Different Levels Of Government Research Articles

A game of tug-of-war: regional laws before the Spanish Constitutional Court

ABSTRACT To date, intergovernmental relations have been analysed from a variety of different perspectives, the constitutionality of the laws passed by different levels of government being one of them. Here, drawing on a unique database containing all the regional laws passed in Spain between 1980 and 2021, we examine the strategic dimension of their judicialisation by the party in government at the central level. The results show that partisan preferences along left-right and centre-periphery axes have played an important role in this regard. In addition, we show that the central government has often engaged in a game of tug-of-war with the Constitutional Court depending on its composition, with a more favourable court typically leading to greater litigiousness.

Adaptive governance and evolution of a groundwater-based resilient city: a case study of Kure City, Japan

ABSTRACT Discussion on adaptive governance is criticized for being overly conceptual and limited in application beyond environmental issues. To fill this gap, this paper examines how adaptive governance functions in specific contexts, such as addressing post-disaster water supply cut-offs. In Kure City, Japan, different levels of government and NGOs helped local well owners emerge as informal water suppliers after the 2018 flood. This research identifies four elements of adaptive governance (polycentricity, participation, self-organization, social learning) underpinning this initiative. Furthermore, it reveals the importance of financial incentives for well owners and pre-registration of local wells as policy lessons for emergent groundwater utilization.

9.L. Round table: “What” and “How” for building competencies for effective policy making in and for public health

Abstract Policymakers operating within the field of public health must regularly draw on their skills or competencies to facilitate engagement in and between policy sectors and with the public, to navigate the larger landscape of public health institutions and governance levels across the policy cycle, to generate, understand, and apply evidence for decision making, as well as to negotiate the demands of diverse stakeholders. What exactly are the competencies needed and how can they be cultivated to enhance the collective capacity of policymaking institutions? The increasing strain placed on public health systems worldwide, owing specially to challenges in population ageing, the burden of non-communicable diseases, and the exigencies introduced by pandemics, environmental disasters, and geo-political instabilities push us to expand the scope of public health. A look to the policy environs and outcomes seen within and across countries demonstrates that the quality of policy is both highly variable and exceedingly subject to the quality of public health leadership itself. These developments shed light on the need for greater investment in the development of competencies needed by policymakers to engage in effective decision making on key issues impacting population health and the resilience of public health systems. This includes efforts to strengthen the abilities of policymakers to identify problems, recognize opportunities, and put forth solutions in line with robust data and evidence, principles of public health ethics, gaps and priorities in public health needs, and in accordance with financial and political realities. The proposed roundtable will examine the state-of-the-art on policymaking competencies in public health, and how to build them by examining the barriers and opportunities. The panel will convene leading experts in the field of public health research and practice to explore: 1) the conceptual definition of competencies for policymaking at different levels of governance and across the policy cycle; 2) the strengths and limits of competency frameworks and their utility in guiding assessment and training tools, as well as policy practice; 3) the challenges associated with developing, maintaining and transferring competencies in fast-changing, multi-level policy making environments; 4) the challenges for public health experts and institutions to be trusted advisors both by policy makers and other stakeholders and the population; and 5) the opportunities to harness the unexploited power of professional networks in some countries of Europe. Key messages • An enhanced research agenda and investment are needed for the development of competencies - individual and collective - for effective public health policy-making and stronger governance. • Innovative approaches to policy-making are needed, and this requires building competencies, including leadership, for addressing the complex nature of public health.

CHALLENGES TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNAL MIGRATION IN UKRAINE

