m-Government
Naveed Somani
Since the emergence of e-goverment in the late 1990s, citizens have been accustomed to being able to access government services electronically (Grönlund, 2004).The dominant focus of governments in the last decade has been to automate government services to ensure they are suitable for an online environment; but strategies for service delivery have had a limited purview, neglecting numerous technology channels already harnessed by the private sector (Al-Khamayse et al., 2007). More…
ICTs for open governance
Katherine Kirkby
Over the last decade, accountability and transparency have emerged as critical ways to address both developmental failure and democratic shortfalls (Gavelin et al., 2009). This is based upon the argument that through greater transparency and accountability, the ‘leaky pipes’ of inefficiency, corruption and poor development planning would be repaired, and in turn development initiatives would produce greater and more visible results (McGee and Gaventa, 2010). More…
Strengthening governance in Sierra Leone
Nicholas Broadbridge
Although rich in natural resources, Sierra Leone’s development aspirations since independence have been hampered by – among other factors – significant governance challenges. This has included considerable political instability, including five military coups. More…
Institutional capacity development
Mohammad Jasimuddin
The ability of states to design and deliver policies is a key priority that needs to be addressed by governments when analysing institutional capacity development. In today’s Commonwealth, a useful operational definition of capacity development is ‘the process by which individuals, organisations, institutions and societies develop abilities (individually and collectively) to perform functions, solve problems and set and achieve objectives’. More…
Strengthening political integrity and stability in Solomon Islands
Mose Saitala
The Strengthening Political Integrity and Stability Project is one of the high-profile projects that the Commonwealth Secretariat has helped to facilitate and execute throughout its member countries. With the aid of the Commonwealth Pacific Governance Facility (CPGF), the project was begun in Solomon Islands in 2011. This article deals with the project’s initial implementation and early achievements. More…
The challenges of successfully implementing anti-corruption hotlines
Roger Koranteng
Effective reporting systems are essential to providing national anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) with a valuable source of information about corrupt practices and other forms of misconduct. Over the past decade ACAs in Commonwealth Africa have deployed multiple reporting channels to enable the public to voice the concerns about suspected corrupt practices. These include reporting in person, via hotlines, by letter, by fax and by email. This paper focuses on the hotlines. More…
Upholding democracy through electoral observation, networking and technical assistance
Democracy Section, Commonwealth Secretariat (Political Affairs Division)
‘Although the cases are comparatively few, flawed political transistions are destabilising. They trigger political violence, undermine peace, intensify individual and group insecurity, and can cause humanitarian crisis. Apart from the adverse effects on the countries concerned, flawed political transitions affect neighbouring countries through, for example, the flight of refugees’ (Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, 2011). More…
Root and branch: the UK and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Andrew Tuggey
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is the parliamentary arm of the Commonwealth. It aims to advance parliamentary democracy by enhancing knowledge and understanding of democratic governance and to build an informed parliamentary community that is able to deepen the Commonwealth’s democratic commitment and future co-operation among parliaments and legislatures. The CPA is an active network of over 17,000 people and autonomous branches formed in legislatures worldwide. More…
Challenges and opportunities for local government in the Commonwealth
Carl Wright
Many Commonwealth counties – for example, Belize, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda – have fully democratic and highly decentralised systems of governance. Others, however, including the United Kingdom, remain highly centralised. Many modern local administrations were only established as fully functioning electoral structures in the last 10-20 years, following the end of the Cold War and the emergence of multi-party, pluralistic structures. More…
Professional journalism and democratic deficits in the Commonwealth
Chris Cobb
In its report to Commonwealth leaders at the 2011 Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia, the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) made numerous recommendations and comments about the sorry state of human rights in many of the 54 member countries. Especially significant for the Commonwealth’s community of journalists was specific mention in the EPG report of the rights of print and broadcast journalists to work in a safe and respectful environment, which has become a commitment – a Commonwealth political value. More…
The importance of taxation in the Commonwealth
Tutu Bakwena
Founded in 1978, the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) came into being after a decision made by Commonwealth finance ministers at a meeting in Barbados in 1977. Today CATA’s membership totals 49 Commonwealth countries and dependencies. This paper displays the importance of promoting tax systems in the Commonwealth. More…
Improving accountability: Strengthening public audit across the Commonwealth
David Goldsworthy
Across the Commonwealth, audit offices play a vital role in combating waste and reporting on the extent to which public funds and resources have been used properly and effectively. For nations to prosper and for citizens to place their trust in the integrity of their governments, it is important that all Commonwealth nations have strong independent supreme audit institutions or national audit offices. More…