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Governance And
Accountability
Major Essay Topics (choose ONE of the following
topics) (3000 words)
1. Assess critically the implications
of public-private partnerships (PPPs) for issues of transparency and
accountability. In formulating your response draw upon evidence from one or
more cases.
2. Examine and assess critically
Mulgan’s (2003, p.150) argument that the non-profit sector ‘provides the
clearest illustration of the need to limit accountability for the sake of other
values’. You are encouraged to look at, say, a
particular organisation, field of activity or such to help give your study both
a solid empirical foundation and analytic depth.
3. Governance and accountability in
emerging democracies:
i. Imagine you are advising and training
a newly formed government in an emerging democracy. Traditionally, government
has been run via a network of patron-client relationships. Critically assess
the challenges you would face in assisting this government to improve
accountability and transparency.
OR
ii. What series of steps would be
required in assisting a government (both politicians and public servants) in an
emerging democracy to transition from a largely opaque, hierarchical governance
system to a more transparent and accountable system?
4. ‘New Public Management reforms
[since the 1980s] have worked to both increase and decrease
accountability and transparency.’ Discuss critically.
5. ‘While the accountability mechanisms
of publicly listed companies resemble those of democratically elected
governments, in practice, these mechanisms are often largely
ineffective.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement?
6. Drawing on a specific case (or a
couple of cases) assess critically the role of the media today in holding
government to account, in the process identifying key pressures and/or
processes at work to both enhance and diminish the media’s
role as the fourth estate.
7. Patrick Weller has called
ministerial advisers the ‘black hole’ of government because they are often
unknown to the public and largely unaccountable to the parliament. Explore and
assess critically the accountability of ministerial advisers within Australian
government today.
8. Journalist Adele Ferguson said in
November, 2015, ‘The truth is if we want whistleblowers to provide information,
they need to be treated as heroes instead of pariahs.’ Compare and contrast the
role and treatment of whistleblowers in both the public and private sectors of
Australia.
Governance
And Accountability: Implications of PPP on Issues of Transparency
and Accountability
Name
Institution/Affiliation
Word Count: 3025
1.0
Introduction
The
United States, in conjunction with different regional and international
organizations, have realized it is imperative that economic development is characterized
by transparency and accountability (Appe & Barragan, 2013, p. 591). The
popularity surrounding good governance has been brought about by the increasing
demand in the calls for ethical behavior concerning the private and public
actors in the fast-paced economic environment. However, it is essential to
recognize that in infrastructural development practitioners of Public-Private
Partnerships (PPPs) have ignored the importance of proper governance. For that
reason, all the stakeholders need to work towards ensuring that the role of
transparency and accountability is highlighted in all Public-Private
Partnerships (PPPs) projects; as such this function should be well appreciated
and incorporated in different operations. The lack of transparency and accountability
often acts as a breeding ground for corruption; thus this negatively influences
the project in question by bringing about the feeling of frustration towards
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) projects. Taking the example of most
developing counties where there is inadequate governance most of the
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) projects fail to be successfully
implemented.
2.0
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
In
the sector of infrastructure, there is no commonly appreciated definition of
Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Under transparency and accountability,
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has different characteristics, for example,
contractual agreements with other entities that are complemented with the
general public receiving many essential services courtesy of the private
sector. According to Gladstone et al. (2013, p. 163), most of these projects
possess risks that are equally shared between the public and the private
sectors. These risks are well distributed on the basis that the party with the
best-proven management skills is given the responsibility to manage the risks
thus mitigating the costs ensuing from the risk. Presently, the private sector
has proven to be very useful not only when raising capital to finance projects
but also in the provision of management and expert skills. Regarding the
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects the private sector offers various
benefits, notably, customer satisfaction, speedier delivery, additional
resources and so on.
Besides,
the private sector in the United States also covers different sectors, namely,
transport and telecommunication services and most recently defense, health, and
education. The private sector is famed as a solution provider complementing the
services provided by local and national government; for that reason, these
projects are of great significance to the economic development of the United
States. The fact that most of the infrastructural development is capital
intensive; this prompts the intervention of local authorities seeking financial
assistance through mobilization of private capital (Chrismas, 2013, p. 203).
However, it is significant to acknowledge that there are various challenges
that both the private and public sector have to overcome to guarantee
successful implementation of the Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) projects.
For example, the establishment of practical legal and regulatory frameworks,
provides the political commitment to the project and set up efficient public
administration systems.
3.0
Case studies
3.1
Case One: George V. Voinovich Cleveland Innerbelt Bridge Eastbound Bridge
This
is a Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) project in Cleveland, Ohio. The project
brought various stakeholders on board so that to achieve the full
implementation of the project. The project was estimated to cost around $293
million, and it was to be constructed for 2-3 years. The public sector was
represented by the office of the Governor, while the private sector was
represented by various organizations that facilitated the completion of the
project regarding the provision of capital mobilization, expertise and so
forth. The George V. Voinovich Cleveland Innerbelt Bridge Eastbound Bridge,
project involved the change in structure design through demolition and
replacement of the 60-year-old bridge. According to KCI (2018), the project was
different from the previous traditional methods used to facilitated public and
economic development. The project involved the efforts derived from the public
sector that related to the total control over the operational aspects and
elements used in the demolition and replacement of the bridge. On the other
hand, the private sector was involved in the project through the provision of
expert knowledge regarding the details of the project on maintenance,
financing, renovation, construction, designing and so on.
As a Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
project it was imperative that the State government of Ohio welcomed the idea
of partnering with the local community (KCI, 2018). The involvement of the
private sector and public participation was to provide an expert opinion that
could see the project retain honors Cleveland steel heritage and remain a
sustainable development. Through the provisions of transparency and
accountability, HNTB contracted as the design team was able to come up with a
design that provided a cost-efficient and aesthetic appeal of the bridge.
Besides, due to proper governance, the parties involved established a platform
that guaranteed great communication that updated the public through every
construction phase. This is evidenced by the fact that before the commencement
of the construction process, the design team was able to organize a meet up
with the local community to discuss the most efficient way of communication.
The incorporation of public participation as a way of fulfilling the demands of
transparency and accountability ensured that the Cleveland community was fully
involved in the construction; at the end, the project was complemented within
the stipulated time and under budget.
3.2
Case Two: MD 355 InterChange Design-Build
This was a Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) project in Montgomery County, Maryland. The project involved the input of both...
