The research addresses the importance of ethics in public administration, focusing on public servants in the municipality of Rionegro, Colombia. Ethics is presented as an essential element to promote transparency and combat corruption in public management. Despite the fact that the 1991 Constitution establishes ethical principles, their application in practice remains a challenge, with a high level of immorality in public service. The study highlights the diversity of professional profiles in public servants, which hinders consistent ethical management. In addition, it mentions that many civil servants lack political training and understanding of the importance of their role, which contributes to corruption. Ethics, according to the authors, is a key tool for strengthening institutions and regaining public trust. The research evaluated the impact of a professional ethics training program on public servants, finding significant improvements in their ethical knowledge and behavior. It concludes that, although ethics will not solve all corruption problems, it is an indispensable component for strengthening accountability and justice in public administration. It underscores the need to implement continuous training programs that promote ethical values as part of a strategy to improve efficiency and transparency in public institutions.

Since 2019, Togo has resolutely engaged in the decentralization process marked by communalization and elections of municipal councilors. Financial autonomy constitutes an essential lever for the free administration of municipalities, allowing them to ensure decision-making and the implementation of development projects. However, despite a legal and regulatory framework defining taxation specific to local authorities, Togolese municipalities are often perceived as needing more financial resources. This study aims to map the financing mechanisms for decentralization in Togo and analyze their contribution to municipal budgets. By adopting a quantitative approach combining documentary analysis and interviews with 188 experts and practitioners of local finance from various Togolese structures, four main financing mechanisms were identified: local, national, Community, and international. Among these mechanisms, own resources (in particular from the sale of products and services, fiscal and non-fiscal taxes) and state transfers via the Support Fund for Local Authorities emerge as the primary sources of financing for municipalities. However, the study reveals that several instruments of local mechanisms, although institutionally defined, still need to be updated in many municipalities, thus limiting their effectiveness in resource mobilization. These results highlight the importance of optimizing the management of local mechanisms to strengthen municipalities’ financial autonomy and support territories’ sustainable development.

Goat farming plays an important economic role in numerous developing countries, with Africa being a home to a considerable portion of the global goat population. This study examined the socioeconomic determinants affecting goat herd size among smallholder farmers in Lephalale Local Municipality of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 61 participants. The socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder goat farmers in Lephalale Local Municipality were identified and described using descriptive statistics on one hand. On the other hand, a Multiple linear regression model was employed to analyse the socioeconomic determinants affecting smallholder goat farmers’ herd sizes. Findings from the Multiple linear regression model highlighted several key determinants, including the age of the farmer, gender of the farmer, education level, and marital status of farmers, along with determinants like distance to the markets, provision of feed supplements, and access to veterinary services. Understanding these determinants is crucial for policymakers and practitioners to develop targeted strategies aimed at promoting sustainable goat farming practices and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.

This study aims to develop a robust prioritization model for municipal projects in the Holy Metropolitan Municipality (Makkah) to address the challenges of aligning short-term and long-term objectives. The research explores How multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques can prioritize municipal projects effectively while ensuring alignment with strategic goals and local needs. The methodology employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to ensure methodological rigor and data adequacy. Data were collected from key stakeholders, including municipal planners and community representatives, to enhance transparency and reliability. The model’s validity was assessed through latent factor analysis, confirming the relevance of identified criteria and factors. Results indicate that flood prevention projects are the highest priority (0.4246), followed by road projects (0.3532), park construction (0.1026), utility projects (0.0776), and digital transformation (0.0416). The study highlights that certain factors are critical for evaluating and prioritizing municipal projects. “Capacity and Demand” emerged as the most influential factor (0.5643), followed by “Strategic Alignment” (0.2013), “Project Interdependence” (0.1088), “Increasing Investment” (0.0950), and “Risk” (0.0306). These findings are significant as they offer a structured, data-driven approach to decision-making aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. The proposed model optimizes resource allocation and project selection, representing a pioneering effort to develop the first prioritization framework specifically tailored to Makkah’s unique municipal needs. Notably, this is the first study to establish a prioritization method specifically for Makkah’s municipal projects, providing valuable contributions to the field.