Context Of Public Administration Research Articles

Procedural Fairness as Stepping Stone for Successful Implementation of Algorithmic Decision-Making in Public Administration: Review and Outlook

Algorithmic decision-making (ADM) is becoming more and more prevalent in everyday life. Due to their promise of producing faster, better, and less biased decisions, automated and data-driven processes also receive increasing attention in many different administrative settings. However, as a result of human mistakes ADM also poses the threat of producing unfair outcomes. Looming algorithmic discrimination can undermine the legitimacy of administrative decision-making. While lawyers and lawmakers face the age-old question of regulation, many decision-makers tasked with designing ADM for and implementing ADM in public administration wrestle with harnessing its advantages and limiting its disadvantages. “Algorithmic fairness” has evolved as key concept in developing algorithmic systems to counter detrimental outcomes. We provide a review of the vast literature on algorithmic fairness and show how key dimensions alter people’s perception of whether an algorithm is fair. In doing so, we provide entry point into this literature for anybody who is required to think about algorithmic fairness, particularly in an public administration context. We also pinpoint critical concerns about algorithmic fairness that public officials and researchers should note.

Unraveling the politics-science nexus: diverse strategies in US states’ termination of mask policies

ABSTRACT This study investigates the intentional termination decision of a public health tool (i.e. face-mask policy) in the absence of knowledge regarding the duration of the pandemic. We acknowledge that policy termination is a complicated decision-making process that necessitates multiple considerations. Gleaning perspectives from the literature on the politics-science divide and policy termination theory, two distinct sets of factors emerge as influential: political considerations (i.e. governor’s ideology and public opinion) and scientific considerations (i.e. vaccination rate and healthcare resources). We conduct a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to examine how explanatory factors interplay in diverse ways in shaping mask termination decisions. The results show three equally important pathways in elucidating mask termination decisions: two pathways explained how Republican and Democratic Governors draw upon diverse considerations to end the mask use, respectively. The third path underscores that a level high vaccination rate would explain most states’ mask termination decisions. The results highlight the complexity inherent policy-making during a public health crisis. This study offers a glimpse into the varied approaches adopted by states to navigate the exit from the pandemic. In the broader context of public administration, this study sheds light on how states bridge the gap between politics and science.

The leader – manager debate in the Greek public administration: a critical review of the literature and future research agenda.

One factor that researchers regularly cite as one of the most important contributors to organizational performance is leadership. However, despite the widespread speculation that leadership is important for organizational success, there has been relatively little research regarding the impact of leadership behaviours on organizational performance in governmental entities. More specifically, there is little research examining the impact of transformational leadership behaviours on organizational performance within governmental entities. The point is to examine the leader – manager debate in the field of Public Administration in Greece, in the light of the implementation of the New Public Management. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to make a bibliographic review of these issues in the case of Greece, summarizing definitions and characteristics of leadership, leadership styles, differences between management and leadership styles and to study the challenge of public sector leadership in a time of crisis, the impact of New Public Management in the public sector administration as well as the leader / manager debate in the Greek public administration context. Τhe debate about Greece is being developed in the modern dimensions of the governance and administration of the quality of the institutions, that is in the modern results of good management and leadership.
 Through an illustrative bibliographic review we have conducted so far, there is a lack of studies about the impact of Greek public sector leadership, the existence of a best leadership style and whether the regional government can work effectively in terms of private sector management to be effective and rewarding in the local community. We base our study on Van Wart’s (2003) literature review on public sector leadership. Does public sector leadership existing in its own right, or is it merely private leadership applied to the public domain? Is there any need for leadership development programs which focus on the difference between administrative leaders in the public sector and their counterparts in the business world? What is the best leadership style to use in a time of crisis?
 
 Keywords: Leadership, Management, Local Government, Greek Public Administration, New Public Management.

