Vol. 2 No. 1 (2021): (April 2021)

This issue has been available online since 30th April 2021 as part of the regular April 2021 edition. It features five articles authored by seven scholars from the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia—offering multidisciplinary insights into governance, education, youth engagement, and national security across the Global South.

The issue opens with an analysis of education provision in frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped regions of Indonesia, with a specific focus on Sebatik Island (SDG 4, Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education for the vulnerable; SDG 16, Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions to prevent violence and combat crime and terrorism), exploring its strategic contribution to national resilience and security. Another article examines the roots of violent behaviour among certain Muslim groups, offering a socio-psychological perspective on militarised mentality (SDG 16, Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence; SDG 16, Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions).

Further contributions address the perceived readiness of educated youth to support ethnic integration in Sri Lanka (SDG 10, Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all; SDG 16, Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels), and critically assess the structural challenges within the tertiary education system in Bangladesh (SDG 4, Target 4.3: Ensure equal access for all to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education; SDG 4, Target 4.c: Substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers).

The issue concludes with a corporate governance-focused study that explores the potential and limitations of CEO tenure capping as a mechanism to strengthen institutional accountability and performance (SDG 16, Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions; SDG 8, Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, and innovation).

By engaging with the complex intersections of education, governance, social cohesion, and institutional reform, this issue provides timely scholarly reflections relevant to the evolving policy challenges of the Global South.