DEVELOPMENT OF SHARED GOVERNANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 70

Territories in transformation: multi-stakeholder governance strategies and social value creation in community–company relations

The purpose of this study is to analyze three Brazilian territories marked by tense relationships between companies and communities, seeking to understand how these ties are constructed over time. This study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach (Eisenhardt, 1989). From an epistemological standpoint, the study is grounded in an interpretivist perspective (Cunliffe, 2011). The findings indicate that multi-stakeholder governance is a dynamic process, in which organizational arrangements, power distribution and forms of social value creation are continuously reconfigured over time. The study demonstrates how governance models emerge, evolve and are contested throughout the relationship cycle, thereby influencing the generation of social value. Although the study does not measure social impact through public policy indicators, its findings engage with key challenges of the 2030 Agenda, particularly sustainable development goals (SDG) 16 (governance, coordination and legitimacy in contexts of institutional fragility), SDG 10 (power asymmetries and the expansion of community participation) and SDG 11 (territorial dynamics and firm–community relationships). Thus, the article provides an analytical foundation for understanding how multi-stakeholder arrangements may enable or constrain more equitable and sustainable responses in Global South territories. This study makes three contributions to the literature on multi-stakeholder governance (Bridoux & Stoelhorst, 2022) and social value creation (Lazzarini, 2020).

E-Governance and Local Government Administration: An Assessment of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State

This research investigates the impact of e-governance on administrative efficiency and service delivery in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The primary objective was to assess the impact of digital technology on the efficiency of local government administration in the study area. This broad objective informed two interrelated specific objectives of evaluating the challenges affecting the implementation of e-governance for administrative efficiency and determining if e-governance wields a potential for enhancing service delivery in the study area. Anchored on the theory of technological determinism, this study employed a mixed-methods approach combining questionnaire-generated data and interviews of local government staff officials and citizens with secondary data from relevant publications. Findings indicated that while e-governance wields a potential for improving administrative efficiency, there were significant barriers, such as inadequate infrastructure, limited digital literacy, and resistance to change among public sector employees. The study concluded that strategic investments in infrastructure and capacity-building initiatives are essential for maximizing the benefits of digital technologies. Recommendations include fostering stakeholder engagement and developing tailored training programmes to enhance digital literacy among local government employees and citizens. This research contributes valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of digital technology in public administration, particularly local government administration, thereby informing future policy and practice.

Governance Capacity: A Critical Analysis of Vocational Education Administration Models in Local Government of Laos

Centralized governance frameworks in developing economies frequently generate a fundamental tension between national policy coherence and the operational responsiveness required by diverse local labor markets. In Laos, this tension is acutely manifest within the administration of Vocational Education (VE), where provincial and district authorities bear expanding implementation responsibilities without commensurate transfers of fiscal authority, administrative capacity, or technical expertise. This study critically examines the administration models operationalized within local VE governance in Laos, identifies the structural constraints limiting their effectiveness, and proposes an evidence-grounded five-component governance reform framework. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study integrates quantitative survey data from 781 stakeholders across all provinces, comprising local government officials, VE administrators, educators, and industry representatives, with semi-structured qualitative interviews and systematic policy document analysis. Quantitative findings reveal that administrative model typology (centralized, decentralized, hybrid) accounts for less than 2% of the variance in perceived governance effectiveness, whereas process-level governance qualities, institutional autonomy, stakeholder participation, decentralization depth, and resource adequacy jointly account for 56% of the variance in perceived suitability. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) strength emerges as the strongest predictor of institutional effectiveness. Qualitative findings illuminate the mechanisms underlying these patterns: local authorities function as pragmatic brokers, navigating structural rigidities through informal networks and discretionary project-based initiatives that remain institutionally unsustainable and inequitably distributed. The study identifies a centralization-responsiveness paradox wherein ceremonially adopted decentralization policies coexist with functionally centralized operations, generating accountability ambiguities and inequitable governance costs. Grounded analytically in institutional theory, decentralization theory, and human capital theory, the proposed framework integrates reconstituted multi-level governance architecture, institutionalized demand-side engagement, equitable financing, systematic capacity development, and rigorous performance accountability. Implications are discussed for policymakers, development partners, and VE administrators in comparable transitional economies.

The Impact of Regional Institutional Bureaucracy Restructuring from The Perspective of Capacity Building: A Case Study of East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the impact of restructuring regional institutional bureaucracy from a capacity-building perspective, focusing on the case of the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government, a border region adjacent to Timor-Leste. In the context of institutional reform, this research evaluates the implementation strategies, processes, and outcomes of regional organizational restructuring in borderareas, where Government Regulation (PP) No. 18 of 2016 lacks provisions for border affairs management, creating unique coordination challenges with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The research employs a qualitative approach, using data collected through interviews with 11 key informants, observations, and documentation spanning 2016-2024. The results indicate that restructuring follows right-sizing principles, reducing the regional apparatus from 42 to 38 units while strategically accommodating border coordination functions. However, the primary challenge in building bureaucratic capacity lies in the lack of strong political commitment from local leadership. Critically, following border governance resolution, public service innovations surged from zero (pre-2022) to 122 innovations during 2023-2024. This study proposes a four-dimensional capacity-building framework for border provinces, adding Geopolitical Institutional Adaptation as a fourth dimension to the conventional dimensions. To achieve effective institutional reform, synergy between reform policies, geopolitical considerations, and institutional capacity is required to create an efficient bureaucracy responsive to public needs.

Public Management and Policy

Strategic Planning for Organizational Sustainability: A Stakeholder-Based Governance Model

Organizations increasingly face the challenge of integrating sustainability into strategic planning and governance systems while ensuring stakeholder participation, accountability, and long-term value creation. This study develops a stakeholder-based governance model by examining how strategic planning processes contribute to the integration of sustainability within organizational management. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining documentary analysis of institutional planning instruments, surveys administered to students, professors, and administrative staff, and semi-structured interviews with seven senior institutional leaders responsible for strategic decision-making. The empirical evidence was obtained from an Ecuadorian higher education institution operating in the context of an emerging economy. The results revealed high levels of stakeholder support for sustainability integration, with positive perceptions reported by professors (89.8%), students (83.6%), and administrative staff (74.0%). The findings also highlighted the importance of leadership commitment, stakeholder engagement, governance mechanisms, performance indicators, monitoring, and continuous improvement in supporting long-term institutional sustainability. Based on these results, a stakeholder-based governance model is proposed that integrates Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Theory, Sustainable Governance, and Organizational Sustainability into a unified management framework. The study concludes that sustainability can be strengthened when governance structures and strategic planning processes operate as interconnected mechanisms that guide organizational decision-making, performance evaluation, and long-term institutional development. This study proposes an evidence-informed governance model derived from a mixed-methods case study conducted at a private technological university in Ecuador.