Governance

While we want to assess whether a person is suitable to lead a country, usually we will think about an important keyword—the ability of governance. However, it is an irrational expectation if we are asking a national leader to be self-disciplined and accountable to the people and the country. On the other hand, the people always got the same question, why a lot of leaders performed better at first but they usually faced with negative comments or the trials at last, or even being imprisoned for a long time? The major character in this article is Omar Al-Bashir, he is a former president of Sudan, he has been overthrown by the people’s force in 2019—a so-called successful “revolution” in Sudan. The overthrown of Omar Al-Bashir showed an example of unsuccessful governance in causing to this successful revolution. The article aims to show the governance weaknesses of Omar Al-Bashir in Sudan, and discuss how these weaknesses caused the revolution.      .

Experiences from urban development plans and assessments of their concrete and tangible results in the past decades indicate lack of adequate success of our urbanization system to responding needs of our citizens. This has resulted in need to find a fundamental solution to transforming the centralized system into decentralized. Recent changes in regard to a change of approach from master plan to strategic planning has resulted in an increased sensitivity with regard to enhancement of urban management in addition to the opinion that strategic planning is not in itself a credible replacement for technocratic master planning (top-down) and is not on its own sufficient for sustainable development. In this article, we employ methods of actualization and content analysis to compare the common features of two issues in Iran and subsequently, with an emphasis on correction of structure of urban management system, the concepts of participation of citizens, government, private sector and civic society and enhancement of “good urban governance” with “strategic planning approach” are discussed as keys to the question of solid development.“Public participation in decision-making, accountability, equity and efficiency”, defines both fundamental principles of good urban governance and characteristics of strategic planning and is essentials of a constant environmental, social and economic development.

The purpose of this study is to develop proposals and recommendations for the implementation of a process model for the development of leadership qualities of public servants and justification of the conditions for ensuring its effectiveness in terms of digital transformation. The relevance of this study is due to the need to ensure development of the process of professionalization of the senior civil service personnel on the basis of development of leadership qualities that will contribute to the effective operation of the civil service of Ukraine, change management and successful implementation of reforms in Ukraine, taking into account the best world practices. The methodology for assessing the level of managerial competencies of public servants according to the degree of implementation of strategic (key) competencies has been developed. The assessment of managerial competencies according to the degree of their significance for civil servants, the expert group identified the most important management competencies. An approach to understanding has proposed interaction of leadership competencies with managerial competencies, a diagnostic model for assessing the leadership of public servants has been developed. To implement the model, a system of indicators has been developed - single, complex and integrated indicators of civil servants' leadership, using tools: a tree of civil servants' leadership indicators, matrices for the calculated civil servants' leadership indicator, measurement scales for the corresponding level of indicators.

The shadow economy (SE) is a pathological normalcy, not only in developing countries but also in developed ones, causing disagreeable distortions in the real economy. The causes of the shadow economy can be traced back to actors who operate outside the formal sector to reap the benefits. The way these actors work can both affect the quality of governance and affect it. The right to comment and accountability, political stability and non-violence, government efficiency, the quality of governance laws, the rule of law and the control of corruption are indicators of governance evaluation in this regard. Therefore, in this study, using Hishao causality method, the causal relationship between these indicators with the shadow economy in Iran during the years 1995 to 2017 has been investigated. Findings show that government efficiency, rule of law and control of corruption have a two-way relationship with the shadow economy and the indicators of the right to comment and accountability, political stability and non-violence and the quality of governance laws have a one-way relationship with it.

This research aimed to rank the components of smart network governance in the Iranian banking system. This article discusses the prioritization of the governing elements of smart grids identified from the research conducted by the researcher is discussed. This research was carried out quantitatively and with a simple survey method. The participants of this research were managers and experts of the country's banking system. Participants were selected via purposive sampling with the criterion of at least 10 years of experience in banking management, at least a master's degree, and with the study field of preferably management. The data analysis was done using the method of network analysis process. Super Decision software was used for data analysis. The research results show that the components of the smart network governance model compiled in order of priority include behavioral factors, stability and economic prosperity, mechanism factors, legal considerations, structural factors, comprehensive development, and information and communication technology.

SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES:   This article explores the ethics of political leaders in “Nahj al-Balagha,” a collection of sayings, letters, and sermons attributed to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib , the first imam of the Shiites and the fourth caliph in Sunni Islam, as well as a prominent leader of the historical period of Islam. Over the centuries, “Nahj al-Balagha” has become an integral source of Muslim literature, and its content is actively studied for ethical and political lessons. This research aims to analyze the ethical principles and norms embedded in “Nahj al-Balagha,” with a focus on the role of political leaders.METHOD & FINDING:  The research is conducted through qualitative analysis of the texts in “Nahj al-Balagha” using methods such as thematic analysis, content analysis, and comparative analysis. The texts are systematically examined to identify explicit and implicit ethical principles, as well as examples and scenarios related to political ethics. Contextual data is utilized for a more comprehensive understanding of the philosophy and ethics embedded in “Nahj al-Balagha.”CONCLUSION:  It is expected that the results of this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the ethical values that political leaders should adhere to according to “Nahj al-Balagha.” The study encompasses several key aspects, such as justice, honesty, compassion, conscience, governance, and leadership. The ethical expectations of leaders are presented in three contexts: subordinates, the general population, and their adversaries. By analyzing the texts of “Nahj al-Balagha” related to political matters and leadership, this work seeks to determine which ethical principles are deemed important for political leaders and how these principles may influence their behavior and decision-making.

The Islamic Awakening and the power vacuum after 2012 have been key factors motivating Arab states to invest in sport as a soft power tool to assert regional dominance. While Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games and the 2034 FIFA World Cup for the first time. This study aims to explore the role of sport in governance within West Asia. In recent years, an expanding body of literature has deepened our understanding of sports in the Middle East. Under the leadership of Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia has entered a new era of sports investment but has faced accusations of 'sportswashing.' Meanwhile, Qatar and the UAE, two smaller states in the region, have played pivotal roles in supporting high-profile sporting events. This study employs qualitative content analysis to assess the achievements of the Persian Gulf States-namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar-in soccer. The analysis draws from articles and reports published between 2000 and 2024, sourced from scientific databases such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, DOAJ, and Web of Science. While sport plays a crucial role in enhancing the international prestige of the Persian Gulf States, soccer has emerged as the primary focus. Unlike Saudi Arabia, which has sought to dominate the region through soft power initiatives, particularly in soccer, Qatar has pursued a distinct strategy, positioning itself as a peacemaker and friendly nation in the Middle East.

Since the beginning of human settlement, the most important factor in facing various natural and un-natural disasters and facilitating development in a society has been solidarity and unity. However, this can only be achieved through the performance of rulers and the formation of governments. As different societies have formed and various cultures have emerged, and as humanity has progressed toward evolution and excellence, the model of this consensus has also undergone changes. With the establishment of governments, based on the decisions of societies in their modern form, multiple fac-tors have played fundamental roles in shaping this unity, while progressive human thought undoubt-edly influencing this process. However, what prompts further reflection on this issue is how this co-hesion emerges when needed and how its fragmentation being prevented under a governance struc-ture. It is evident that a national governance structure plays a significant role in shaping different pol-icy approaches. Due to the influence of various ideas on the formation of governments and the relent-less efforts of scholars and thinkers to develop a suitable and superior governance model, the concept of "good governance" has gained attention in recent decades. Good governance, when properly aligned with a structure that suits a society’s prevailing conditions, can play a crucial role and evolve over time. Principles such as participation, accountability, transparency, the rule of law, etc., are among the fundamental aspects of governance. Each of these principles can be extensively analyzed, but in this discussion, the focus is on the formation of public consensus or, more appropriately, "so-cial convergence" within a desirable "governance structure." Undoubtedly, this structure plays a key role as a fundamental prerequisite for comprehensive and effective implementation of governance thought in fostering social convergence across various sectors of society and government.

Social justice, as a concern of human society alongside concepts like freedom, security, democracy, and governance, has always received attention by justice-oriented thinkers. They have provided theo-ries on the concept of justice and how to achieve it. Among them are Morteza Motahari and John Rawls who regarded as influential in global thought. This article focuses on the concept of social jus-tice and its place in governance within the framework of the ideas of these two thinkers, utilizing a descriptive-comparative method by gathering primary data from related articles on social justice with-in a governance approach. For Martyr Motahari, justice is an innate matter, achievable only through the connection of human law to divine law. He sees justice as a fundamental reality created by natural order. In contrast, Rawls views justice as a civil matter, attainable through human consensus under conditions of fairness. This is why, they yield two different outcomes, while ultimately aim to shape reforms and essential concepts by emphasizing that governance cannot start without moving toward justice. Justice is presented as a marker, factor, and aspect essential for progress, development, and the attributes of fair and transcendental governance. Both theories assign duties to governments, as a principal pillar of public rights, in establishing social justice through legislation. However, their views diverge significantly in the origins and foundations of these perspectives, as Rawls approaches justice from a liberal viewpoint, Motahari articulates it in an Islamic context.0