stakeholder’s perspective, particularly in selecting the indicators to include in transparency indexes. This paper contributes to the debate by developing a municipal transparency index based on information available on local government official websites. The methodological approach borrows insights from the decision analysis literature to structure the index through a participatory process. An application to the Portuguese local government setting is briefly discussed.

Abstract: In much of the current literature on global and European governance, “public accountability” has come to mean accountability to national executives, to peers, to courts, and even to markets. I argue that such a re-conceptualization of “public accountability” as an umbrella term blurs a crucial dimension of the original concept: the critical scrutiny of citizens and the collective evaluation of government through public debate. In this article I critically discuss the advance of managerial and administrative notions of accountability that accompanied the steep rise of the governance concept. I advocate a return to a conception of public accountability as accountability to the wider public. I investigate the prospects for such public accountability beyond the state, which depends upon the emergence of a transnational public sphere, consisting of media and organized civil society. The function of such a transnational public sphere is to put pressure on governance institutions in case of massive maladministration, and to make sure that emergent political concerns and demands are recognized in the process of international policy making.

Abstract: This study is one in a series of papers devoted to issues of development management in the search for greater efficiency in setting and pursuing developing goals. The widespread occurrence of corruption in developing countries, whereby public money is illicitly diverted for private gain, has raised substantial concern. The particular circumstances of developing countries as well as government monopoly of economic activities, conditions of political softness, widespread poverty and socioeconomic inequalities, ambivalence toward the legitimacy of governmental organizations, and systematic maladministration appear to be conducive to corruption. The data shows that corruption has a deleterious effect on administrative performance and economic and political development. The paper suggests counteraction measures ranging from commissions of inquiry, ombudsmen to investigate citizen complaints, courses and seminars, to simplification of administrative and financial procedures.

Abstract: This article is about war veterans' recent assault on the local state in Zimbabwe. From February 2001, veterans stormed local authorities in districts where the political opposition had strong support-primarily but not exclusively in Matabeleland and Midlands Provinces. They locked district council and other local goverment offices, closed some schools and demanded the dismissal of numerous officials, councilors, teachers and workers. Officials were suspended from their jobs and subjected to a procedure of 'vetting' by war veterans in which they were accused of a wide range of offences from dancing on the photograph of the President, to campaigning for the opposition party, to maladministration and corruption. This process has received little comment from President Mugabe, war veterans, or party leaders- in contrast to war veterans' interventions in other areas, such as land and labour issues- yet its consequences are potentially far-reaching. Here the focus is on Matabeleland North. I investigate the veterans' demands, the ad hoc bodies set up to deal with them, and local reactions to the closures and suspensions. I argue that war veterans' interventions have politicized all areas of public sector work and have seriously undermined the scope for professionalism within the public service. The ruling party has used veterans' disruption to newly conflate party and state structures at district and provincial level, and to set up new channels of authority. In so doing, Zanu(PF) has gained more control over the local state. However, the party's use of the veterans has also produced unintended effects related to the priorities of particular groups of veterans and their exploitation of a range of local grievances.