Forecasting expected food safety risks in the context of public administration

The purpose of the article is to study the forecasting of expected risks of the level of food security through a system of criteria and indicators in the context of public administration, as well as to determine the position, state and main threats of Ukraine in the food sector in the global environment. Research methodology is based on the use of methods of analysis and synthesis, the method of observation, methods of induction and deduction, methods of comparison and analogy, graphic, logical methods. The methodological basis of the study was the methods of analysis, synthesis and observation, which provided an opportunity to actualize the main problems of food security in the context of public administration today. Techniques of deduction and induction were used to determine important indicators for predicting expected food safety risks. The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the well-founded conceptual model of the implementation of the Food Security Strategy, which ensures the effectiveness of achieving the basic goals of sustainable development. Conclusions. In the system of public management of guaranteeing food security, it is obvious that scientific approaches to the development of balanced indicators capable of diagnosing weaknesses and threats and correcting them, depending on the probability of their occurrence, have been developed. There is also a need for public monitoring and forecasting of the food market, analysis of the implementation of proposed ideas. Forecasting of expected food safety risks must meet the following basic requirements: completeness and accuracy of initial data, their scientificity and comparability. Keywords: forecasting, food security, food security indicators, public administration, food security strategy.

Context Matters: Authoritarian Populism and Public Administration Practice, Teaching, and Research

The political context of public administration in the United States may change considerably in the near future, away from liberal democracy and toward an intensification of the authoritarian populism familiar from the Trump era. The people and practices of public administration experience the effects of the societal context in their daily work and the course of their careers, so that “context matters.” This essay uses the description of the current context of the public sector at the federal, state, and local levels, and in academia, to examine the potential impacts of a contextual shift to authoritarian populism in the next several years. The examination includes daily practice, the teaching of controversial concepts in public universities, and conducting research on salient topics in public administration.

Determinants of adaptability and its impact on the change readiness of civil servants

PurposeUnderpinned by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this study aimed to examine the mediating role of employees' adaptability in the relationship between the five managerial climate factors (i.e., trust, supportiveness, openness, clarity of goals and participative) and change readiness in public sector organisations.Design/methodology/approachAdopting the quantitative approach, data were collected from 379 administrative and diplomatic officers. Analysis was done using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results showed that trust and clarity of goals are significant motivational factors that accelerate employees' adaptability. Adaptability, in turn, was found to mediate the effect of trust and clarity of goals on employees' change readiness.Originality/valueThis study contributes to theory and practice by examining employees' adaptability as an intervening variable in the relationship between managerial climate factors and change readiness with specific reference to the public administration context.