The article addresses the challenges faced by public administration in managing internal migration in Ukraine, driven by large-scale population movements due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the necessity of maintaining the stability of state institutions amidst social, economic, and demographic shifts. The purpose of the article is to identify the primary challenges confronting public administration in the context of internal migration and propose strategies to address them. To achieve this, the study employs an integrated approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The article identifies the causes of internal migration and the key factors contributing to internal displacement: armed conflict, economic hardships, and social and environmental issues. It analyzes the main challenges to public administration in this context, including organizational difficulties, coordination problems between different levels of government, a lack of resources for effectively managing migration processes, and socio-economic challenges. It is demonstrated that there is insufficient infrastructure to provide housing, employment, and social services for internally displaced persons (IDPs), along with inadequate funding for support programs, and difficulties in integrating IDPs into new communities and fostering interaction with the local population. The article reviews state policy on internal migration, evaluates existing programs and strategies, assesses the effectiveness of current state initiatives, and highlights the barriers to implementing effective IDP policies, such as underfunding and lack of coordination. The author proposes solutions to enhance coordination and management, develop a unified migration management system, engage local communities in addressing IDP issues, increase funding and resources, expand state support programs, attract international assistance to tackle internal migration challenges, and implement legal reforms. Recommendations for improving migration management are also provided to overcome these challenges.

A Multi-Scale Evaluation Model of Sustainable Development Goal 11.7 for Problem-Solving at Different Levels

Sustainable Development Goal 11.7 (SDG 11.7) aims to promote the improvement of urban public spaces. However, the localization process of SDG 11.7 mainly relies on a bottom-up problem-solving approach, which fails to fully encompass the connotation of SDG 11.7. Additionally, existing evaluations primarily focus on a single scale, neglecting the impact of scale issues. These limitations can lead to imbalanced development or misallocation of responsibilities when guiding governments at different levels in promoting the sustainable development of public spaces. Therefore, this article introduces a multi-scale assessment model of SDG 11.7. It employs a top-down problem-solving approach to construct a sustainable development indicator framework, setting appropriate sustainable development indicators for various levels of government based on the connotation of SDG 11.7, and generates city-scale results by integrating three scales: apartment complexes, street blocks, and counties. Testing this model in Xi’an, China, revealed that it adequately captures four key aspects of SDG 11.7—safety, inclusiveness, accessibility, and greenness—through 11 indicators. The evaluation outcomes at the apartment complex, street block, and county levels effectively guide future development directions for various levels of government. Ultimately, the synthesis of these scales reveals the spatial pattern of SDG 11.7 at the city scale and identifies focal areas for development. Overall, this exploratory model demonstrates high accuracy and robustness, providing a comprehensive understanding of the essence of SDG 11.7. It also alleviates challenges posed by scale issues, offering decision support for monitoring SDG 11.7 across different levels of government in Chinese cities and promoting the process of sustainable development.

Decarbonising the Australian Economy Introduction

AbstractFor most of the last 15 years, Australia policy on climate change has been decidedly underwhelming, leaving us behind where we need to be to fulfil our obligations under the Paris Accord. But there are encouraging signs at present that there is an emerging consensus—amongst captains of industry, different levels of government, policy‐makers and everyday Australians—that we can achieve our ambitions to live in a world that is far less reliant on carbon.

THE RESILIENCE OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND VITAL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES: THE FORMALIZATION OF THE TASKS AND CONTENT OF STAKEHOLDER’S ACTIONS

In the article, the author analyzes the content and tasks of activity to implement the concept of resilience. The article begins with a short overview of the theoretical background of the resilience concept and examines legislation on national resilience recently approved in several countries. The author then demonstrates the relevance of the research regarding the resilience of life-supporting vital functions and services and of critical infrastructure under Ukrainian law. The main tasks and challenges of stakeholders in a certain domain of regulation are outlined, along with an approach to rationalize the content of activities. Next, examples of typical response measures by stages of the crisis response cycle to ensure resilience of certain areas of regulation are given. Ukraine’s response to power supply disruptions due to the destruction of the energy infrastructure by Russia in autumn-winter of 2022–2023 are summarized. The author provides a conceptual model for the formalization of objectives, goal setting and development of regulatory tools to ensure the resilience of vital functions and services and functioning of critical infrastructure. This model is extended with a description of the approach for designing the target parameters of response measures and for determining the necessary and possible levels of performance of critical infrastructure or/and vital services within the goals of the area of regulation in focus. This includes an example of the usage of the model developed to justify measures for ensuring continuity of power supply to communities. The author then proposes principles to determine the actors responsible for resilience planning at different levels of governance. He demonstrates the differences in the remit and authorities of various participants and the need to develop a separate formal tool, which prescribes the activities of all participants involved in ensuring community resilience. Finally, the author outlines a proposed structure and content of community resilience plans.

