Stress Testing a Quasi-Market: Unintended Consequences of the Swedish School Voucher System

Under the condition of market economy, market competition has shown unprecedented pressure on agricultural producers with family as a production unit. Agricultural producers are at a relatively weak position. Agricultural production having the characteristics of small scale can hardly adapt to market competition effectively and agricultural production is facing a huge market risk. Therefore, farmers urgently need a wide range of public services. In March, 2007, the Ministry of Finance and Huazhong Normal University investigated a total of 1000 residents in 35 sample villages, belonging to 33 towns of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. Status of the supply of public services in rural areas is introduced from three aspects, which are backward service of public education, low level of public health service, and slow development of public cultural service. It is pointed out that the supply of rural public service is in serious shortage, and can hardly meet the practical needs of rural residents, rural development and agricultural production. Problems in rural public service are analyzed from the insufficient ability of government public service, the single supply subject of rural public service, and the lack of effective evaluation mechanism during the supply of public services. Finally, countermeasures for improving the supply of rural public service are put forward, such as strengthening the public service functions of governments at all levels, constructing a supply mechanism with diversified subjects, and establishing a farmer participation mechanism for rural public service supply, so that rural residents can enjoy the essential public services, develop rural economy, improve the living standards of rural residents, establish a sound social security system, ensure the smooth implementation of new countryside construction, and realize the coordinated socio-economic development between rural and urban areas.

ObjectiveThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention from all sectors of society to the level of public health services. This study aims to investigate the level of public health service supply in the four major regions of Guangdong Province, providing a basis for optimizing health resource allocation.MethodsThis article uses the entropy method and panel data of 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province from 2005 to 2021 to construct the evaluation index system of public health service supply and calculate its supply index. On this basis, the standard deviation ellipse method, kernel density estimation, and Markov chain are used to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution trend of the public health service supply level in Guangdong Province. The Dagum Gini coefficient and panel regression model are further used to analyze the relative differences and the key influencing factors of difference formation. Finally, the threshold effect model is used to explore the action mechanism of the key factors.ResultsOverall, the level of public health service supply in Guangdong Province is on an upward trend. Among them, polarization and gradient effects are observed in the Pearl River Delta and Eastern Guangdong regions; the balance of public health service supply in Western Guangdong and Northern Mountainous areas has improved. During the observation period, the level of public health services in Guangdong Province shifted towards a higher level with a smaller probability of leapfrogging transition, and regions with a high level of supply demonstrated a positive spillover effect. The overall difference, intra-regional difference and inter-regional difference in the level of public health service supply in Guangdong Province during the observation period showed different evolutionary trends, and spatial differences still exist. These differences are more significantly positively affected by factors such as the level of regional economic development, the degree of fiscal decentralization, and the urbanization rate. Under different economic development threshold values, the degree of fiscal decentralization and urbanization rate both have a double threshold effect on the role of public health service supply level.ConclusionThe overall level of public health service supply in Guangdong Province has improved, but spatial differences still exist. Key factors influencing these differences include the level of regional economic development, the degree of fiscal decentralization, and the urbanization rate, all of which exhibit threshold effects. It is suggested that, in view of the actual situation of each region, efforts should be made to build and maintain their own advantages, enhance the spatial linkage of public health service supply, and consider the threshold effects of key factors in order to optimize the allocation of health resources.

Ibiza seawater RO — special design features and operating data

PurposeGridded management in the public service supply is still in the experience exploratory stage, and this paper aims to analyze the inherent logic and operation mode of the gridding mechanism of the public supply based on the existing theory study and practices, and verify its efficiency so as to come to the conclusion whether it could be promoted to a wider range.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology applied in this paper was case study/deductive induction.FindingsThe grid model in the public service supply needs to be demonstrated completely in theoretical logic and operation principles before it is promoted across the country. Meanwhile, full support of the government is required in terms of service concept, function distribution, technical parameters and infrastructure.Research limitations/implicationsThe inherent logic and operation mode of the gridding mechanism of the public service supply needs enough practice tests. The practical test of efficiency analysis of the gridding mechanism of the public service supply is not enough.Social implicationsThis paper validated whether the gridding mechanism that originated from China’s urban management can be promoted to all over the country in the public service supply. It provides references for government policy.Originality/valueThis paper constructs a gridded management model for public service provision in urban and rural areas on the basis of an analysis of the plight of traditional model of public service provision, thus delivering the same standard of public service for both urban and rural areas through optimization of resource allocation without requiring more supply and fundamental change to the content of service.

