This study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in fostering good governance practices in Africa. The APRM was established in 2003 subsequent to the launch of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in 2001, as an instrument to monitor the adoption and implementation of policies and practices that would lead to political stability, high economic growth and accelerated regional cooperation and integration as set out in the NEPAD document. The ultimate goal of the APRM is to instil good governance in Africa, which NEPAD considers the sine qua non for Africa’s development. The principal finding of this study is that the mechanism of peer review through the APRM has the potential to foster good governance in Africa, and thus, to pave the way to poverty alleviation and development. The peer review process provides an opportunity for participating countries to become aware of the strengths and shortcomings in their policy-making, governance institutions and practices and to share best practices of administrative, political and economic governance. It offers a forum for dialogue, peer learning, and regional and continental cooperation in which the challenges facing African countries, both individually and collectively, can be tackled. The APRM has initiated a process of dialogue between government and other societal actors (mainly civil society and business) about governance and development issues and how these can best be addressed. This is an important step towards the consolidation of democracy and better governance in Africa. It is for these benefits and for the potential for better governance that the APRM needs all the political and financial support it can get. The APRM is, however fraught with many challenges, which are likely to impede the effectiveness of its contribution. These challenges include the voluntary nature of the APRM, its inability to enforce policy, the absence of adequate funding, poor and limited administrative resources for implementation. In addition, the weak civil society in most African states militates against meaningful participation in and contribution to the process of peer review. Addressing these obstacles is imperative for the APRM to deliver its full potential. To this end, the study proffers a number of recommendations, which include the provision of strong political and financial support from African states, capacity building of national institutions that oversee government performance, such as the parliament and civil society, and the consistent financial support of donors and the international community. The study reveals that the road to a successful and effective APRM, and thus to a peaceful and prosperous Africa may lie in the future, but the foundation for Africa’s political and economic renaissance must be laid now. / Thesis (PhD (Public Affairs))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

Les pays du Maghreb (Tunisie, Algérie, Maroc) ont engagé de profondes réformes structurelles sur les plans politique et économique. Leurs équilibres macroéconomiques sont à peu près maîtrisés et ils bénéficient d’une multiplication de partenariats avec l'UE et de programmes d'aides internationales. Pour autant, ces pays n'arrivent pas à atteindre un niveau soutenu de croissance leur permettant de se développer. En se basant sur un cadre théorique centré sur l’interrelation entre les mécanismes de gouvernance publique et privée, cette recherche doctorale se propose de comprendre les raisons du blocage de développement dans les pays du Maghreb.A partir d’une définition stricte de la gouvernance et au moyen de la base de données « Profils Institutionnels » du MINEFI, pour les années 2001 et 2009, nous construisons 31 variables institutionnelles de gouvernance publique et privée pour 51 pays développés et en développement. Nous examinons ainsi la dynamique des Systèmes Nationaux de Gouvernance des pays du Maghreb comparée à celle d’autres pays, notamment à celle des Pays de l’Europe Centrale et Orientale (PECO).L’exploitation des données, moyennant des ACP et des régressions linéaires, souligne l’importance des institutions de gouvernance qui se rapportent aux niveaux de formalisation des règles et qui expliquent le développement ou le blocage des pays. Nos résultats démontrent également, en comparaison avec les PECO, que le blocage de la transition des pays du Maghreb est expliqué, dans une large mesure, par leur faible niveau de formalisation des règles souligné par la quasi-stagnation de l’évolution de cette formalisation entre 2001 et 2009. Les niveaux des libertés accordées aux citoyens permettent aussi d’expliquer les différences de développement entre les pays. / Maghreb countries (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) have undertaken substantial structural reforms on the political and economical level. Their macro-economical equilibrium is almost under control and they benefit from increased E.U. partnerships coupled with international aid programs. However, these countries have failed to reach a sustained growth level that would allow them to develop. Based on a theoretical framework centered on the interrelationship between mechanisms of public and private governance, this doctoral research aims at understanding the reasons behind the Maghreb countries’ development block.From a strict definition of governance and using the MINEFI "Institutional Profiles" database, for the years 2001 and 2009, we built 31 variables of institutional, public and private, governance for 51 developed and developing countries. Dynamics of the National Systems of Governance of the Maghreb countries were examined and compared to that of other countries, particularly to that of Central and Eastern Europe countries.The use of data factor analysis and linear regressions has highlighted the importance of governance institutions that are related to the levels of formalization of rules, and that explain the development or its hiatus in these countries. Our results also showed, in comparison with the Central and Eastern Europe countries, that the transition of the Maghreb countries is explained largely by their low level of formalization of rules and by their almost stagnation between 2001 and 2009. The different levels of freedoms granted to citizens also helped explaining the differences in development between countries.