Co-Creating Service Value from Data in a Public Administration Context

Data are of increasing importance in the digital transformation of the public sector, but their potential has not yet been fully exploited. Service-dominant logic (S-D logic) is a principle according to which data creates value only when it is utilized, leading, for example, to better-informed decisions and planning results. Public administration practitioners can make use of this by consistently tailoring data-based services to the needs of users. As a result, services are developed jointly with potential users in a co-creation process. Providers and users test and improve the services together in a collaborative, iterative process. Such an approach offers considerable potential in the public administration sector. In this article, the S-D logic perspective and its operationalization by service design methods are applied to the public sector. It is examined how, in the context of public administration, S-D logic can be used to design data-based value propositions. An application case is presented in which a value proposition for the statistical office of a Swiss canton is designed. The results show that service design methods can be helpful in the context of public administration and that they also lend themselves to shaping innovation. <strong>Zusammenfassung</strong> In der digitalen Transformation der öffentlichen Verwaltung spielen Daten eine immer wichtigere Rolle. Das Potential dieser Daten wird heute allerdings oft noch zu wenig ausgeschöpft. Gemäss der Service-dominant logic (S-D logic) wird mit Daten erst dann Wert geschaffen, wenn sie genutzt werden, wenn sie also beispielsweise zu einer fundierteren Entscheidung oder einer besseren Planung führen. Für die öffentliche Verwaltung bietet dies die Chance, datenbasierte Services konsequent auf die Bedürfnisse der Nutzerschaft auszurichten. Service wird in einem kollaborativen, iterativen Prozess mit den potenziellen Nutzniessenden entwickelt, getestet und verbessert. In der öffentlichen Verwaltung bieten diese Ansätze ein grosses Potential. Im vorliegenden Artikel werden die Sichtweise der S-D logic und die Methoden des Service Design – mit denen diese Sichtweise operationalisiert wird – auf die öffentliche Verwaltung übertragen. Ein Anwendungsbeispiel illustriert, wie mit Methoden des Service Design ein Wertangebot für das Statistische Amt eines Schweizer Kantons entworfen wurde. Die Arbeit zeigt, dass Methoden des Service Design auch im Kontext der öffentlichen Verwaltung gut handhabbar sind und damit Innovation gestaltet werden kann. <strong>Résumé</strong> Les données jouent un rôle de plus en plus important dans la transformation digitale de l’administration publique. Cependant, le potentiel de ces données est souvent sous-utilisé aujourd’hui. Selon la Service-dominant logic (S-D logic), la valeur n’est créée avec les données que lorsqu’elles sont utilisées, par exemple lorsqu’elles conduisent à une décision plus éclairée ou à une meilleure planification. Pour l’administration publique, cela offre la possibilité d’aligner de manière cohérente les services basés sur les données avec les besoins des utilisateurs. Les fournisseurs et les utilisateurs développent, testent et améliorent les services ensemble dans un processus collaboratif et itératif. Dans l’administration publique, ces approches offrent un grand potentiel. Dans cet article, la perspective de la S-D logic et les méthodes de Service Design – avec lesquelles cette perspective est opérationnalisée – sont transférées à l’administration publique. Un exemple d’application illustre comment les méthodes de Service Design ont permis de concevoir une proposition de valeur pour l’office statistique d’un canton suisse. Ce travail montre que les méthodes de Service Design sont bien applicables dans le contexte de l’administration publique et peuvent servir à façonner l’innovation.

The diffusion of innovations under normative induction in Brazil

Purpose Hierarchically superior bodies develop normative instructions to induce the diffusion of innovations, stimulating the adoption of management practices in supervised public bodies and seeking public administration efficiency increase. Despite this, the effectiveness of these normative instructions is unknown, as well as its inducing and lasting effects in the diffusion of these innovations, especially in Brazil. This study aims to understand the effects of normative induction. Design/methodology/approach The adoption of risk management, integrity &amp; ethics and information security practices was evaluated over a decade (2009 to 2019), including the adoption behavior of more than 200 Brazilian federal agencies. Public open data were collected and analyzed with multinomial logistic regression. Findings The normative instructions’ effectiveness in propagating the evaluated practices is remarkable; however, its mere development by the superior bodies cannot be considered enough since the general adoption index can be considered good but not excellent. No evaluated practice reached a saturation level above 75%. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to bringing the international literature’s generic knowledge on the adoption of innovation to the specific Brazilian public administration context, providing insightful implications for policymakers, public managers and researchers. Practical implications This work is unique, as it systematically analyzes multiple innovation adoption and presents excellent opportunities for future researchers by reproducing all scripts and automation developed. Furthermore, all data are available and hosted on public platforms with detailed steps and documentation. Social implications The use of open data from governmental sources allows enhanced transparency and the discovery of affecting variables while observing innovation adoption in the public administration. Originality/value The presence of normative instructions and their adoption rate is rarely measured in the Brazilian public administration.

Job crafting, meaningful work and performance: a moderated mediation approach of presenteeism.

This study aimed to (1) analyze the relationship between the three job crafting dimensions (task, cognitive and relational crafting) and performance; (2) explore whether meaningful work fully mediates the links between the three job crafting dimensions and performance; (3) analyze if presenteeism moderates the indirect effect of meaningful work in the relationship between job crafting and performance. To achieve these goals, we collected data with 146 workers from a town hall. We analyzed the proposed moderated-mediation model using the PROCESS macro. The results showed that (1) the meaning in work mediated the relationship between the three job crafting dimensions and performance; (2) presenteeism moderated the mediated relationship between job crafting and performance via meaningful work, that is, lower levels of presenteeism were positively related to performance, in particular, when the levels of meaning in work were lower. These results show the importance of empowering employees to craft their work, as it appears to increase employees’ performance, by enhancing the meaning attributed to the work. Promoting health conditions, at work, also seems to be relevant for performance once it may decrease levels of presenteeism. The cross-sectional design should be regarded as a limitation, and we assessed all the variables through self-reported measures. The present study contributes to the literature by analyzing the relationship of job crafting to performance via meaningful work, within the public administration context. Moreover, this study adds to the literature the conditional effect of presenteeism which has not been discussed in prior studies. This study aids in bridging this gap.