<scp>Urban–rural</scp>justice

The rapid emergence of China's digital economy has sparked profound interest in the complex interplay between digitalization and the provision of public services. This study aims to delve deeper into how the development of the digital economy impacts the level of equalization in public service delivery and evaluates whether institutional factors can moderate this transformation. Against the backdrop of pursuing "common prosperity," this research provides valuable guidance for policymaking and strategic planning. It ensures that the ascent of the digital economy not only elevates the standards of public services but also fosters their equitable distribution, thereby advancing the cause of social equity. The study utilized the System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model along with longitudinal trend data spanning from 2009 to 2018. This approach facilitated an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the digital economy and the level of equalization in public service delivery. The application of this model provided deeper insights into the impact of the digital economy on public service equalization and the identification of underlying mechanisms. This study reveals a complex paradox that the digital economy is exacerbating regional disparities in the provision of basic public services. Furthermore, the research underscores the pivotal role of institutional environments in mitigating the adverse effects of the digital economy on public service provision. By examining the interplay between digital economy growth and institutional frameworks, the study suggests that adaptable and robust institutions are essential for harnessing the digital economy's benefits while minimizing its potential drawbacks. In conclusion, the findings from this study offer substantial insights into the dual impact of the digital economy on public service provision, enriching the ongoing discourse on digital transformation and social equity. The research underscores the significance of strategic policy reforms and institutional adjustments to harness the transformative power of the digital economy, promoting equitable access to public services and advancing the goal of "common prosperity" in the digital age.

Public and private provision of a service coexist. There is asymmetric information between the government and the agency providing the public service with respect to the costs, the quality of the service and the innovation effort of the agency. We examine the optimal government design of the funding contracts to induce the agency to reveal its costs and exert high innovation effort. The optimizing behaviour of consumers and private firms generates observable information, which can be used by the government to reduce its information problem. In the optimal contracts, the informational rents of the agency increase with the level of innovation effort that the government induces from the agency. Correlation between public and the private sector costs results in a trade-off in the government's policy between inducing innovation and extracting the informational rent of the agency. To increase the redistribution inherent in the public provision of the service, the government will manipulate the expected profits of the private firms to induce higher innovation effort.

Local government responses to fiscal stress are crucial for ensuring public service provision, especially in times of fiscal tightening. Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings, often focusing on developed countries in Europe and the United States. This study uses China's 2016 VAT reform as a quasi-natural experiment and applies a generalized difference-in-differences (DID) model to investigate the impact of fiscal stress on local government public service provision. The results reveal that fiscal stress promotes, rather than constrains, public service provision. The findings remain robust after a series of sensitivity tests. Furthermore, fiscal stress is found to be more conducive to enhancing public service provision in regions with lower fiscal decentralization, high-intensity intergovernmental competition, and higher fiscal transparency. This paper highlights the importance of a country's unique fiscal decentralization system and government performance evaluation goals in shaping local government behavior under fiscal stress. The findings provide valuable insights for improving fiscal allocation efficiency and guiding local government responses, with broader implications for similar studies in other developing countries.

Safety design approach for onshore modularized LNG liquefaction plant

With the launch of PROBA-V (Project for On-Board Autonomy – Vegetation) in 2013, the continuity and availability of global land-coverage data in four multispectral bands are ensured for the SPOT (Système Pour l’Observation de la Terre)-VEGETATION user community. This community has been served for already more than 14 years with high-quality 1 kilometre-resolution data. To guarantee continuation of this high quality over the full lifetime of PROBA-V, an operational processing platform and in-flight calibration algorithms have to be in place, which fully consider the specific PROBA-V platform and instrument design characteristics. Data quality has to be ensured for all available product levels, i.e. from the radiometrically corrected radiance data to the 10 day global synthesis. In this article we first focus on some specific design characteristics, which impose some challenges for data processing and calibration. Next, a technical description is given for all the processing steps such as mapping, cloud masking, atmospheric correction, and compositing. The functioning of the Image Quality Centre (IQC) is described. The IQC is in charge of the assessment of the PROBA-V performance, the analysis of the image quality, and the radiometric and geometric calibration after launch. Finally information is given on the distribution of the various products to the user community.

