Institutional Appraisal Research Articles

CREATING A FRAMEWORK FOR GOVERNMENT-BUSINESS INTERACTION IN ENHANCING REGIONAL ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT

The article examines the principles, methods, types, forms and models of interaction between the government and business in the implementation of socially significant projects. The research paper delves into the appraisal of institutions that enable the interaction between the state, society, and business. It further explores different models of interaction between business and government. Moreover, the academic study reveals an expert evaluation of the collaborative efforts between regional authorities, businesses, and the public. Throughout the scrutiny of the interaction between authorities and business structures, the study identifies priority areas for effectively addressing the primary issues in the region. It also assesses the level of competence and willingness of local authorities to engage in dialogue, their readiness to contribute to solving regional problems, and their involvement in public-private partnerships and anti-corruption initiatives. The interaction between the state and business is evaluated as a collection of power institutions and market management actors, representing a complex system of interconnected relationships and feedback loops. The comprehensive plan for the development of social projects covers all areas of regional life and is being implemented on the basis of the plan for its large-scale development, the creation of the Turkestan region and the transfer of the regional center to the city of Turkestan. It is of great social importance, that is, by building cooperation between the state and entrepreneurs, it is possible to direct the solution of the problems provided for in the «Social Code» of the Republic of Kazakhstan proposed in 2023. Selection of projects with a high potential of direct and indirect impact on socio-economic development of the region and creation of stable jobs was carried out. Keywords: authorities, business structures, public representatives, regional management, public-private partnership.

Appraisal of domestic and international legal institutions for promoting wildlife conservation in Bangladesh

Appraisal of domestic and international legal institutions for promoting wildlife conservation in Bangladesh

Wellbeing and doctoral candidature: The background and development of the importance to doctoral wellbeing questionnaire

ABSTRACT Poor mental health in higher education settings is a worrying issue prompting the need to investigate the organisational and personal factors that impact mental health and wellbeing. Such information is integral to building a comprehensive picture of the doctoral learner. Drawing on prior research identifying what novice researchers perceive as important to their wellbeing, the Importance to Doctoral Wellbeing Questionnaire (IDWQ) was developed. Seven dimensions were identified in a pilot phase: ‘Work-Life Balance’, ‘Social-Collegial’, ‘Personal Research Confidence’, ‘Future’, ‘Researcher Identity’, ‘Supervisor’, and ‘University’. The questionnaire was then administered nationally to a larger more diverse cohort of research candidates prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings clarify potential candidate vulnerabilities. The IDWQ can be used to focus institutional appraisal of programmes and policies to assist novice researchers to identify key concerns and manage learning contingencies.

Desacralized Law: Shakespeare and the Tragedy of Sovereignty

Abstract In the history of Western literary tradition, early modern theatres constituted an important passage for the construction of a different perception of community as well as a different appraisal of legal institutions. In modern playhouses, traditional values were staged, debated, and critiqued. In this paper, I will focus on three Shakespearean tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet) that provide relevant insights about the way in which power and legal themes were challenged and questioned. In these plays Shakespeare provided a critical view of what we might call the “mystical foundation of authority.” Shakespeare’s theater is the triumph of rule and exception, of order and disorder, of sacred and profane. As I will show, in Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet, law is always living on the danger of its eclipse and its suspension: the threshold which separates the legal and the illegal, the legitimate and the illegitimate, is then the result of a narrative process of which Shakespeare’s theater provides perhaps the highest example in Western literary culture.

DIMENSIONS OF PERFORMANCE VALUE OF SHARIA MICRO FINANCE INSTITUTION

ABSTRACTThe performance appraisal of financial institutions is generally measured by using financial ratio indicators. Sharia microfinance institutions are institutions that have been developed by both the Government and the society which have economic and social functions. Social functions that are grown from belief values will have a long-term impacts, both consistency and sustainability. Exploring social values based on Sharia principles is needed to make the operational basis for Islamic microfinance institutions more measurable, both in financial performance and social performance.There are three principles in evaluating the performance of Islamic microfinance institutions, namely (1) the principle of fairness, (2) the principle of honesty, and (3) the principle of partnership. These three principles are the basis for operationalizing LKMS, both in product development, services and corporate governance.Key words: Dimension, Sharia financial principle, Micro finance, fairness, honesty, partnership.