LANDSLIDES IN SARAJEVO CANTON OBSERVED THROUGH VALID REGULATIONS AND COMPETENT INSTITUTIONS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ADOPTING A UNIFORM REGULATION ON LANDSLIDES

Landslides, as modern processes on the surface of the terrain, present a challenge in spatial planning, planning and construction of new settlements, and construction of infrastructure facilities. A special challenge is the planning and construction of settlements and infrastructure facilities in hillside areas. The City of Sarajevo, with its four city municipalities, represents the most populated part of Sarajevo Canton. The situation is similar with non-urban municipalities. A special challenge is the illegal settlements created on hillside areas of the four city municipalities. Many hillside settlements were created unplanned, often within the scope of registered landslides and unstable terrain. The construction of such settlements was not accompanied by the construction of the necessary infrastructure (road communications, fecal and storm sewers), which poses a danger of starting new and reactivating calmed landslides. Society's commitment to climate change brings into focus the landslides that occur as a product of climate change. Special attention is paid to unplanned urban areas on the slopes, where the risk of landslides is increased due to climate change. According to official information, about 1,000 landslides have been registered in Sarajevo Canton. The data on the number of landslides in the area of the Sarajevo Canton date back deep into the past and as such have been updated on several occasions. The last addition of data was carried out in the phase of amending the Spatial Plan, in 2010, when the Terrain Stability Map of Sarajevo Canton was updated. In Sarajevo Canton, special attention is paid to the rehabilitation of landslides that endanger people and material goods, and to the stabilization of the terrain during the development of construction land, for which considerable financial resources are allocated from different levels of government (Federation, Canton and municipalities). Aggravating circumstance are regulations that only partially treat landslides. Certain regulations are unclear, some of them set strict requirements for emergency landslide rehabilitation, while certain regulations are in conflict. The institutional approach for the purpose of research, registration, rehabilitation and monitoring of landslides is not fully aligned with the current regulations. Jurisdiction is partially prescribed and as such is often unclear. The mandated competences of individual levels of government are not harmonized. Remedial measures were implemented on many landslides in the past period, but without clear indications of the effects of the remediation. As a solution to the problem, a proposal for the adoption of a single regulation on landslides was initiated. This paper cites the example of the Sarajevo Canton, where the activities for the adoption of a law on landslides were initiated, but ended unsuccessfully several times, with recommendations for further activities.

INTERROGATING THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PARADIGM: A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Community participation in governance processes has been viewed as enhancing a democratic culture within concerned communities by making participants part of the problem-solving mechanism. Proponents of community participation espouse divergent views but concur that positive attributes are realised. In South Africa the post-1994 democratic dispensation has created an enabling environment for community participation at different levels of government. This has been necessitated in part to the participatory approach the communities undertook to dislodge the apartheid regime. In South Africa, through appropriate constitutional provisions, communities have been empowered to have a stake in the running of their own affairs through elected councillors and municipal officials. With community participation, people have felt to be part of a solution to problems in their communities and this has helped to eliminate poverty through the engagement of private sector to provide services which cannot be efficiently delivered by government. Lack of interest in municipal affairs has also resulted in non-participation by some communities.

TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AS ESSENTIAL PART OF GOVERNMENT POLICY

The paper discusses the significance of transport systems as a crucial compone nt of public policy in the majority of countries worldwide. Transport policy aims to achieve various objectives, including promoting economic growth, enhancing accessibility, improving safety, reducing environmental impacts, and promoting social equity. A significant aspect is the substantial funding required to construct and maintain transportation infrastructure, includin g roadways, railway tracks, airports, harbors, and publictransportation systems.Special emphasis is placed on international transport corridors such as the Trans-Caspia n International Transportation Route, which complements the Chinese Belt and Road initiative and presents new opportunities for trade between China and European nations. The paper emphasize s the importance of collaboration between different levels of government and internationa l stakeholders to address cross-border transportation challenges and harmonize regulations. The authors also discuss the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the development of regional transportation infrastructure and logistics. They highlight key issues such as outdate d infrastructure, high transportation costs, low efficiency, and the need for increased transit capacity. Additionally, they discuss other international initiatives, such as the Eurasian Economic Union and Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation that aim to improve regional connectivity and facilitate trade.In conclusion, they emphasize the importance of strategic planning and investment in transportation systems to promote sustainable economic growth and enhance transportation links between Central Asian countries and other regions of the world.

