Government Functions Research Articles

The European Climate Law: Strengthening EU Procedural Climate Governance?

Abstract In 2021, the European Union (EU) adopted the so-called European Climate Law (ECL), enshrining in law the 2050 climate-neutrality objective and upgraded 2030 emission reduction target. The ECL bears the hallmarks of what we term ‘procedural climate governance’, which comprises the regulatory frameworks, instruments, institutions and processes that shape substantive climate policies and their implementation. This article identifies seven key functions of procedural climate governance—target-setting; planning; monitoring and evaluation; climate policy integration; scientific expert advice; access to justice; and public participation—and uses these for critically assessing the ECL. We argue that while the ECL has significantly strengthened important aspects of EU procedural climate governance, further reforms are needed for the EU to develop and implement the substantive policies towards a climate-neutral and climate-resilient economy and society and to bolster public support and ownership of the transition. The upcoming reviews of the ECL and the Governance Regulation provide a critical opportunity for strengthening procedural climate governance in the EU.

Violations of Sovereignty in “Cyberspace” Under the United Nations Charter

Affirming that violating State sovereignty through and against “cyber” infrastructure could be covered by the scope of Art. 2(4) and (7) of the United Nations Charter is one of the most pressing challenges that faces international law today. This article aims to address this issue by expanding on a general taxonomy outlined in the Tallinn Manual 2.0 on violations of sovereignty in “cyberspace”. These violations are categorised as conducts leading to either “infringement upon the target State’s territorial integrity” or “interference or usurpation of inherently governmental functions”. In order to map the taxonomy of the Tallinn Manual 2.0 onto Art. 2(4) and (7), it is necessary to highlight the convergence between territorial sovereignty and “cyberspace” that allows for extending the scope of application of Art. 2. Through recognising data as “assets” that can be subject to a functional sovereignty, that in turn could be subject to unlawful use of force in violation of the general ban codified in Art. 2(4) as an “infringement upon the target State’s territorial integrity”. Extending the scope of Art. 2(7) is contingent upon defining the concept of intervention as a conduct aiming to unlawfully assume an exclusive competence of a State by another State. Under this concept, intervention in “cyberspace” could be envisaged as attempts to gain control over the functionality of certain “cyberspace” infrastructure that is instrumental for the manifestation of State exclusive competences. A process that demands taking control of that entity to an extent impinging the regular functioning of the targeted entity beyond the mere manipulation of data. Under the proposed definition of intervention such conduct of “interference or usurpation of inherently governmental functions” can constitute a violation to the principle of non-intervention as codified by Art. 2(7).

Factors Influencing Recentralization of Local Government Functions in Uganda

The decentralisation system of governance is perceived as one of the recent public sector reforms to improve service delivery in Uganda. It is the transfer of authority from Central to Local Governments to execute their duties to improve service delivery. Various developing countries have praised Uganda’s decentralisation policy regarding the magnitude of the transfer of authority to the local level. However, since 2003, the Central Government started reversing the policy in terms of : recentralization of the appointment of Chief Administrative Officers and Municipal Town Clerks and of recent City Town Clerks (for new cities in Uganda) from the District Service Commissions (DSCs) to the Public Service Commission, recentralization of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) under the management of the Executive Director, Procurement of drugs from the district health office to the National Medical Stores (NMS), recentralization of the payroll and the recent recentralization of local revenue collection from LGs. This paper focuses on the factors influencing the recentralization of Local Government powers in Uganda. This is presumed to be evidence of the demise of decentralisation policy. From the reviewed articles, these factors include: accountability challenges, human resource management crisis, political interference by local authorities and lack of financial discipline among local authorities and fear of local autonomy. The paper concluded that recentralisation of Local Government functions reduced undue influence of local politicians though it accorded excessive powers to executive officers in Local Governments; human resource crisis was mainly caused by poor man power planning. Recentralisation of local revenue caused financial constraints at the local level and recentralisation of KCCA led to the weakening of the opposition but led to increases resources to develop the capital city. The paper recommended that the Parliament should harmonise with the central government on the issue of returning Local revenue collection and management at the local level; give reasonable powers to the local Governments to control top technical leadership; increase funding to Central Government staff to monitor Local Government programs and build the capacity of local leaders to improve service delivery

Green resilience: Securing life through vegetal being

This paper critically examines the concept of “green resilience” – the mobilization of gardens and urban green spaces for enhancing the resilience of communities and cities in the face of increasing uncertainty and risk. Drawing inspiration from seminal work in human-plant geographies, it explores the governmental functions and political implications of green resilience, arguing that these spaces serve as key forms of state rule and biopolitical power.The study employs the notion of green resilience as a “composition,” emphasizing the assembling of diverse human and nonhuman actors in resilience projects. The developed compositional ontology highlights the importance of aesthetic and visual practices in green resilience projects and reveals how these are continuously decomposed and recomposed by the involved actors.The paper develops its arguments through a “paradigmatic case study” of various green resilience projects in New York City – including survivor trees, memorial groves, and community gardens. The study illuminates the multiplicity of green resilience initiatives and the underlying governmental logic by comparing these projects. Through its analysis, the paper contributes to the literature on resilience as an emerging governance paradigm. It reveals how green resilience projects embody a multiplicity of practices, uncovers the first comprehensive comparative analysis of various forms of green resilience, and offers a critique of resilience from within. The study concludes by identifying three tensions or contradictions of (green) resilience as a form of biopolitical government: visibility and invisibility, knowledge and ignorance, and control and emergence.

