Quamrul Alam

Resource capability for local government in managing disaster

Purpose – The paper aims to flesh out the capability requirements of local government institutions in pre‐, during, and post‐disaster activities which can act as a useful guide for researchers, bureaucrats, and independent agencies in managing natural disasters.Design/methodology/approach – The role of local government and the capability requirement for this institution have been major concerns in disaster discourse, since local government plays the most active role during disasters. It is the local governments responsibility to protect the community from vulnerability and to reduce disaster impacts. This paper critically summarizes the views of researchers, academicians, and government bodies. The sources of information are articles, books, web sites, and government reports.Findings – In the critical stage of disaster management, the capability requirements in the mitigation stage are evaluation, monitoring, and dissemination, while in the preparedness stage, planning, exercise, and training are the imp...

The New Public Management reforms in Asia: a comparison of South and Southeast Asian countries:

It has been recognized that there is a need for a cross-country analysis that can be used to identify the factors that contribute to the problems of state incapacity in South and Southeast Asian nations. In taking up this challenge, we explore selected initiatives of new public management (NPM) in the region to analyse cross-country variations. For this purpose we have chosen four South and Southeast Asian countries, namely: Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This article examines how the contextual factors. namely political history, party politics, macroeconomic considerations, state tradition, role of International Development Agencies (IDAs) and the state of civil society, influence the nature and the outcome NPM initiatives in these four countries. We argue that contextual factors played a determining role for which Singapore and Malaysia are relatively successful on their own terms compared to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which failed to achieve the expected benefits from NPM reforms. Points for practitioners It has been argued that there is a need for a cross-country analysis to identify the factors that contribute to the problems of public sector reforms in South and Southeast Asian nations. In taking up this challenge, we have explored selected initiatives of new public management (NPM) to analyse cross-country variations using four South and Southeast Asian countries, namely: Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We argue that unique country-specific contextual factors have played a determining role for which Singapore and Malaysia are relatively successful on their own terms compared to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in public management reforms.

Managing trust and relationships in PPPs: some Australian experiences

Governments in Australia increasingly rely on private sector service providers to improve efficiency in public service delivery and have entered into a range of business partnerships with those providers. This article considers the effectiveness of public-private partnership models used in delivering public services and suggests that some partnership initiatives have increased efficiency at the micro management level but have not been able to establish trust. The concept of public value, too, has not been used as a useful way of setting out public service goals. Other models have focused more on community participation in policy formulation and in building trust among the clients and the providers and these may point the way to the future of such initiatives. These tentative conclusions rest on an examination of two cases where partnerships have affected operating and management practices, Job Network and Best Value in Victorian Local Government.

Public sector reforms and accountability: The case of south and Southeast Asia

Abstract In this paper we examine how different contextual factors influence the nature of new public management (NPM) reforms and the state of public accountability in Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is notable that these countries fall into two distinct groups and that even in the successful pair of countries, Singapore and Malaysia, the extent of the accountability mechanisms implemented as part of the process of implementing the NPM model is quite limited, whereas the accountability and transparency of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka deteriorated during this period. We argue that political history, the pattern of economic development, the nature of political leadership, the capability of the administrative system, the capacity of existing institutions, and the state of civil society are the most significant contextual factors influencing accountability practices in these countries.

Local wisdom‐based disaster recovery model in Indonesia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the local wisdom‐based recovery model that has been applied in the Bantul district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia following the 2006 earthquake. This recovery model might appropriately be implemented in any type of local government in developing countries which have strong local culture characteristics.Design/methodology/approach – This research is an exploratory case study which concentrates on the Bantul district. Data were gathered in two categories: primary data and secondary data. Primary data were collected through in‐depth interviews. Secondary data were collected from related document such as articles, books, web sites or government and NGO reports.Findings – Bantul is a small district in the province of Yogyakarta Special region, Indonesia, and is known to be a highly urbanized area, poverty‐stricken and lacking in funds, and with a limited capability to manage a disaster. However, the two years of recovery has resulted in “reimaging” this district as a w...