Dorobek piśmienniczy jednostek naukowych z grupy nauk prawnych w świetle oceny parametrycznej z roku 2017

Przedmiot badań: Proces ewaluacji jednostek naukowych poza ich oceną umożliwia dokona­nie przeglądu piśmiennictwa naukowego, opracowanie rankingów piśmiennictwa, a także oce­nę aktualnego dorobku w aspekcie kolejnej ewaluacji. W artykule zaprezentowano informacje o polskim dorobku piśmienniczym jednostek naukowych sklasyfikowanych jako jednostki z gru­py nauk prawnych. Tekst jest kontynuacją pracy, w której dokonano analizy dorobku jednostek ekonomicznych.
 Cel badawczy: Celem badania jest wskazanie najpopularniejszych w dziedzinie nauk praw­nych czasopism, wydawnictw i konferencji naukowych oraz określenie ich znaczenia w kolej­nym procesie ewaluacji (2022). Dokonano porównania do analogicznych aspektów w naukach ekonomicznych. Zwrócono uwagę na zmiany w przepisach w latach 2020–2021. Pozwala to na wyciągnięcie wstępnych wniosków dotyczących realizacji polityki naukowej w zakresie nauk prawnych.
 Metoda badawcza: Materiał opracowany został na podstawie danych z ankiet jednostek, które oceniane były w procesie parametryzacji w roku 2017. Stosując metody analityczne, wyodręb­niono informacje o dorobku piśmienniczym pracowników jednostek naukowych z dziedziny nauk prawnych. Dane o czasopismach, wydawnictwach i konferencjach zostały uszeregowane metodą rankingowania. Wzięto pod uwagę różnorodne zapisy danych przez sprawozdających, które to zapisy zostały ujednolicone na potrzeby artykułu. Identyczna metoda została zastosowana w opu­blikowanym wcześniej tekście dotyczącym nauk ekonomicznych.
 Wyniki: Z analizy wynika, że część najcenniejszego dorobku piśmienniczego w badanej dys­cyplinie straci znaczenie w kolejnej ewaluacji. Jednak nauk prawnych dotyczy to w mniejszym stopniu niż ekonomicznych. Zwrócono uwagę na konieczność dostosowania się do nowych zasad ewaluacji w celu podniesienia znaczenia dorobku naukowego oraz śledzenia na bieżąco zmian w przepisach prawnych i zawartości wykazów ministerialnych. Wskazano, że reprezentatywność analizowanych publikacji w dorobku naukowym badanych dyscyplin jest tylko częściowa.

An evaluation of the implementation of cascade training for suicide prevention during the \u2018Choose Life\u2019 initiative in Scotland - utilizing Normalization Process Theory

Background‘Cascade training’ or ‘train-the-trainers’ has been widely utilised in the dissemination of information and expertise in health and social care, but with little examination of the work required for optimal delivery. National suicide prevention strategies commonly include such training initiatives.MethodsA qualitative study to characterise the work, according to the concepts of Normalization Process Theory, required to disseminate STORM, a model of suicide prevention training across Scotland, and then implement it within organisations. This utilised a cascade style ‘train-the trainers’ intervention delivered as part of the Choose Life suicide prevention strategy in Scotland during 2008–11. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 19 training facilitators, 30 of their group participants within organisations and 11 local managers within health boards in Scotland.ResultsCrucial to the process of a cascade training approach to implementing suicide prevention within an organisation was the multi-layered activity of constructing coherence of the intervention at every level in order to prevent dilution of the training. This necessitated collaborative work within and between groups of actors- managers, facilitators and participants. Where facilitators were effectively engaged in their role, confident in their ability to train, supported by supervision and possessed the leadership skills to engage both with participants and their local context to deliver training, there was evidence of both successful delivery and embedding within the organisation. However, there was little systematic evidence of institutional level appraisal- crucial to truly implementing a novel intervention within the system - despite efforts at local managerial engagement.ConclusionsSuccessful cascade or train-the-trainer implementation of an intervention requires extensive collaborative work to take place between and within groups of actors at all levels of an organization from those working at policy level to the ‘coalface’. A priori application of Normalization Process Theory, to specify aims and goals for the necessary work to be carried out between different groups of actors, would assist in embedding a novel working practice at all levels.Future national training strategies for suicide prevention should address what is required to establish a flourishing culture of high-quality skills acquisition and development within healthcare organisations.

