Paper short abstract:

Our study investigated governments’ engagement of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI), an association of businesses, to promote public policies for M-SMEs, and how such engagement help strengthen policy outcomes in the aspects of taxation, business registration and access to finance.

Paper long abstract:

With high prospects in achieving the SDGs, the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (M-SMEs) sector contributes to social prosperity and drives innovativeness that leads to improved production. However, limited access to credit and inability to get registered have led to a bulk of African M-SMEs being clustered in the informal economy, thereby inhibiting government’s development planning process for them and exacerbating tax burdens on a few. Our study focused on how governments engage Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI), an association of businesses, to promote public policies for M-SMEs, and how such engagement help strengthen policy outcomes. We focus on CCI as an amalgam of private sector leaders, and argue that their coordination and mobilisation efforts can help to strengthen policies relating to M-SMEs in the aspects of taxation, business registration and access to finance. First, what role do CCIs play in policy making for M-SMEs’ sustainability in these areas? How effective are government’s coordination efforts in liaising with CCIs towards mobilising M-SMEs? How influential are CCIs in facilitating bottom-up strategies that help specific government policies in the identified areas? What challenges currently limit these processes and how can they be addressed? We drew data from three sources: interviews with relevant CCI and government officials whose responsibilities relate to the subject, Focus Group Discussions with beneficiaries of programmes targeted at M-SMEs and questionnaires administered to 200 M-SME owners in Osun and Oyo states. Our findings indicate perpetual underutilization of private sector leaders in promoting government’s sustainability strategies for M-SMEs.

Paper short abstract:

Ghana adopted PPPs in managing its solid wastes due to private sector efficiencies, and budgetary constraints. However, such PPPs have not lived up to expectations, with poor stakeholder engagement as a major cause. The study investigated the processes of private sector engagement in PPP.

Paper long abstract:

The SDGs recommend that different sectors and actors work together in a unified manner by sharing financial resources, knowledge and expertise. This is enshrined in SDG 17 which requires countries to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise global partnership for sustainable development.

Acknowledgment of private sector efficiencies, budgetary constraints, and increased waste generation compelled Ghana to adopt PPPs. However, such partnerships for managing public goods have not lived up to expectations, thus dipping the confidence of stakeholders about the effectiveness of strategic partnerships in addressing developmental challenges. Notable among the causes of PPP failure was poor stakeholder engagement in selecting private sector players. This study focused on solid waste management, one of the first sectors to adopt PPP model to address sanitation and environmental challenges in Ghana.

Qualitative research design was adopted and 62 research participants were used. Narrative analysis was used for data analysis. The study found that the PPP contract between the local government authorities and the private sector was centrally prepared and executed. This denied local actors, including Assemblypersons, citizens and local Assemblies the opportunity to make critical inputs and have their interests represented and maximised in the contract. Local actors felt less involved in the partnership and were oblivious about the tenets of the contract. Centralisation of the contractual arrangement stifled competition among private sector players, which is key in ensuring positive association between cost and service quality. The study recommended the deeper engagement of local actors in contractual arrangements surrounding strategic partnerships for development.

Paper short abstract:

This paper attempts to analyse the contribution of the private sector in EU's blended finance.

Paper long abstract:

The use of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to mobilise private finance is increasingly seen as essential to meet the SDGs. Numerous development agencies have set up diverse de-risking initiatives to attract private investment to development projects. Such measures have reportedly been successful in raising private finance and in improving development outcomes. There are, however, concerns with this approach. Funds may be channelled to private shareholders and fail to go to sectors and regions most needed. Funds remain insufficient to plug the SDG funding gap. Blending can create longer-term risks for development agencies while costs for recipient governments and the full impact is often not captured in traditional evaluations. Furthermore, there is an opportunity cost to using ODA in this way as blending may promote the perspective of financial investors over development outcomes, and public oversight over aid may be loosened. This paper proposes to provide an assessment of how EU's blending facilities contribute to the pursuit of the EU's development objectives. This includes a critical assessment of existing evaluation methods of blended finance and impact on developing countries using specific case studies.

Paper short abstract:

The paper examines drivers of informality and decency of working conditions of informal quarry workers in Ghana.The study found a lack of employment opportunities and low cost of entry as the drivers of informality. Indicators of working conditions were not decent per ILO's standards.

Paper long abstract:

This study explores drivers and decent working conditions among informal self-employed stone quarry workers in Ghana. The study adopted the qualitative research design from the interpretivist approach to understanding informal quarry workers from their perspectives. A sample of 33 respondents was drawn for the study comprising a labour inspector and a trade union representative, two administrators of health facilities; two children and 27 self-employed quarry workers. An in-depth interview, focus group discussion and non-participant observation were used for the data collection. The study found a lack of employment opportunities, need for livelihoods and low cost of entry as the drivers of informality. Indicators such as income, working hours, working environment, healthcare and social security were not decent per ILO's standards. Lack of strong association among workers to bargain for regulatory support and concessions from suppliers and inadequate resources for the regulator to visit these workers were identified as causes for the precarious working conditions. The results suggest a need for increased labour department capacity and the formation of association among informal workers to ensure decent working conditions.

Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the role of non-state actors in Kerala's higher education development. The aims to address the policy discourses adopted by non-state state actors over the years with a special focus on their changing role from philanthropic to market oriented.