The practitioners guide to a digital index: Unearthing design-principles of an abstract artefact

Based on the perspective of e-government practitioners at a government agency in Sweden, this article analyses the design-process with the aim of unearthing the design-principles of a Digital Index (DI). The DI is developed to address challenges of how to: understand; appraise; learn from and develop e-government – by combining digital technologies with the context of public administration. This study applies a design-science research method and analyses the initial steps of the design-process: awareness of the problem, suggestion, and development. The results show how the abstract artefact – the DI – is constructed and how it is based on three main design-principles. Firstly e-government should be contextualised with the nature of public administration – which means relating digital technologies vis-a-vis core-businesses of a public authority. Secondly: digital technologies support administrative processes and must be premised on the classification of information and law. Thirdly, apply a process view of e-government that highlights the relationship between internal administrative procedures, the interaction with citizens/companies and the sharing of government data. The discussion highlights how the DI is relevant for research on e-government by offering some concrete as well as general perspectives on how to combine e-government and public administration.

Публічні послуги у сфері публічного управління: теоретичні аспекти

Розглянуто теоретичні підходи до здійснення публічних послуг у сфері публічного управління. Проаналізовано різні підходи до трактування сутності поняття “публічні послуги” і на основі цього представлено авторське розуміння згаданого поняття. Розглянуто класифікаційні підходи до розуміння публічних послуг. Представлено алгоритм надання публічних послуг у сфері публічного управління. Обґрунтовано процедуру здійснення публічних послуг, враховуючи надавачів та споживачів у сфері публічного управління. Аргументовано, що публічні послуги є ширшим поняттям, аніж державні послуги.

Explaining High Performance Among Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officers: A Job Demands-Resources Perspective

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers are careerist senior civil servants (SCS) in the world’s largest democracy, holding senior roles of policymaking and implementation. Therefore, identifying exceptionally performing SCS to unravel their “job demands” along with “personal resources” should help with understanding how best to manage these critical human resources. Employing a qualitative approach, we interviewed 11 high performing IAS officers identified through a unique career progression index. Our data analysis revealed that the IAS suffers from the following job demands: difficulty in coordination with other departments and stakeholders, financial inadequacy, and dishonest subordinates or coworkers. This study also found that self-directed learning, personal reputation, empathy, and service orientation are essential personal resources for high-performing SCS. While expanding the list of job demands and personal resources in the public administration context, our research provides a deeper insight into the challenges confronting careerist SCS in lower-middle income developing countries.

THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTARY CULTURE IN THE PROCESS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS

Parliamentary culture plays a key role in the public administration and public policy analysis process, as its development contributes to raising the public’s political awareness and ensures effective public participation in public administration and various stages of the public policy development, implementation, and analysis processes. Parliamentary culture contributes to the establishment of a dialogue between state and society aimed at increasing the efficiency of the public administration system. The selection of the study methods for this work was based on the imperatives of modern political development. The study of the role of parliamenttary culture was carried out in the framework of transitional studies, consolidation studies, and political hermeneutics. Both systematic and dialectical methodology of development has been applied in the above-mentioned areas, combining the institutional, social-psychological, civilizational aspects of parliamentary culture in the context of public administration and public policy analysis. Summarizing the theoretical-ideological bases of parliamentary culture in the process of public administration and public policy analysis as well as analyzing the uninterrupted interaction of structural and content components of the concept, we came to the conclusion that parliamentary culture is the primary stimulus in the process of public administration and public policy analysis and which ensures the broadest representation of public participation in the process of political decision-making and their implementation.