The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Climate Risks and Opportunities in Southern Africa

The discourse on the need for water, energy, and food security has dominated the development agenda of southern African countries, centred on improving livelihoods, building resilience, and regional integration. About 60% of the population in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) live in rural areas relying mainly on rainfed agriculture, lacking access to clean water and energy, yet the region is endowed with vast natural resources. The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a conceptual framework that presents opportunities for greater resource coordination, management, and policy convergence across sectors. This is particularly relevant in the SADC region as resources are transboundary and supports efforts linked to regional integration and inclusive socio-economic development and security. We conducted an appraisal of WEF-related policies and institutions in SADC and identified linkages among them. The present ‘silo’ approach in resource management and allocation, often conducted at the national level, contributes to the region’s failure to meet its development targets, exacerbating its vulnerabilities. The lack of coordination of WEF nexus synergies and trade-offs in planning often threatens the sustainability of development initiatives. We highlighted the importance of the WEF nexus to sustainably address the sectoral coordination of resources through harmonised institutions and policies, as well as setting targets and indicators to direct and monitor nexus developments. We illustrate the significance of the nexus in promoting inclusive development and transforming vulnerable communities into resilient societies. The study recommends a set of integrated assessment models to monitor and evaluate the implementation of WEF nexus targets. Going forward, we propose the adoption of a regional WEF nexus framework.

Ocena stanu instytucji w Polsce w latach 2012–2016 we wskaźnikach konkurencyjności

The aim of the paper is the diagnosis of institutions in Poland within the usage of competitiveness criteria in 2012–2016. The problem with the institutions, in the theory of economics, is joint with the variety of definitions in the field of institutional schools of thought. Institutional background is based on different sciences: psychology, sociology, law, economics, political science etc. They represent different and incomparable definitions of institution as well as adequate to the every science measurement methods. Very similar problem raised with the phenomenon of competitiveness. A wide variety of competitiveness definitions depends on the variety of theoretical background. There is no scientific definition of competitiveness, which could fulfill the requirements of differentia specifica. Therefore it is easy to take into a doubt the results of competitiveness research presented by the World Competitiveness Yearbook, especially in the case of institutional appraisal in Poland in 2012–2016.

A Shariah and Legal Appraisal of the Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) Ordinance, 2001

The issue of recovery of debts is important in the financial institution, the law relating to recovery of debts ’’The Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) Ordinance 2001” has many legal lacunae, some of its provisions are inconsistent with Islamic Law hence it requires thorough review and examination from both Shariah and Legal perspective.

Exploration of the mechanism for performance appraisal and allocation of primary healthcare institutions in Suichang county of Zhejiang province

In view of such outcomes of the performance pay practice at primary healthcare institutions as decline of motivation of medical workers, the county explored the mechanism of graded performance appraisal and allocation, against the macro background of ceiling setting for the total of performance pay andbalance subsidy and total amount controlfiscal policy.The following measures are taken, namely adual linkageto relate the performance appraisal outcome of a township hospital with both allocation of fiscal subsidy and setting of the merit-based performance pay standard per person; higher ratio of merit-based performance pay; floating of the performance pay level per person for the institution in question; separation of the performance pay of the chief leader from others; and subsidies for remote mountainous areas.It is proposed by the author to build a routine increase mechanism for both the total of performance pay and fiscal subsidies, to combine specific subsidy with pay for services, and to join funding compensation with service performance.These measures are expected to create a new mechanism for performance pay allocation, featuring more pay for more work and more pay for better performance. Key words: Zhejiang province; Primary healthcare institution; Performance pay; Performance appraisal; Allocation mechanism

Szkic aktualnej debaty nad naukometrią i bibliometrią w Polsce i zapomniane naukoznawstwo