Audit committees (ACs) can enhance corporate governance in the public sector, particularly in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). This study adopted a qualitative research approach to identify factors contributing to the effectiveness of ACs in selected Namibian SOEs to provide sound corporate governance. The empirical data was collected primarily through semi-structured interviews with participants as well as from field notes and company documents. The study highlighted certain AC characteristics and practices contributing to the effectiveness of ACs in selected Namibian SOEs to provide sound corporate governance. The mandate, composition, managing the activities of the AC, performance assessment of the members of the AC and reporting of the AC if applied correctly can enhance effectiveness of ACs. The study also highlighted weaknesses, suggesting that some of the ACs needed improvement in order to enhance corporate governance at SOEs. / College of Accounting Sciences / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)

Submitted by Erika Cruz (erikakato@globo.com) on 2018-01-12T13:45:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Érika Mayumi Kato Cruz Final.pdf: 3238940 bytes, checksum: 84bdc9eb0f173ba3a93ca437e9f343a0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2018-01-18T10:59:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Érika Mayumi Kato Cruz Final.pdf: 3238940 bytes, checksum: 84bdc9eb0f173ba3a93ca437e9f343a0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-18T12:17:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Érika Mayumi Kato Cruz Final.pdf: 3238940 bytes, checksum: 84bdc9eb0f173ba3a93ca437e9f343a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-18 / A presente tese teve como foco o estudo dos aspectos coevolucionários em redes interorganizacionais de cooperação e sua relação com as configurações e práticas de governança da rede. A literatura sobre coevolução aponta para um entendimento macro do fenômeno nos estudos sobre redes, levantando carências no que tange à análise dos seus microfundamentos, com destaque para as relações intrarede e interfirmas. De forma complementar, verificam-se na literatura de redes oportunidades de pesquisa no que diz respeito à análise dos aspectos sociais que regem os relacionamentos em rede, bem como aos fatores que influenciam o alcance de resultados individuais e coletivos de seus participantes. A tese objetivou, assim, aprofundar o conhecimento sobre dinâmica de redes por meio de estudo de casos múltiplos em Arranjos Produtivos Locais (APLs) no estado de São Paulo e Paraná. O objetivo consistiu em analisar a relação entre a configuração das redes empresariais e de sua governança com a coevolução das empresas participantes e das redes como um todo. Dado o caráter indutivo do estudo, este fez uso da abordagem de construção de teoria por meio de estudo de caso proposta por Eisenhardt (1989). Os resultados apontam para a existência de aspectos coevolucionários nos relacionamentos em rede, com destaque para o compartilhamento de custos, assim como ganhos relativos a troca de conhecimentos e experiências. A configuração da estrutura e das práticas de governança dos arranjos, por fim, influenciam na coevolução na medida em que contribui para a publicização das ações e o alinhamento de interesses dos agentes envolvidos. / This thesis focused on the study of coevolutionary aspects in interorganizational cooperation networks and its relation with the network governance practices and configurations. The literature on coevolution points to a macro understanding of the phenomenon in the studies on networks, raising deficiencies regarding the analysis of its micro-foundations, with emphasis on intrarede and interfirm relations. In a complementary way, the network literature offers research opportunities in the analysis of social aspects that govern network relationships, as well as the factors that influence the achievement of individual and collective results of its participants. The aim of this thesis was to deepen the knowledge about network dynamics through a study of multiple cases in Local Productive Arrangements (APLs) in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. The objective was to analyze the relationship between the configuration of the business networks and their governance with the coevolution of participating companies and the networks as a whole. Given the inductive nature of the study, it made use of the theory-building approach by means of a case study proposed by Eisenhardt (1989). The results point to the existence of coevolutionary aspects in network relationships, with emphasis on cost sharing, as well as gains related to the exchange of knowledge and experiences. The configuration of the structure and governance practices of the arrangements, lastly, influence on coevolution in so far as it contributes to the publicity of actions and the alignment of interests of the involved agents.