When we can’t handle the truth: Occupy, “dangerous speech,” and public administration

The Occupy Movement (“Occupy”) was largely ignored by public administration scholars. In this paper we argue that letting Occupy pass by without substantive analysis is unfortunate because it represented an opportunity for public administration to learn and reflect on critically important issues. Occupy was an important moment of truth-telling in US politics and prefiguring of a different way of life, yet it revealed the field’s inability to hear and constructively engage with the “truth” of contemporary social movements. We elaborate these matters and contend that Occupy should be read as a moment of what the ancient Greeks and, more recently, Michel Foucault, call parrhēsia, or frank, direct, truthful speech. We consider Occupy within the broader context of public administration as a field of practice that engages with particular forms of truth-telling and use this as a fulcrum to theorize the particular ways in which public administration could or could not “handle” Occupy’s truth-telling. The final sections of the paper outline concrete lessons about how public administration may respond differently to the truth-telling of current and future social movements.

Volunteering as a Human Resource in Provision of Public Social Services in the Municipality

The research aims to identify the main factors and obstacles supporting the development of volunteering in municipalities as a basis for volunteering as an additional human resource in the provision of social services in the municipality. It has been achieved through qualitative analysis and generalization of academic literature and other publicly available sources. The article adheres to the opinion that volunteering is a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly important in democratic societies. In the analyzed context of public administration, we treat volunteering as follows: activities that create social benefits for society; freely assumed obligations authorized by agreement; activities appropriate to mutual assistance; unpaid activities of public service; useful work; activities satisfying the needs of human self-realization; activities allowing to acquire professional skills. All the components of this multifaceted definition evidence the social benefit to society, and at the same time to the municipality, where volunteering is being developed.&#x0D; The analysis of academic literature and the good practice of other countries in the development of volunteering showed that the social benefits created by volunteering are complex, the social impact is a long-term and systemic. The social benefits created by volunteering affect the volunteer him/herself, the organization that hosts the volunteer, the community of service provision, the service recipient and his/her family members, society.&#x0D; The study revealed the following factors activating volunteering in the municipality: recognition of volunteering benefits and support at all levels of government; determination and periodic analysis of obstacles to involvement of volunteers in social activities; formation of volunteers’ involvement mechanism and administration of activities thereof; material and information resources for the coordination and support of volunteering activities; competent human resources to activate and involve volunteering; mutual co-operation of the municipal administration units and departments; cooperation of the municipal administration with NGOs and state-financed organizations in developing volunteering in municipalities; dissemination of good practice; inclusion of volunteering activities in curricula of pre-school educational institutions.

Co-creating a sustainability performance assessment tool for public sector organisations

Organisations are increasingly being pushed to manage, assess and report their sustainability performance, including public sector organisations (PSO). Several approaches were developed to implement sustainability assessments at the organisation level. However, the majority are still for the private sector and are often not supported by active stakeholder involvement. Several PSO have adapted private-oriented models to assess their sustainability performance, which are often not adequate due to public administration, whose main mission is to provide public services. The present work aims at developing a conceptual framework to support PSO and to assess their sustainability performance. The proposed approach is supported by two sustainability performance assessment systems – Formal and Informal Sustainability Performance Assessment. The Formal Sustainability Performance Assessment system, which is the main focus of this paper, consists of a checklist of objectives and practices and a set of twenty-nine (29) performance indicators. An initial proposal was drawn from the literature review and then assessed through a participatory process involving practitioners and academics in semi-structured interviews, questionnaire surveys and a collaborative workshop. The Portuguese central public administration was used as a case study. The developed checklist of objectives and practices and related performance indicators will allow PSO to assess and communicate complex information about organisational sustainability. Reference values support the normalization of indicators’ results, and consequently, the comparison of sustainability-related performance between PSO integrated into the context of the Portuguese central public administration. This research contributes to the debate on organisational sustainability assessment and communication, and the importance of selecting and developing sustainability indicators using co-creation processes with key stakeholders.

