Global Trends in Governance and Policy Paradigms

Mahani Hamdan is Senior Assistant Professor in Accounting and Finance at UBD School of Business and Economics, and also serves as Director for the Institute of Policy Studies and Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). She obtained her first degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Sheffield; a Master degree with distinction from the University of Leeds; and PhD from Queensland University of Technology in the field of organisational management and psychology. She learned about public policies, governance and politics during her post-doctoral period at Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, through the Independent Leader Scholar Programme. Her current research interests are in the areas of accounting for non-public interest entities, operational excellence, leadership, public finance and governance. She is the co-author of Brunei Darussalam: Making Strides with a Renewed Focus on the Future for Southeast Asian Affairs 2019, and co-editor of Stability, Growth and Sustainability: Catalysts for Socio-economic Development in Brunei Darussalam in 2023 published by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Besides teaching, research, and administrative services in UBD, she is also a member of Brunei Darussalam Accounting Standards Council and Income Tax Board of Review. Muhammad Anshari is a Senior Assistant Professor in Business Information Systems at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam School of Business and Economics (UBDSBE), and currently serves as Deputy Director for the Institute of Policy Studies. He has been named on the Stanford University List of Top 2% World Researchers since 2022 for the categories of ICT, Business & Management. Together with colleagues from UBDSBE and IPS, winning the Outstanding Paper award at the Emerald Literati Awards 2023 for two published papers. Patent Impact: His research has also been referenced in two patents, US Patent 10,999,416, 2021, and US Patent 11,489,906, 2022. Following the completion of his PhD at FBEPS UBD, Dr. Anshari worked as a research fellow at National Taiwan University. Before that, in 2009, he was a research fellow at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Norainie Ahmad works for the Institute of Policy Studies at the University of Brunei Darussalam. Her research areas include Social Policy; Family Demography; Women's Studies and Gender; Public Policy & Policy Analysis. She has been affiliated with St. Cross College, Oxford University, Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and the Sociology Department at Oxford University. Emil Ali is a lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Prior to this, he started his career as an Education Officer working with the Ministry of Education. He obtained his first degree in Business Economics and Finance from the University of Loughborough; and his Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) with distinction from the University of York, United Kingdom. His research interests are in the areas of public-sector finance with a special interest in Public-Private Partnerships. His recent publications include “Public Private Partnerships in Small States: The Case of Brunei Darussalam”; “COVID-19, Artificial Intelligence, Ethical Challenges and Policy Implications”. AI & Soc. He currently works on his PhD research with a topic on “Evaluating Risk in the Management of UK Waste Public-Private Partnerships.”