A sociedade tem cobrado do governo melhorias na qualidade dos serviços públicos e maior responsabilidade e eficiência na gestão dos recursos. A relação entre cidadãos e gestores públicos é um nítido exemplo de uma relação de agência, em que o detentor de um recurso (principal/cidadão) firma um contrato com outrem (agente/gestor público), delegando a esse o poder de decisão e gestão. Uma das características dessa relação é o comportamento maximizador de utilidade, quando o agente tende a tomar decisões que maximizem os benefícios próprios. Para minimizar esse problema, surge a governança pública, que se constitui em um conjunto de práticas que tem como função permitir que o principal monitore e controle as ações do agente. Em nível internacional, a governança pública tem suas principais referências no estudo 13, elaborado em 2001 pela Federação Internacional dos Contadores (IFAC); já no Brasil, suas diretrizes têm sido norteadas pelo Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU). Diante do exposto, o objetivo da presente pesquisa é identificar se, na percepção dos servidores, as práticas de governança pública recomendadas pelo TCU e pelas normas propostas no “study 13 da IFAC” têm sido aplicadas pelo setor de compras/aquisições da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). Trata-se, portanto, de um estudo de caso único, com abordagem qualitativa, que utilizou como instrumentos de coleta de dados a aplicação de questionários, entrevistas e análise documental. Os resultados permitiram concluir que a UFU implementou poucas práticas de governança recomendadas pelo TCU no que tange às dimensões de liderança, de estratégia, de controle, de pessoas e de processos. Verificou-se que as práticas com maior índice de adoção referem-se àquelas relacionadas à dimensão planos, informações e conhecimento. Assim, é recomendável que a instituição direcione esforços para implementar as práticas ausentes e melhorar aquelas já implementadas, respeitando os princípios da governança e criando uma relação de transparência e prestando contas à sociedade. / Society has been charging government improvements in the quality of public services and greater responsibility and efficiency in the resource management. The relationship between citizens and public managers is a clear example of an agency relationship, in which the holder of a resource (principal/citizen) signs a contract with another person (agent/public manager), delegating to him the power of decision and management. One of the characteristics of this relationship is the utility maximizing behavior, when the agent tends to make decisions which maximize the benefits of his own. To minimize this problem, public governance arises, which is a set of practices whose function is to allow the principal to monitor and control the agent’s actions. At the international level, public governance has its main references in study 13, prepared in 2001 by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC); however in Brazil, its guidelines have been guided by Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU). Therefore, the objective of the present research is to identify if, in the severs’ perception, the public governance practices recommended by TCU and the norms proposed in the "study 13 of IFAC" have been applied by the purchasing/acquisitions sector of Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). So, it is a unique case study, with a qualitative approach, that used as instruments of data collection the questionnaires, interviews and documentary analysis. The results allowed to conclude that UFU implemented few governance practices recommended by TCU regarding the dimensions of leadership, strategy, control, people and processes. It was verified that the most adopted practices refer to those related to dimension plans, information and knowledge. Thus, it is recommended that the institution direct efforts to implement the absent practices and improve those already implemented, respecting the principles of governance, creating a relationship of transparency on behalf of society. / Dissertação (Mestrado)