Paper long abstract:

This paper presents Kerala's higher educational policy ethos from 1900's which is a narrative of state's grave effort to safeguard its regional and social equity in the educational development. Building on the theoretical framework of role of the non state actors in educational development, the paper addresses two purposes . First, it attempts to understand the process and phases of higher education development in Kerala with a special focus on the role of non-state actors. Second, it aims to address the policy discourses and strategies adopted by non-state actors in the development of educational institutions and subjects choices which created new forms on educational inequality in the state. The study make use of historical data sources, data published by All-India Census and data from Kerala economic review for the analysis. However, the research has identified that contrary to the global

phenomenon of recent emergence of private players in the sector, the dominant role

of non-state actors in the development of higher education can be observed in Kerala even from 1920s. The non-state actors who were actively present in the higher education sector in the state were the caste and religious groups. Though their policies were initially philanthropic, their approach later became market oriented. Over the time they acted as pressure groups to the government which obstructs the aim of social justice and equality in education. They also created widespread inequality in terms of unequal access to educational institutions and choice of disciplines.

Paper short abstract:

The Grootbos Ecolodge and its associated Foundation are proving very successful at identifying programmes to meet local sustainability needs. These programmes are being delivered due to the convening power of the Lodge which provides access to well-connected high-net worth individuals.

Paper long abstract:

The Grootbos Ecolodge, situated in the rural-coastal periphery of South Africa's Western Cape province, is the locus of much innovative work to deliver sustainable development outcomes which benefit local communities and the natural environment. This paper explores the mechanisms through which the Lodge's management have successfully reached out to, and captured, significant financial and human capitals in order to facilitate the running of a Foundation which is proving highly successful at delivering programmes which align to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The local region suffers from high unemployment, crime and biodiversity degradation. The Foundation's programmes focus upon improving local people's employability and entrepreneurship skills, using sport as a developmental tool for children, supporting health and nutrition programmes and promoting environmental conservation. The paper will explore the outcomes from these programmes and demonstrate that very significant benefits are being achieved. The paper contends that the success of the Foundation over fifteen years results from the vision and leadership of the Lodge's management team. On the one hand they have proven adept at identifying programmes to meet local developmental needs and on the other they use the convening power of the Five Star Lodge, which attracts well-connected high net-worth individuals, to access the support necessary to deliver the programmes. Support takes the form of direct financial donations, access to CSR budgets, statements of support to donor organisations and the provision of human resources. We conclude by considering the extent to which this model offers lessons that can be replicated in other scenarios.

Paper short abstract:

The paper addresses the increasing development leadership roles taken by indigenous industries in Nigeria from 2005-2018. This paper reveals that economic growth and household welfare are significantly improved due to the leadership roles played by indigenous industries.

Paper long abstract:

The Global south is a region characterised by poverty, underdevelopment and shaky governance. The rise of indigenous industries has resulted in a gradual shift in the leadership and development narrative, with most captains of industries in the region subtly affecting changes in national and cross-border policies through their operations, products and the deployment of their corporate social responsibilities. The evolution of industrialisation thus propels an evolution of the obtainable structures in ways that focus on sustainable development goals. This paper seeks to examine the actions of indigenous industrial companies (Dangote Industries Ltd, Nigeria - DIL as a case study) in driving development and achieving the SDGs. The paper identified if there was a deliberate action in DIL in terms of company policies or directives that facilitated the achievement of the SDGs. The study used the archival method, where information was obtained from the organisation's website and other developmental publications. Dangote Cement Plc (DCP), a subsidiary of DIL is the biggest indigenous company in Nigeria and leading conglomerate in Africa. It operates in Nigeria and across 10 countries in Africa. DCPs' operations and sustainability vision aligns with that of its parent group (DIL) with diverse social, environmental and economic impact across Africa. DCP has made effort to address global challenges through their seven pillars of sustainability in alignment with the United Nations SDGs. DIL has achieved 15 out of the 17 SDGs to foster a corporate culture that aligns sustainability "thinking" with sustainability "doing" by driving sustainable development across Africa.

Paper short abstract:

Through multi-actor strategies of 'environmental stewardship', MNCs can better integrate Southern primary producers into a resilient supply chain which can gain global legitimacy. Beyond this instrumental role, such strategies play performative roles in reinforcing neoliberal environmentalism.

Paper long abstract:

For at least the past decade, business organisations have been building 'environmental stewardship'. As a general driver, tensions arise between company supply chains and communities dependent on the same natural resources. Hence multinational companies (MNCs) face various risks to their natural resource base, reputations and markets, sometimes from environmental protest. They seek to soften the conflicts through multi-stakeholder engagement of various types, especially through cooperation with non-governmental conservation organisations (NGCOs). Interdependencies on natural resources are identified by natural capital assessments. Cross-company sectoral partnerships have set voluntary environmental standards, which are variously accommodated or shaped by companies' supply-chain changes. Such inter-related partnerships are analysed here for two MNCs, Kering's cashmere from Mongolia and Olam's palm oil from Gabon.

Through various partnerships, these companies better integrate Southern primary producers into a resilient supply chain which can gain global legitimacy, especially in the North. Beyond their instrumental role, multi-actor relationships play performative roles in validating neoliberal environmentalism, i.e. relegating environmental and development issues to business leadership. These arrangements manage deeper tensions arising from the prevalent development model, namely: economic growth through global markets. From a neo-Gramscian perspective, multi-actor processes strategically help to protect business hegemony but have potential to contest it.