The Politics And Society Institute Launches The First Training Manual On Party Governance In Jordan
The Politics and Society Institute has launched the first training manual of its kind in Jordan on political party governance, aiming to enhance the institutional performance of political parties and enable them to build more effective and democratic organizational structures. This initiative comes as part of the Institute’s ongoing efforts to support the transition toward institutionalized political parties capable of playing their roles effectively within Jordan’s political landscape.
The manual seeks to strengthen institutional performance and empower political parties to establish more transparent, accountable, and participatory systems-key pillars for building trust between parties and their members on one hand, and between parties and society on the other. It aspires to contribute to the revitalization of partisan life and the consolidation of democratic values and internal accountability within party institutions.
Prepared by Dr. Mohammad Abu Rumman, the Institute’s Academic Advisor, and Hussein Al-Sarayra, Director of Programs, the manual examines the organizational realities of Jordanian political parties and provides practical tools and mechanisms to enhance their internal systems. It focuses on reinforcing transparency, accountability, and internal democracy, while aligning with the broader political modernization process taking place in Jordan.
This manual represents a qualitative contribution to political training and democratic development. It seeks to empower parties to adopt principles of good governance in managing their affairs-whether in decision-making, resource management, or structuring relationships between leadership and membership. Moreover, it serves as an important addition to Jordan’s political library and a valuable knowledge resource for parties, political actors, and those interested in public affairs. The manual aims to transform the concept of “party governance” from a theoretical framework into a practical system of action-offering applied models and self-assessment tools to help parties enhance their institutional performance.
The manual opens with a historical and analytical introduction linking the evolution of party politics in Jordan to the imperative of institutionalization. It traces the stages of political party revival from the post-independence period up to the recent legislative reforms, concluding that governance is the key condition for the transformation of political parties from “personalized parties” into structured, institutionalized entities capable of playing an effective role in democratic life.
The manual explains the principles of good governance within the party environment through an integrated framework that includes the rule of law, transparency, accountability, participation, integrity, fairness, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. For each principle, it outlines its practical components-such as mechanisms for financial disclosure, internal and external oversight, codes of conduct, conflict of interest management, and representation and empowerment mechanisms.
The manual is organized into a series of structured sections, including: the definition, concepts, and characteristics of governance and its mechanisms; party governance (concepts, foundations, and applications); internal democracy; financial, administrative, and legal transparency and accountability; and political parties and administrative decentralization. It also introduces what it terms “the three governance journeys”-the member’s journey, the decision journey, and the dinar journey-which form the methodological basis for its training approach.
Moving from conceptual definitions to practical application, the manual presents three core pillars of party governance: internal democracy, systems of transparency and accountability, and the party’s capacity for outreach and engagement with its environment. It emphasizes the need for clear internal regulations, a balanced distribution of authority among party bodies, and mechanisms for the separation of powers within party structures to prevent the overlap of “the judge and the litigant.”
The manual offers an innovative framework through what it calls “the three governance journeys” inside the party. The first is the member’s journey, which follows the path of a party member from joining to active participation in decision-making. It highlights the importance of organizational justice and member empowerment, covering steps such as application and admission procedures, induction and training programs, disciplinary processes, exit mechanisms, and leadership advancement paths. The manual provides models for membership evaluation tools and mechanisms to integrate youth and women.
The second journey, the decision journey, tracks the process of party decision-making from the grassroots to the leadership level, promoting participation and internal consensus while limiting individualism in managing party affairs. It presents a “decision-making algorithm”-from data collection and internal discussion to consensus or voting procedures, followed by implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The manual includes practical exercises, such as designing a “decision tree” and reviewing mechanisms to assess decision effectiveness.
The third journey, the dinar journey, focuses on strengthening financial transparency within political parties and ensuring the integrity of funding sources and expenditure management in line with legal and ethical standards. It details potential sources of revenue (membership fees, donations, institutional support), income registration systems, budgeting procedures, approval and publication processes, expenditure mechanisms requiring prior authorization, and both internal and external auditing procedures. Practical exercises are proposed, such as a financial flow map documenting the movement of funds from source to expenditure.
In its statement, the Politics and Society Institute explained that preparing this manual aligns with its strategic vision to strengthen the tools of political engagement and support national efforts to build effective, programmatic political parties operating within clear institutional frameworks. This publication, the Institute noted, reflects its conviction in the importance of transitioning from a “culture of personalities” to a “culture of institutions” in Jordan’s partisan life-an essential condition for the success of the political modernization process. The manual embodies the Institute’s ongoing commitment to developing tools for effective political action and advancing institutional party practices, in harmony with the vision of the Jordanian state to modernize the political system and empower parties to become genuine actors in the democratic process.
The manual, which adapts its methodologies and content to reflect the specific context of Jordan’s partisan experience-bridging the requirements of the new Political Parties Law (such as founding conditions, youth and women quotas, etc.), recent electoral experiences, and the institutional challenges facing emerging parties-serves as a practical tool for training programs targeting political parties, party cadres, and young leaders. It also provides a foundation for developing advanced training modules in strategic planning, program writing, financial management, and capacity building, all aimed at strengthening public confidence in party performance and transforming parties into professionally managed institutions capable of effective political competition.
The manual is expected to be used in expanded training programs targeting political parties and young party cadres, serving as a practical reference for fostering a culture of governance and enhancing citizens’ confidence in the performance of political parties and institutions in Jordan.
It goes beyond theory by providing ready-to-use tools and templates for workshops, including: models for internal bylaws and regulations; decision-tree templates; financial flowcharts; governance evaluation checklists for parties; and case studies analyzing previous party decisions. It also features group activities that guide participants in designing a governance-based roadmap for their party.
By combining theory with applicable executive tools and practical exercises, the manual offers practitioners a comprehensive framework for building transparent organizational structures, participatory decision-making processes, and sound financial systems-core pillars for any effective political modernization project.