Bridging the gaps: the role of local government capability and the management of a natural disaster in Bantul, Indonesia

This paper examines local government capability in managing pre-, during and post-natural disaster in Indonesia. The case study is the Bantul local government which had experience in managing the 2006 earthquake. Bantul is located in the most densely populated area of Java, where 1,500 people per square km square, and the earthquake destroyed domestic industries that had become the main resource of the Bantul local government. The capability of local government and the requirement to manage a disaster are very important issues for exploring the important role of local government in mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery disaster management activities, particularly in regard to the characteristics of local government in developing countries. In this paper, capability of local government in managing a disaster is defined as a function of institutions, human resources, policy for effective implementation, financial, technical resources and leadership. The capability requirement of each stage of disaster management has also been explained from the point of view of state and non-state actors and institutions. Finally, the paper integrates the capability requirement and reality in order to bridge these gaps.

The state of governance in Bangladesh: The capture of state institutions

Abstract The state of governance in Bangladesh has a chequered history. The countrys battle for independence, and its history of military dictatorships and dysfunctional democracy, have brought challenges in terms of establishing a sound system of governance. The five pillars of public governance have posed formidable obstacles to establishing and reforming key institutions, refining processes and strategies of management and guiding the country towards a more efficient and effective system. Here we analyse the backgrounds of legislators elected to parliament in 1991, 1996 and 2001, legislative accountability, functional mechanisms, and the constraints of regulatory, administrative and economic institutions in order to examine how poor governance practices have created high levels of patronage in return for short-term political gains. We argue that state institutions have been captured by members of a powerful nexus who have developed a symbiotic relationship with the state, affecting its institutional capacity to reduce corruption, strengthen transparency and accountability, and allow the judiciary and public bureaucracy to work professionally.

Managing infrastructure projects in Australia: A shift from a contractual to a collaborative public management strategy

Public private partnerships (PPPs) have evolved as a strategic response to public sector resource deficits and for pooling technical, managerial, and financial resources from the private sector. In this article, we identify the key factors necessary for a collaborative management strategy and analyze the structural and operational issues of two infrastructure projects in Australia. This article explains how a PPP offers a different set of strategic options to deal with complex micromanagement issues and argues that the success of PPPs depends on the processes and actions used to cocreate managerial social capital, building mutual trust by sharing risks, responsibilities, and experience.

Integrated Governance: A Pre-Requisite for Sustainable Market-Oriented Development in Bangladesh

Abstract Using agriculture input sector as an exemplar, this article assesses Bangladeshs efforts towards a market-oriented development approach. It examines the changing role of the state following the market-based reforms undertaken in this sector and assesses whether the outcomes of the reforms are sustainable. Findings reveal that, although the current move towards a market-oriented approach has led to a shift away from a state-dominated hierarchical structure, it has not been associated with adequate changes in institutional arrangements, safeguards, and regulation. As a result, despite notable achievements of the reforms, the sustainability of these successes is in question. To facilitate participatory, accountable, and sustainable, market-oriented development, the paper proposes an integrated governance model linking state, business, and civil society.

Market‐based reforms and privatization in Sri Lanka

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the extent to which socio‐political obstacles have influenced the successful establishment and performance of an institutional framework to implement the privatization programme in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approach – Secondary data have been extensively used in this paper to interpret, analyse and strengthen the arguments. Further, the recent data collected through semi‐structured interviews with stakeholders in the telecommunications sector in Sri Lanka have been used. The analysis has been confined to the Sri Lankan context.Findings – This paper finds that the institutional framework, one of the preconditions necessary for successful implementation of reforms, has not been successful in the implementation due to the unsound socio‐political milieu prevailing in the country.Research limitations/implications – This paper addresses only one aspect, i.e. the importance of a proper institutional framework. It emphasizes the need for further cas...