The divine right of kings was dismantled after a bloody conflict nearly 400 years ago. The impulse which led to that change should protect us from the reign of the White House emperor.
IMF leaders should practise what they preach when it comes to inequality.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The IMF has been expressing public concern about inequality since 2010, but this has not translated into concrete action within the IMF’s own policies and programs.
President Donald Trump speaks at a conference for law enforcement.
REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The Trump administration may do well to make a friend of the federal bureaucracy it’s so intent on gutting, according to an expert who studies the role of civil servants in government.
Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the Federal Reserve.
Matthew Cavanaugh/AAP
Defects in political governance, especially President Jacob Zuma’s failure to provide leadership, have induced a crisis of confidence in South Africa’s economy.
Chelsea Clinton has taken a more prominent role in her family’s foundation.
Gaston De Cardenas/AP
Many critics have made outlandish claims, yet beyond the partisan noise there are legitimate concerns that deserve closer scrutiny.
Head of South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority, Shaun Abrahams, dropped a fraud charge against the finance minister Pravin Gordhan.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority charged the country’s finance minister Pravin Gordhan and two of his former colleagues at the tax authority, Ivan Pillay and Oupa Magashule, with fraud last…
Global cooperation is necessary to fight our greatest challenges. Making it happen is much harder.
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The idea of effective world governance seems highly unlikely, but it’s an idea we must keep returning to.
World Bank president Jim Kim was recently appointed for a second term, but there are questions about the transparency of this process.
Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Good governance is the right thing to do, and boosts the legitimacy of decision-making. If moral chivalry doesn’t appeal, here are two more reasons: it’s cost-efficient and delivers better solutions.
In-depth surveys allow governments to drill their understanding down to street level.
Image courtesy GCRO/Clive Hassall
Without data, people don’t know what to believe or whom to trust. Empirical, thorough data collected by academics can help to fill important governance gaps.
From the EU to the UN.
Diliff and UN via Wikimedia Commons
Africa has been called a “consumer continent” by many, but in reality much of what its people consume is produced elsewhere. Technology is key to Africa becoming a self-reliant producer of goods.
The DAO is so democratic that even the logo is up for popular vote. Here’s one suggested option.
The DAO
Distributed autonomous organisations, or DAO, are a new form of decentralised organisation using blockchain technology. The DAO is first off the block, and it’s already making waves.
While Melbourne City Council is responsible for the CBD, governance of the vast area of metropolitan Melbourne is poorly co-ordinated between 31 councils in all.
Alex Proimos/Flickr
Governance of metropolitan Melbourne is fragmented among 31 city councils. All levels of government need to work towards creating a metropolitan authority to meet the challenges of a growing city.
Malcolm Turnbull outlines his vision of ‘City Deals’ that enable ‘smart cities’ to drive growth in the new economy.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The Turnbull government sees the ‘City Deal’ as a way for ‘smart cities’ to drive innovation and growth. But what is the value proposition behind this UK concept and how might it work in Australia?
Melbourne is one of the fastest-growing cities in the developed world, and the other big Australian cities aren’t far behind.
AAP/David Crosling
With the failures of past planning now apparent, the unruly threat of a damaged and depleting planet is ushering us toward a fourth era of urban restructuring. What might City v4.0 look like?
Tunisia has the highest score on the Good African Society Index.
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The Good African Society Index provides a comparative measure of the quality of society in African states. Governments could use its findings to make targeted policy interventions.
Without metropolitan governance that is responsive to city residents’ wishes, states are much influenced by federal priorities – that is, by the money on offer.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Representative and accountable metropolitan government is needed to lead metro-scale planning, infrastructure investment and services, and partnerships with the private sector and civil society.