Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): (April 2025)

This issue has been available online since 28th April 2025 as part of the regular April 2025 edition. It features five articles authored by seventeen scholars from Afghanistan, Türkiye, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Ghana—representing diverse Global South contexts. Together, these articles offer critical insights into governance challenges and innovations across sectors such as gender equality, local empowerment, public accountability, disaster resilience, and digital transformation, all framed within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The opening article presents a systematic review of gender inequality in the mining sector, highlighting structural barriers that restrict women’s access to leadership and decent work. Through thematic and bibliometric analysis, it calls for gender-sensitive governance reforms, contributing to SDG 5, Target 5.5 (Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership) and SDG 8, Target 8.5 (Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all). The second article explores thematic village development in Malang, Indonesia, where participatory governance, local innovation, and cultural identity are leveraged to promote inclusive growth. Case studies such as Kampung Sanan and Kampung Heritage Kayutangan support SDG 1, Target 1.4 (Ensure equal access to economic resources), SDG 11, Target 11.3 (Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanisation), SDG 5, Target 5.c (Adopt and strengthen sound policies to promote gender equality), and SDG 10, Target 10.2 (Promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all).

A third article analyses the ghost worker phenomenon in Tanzania’s public sector, using fraud theory and documentary analysis to examine its consequences on public service delivery, employment systems, and institutional trust. The study identifies significant socio-economic costs and governance failures, calling for stronger anti-corruption mechanisms and ethical recruitment practices. It directly aligns with SDG 16, Target 16.5 (Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms), highlighting the broader impact of payroll fraud on sustainable public sector development.

The final two articles examine institutional responses to environmental and digital challenges. A quantitative study from Gowa, Indonesia, shows how social capital plays a pivotal role in building disaster resilience through inter-institutional trust and coordination, contributing to SDG 11, Target 11.b (Adopt and implement disaster risk reduction strategies) and SDG 13, Target 13.1 (Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards). The fifth article critiques the fragmented approach to digitalisation in Indonesia’s public sector, introducing the concept of a digi-service bubble and emphasising the need for coherent digital infrastructure and inclusive digital literacy. It addresses SDG 9, Target 9.c (Increase access to information and communications technology) and SDG 16, Target 16.6 (Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels).

By engaging with intersecting issues such as gender equity, grassroots empowerment, public sector accountability, resilience to climate risks, and digital governance, this edition offers grounded perspectives on inclusive and sustainable development. These studies not only illuminate local policy experiences but also contribute to broader discourses on governance transformation in advancing the 2030 Agenda across the Global South.