In the debate on scientometrics and bibliometrics, taking place in Poland in the last 25 years, a very serious methodical and methodological mistake has been committed by neglecting the reflection about the science of science, especially of historical and methodological character. The following article discusses this issue. This aim was achieved with the use of a method of interdisciplinary research originating from the scope of the science of science and the history of the science of science. This method was applied to the analysis of selected major publications on scientometrics and bibliometrics in the past 25 years, with special emphasis on Polish context. The results are discussed in the article, i.e. a) the context of the current debate on scientometrics and bibliometrics in Poland; b) the history of Polish scientometric analyses based on foreign indexation databases; c) the current discussion on scientometrics and bibliometrics in Poland and d) the key aspect ignored in the current debate, namely the inseparable connection of scientometrics and bibliometrics with the science of science. The study leads to the following conclusions: it is postulated that the informetric (scientometric, bibliometric, Webometric, etc.) studies return to the scientific discourse, which would be consciously developed in the context of the integrated science of science. This knowledge should be utilized in the development of the current science policy, i.e. the organizational structure of science and higher education and the formation of rules of appraisal of scientific institutions, individual employees and scientific journals.

Fighting corruption in africa: the anticorruption system in cameroon

Past studies on corruption and anticorruption efforts in Africa lacked the systemic perspective. Yet, efforts of a constellation of state and non - state anticorruption institutions tends to yield not less but more corruption. Focusing on Cameroon (West Africa), this study is a holistic attempt at an institutional appraisal of the scope and effectiveness of the anticorruption system. It is based on a thorough description and a critical analysis of essential structures, functions and processes of the system, with an emphasis on their missions, goals, activities, structures as well as their actual outcomes and limitations. The researcher suggests that, because of the numerous structural and functional weaknesses, Cameroon’s anticorruption system has failed. Clear suggestions for effective reform of the system and rapid corruption minimization are made.

Assessing Uncertainty and Risk in Public Sector Investment Projects

The feasibility and profitability of large investment projects are frequently subject to a partially or even fully undeterminable future, encompassing uncertainty and various types of risk. We investigate significant issues in the field of project appraisal techniques, including risks and uncertainties, appropriate risk analysis, project duration as well as the dependencies between (sub-) projects. The most common project appraisal techniques are examined addressing benefits and weaknesses of each technique. Furthermore, the practical use of the different techniques for the public sector is examined, exemplifying this with a small-scale analysis of the risk analysis procedures of the World Bank. Our finding suggest that in particular for the public sector, practical implementation of quantitative techniques like Monte Carlo simulation in the appraisal procedure of investment projects has not fully occurred to date. We strongly recommend further application of these approaches to the evaluation of processes and financial or economic risk factors in project appraisal of public sector institutions.

An initial institutional appraisal of laparoscope-assisted colectomy for early colorectal cancer

An initial institutional appraisal of laparoscope-assisted colectomy for early colorectal cancer

Community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) in Xinhui, Guangdong Province, China

Using institutional appraisal focused groups (FG) and participatory appraisals with Dillman Total Design Method (TDM), this study examines community interaction with and utilization of wetland resources in Xinhui, Guangdong Province, China. Field results show high commercial activities and corresponding impacts on coastal environment. Other interacting factors identified include: legislation and ecosystem management, stakeholders’ participation, international guidelines criteria, and utilization of mangrove resources in the region. Sensitivity index and community-based natural resources management collaboration comparison percentile showed significant differences between cumulative distributions of respondents (D = 0.2568, P = 0.078). Likert statement of 11 sensitivity optional indexes in EMS of K–S test at 0.05 level of P = 0.078 also show significant differences in interaction between respondent groups and sensitivity factors. This indicates a dysfunction between regional environmental management systems and CBNRM in Xinhui coastal district. Considering the high tourism potential and economic quest of the region, there is the need for coordinated community enlightenment and further studies on the social, ecological and economic value of wetland resources.