Influence of Administration of Incentive Programs on Employees’ Job Performance at Kenya Seed Company, Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya

With the devolution of government services, the realignment of staff and resources will follow the meeting of the objectives of the devolution process. It should be noted that human resources play a critical role in the functioning of both national and county governments. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the administration of incentive programs on employees' job performance at Kenya Seed Company, Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. This study was guided by Hertzberg's Two-factor Theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design with a target population of 7,300 public service employees. A stratified random sampling technique was utilized with a sample size of 325 respondents determined using Krejcie & Morgan table. The study used structured questionnaires and interview guides as the main data collection tools. The supervisors validated the instruments. The reliability of the instrument was determined through a pilot study. Thereafter, Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.79 was obtained from the instrument. This indicated that the instrument was reliable. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in tables, while qualitative data were analyzed according to the themes based on research questions and the objectives and thereafter, inferences and conclusions were drawn. The study concluded that the administration of incentive programs such as recognition as a non-monetary reward, training and development strategies, job engagements, and job enrichment influence employees' job performance at Kenya Seed Company. It was recommended that the policymakers and community should consider the administration of incentive programs such as recognition as a non-monetary reward, training and development strategies, job engagements and job enrichment when working towards improving employees’ job performance at Kenya Seed Company, Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya.

Public private partnerships in peatland management: A design for sustainable practices

This research endeavors to craft a pioneering peatland management model rooted in the principles of public-private partnership within Riau Province. Employing a descriptive qualitative research method, we conducted data collection through a multifaceted approach, encompassing interviews, comprehensive literature analysis, and secondary data sources. Our data analysis methodology employed an interactive model inspired by the dynamics of collaborative governance, as proposed by Emerson and Nabatchi. The outcomes of this study underscore a recurrent stumbling block in Riau’s peatland management: the paucity of active and robust collaboration between the government and the private sector. While the government functions within its defined boundaries, the private sector often devises programs that align with the interests of specific interest groups. This frequently results in program overlap, partial initiatives, and incidental strategies. Furthermore, the prevailing disconnect between government and private sector entities raises concerns about the future implementation of sustainable practices in peatland management.

科技创新背景下中小企业发展中的政府职能研究——以“专精特新”政策为例

科技创新背景下中小企业发展中的政府职能研究——以“专精特新”政策为例

An Analysis of Revenue Management Efficiency at Lusaka City Council in Zambia

Efficient revenue management is universally recognized as a fundamental pillar for the functioning of any local governments across the globe. This study empirically investigates the efficiency of revenue management at Lusaka City Council, The methodology used was a mixed research and primary data was collected through individual questionnaires and in-depth interviews with Lusaka City Council employees. Employing the Survey Monk formula, the sample size comprised 70 council workers selected through purposive and simple random sampling methods. The study revealed that bank deposits were identified as the most effective revenue collection practice at LCC, Further the study highlighted Fraud, Administrative inefficiencies and limited enforcement as challenges faced by Lusaka City Council. Interviewees expressed belief in the appropriateness of existing revenue collection strategies; however, the study found the overall extent of these strategies to be poor. The study recommends a harmonization or review of the legal framework supporting revenue collection to enable Lusaka City Council realize its full potential.

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ИНСТРУМЕНТОВ МАРКЕТИНГА В ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОМ ОРГАНЕ ИСПОЛНИТЕЛЬНОЙ ВЛАСТИ: КЛИЕНТОЦЕНТРИЧНЫЙ ПОДХОД

The article discusses various elements of marketing and marketing communications in the process of implementing a client-centered approach in the provision of public services and the implementation of public functions in the federal government.

ЭВОЛЮЦИЯ ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЙ О СУЩНОСТИ МЕСТНОГО САМОУПРАВЛЕНИЯ В ОБЩЕСТВЕННО-ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОМ ДИСКУРСЕ

The article analyzes the socio-political discourse of local self-government in the post-Soviet period of Russia’s development. The aim was to study the transformation of ideas about the functions of local government in the socio-political discourse of 2014-2023. The research method was quantitative and qualitative content analysis of texts. As it turned out, in the associative series with the concept of “local self-government”, word forms associated with the meanings of local democracy, civil society, democracy, and political participation of citizens were least used. To a much greater extent, the concept of local self-government turned out to be associated with concepts describing it as local public administration related to the performance of the function of providing services to the population, solving socio-economic problems. As a result of the study, the hypothesis was confirmed that the idea of transforming local self-government is the lowest link in the system of public power has support in political discourse. In the public consciousness, the function of this institution as a “school of democracy” was almost completely replaced by the idea of it as a “grassroots” management unit, engaged mainly in providing services to the population and solving socio-economic problems. Such a painless rejection of the democratic component in a broader context confirms the hypothesis that the formation of local self-government in the first half of the 1990s was not democratic, but politically situational in nature, associated with the interests of a relatively small number of actors, the lack of formation of local communities in the post-Soviet period, and the weakness of the “middle class”, therefore unable to become social the base of local government. This gave rise to the objective inevitability of the subsequent evolution of the institute of local self-government into the “lower floor” of the regional public administration system, bringing the “superstructure” institute of political management in line with its basic basis.