До питання відновлення України після війни з Росією

This research article is devoted to the topical issues of restoration and modernization of Ukraine in the post-war period, the study of strategies for the restoration and reconstruction of economic and social structures in the regions of Ukraine that have been devastated by the war with russia. The research is based on the analysis of the experience of other countries that have experienced similar challenges, as well as on the study of successful practices and possible failures in the implementation of recovery measures. The paper emphasizes the importance of cooperation between different levels of government, civic initiatives, and international support to achieve effective and sustainable results. The article aims to make a practical contribution to solving the problems of recovery after a military conflict and to expand the theoretical understanding of the impact of military conflicts on society and the economy. The article is aimed at solving a number of problems related to the restoration of Ukrainian regions after the military conflict with Russia. One of the key problems is the destruction of economic and social structures in these regions, which requires careful analysis and strategic planning for their effective recovery. An important challenge is also the need to identify optimal recovery strategies that take into account the unique requirements of each region and promote rapid and sustainable recovery. It is also a challenge to ensure cooperation between different levels of government, community initiatives and international partnerships to achieve synergies and maximize results. The study should also take into account the importance of rebuilding infrastructure, adapting society to the new conditions, and consider the socio-economic consequences of the conflict and their impact on regional development. This formulation of the problem allows for a deeper understanding of the complex challenges and the search for effective strategies for recovery from military conflict.

Stepwise Imperatives for Improving the Protection of Animals in Research and Education in Canada

In this paper, we review the standard-setting tools of different levels of government in Canada for overseeing the care of animals used in science against a landscape of other international efforts. We find regulatory inconsistencies, argue that the related shortcomings are detrimental to the level of care afforded to animals, and offer suggestions for a centralized and proactive approach that could close the existing gaps. Given the resources, cost, and time it would take to transform the current system into a single cohesive one, the proposed approach is a stepwise one, and begins with the addition of two new Rs—Reflection and Responsiveness—to the existing 3Rs framework: Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction. Reflection emphasizes more continuous and specific attention to progress in the research pathway as it applies to animals than is currently required by institutional review and reporting; Responsiveness speaks to the immediate action that researchers can take responsively to that ongoing evaluation.

Законодательные аспекты развития креативных индустрий в регионах российской Арктики (на примере Мурманской области)

The aim of the work is to study the legislative support for the development of creative industries in the Russian Arctic using the example of the Murmansk Oblast. The following tasks have been solved: the legislative framework of the federal level, providing the development of creative industries in Russia as a whole, has been studied; the regional legislative framework has been studied on the example of the Murmansk Oblast; the measures of support for the development of Arctic creative industries at different levels of government have been analyzed. It was revealed that until 2021 the creative sector of the economy was reflected in legal acts of all levels through the concepts of “small and medium-sized businesses”, “self-employed citizens” and “individual entrepreneurs”. The concept of “creative industries” received legislative recognition with the adoption at the federal level of the “Concept for the development of creative industries and mechanisms for the implementation of their state support in large and major urban agglomerations until 2030” in 2021. The Concept and the Action Plan for its implementation, adopted in 2030, laid the regulatory and legal basis for the development of this sector of the economy, but the legislative framework for the development of creative industries in the Russian Federation has not yet been fully formed. The study showed that in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation the situation with regulatory support for the development of creative industries is similar. Using the example of the Murmansk Oblast, it was revealed that the regional legislative framework for this promising area is currently in the nascent stage, and the first normative-legal acts directly related to the development of the Arctic creative industries began to appear only in 2023. It was concluded that it is necessary to develop a concept for the development of Arctic creative industries in the Russian Arctic in order to ensure uniform approaches, consistency of actions and coordination of measures for the development of this sector of the economy in the Russian Arctic. The need to use the term “creative industries” in various legal acts in order to avoid discrepancies and to ensure the uniformity of legal support for this sector of the economy is substantiated.