Photovoltaic deployment strategy in Japan and the USA—an institutional appraisal

Photovoltaic (PV) is a renewable energy technology, along side with other modular energy generation technologies such as micro-turbines, fuel cells, etc., which will enable the alternative distributed generation paradigm compared to the incumbent fossil fuel based centralized generation paradigm. Distributed generation utilizing renewable energy resources offers opportunities for significant carbon dioxide and emissions reductions thus contributing solutions to broader climate change issues. Yet, renewable energy technologies like PV face various barriers for their widespread adoption. Aside from technical and cost issues, renewable technologies have to overcome the so-called carbon lock-in effects. This refers to the techno-institutional complex associated with the fossil-fuel based centralized generation regime that currently dominates energy production and use. Governmental interventions to address these issues usually can be seen as composed of research, development, demonstration and deployment or RD3 [PCAST, 1999. Panel on International Cooperation in Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment]. This paper focused on comparing the deployment aspect of PV technology in Japan and the USA. While both governments promoted PV as part of their larger strategies to address various environmental and energy security issues, Japan has built a PV installation capacity three times that of the USA as of December 2003 with over 90% of PV installation in the grid-connected small residential system category. This is in marked contrast to the case in the USA in which the cumulative installation is spilt among different types of applications involving the grid and off the grid. We put forward two models to explain these differences in deployment strategies and their possible consequences. The first deployment model leverages upon PV as a manufactured technology with minimal customization to achieve massive deployment. The second deployment model leverages upon PV as an information technology-like technology focusing upon user oriented customization to achieve deployment. Different models have different implications to the system engineering aspect of solar PV. A focus upon the standard grid-connected distributed category in the residential setting avoids the heavy customized engineering associated with many off-grid and one-off type projects. Japanese PV deployment strategy of concentrating upon a dominant category or niche with mass market potential also well matches the institutional structure of production [Coase, 1991. The Institutional Structure of Production, in Essays on Economics and Economists. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago] within the local PV technology suppliers industry. Major vertical integrated firms can facilitate system-related learning easier than a fragmented industry within the PV value chain with minimal transaction cost. This highly suggests that deployment strategy of PV or other renewable energy technologies must address the issues of adopting a globally developed technology to local (national) conditions and has strong institutional underpinnings in addition to financial subsidies, learning investment thinking.

Representing Consumer Interests: Imbalanced Markets, Health Planning, and the HSAs

The health planning legislation of 1974, establishing HSAs, represented an important attempt to break recurring patterns of decision making in public choices. One widely heralded strategy for controlling contemporary medical care--consumer involvement through accountability, representation, and participation--is flawed by failure to recognize that political markets are always imbalanced because of unequal interests and disproportionate resources. How can we represent broad, diffuse interests when all the incentives point to domination by a minority of intensely interested producers? Solutions favored at the local level may not best serve the entire nation; they cannot mirror the full spectrum of constituencies. Adjustment of mechanisms both internal to HSAs and external to them are suggested--yet, even so, their mandate reaches beyond possibility of accomplishment.

An institutional appraisal of tourism development and planning: the case of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC)

This paper aims to explore and analyze the structure of the tourism sector in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. It identifies the principal institutions and organizations responsible for development and planning in this sector. In order to achieve this goal, the first section of the paper offers a historical overview of the evolution of the tourism sector in Cyprus up to 1974. The second section of the paper examines the post-1974, period, when the island was divided into separate geographical and political entities. The paper focuses on Northern Cyprus (TRNC), as a separate political and economic unit independent of Southern Cyprus (the Republic of Cyprus) and it pinpoints the main variables that have caused the tourism sector in the North to lag behind the South. Among these variables, internal factors (i.e., institutions) are of prime concern in this study as they have proven to be profoundly inefficient and irresponsive, which has resulted in the tourism sector not achieving its economic potential. The final part of the paper presents an organizational model designed to overcome the policy and planning problems of the tourism sector in the TRNC. The paper concludes that those institutions in charge of, and responsible for, the development of the tourism sector have failed to formulate and define a clear policy for this sector. This lack of clarity and direction in respect of policy, planning and strategy has resulted in no real, concrete integrative planning for the tourism sector. One of the other principal aims of the study is to answer the question as to why the North, has, for the last two and half decades, failed to develop a viable tourism sector despite the existing resources. The theoretical background for this study is based on a concept of “institutionalism” and tries to show the extent to which it aids understanding of the problems faced by less developed countries. This study contends that an analysis based on ‘institutionalism’ is also conducive to Island economies in general and North Cyprus's case in particular, it also shows the need for high profile involvement by the state in reviving economies in the absence of various resource endowments.

Institutional Appraisal of Economic Reforms in Algeria

This Paper argues that the institutional framework is as much important as the economic factors in explaining the economic and investment outcomes in Algeria. Moreover, the paper discusses the failure of many informal institutions to follow the path of the formal institutions' change, which resulted in poor performance of the reform policies. The paper argues that the Algerian authorities have to put more efforts into changing informal constraints if the reform policies are to lead significantly enhanced economic performance.