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This research design document outlines the multi-method approach used by the Institute for Security Studies to assess state governance trends and future trajectories in the Global South. The methodology integrates World Bank governance indicators, expert workshops, horizon scanning, and a four-scenario framework to analyze how geopolitical, economic, and social forces influence the role of the state.

The Tanzania APRM Popular Sensitisation Project (TAPS) report, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs in June 2025, provides a comprehensive civil society analysis of ten governance issues in the United Republic of Tanzania. The document evaluates the country's progress and challenges regarding the union between Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, constitutional reform, human rights, social protection, civic space, media freedom, youth empowerment, democratic inclusion, climate justice, and public financial management. It serves as a submission to inform the country's second Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

This policy note by Daniel Bradlow of the South African Institute of International Affairs outlines how South Africa can leverage its 2025 G20 presidency to advance reforms in International Monetary Fund (IMF) governance and sovereign debt restructuring. The author argues that while South Africa inherits a complex portfolio of existing G20 issues, it has a realistic opportunity to push for more transparent IMF operating procedures regarding 'new' issues like climate change and to address the inefficiencies of the G20's Common Framework for Debt Treatment.

This executive summary outlines a roadmap for rethinking international investment treaties by shifting the focus from fixing existing treaty problems to identifying the foundational policy problems the regime should solve. The authors analyze three main categories: the encouragement of sustainable investment, the regulation of investment project impacts, and cross-cutting governance and international cooperation issues.

This policy brief by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides a comprehensive overview of the institutional entry points and governance processes within the World Trade Organization (WTO) where trade and environmental policies intersect. It details the roles of various WTO bodies, including the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), the dispute settlement mechanism, and the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), while highlighting recent member-led initiatives on plastic pollution, fossil fuel subsidies, and environmental sustainability.

The report examines the complex interplay of governance, peace, and security in the Horn of Africa, highlighting a shift from interstate to intra-state conflict. It analyzes how structural drivers—including climate change, demographic pressures, and technological advances—interact with political instability and geopolitical competition from global and Middle Eastern powers. The document evaluates the effectiveness of multilateral bodies like IGAD, the AU, and the UN, noting their struggles to maintain relevance amidst hardening state sovereignty and institutional fragility.

This research paper analyzes the treatment capacity, energy consumption, and governance structures of 175 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Beijing, highlighting the trade-offs between water reuse and energy intensity.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the financing landscape for highway and railroad projects in Brazil's North Region and nationwide between 2012 and 2021. It identifies a heavy reliance on public funding, particularly from the federal government and BNDES, while noting a growing but still limited role for private capital via incentivized debentures. The report emphasizes that infrastructure in the Amazon is a primary driver of deforestation and calls for strengthened governance, increased transparency, and rigorous socio-environmental criteria to ensure that future investments do not cause further ecological damage.

This policy brief provides a governance-focused overview of how the World Trade Organization (WTO) addresses the intersection of trade, environment, and sustainable development. It details the various institutional bodies, negotiating processes, and recent member-led initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable trade.

This report evaluates the integration of sewered and non-sewered sanitation systems in Montero, Bolivia, focusing on sustainability, user preferences, agricultural reuse of waste, and governance capacity. It highlights the role of the cooperative utility COSMOL in managing mixed systems and identifies technical and policy gaps that hinder the scaling of sustainable on-site sanitation.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the governance, influence areas, and environmental risks of four federal transport infrastructure projects in the state of Pará: the Ferrogrão railway and the BR-155/158, BR-163/230/MT/PA, and BR-230 highways. The study highlights a systemic lack of transparency in socio-environmental documentation and uses a market-access methodology to quantify the risk of deforestation associated with these projects.

This report, compiled by civil society organisations in 2020 and 2021, outlines 12 key governance issues in Botswana as a submission to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). While acknowledging Botswana's history of good governance, the document highlights worrying trends in corruption, lack of accountability, and the need for more inclusive, participatory governance.

This executive summary by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the planning, governance, and environmental risks of the EF-170 railway (Ferrogrão) in Brazil. The document identifies significant fragilities in the project's economic modeling, socio-environmental assessments, and administrative transparency, warning that without mitigation, the project could induce substantial deforestation in Mato Grosso.

This synthesis report by GreenCape examines the economic impacts of water scarcity in the Berg Water Management Area (WMA) and evaluates the governance failures that hinder integrated water and economic planning. It projects severe economic losses by 2040, primarily driven by urban water deficits in the City of Cape Town, and recommends institutional reforms, including the establishment of a Regional Water Utility and the adoption of hydro-economic decision-support tools.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the political and security crisis in Burundi triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in 2015. It details the historical context of the Burundian civil war, the CNDD-FDD's consolidation of power through repression and the marginalization of opposition parties, and the internal fractures within the ruling party. The document examines the failure of constitutional amendments, the role of the security sector in suppressing dissent, and the subsequent impact on civil society and the media.

This report summarizes the outcomes of the SDplanNet-Asia Pacific Regional Workshop Series held in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2014. It analyzes existing governance practices for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region, identifies gaps in vertical and horizontal integration, and proposes a capacity-building agenda for 2014–2015 to help national and subnational planners implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines community perspectives on organized crime and illicit trafficking in West Africa and the Sahel, specifically focusing on Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Niger. It argues that in regions with weak state presence and extreme poverty, trafficking is often viewed not as a crime but as a necessary survival strategy and a legitimate path to social success. The document details how this criminal economy erodes traditional authority, fuels corruption at all levels of government, and creates a cycle of state alienation, while proposing community-led solutions centered on state integrity and sustainable economic alternatives.

This report examines the drivers and flows of tropical timber exports from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through Uganda to regional markets, highlighting the prevalence of unregulated trade and the disparity in benefits among actors within the supply chain.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) proposes a normative framework for the governance of climate finance in developing countries. Based on a 2010 civil society meeting in Cape Town and research across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the document outlines priorities and principles to ensure that climate funding is just, effective, and driven by local developmental needs rather than donor priorities.

This report, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), examines the concept and application of "best practices" within the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It analyzes 12 Country Review Reports (CRRs) to identify indigenous governance solutions and argues that a lack of conceptual clarity regarding what constitutes a "best practice" hinders the APRM's ability to facilitate peer learning and sustainable reform across the continent.