The Untapped Potential of Social Marketing: How a Sample of Florida Cities Engage in Its Practice

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate how cities are developing and implementing social marketing practices. Driven by a 2017 survey administered to a sample of Florida’s public officials, the research design of this study employs an exploratory data analysis including cluster analysis, univariate visualization, and bivariate visualization to information regarding public social marketing utilization. The findings of this study suggest possible confusion surrounding what social marketing actually is and how the practice can best be utilized within a strategic management context. This research adds value by contributing to a relatively nascent literature on social marketing within an American public administration context.

Reformasi Birokrasi Lokal Berbasis Kepulauan di Kecamatan Tanimbar Selatan Ditinjau dari Dimensi Manajemen Tata Kelola Pemerintahan

Bureaucratic reform is a major and fundamental change in the paradigm and governance of Indonesia. Various bureaucratic reform movements experienced by developed countries have been inspired by public pressure on the need to improve the quality of public services provided by the government. The issue of bureaucracy is interesting to debate in the context of public administration in South Tanimbar District because the bureaucracy is ineffective. The research method used is descriptive qualitative research. The results show that the accountability aspect of the apparatus in public services has been implemented, but it needs guidance, capacity and mental improvement. Monitoring and evaluation are not optimal because of the mentality, culture and elitist nature of the bureaucracy. Law enforcement has been implemented, but not optimally. The transparency aspect of public services has been implemented but has not been maximized. The conclusion is that the dimensions of management and good governance are not optimal, especially the bureaucratic behavior tends to be pathological in the mentality of the bureaucratic apparatus. Procedures and systems are still considered a formality only exists on paper. The meaning of bureaucracy in the clarity of procedures, the whole context of governance. Supervision and control are carried out if there are evaluation indicators, unclear SOPs and workload make it very difficult to measure the evaluation process. The mentality, culture and elitist nature of the bureaucracy have an impact on law enforcement both in terms of policy substance and procedure.

The impact of service excellence and service innovation on organisational reputation: quantitative evidence from Jordanian public sector

PurposeThe aim of this paper is the identification of the impacts that innovation and service excellence have upon organisational reputation within public sector organisations in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachAn approach was adopted that was quantitative with a questionnaire designed that was to be self-administrated for the primary data collection. In total, there was distribution of 600 questionnaires from which 556 were retrieved with a high rate of response (92.7%).FindingsThrough analysis of the data, several findings were revealed by the study, including that innovation was the factor with the most influence (beta = 0.81) upon organisational reputation within the public sector in Jordan compared to the factor for service excellence (beta = 0.54).Practical implicationsThe research has several potential implications for theory and management for those making decisions and policies within public administration such as in relation to enhancement of innovation strategy application for improving the reputations of organisations within the public sector. Furthermore, the paper fills a gap within the theory of organisational reputation and within the literature generally, especially in the context of public administration.Originality/valueIn regard to value and originality of this paper, it can be considered the first of its type for the public sector in Jordan, and perhaps the Arab region as a whole, that has examined the impacts that innovation and service excellence have upon organisational reputation within the context of public administration.

Towards a Process Model for Agile Transformation in E-government Projects

E-government projects in public administration often fail due to lacking communication and unclear requirements. Furthermore, users are usually not involved in the development of digital products. The agile transformation offers a promising approach to improve communication and the affinity to change regarding requirements in e-government projects. In addition, the agile transformation, as a paradigm shift from a plan-oriented to an user-centered development, enables a high degree of user-orientation. In order to support and measure the agile transformation, a screening instrument was developed in previous research and was adapted to the context of public administration. This screening instrument enables the measurement of the progress in agile transformation using a personality questionnaire. In this paper we define a seven-step prototypical process model for the application of the screening instrument in public administrations. This process model accompanies the use of the screening instrument in seven steps as a recommendation for usage and enables a targeted and continuous improvement in the agile transformation process in the context of public administration authorities.