From ideal to reality: governance of AMR in a multi-level setting

ABSTRACT This paper asks whether, and if so how, it is possible to design a system characterised by coordination across sectors and levels of governance aimed at governing AMR. The ambition is, firstly, to analyse how coordination problems materialise in the governing of the AMR problem, and secondly, with an emphasis on the structure of decision-making and communication processes, to probe into how coordination of AMR governance is achieved. The paper’s focus is on Norway, which stands out as one of the better performing countries for AMR governance. Drawing on literature on coordination and governance, the paper argues that effective coordination of AMR governance is more likely to follow a ‘bottom-up’ sequencing pattern. It thus provides a study of the systems for governing AMR in a multi-level setting. Through public documents, literature and interviews with key officials involved in AMR management, the paper illustrates the importance of – and organisational barriers to – inter-sectoral cooperation and coordinated strategies and actions at different levels of governance.

Challenges in the Implementation of the City Statute's Instruments for Promoting the Social Function of Property

Objective: This study aims to analyze the challenges in implementing the instruments provided by the City Statute, such as compulsory subdivision, building, or use (PEUC), the progressive Urban Property Tax (IPTUp), and expropriation-sanction, in order to promote sustainable urban development and ensure the social function of property. Theoretical Framework: The work is based on theories about urban policies and the social function of property, discussing the importance of these concepts in the context of sustainable urban growth in Brazil. Method: The research adopts a qualitative approach with a literature review and case study analysis in various Brazilian cities. Secondary data were collected from municipal reports, academic studies, and official documents. Results and Discussion: The findings highlight the lack of Master Plans in many municipalities, the absence of complementary legislation, political and judicial resistance, and insufficient technical training as the main obstacles to the effective application of the Statute’s instruments. The analysis suggests the need for investments in technology, revision of Master Plans, and increased community participation to overcome these barriers. Research Implications: The research emphasizes the importance of coordination among different levels of government to promote the social function of property. It is proposed that future studies investigate the social and economic impacts of these policies and explore the integration of new technologies in urban monitoring. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the debate on sustainable urban development in Brazil by identifying specific challenges in the application of the City Statute’s instruments and proposing strategies for their improvement.

Are municipal politicians ideological moderates?

For more than a century, many practitioners and researchers have argued that municipal politicians are more ideologically moderate – that is, closer to the centre of a unidimensional left-right ideological scale – than their national counterparts. Testing this claim requires direct comparison of politicians who represent similar constituents but who are elected at different levels of government, but comparative data of this sort are rarely available. Here, I use new data from surveys of Canadian municipal, provincial, and federal politicians to rigorously test the “municipal moderation” thesis. Comparing politicians' symbolic ideological self-understandings N≈3,000 and their latent policy ideologies N≈775, I find strong evidence that municipal politicians think of themselves as more ideologically moderate, but are not more moderate in their policy beliefs. Further, I leverage variation in the partisan identities of Canadian municipal politicians to show that differences in ideological moderation across levels of government disappear when we remove municipal non-partisans from the analysis. My results reinforce the view that municipal politicians hold non-ideological cultural norms but are embedded in an ideological electoral and policymaking context. My analysis also illustrates the analytical potential for “vertical” rather than “horizontal” comparative research designs.

