Stories about Governance from September, 2011
Brazil: The Real Value of Half Price Tickets
Even though there is a federal law in Brazil for half price tickets to cultural shows - as the greatest portion of the public can only afford half of the total value - the events charge even higher amounts. Fernando Sapelli explains why.
Kenya: Kenya Hosts Sixth Internet Governance Forum
Gamelmag blogs about the sixth Internet Governance Forum, which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 27th September to 1st October: “If you want to take part in the IGF but you can't make it to Nairobi, don't worry. You can make your voice heard by participating remotely. You can...
Georgia: Virtual Facebook Parliamentary Speaker Election Game
Ahead of next year's parliamentary election in Georgia, the ruling party continues in its attempt to harness the power of social media to attract interest in the electoral process from social media users. Mirian Jugheli reports.
Zambia: We Need to Watch Zambia
Ethan explains why the world need to watch Zambia: “There’s a danger that we miss a major story here: democracy is taking root in Africa and spreading rapidly. Nations like Zambia, which survived autocratic rule and then dominance by one party are now seeing democratic change.”
Zambia: Starting Life Under a New Leader
Zambians have started life under newly elected president Michael Sata who was inaugurated on September 23, 2011, three days after the elections which ended 20 years of rule by the MMD government. Netizens on various social network platforms have expressed different views on the inauguration and the new presidency.
Albania: One in three pays bribes
Home of the Albanian Blogger reports that one out of three Albanians pays bribes, making the country the most corrupt in Europe.
Protecting African Forests: Wangari Maathai's Legacy
Wangari Maathai, a prominent Kenyan environmental and political activist and 2004 Nobel prize winner passed away on September 25. She was the first African woman to be awarded the prize and is recognized worldwide in the fight to protect the environment on the African continent.
Zambia: Did Ex-President Implicate Himself in Farewell Speech?
Netizens have been dissecting the speech by Zambia’s outgoing president Rupiah Banda to find out whether he implicated himself in the plunder of national resources. Gershom Ndhlovu reports.
Russia: Expert Analyzes RuNet's Role Under Putin's Presidency
Nikolay Kononov, a columnist of Russian “Forbes,” says [ru] that the Internet will be the only space where real politics will take place in the era of new Putin's presidency. In an article “12 Years in the Internet” [ru] he predicts that the virtual politics will be able to penetrate to...
Sri Lanka: University Autonomy Under Threat
Groundviews posts an appeal of the academic community to the Sri Lankan government protesting a directive that all state universities (who enjoy autonomy) should hire the services of certain government owned company consisting of ex-servicemen for security.
United States: “Occupy Wall Street” Takes the Heart of New York's Financial District
In New York, a peaceful protest has developed: "Occupy Wall Street." Inspired by the events in cities throughout Arab and European countries, demonstrators are protesting against the way in which the U.S. economy has been managed.
Bulgaria: Clashes Between Roma and Ethnic Bulgarians in Katunitsa
Violent clashes in the Bulgarian village of Katunitsa broke out Friday night, following the death of a 19-year-old ethnic Bulgarian, who had been run over by a vehicle driven by a man linked to the local Roma clan leader. Ruslan Trad reports on the Bulgarian netizens' reactions.
Puerto Rico: Lecture on Planning and Development
The International Development Group (IDG) and the Community Innovator's Lab (CoLab) at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) will be hosting a lecture by renowned planner Lucilla Fuller Marvel, titled “Planning in Puerto Rico since 1940: An Examination of Opportunities Presented and Choices Taken.”
Saudi Arabia: Women Allowed to Join Shura Council
Saudi women, who cannot drive in their own country, will be granted the right to become members in their country's 150-member consultative or Shura council, an advisory body which has limited powers in government and legislation. The decision was welcomed by netizens.
Comoros: Blog monitors Fuel Shortage in Anjouan
In his blog, Dafinemkomori documents fuel and power shortage [fr] in the Comoros. He explains that fuel shortage has greatly impacted greatly many other aspects of the economy on the island of Anjouan (rise of the price of tuna and power shortage).
Global: Interview on NATO's Evolution
We Magazine‘s Ulrike Reinhard interviews NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Stefanie Babst on video about the “we” in their work, and how NATO has evolved over time as an organization – touching on globalization, gender equality, multi-national defense spending, political leadership and communication.
Timor-Leste eProcurement Portal
The East Timor government says it established the Timor-Leste eProcurement Portal to enhance transparency and accountability. The website “allows citizens, donors, NGOs and the press to analyze and search information related with the goods, services or works that (the government) is procuring.”
Russia: Racial Propaganda in the State-Owned Media
Drawing on a rich tradition of "political technology" honed under both the Tsarist and Soviet police states, the Russian media are now rife with paid stories planted to advance specific agendas. Will Partlett examines what appears to be a recent example of this practice.
Cuba: “Capitalism of the Castros”
Iván García explains that “the Cuba of the 21st century is split in two. The islet of the gentleman and the atoll of the comrade.”
Spain: Crowdsourcing Democracy
The website 100 medidas (100 measures) [es] is a crowdsourcing project that is collecting citizen's recommendations on how to improve the government. People will vote for the best 100 measures, which will be sent to the government elected on the November 20, 2011 general elections.
Russia: Controlled Media Support Party Hijacking
With Russia’s parliamentary and presidential elections quickly approaching, political battles are becoming an almost daily occurrence. The latest scandal has reminded many bloggers that political celebrities can be discredited as fast as they're pushed into the spotlight.