Chatbots are increasingly taken up by public service providers, yet the implications of taking up this technology as part of public service provision is understudied. Based on a thematic analysis of 34 in-depth interviews with citizens and public service providers concerning a chatbot for municipal information and service delivery, this article contributes insights on how public service chatbots impact public value creation. Theoretically, we draw on public value theory, analyzing chatbots' impact on public services, administration, and the relationship between citizens and public service providers. Our analysis shows that chatbots have an impact on public values and public value creation, particularly by improving citizens' access to public services and public service providers insights into citizens' needs. The findings suggest that citizens and public service providers experience chatbots as an improvement in terms of access and efficiency, albeit not a massive shift. Simultaneously, the findings suggest potential for more profound changes in service and administration as public service providers gain better insights of citizen needs and respond to these accordingly.

Citizen e-participation in public service provision has been widely advocated for; however, there are theoretical and empirical perplexities regarding how ICT tools’ interactivity can encourage it. Based on self-determination theory, this article proposes performance expectancy as a mediator and technical self-efficacy and community identity as moderators. Through a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, our findings demonstrate that ICT tool interactivity significantly influences citizen e-participation in public service provision. This effect is mediated by performance expectancy. Simultaneously, community identity plays a decisive role in determining the strength or weakness of the effect of ICT tool interactivity on citizen e-participation. Additionally, the effect of ICT tool interactivity on performance expectancy is largely contingent on technical self-efficacy. This further illustrates that the effects of ICT tool interactivity on citizen e-participation in public service provision are primarily realized through elements of public self-determination. Consequently, ICT design paradigms should shift from a ‘problem-solving orientation’ to an ‘empowerment-focused approach.’ By fostering positive citizen e-participation through well-structured technological interactions, ICT tools can enhance public agency and strengthen participatory governance.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace the origin and development of the increased use of the voluntary sector in the delivery of public services in the UK and to identify both the threats and opportunities that this policy poses. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses government documents to examine policies and models for change. This is located within a discussion of the literature around the developing role of the voluntary sector in public service provision against the backdrop of wider neo-liberal public sector reform. Findings – New Labour laid the basis for a major expansion in the use of the voluntary sector in public service provision as part of its public service reform programme. It did so with a range of sometimes contradictory justifications. The policy is now being extended by the new coalition government. Research limitations/implications – The process of change outlined in the paper is continuing, so it is not possible to make conclusive statements regarding its impact. Further research will be required to monitor the effects. Practical implications – Alerting the voluntary sector organisations to the potential problems of large-scale involvement in public service provision may assist them in retaining their independence and effectiveness. Originality/value – The paper contributes to a necessary (and overdue) assessment of the impact of the changed role of the voluntary sector in public service provision on the sector itself, the services provided and the surrounding framework of accountability.

Providing better public services has become an important issue in urban governance, and there is no consensus on how smart city establishment affects the delivery of urban public services. Based on the panel data of 160 prefecture-level cities in China from 2012 to 2019, and taking the smart city pilot program as a natural experiment, this paper discusses the impact of smart city establishment on urban public service. We find that smart city pilot programs significantly improve urban public service levels. The underlying influence mechanism is that the smart city first improves the extensive and intensive margins of public services, and then advances the total extent and diversity of public service provision. Furthermore, this study finds that the positive effects of smart city establishment on the provision of public services are significant only in high-income regions. These findings have significant implications for ways in which smart city establishment can improve the provision of urban public services.

Strengthening accountability in public service provision is increasingly recognized as a precondition to improve the performance of the health sector in low-income countries. However, progress in this field has been hampered to a great extent because of empirical difficulties in measuring and assessing accountability.&#x0D; This article provides a clear operational definition of the concept and discusses how and why accountability in public health service provision presents distinct challenges to the institutional capabilities of most developing countries. On the basis of both elements a set of guidelines to empirically assess accountability in health services is offered.