Expert assessment of the state and problems of implementation of health technology assessment in Ukraine

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is widely used worldwide as a transparent tool for determining the value of both new and existing medical technologies (MTs), including drugs, medical devices, vaccines, and other interventions. The use of the independent expertise results allows to make reasonable decisions on the feasibility of using the medicinal products (market authorization, inclusion in protocols and relevant regulatory lists), as well as pricing, reimbursement and procurement. HTA affects the access and affordability of MTs, thereby contributing to the efficiency of medical care and the rational use of resources. In our opinion, the limited use of НТА in Ukraine is primarily due to the low level of awareness of the professional community about НТА and its role in providing decision support at various levels of government. An expert survey was conducted to study the current state, problems, and prospects for the development of НТА in Ukraine. There were 77 respondents who were divided into three groups (developers, users, and informed persons) according to the level of involvement in the НТА sphere. According to the survey results, more than half of the respondents consider OMT as a professional expert activity related to the preparation of high-level evidence. The rest of the respondents classify HTA as a field of scientific research that is currently not sufficiently integrated into practical health care and decision-making. The majority of respondents see the main purpose of the HTA as identifying the safest medical technologies with proven efficacy and economic feasibility for inclusion in standards and regulatory lists. Among the main problems of HTA development at the current stage, experts identify the following: lack of a formed professional environment, insufficient awareness of potential stakeholders, unresolved issue of using HTA results, especially at the level of healthcare facilities. At the same time, a comparison of the survey results with the data of previous studies shows an increase in awareness and understanding of the importance of implementing HTA in medical and pharmaceutical practice at different levels of government. To improve the implementation of HTA in the national practice of health care, it is proposed to strengthen the educational and informational component and ensure the publicity of the processes and use of HTA results in decision-making at the state, regional and local levels.

Fiscal Federalism in the Twenty-First Century

Fiscal federalism concerns the division of policy responsibilities among different levels of government. Many current economic and policy developments, such as globalization, environmental crises, and rising inequality, may not appear to be favorable to fiscal federalism, yet countries are further decentralizing their fiscal systems. We summarize the efficiency and equity aspects of fiscal decentralization, fiscal competition, fiscal externalities, and intergovernmental grants. The review introduces readers to theoretical reasons for/against a federalist structure. We discuss how federalism relates to classic problems in economics: externalities, inequality, spillovers, information, and aspects of political economy. Our review integrates both theory and empirics, while also focusing on the variety of federal systems in different countries, both developing and developed. We conclude by discussing how fiscal federalism is being shaped by economic, technological, and environmental changes, while discussing the effects of globalization, polarization, and global crises on the future of federal systems.

Regional public infrastructures and development in decentralized Indonesia

ABSTRACT Empirical evidence on how investment in public capital by different levels of government plays a role in influencing socioeconomic development within the context of decentralized developing countries has been relatively limited. Using a case study of Indonesia, this paper aims to analyse the relationships between regional public infrastructures developed by different levels of government using different sources of budget and regional socioeconomic development. To achieve this goal, this paper utilizes a longitudinal data at district/city level, covering over 513 districts and cities in the country, for the period of 2010–2017. Our results show that, compared to those developed by district/city governments, infrastructures developed by provincial governments using their infrastructure budgets or utilizing national government infrastructure budgets deconcentrated to them have been more effective in inducing regional socioeconomic development in their regions. This paper recommends that the Indonesian government enhance the roles of provincial governments in developing regional infrastructure and provide strong incentives to support districts and cities in planning and implementing infrastructure projects.

Village Waste Management Strategy as an Economic Asset: Accounting Evaluation and Implementation of Sustainable Practices in Bongkasa Village, Abiansemal District, Badung Regency

As a principle, governance is a system of rules, processes and behaviors that influence how power is exercised at different levels of government, especially in relation to openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence. Good governance contributes to various development goals due to internal changes in the way power is managed from conventional control and command by the state to new ways that are more networked and balanced with various stakeholders. Based on this statement, every organization needs to implement good governance and it is possible at the village government level. The importance of implementing village governance that leads to a good village governance system will also lead to efforts to improve and enhance the government management process so that performance will be better. To encourage the realization of good village governance, it is important to build good governance that is transformed into good village governance. This view leads to the argument that certain villages, which have not yet formed good village governance, will experience disorientation in the implementation of government, if the maturity of human resources and institutional institutions is not prepared. Corruption and abuse of authority are major issues in village governance. Therefore, the village government must be able to apply the principle of accountability in village financial management, where all village government activities must be accountable to the village community.