Researching the Impact of the Quality of Village Governance on Farmers’Well-Being:From the Perspectives of Income and Occupational Differentiation

The goal of village governance is to improve the well-being of farmers,so this study aims to measure the impact the quality of village governance on the well-being of farmers.It also examines the heterogeneity of this impact across different farmer groups from the perspectives of income levels and occupational differentiation.To this end,this study developed an indicator system based on survey data collected from 1,442 farmers in the Sichuan,Shaanxi,and Gansu provinces,as well as the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.Multiple linear regression models were then used to analyze this data,and the findings revealed that improvements in the quality of village governance significantly increased the well-being of farmers.Specifically,primary-level empowerment and capacity building were shown to contribute the most to the enhancement of the farmers’well-being,followed by social inclusion,and social cohesion was found to have only a minimal effect.In terms of income levels,improving the quality of village governance benefited middle-income farmers the most,followed by low-income farmers,and it had the least effect on high-income farmers.In terms of occupations,full-time farmers gained the most from improvements in the quality of village governance,followed by off-farm farmers,with part-time farmers benefiting the least.Based on these findings,this study suggests that policymakers should improve the quality of village governance to enhance the well-being of farmers,focusing on the impact that level of income and occupational differentiation have on village governance.

Exploring perspectives in assessing the quality of governance of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) pilot project in Cambodia: Use of Q Methodology

Public and policy makers alike are concerned about national and global deforestation and forest degradation. These issues pose a significant threat to social, economic and environmental welfare.Attempts to prevent forest loss and increased attention to pilot REDD+ projects in community forestry sites would both deliver rural livelihood benefits and help to reduce adverse climate impacts.However, there has been no significant exploration of the viewpoints of local experts to determine the monitoring and action needed to support communitybased forestry and improve the governance of REDD+pilot projects in Cambodia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the perceptions of local stakeholders towards the quality of governance of the first community forest REDD+ pilot project in Cambodia,employing Q-methodology. We adapted 11 indicators of the hierarchical framework of assessment of governance quality to design 40 Q-statements related to REDD+ governance or achievements. The 52 P-set ranked these Q-statements with respect to the community-based REDD+ pilot project. Our study revealed that local stakeholders held four distinct, and partially opposite, views, that:(1) the REDD+ project is successful because it is inclusiveness and capable of causing behavioral change;(2) REDD+ pilot projects should be led by government, not external or locally;and needs more resources;(3) the REDD+ pilot project has raised unrealistic expectations, would likely be a source of corruption and will probably not be successful for local people or halting deforestation;and(4) the REDD+ pilot project is inclusive but not very transparent and probably ineffective at protecting forest. Through these four varied perspectives from local people involved in the project,we can see that there remain serious challenges to the future of pilot community forestry REDD+ projects,including the complex interaction between the multinational actors and the local socio-ecological systems.To move forwards, this study suggested Cambodia should make a pro-poor REDD+ program,implementing more community-based REDD+projects which explicitly build the assets and capacity of the poorest households. This study also shows that Q-methodology can highlight the diverse viewpoints of local stakeholders concerning the quality of community forest REDD+ governance, helping policy makers, implementers and local stakeholders to better identify the challenges to be addressed.

Governance Quality,Public Expenditure Efficiency,and Economic Growth

In this paper,we first examine the impact of governance quality on public expenditure efficiency.Then,we try to determine the effect of these expenditures on economic growth.Our starting point is the idea that public expenditure efficiency of a government program is significantly affected by the country’s governance quality.In other words,changes in government expenditure and the returns they generate on a government program depend on governance quality.Our sample consists of 36 countries observed over the 1996 to 2020 period.This period is known by a significant transition of political regimes.Our research model links government expenditure with the returns generated in a country in a given sector.In this model,we introduce the governance variable to examine the impact of government expenditure on returns on a government program in terms of schooling rates and life expectancy.The results indicate that governance quality affects expenditure structure and that efficiency of this expenditure positively correlates with a better governance quality as measured by corruption control and government efficiency.We also found that efficient expenditure has a positive impact on economic growth.

Interconnections between governance and socioeconomic conditions:Understanding the challenges in sub-Saharan Africa

Given that challenges on the issue of socioeconomic development faced by countries in sub-Saharan Africa(SSA)have been identified as critical to strengthening the inherent link between governance and socioeconomic conditions,this study examines the interconnections between governance and socioeconomic conditions in SSA.With a focus on 25 countries in SSA between 2005 and 2019,we conduct the analysis based on the Panel-Corrected Standard Error and System Generalized Method of Moments estimations and panel causality tests.The results show that SSA does not seem to have the means of effective governance to spur improved socioeconomic conditions.Moreover,the pervasiveness of institutional problems in many countries of SSA has been responsible for the poor socioeconomic conditions in the region.Likewise,governance quality and socioeconomic conditions are found to influence each other.An improvement in socioeconomic conditions could result in better governance quality.On the other hand,governance quality is viewed as a vital ingredient in achieving needed socioeconomic development outcomes.Thus,it is suggested that there is a need for countries in SSA to streamline governing systems toward engendering improved well-being.The introduction and implementation of transformative policies through effective governance are also necessary for ensuring critical structural changes and increasing social service provision.Overall,there should be a proactive identification of ineffective policies and procedures by policymakers to enhance meaningful impacts in the region.

Does Horizontal-Paradigm Aid Weaken the Governance of Recipient Countries?Evidence from China

China's aid has always been an interesting topic in the field of development economics,and the effectiveness of aid is also a controversial subject in the literature.This paper explores the relationship between China's aid and the governance of its recipient countries from 2000 to 2014.We found that,compared with the vertical paradigm"of traditional donors,China's f,horizontal paradigm‘‘has unique features,promoting the governance of recipient countries.We employed a cross-sectional estimation and panel analysis with several regression methods.While our cross-sectional findings did not yield robust evidence to support a relationship between Chinese aid and its recipients'governance,our panel data regressions found a significant and positive relationship.The results were robust in a dynamic panel,even after correcting for endogeneity.Thus,China's aid has a positive influence on governance with the inclusion of time series.The relationship was found to vary according to aid types.