THE EMPEROR AND THE HISTORIAN: AN ANALYSIS OF ELA-GABALUS’ IMAGE CONSIDERING CASSIUS DIO’S TRAJECTORY AND POINT OF VIEW

In the work Roman History (Ῥωμαϊκὴ Ἱστορία), the historian and senator Cassius Dio constructs a highly negative image of the emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (218-222), traditionally known as Elagabalus. This image of Elagabalus reverberated in modern uncritical historiographical studies and was passed down through a long tradition in a resignified form, arriving as a feminine and anarchic image of Elagabalus in artistic works. Knowing the importance that Cassius Dio's work seems to have had in the construction of the image of Elagabalus that will reach our contemporary times, it draws our attention to think about the relationship that Dio had with Elagabalus. In view of this, the objective of this text is to construct, as far as possible, the political trajectory of Cassius Dio, his cursus honorum, as well as to analyze some characters that he mentions in his work taking a prominent role in certain functions of Elagabalus' government. Having done this, we will seek to question possible relationships between Cassius Dio's career, his view on the rise of certain agents alongside Elagabalus and his highly negative construction of this emperor's political image.

DIGITALNI PROCESI U JEDINICAMA LOKALNE SAMOUPRAVE

Croatia underwent a transition process in the early 1990s, transforming the structure and functioning of local government from 101 municipalities and 11 community municipalities to municipalities and cities as units of local government, and counties as units of regional governance. In addition to its status as the capital city, Zagreb also acquired the status of a county. A decade later, large cities were standardized within the local government system. The number of counties has remained unchanged since their establishment, while the number of cities has significantly increased, with a slightly smaller increase in the number of municipalities. Organizing local self-government aims to satisfy public interests of citizens and business organizations in a certain area by providing services. Along with the increase in the number of local government units, the number of employees has also increased, however, in over 50% of municipalities, citizens are unable to consume any public services. Managing human resources is inconsistent with the fact that administration in service processes is improved by implementing digital tools and affects the reduction of direct executors in individual service processes. The continuous increase in the number of employees has prompted us to research the effectiveness of informatization and digitalization in the daily work of local self-government units. A survey questionnaire was sent to all municipalities and cities, and slightly less than 20% of the surveys sent were returned. The collected data was processed using the „JASP“ program, and descriptive methods were used to describe the findings.

THE PERVERSE EFFECTS OF SHARED MANAGEMENT OF A CROSS-BORDER CONSERVATION AREA

Cross-border cooperation is gaining momentum across Africa, giving rise to a new type of natural resource management: shared management. The importance of this type of cooperation lies in the pooling of conservation efforts. The idea of this article is to contribute to this debate by analysing the functioning of transboundary governance in the field of natural resources within a transboundary conservation area (CTA) by providing an overview of the challenges caused by the institutionalisation of transboundary cooperation in the transboundary space. It is a question of taking into account the pernicious consequences of the cross-border project on symbolic representations, but also at the level of the cross-border institutional frameworks put in place. To provide an overview of these perverse effects and their nature, the methodology used is based on the analysis of perceptions and the study of the actors' interactions. The issue of shared management in a transboundary context is addressed through seven comparative case studies: W Park, Mount Nimba, Ziama-Wonogizi-Wologizi, Outamba Kilili Pensely Soya, Télé-Lac Tumba, Tri National de la Sangha and Virunga.

French Chambers of Commerce and Industry as Participants in Local Collaborative Governance and Collaborative Management

Local governance continues to be one of the key concepts in the contemporary approach to the functioning of local government, administration, and public management. The most crucial premise of this concept is the interactive way of exercising power, where various actors identify and implement joint projects, including residents, community organizations, and public and private institutions. Despite significant interest in this concept, it needs further analysis and refinement. In academia, the lack of conceptual clarity makes it difficult to analyze and identify the differences in collaborative governance and management processes. In practice, the concept’s full potential is not recognized, which hinders its application in local decision-making. An attempt has been made to fill this research gap by analyzing the role of French chambers of commerce and industry as participants in local collaborative governance and collaborative management. Chambers of commerce and industry have a long tradition and are a permanent element of the French political system. Their current status is the outcome of a long historical process and institutional development closely linked to France’s significant political and economic changes. Through literature and data analysis, as well as the study of documents, selected aspects of the activity of chambers of commerce and industry in local collaborative governance and collaborative management are presented, as well as identifying the challenges faced by these institutions in the process of collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders.

The Spanish Model of State Decentralization – Principles of Functioning of Self-local Government

The article examines the specificities of local self-government in Spain. The Constitution of Spain established a system of division of powers between the state and autonomous communities and specifies the content of two types of autonomy: territorial and local, each of which has a different legal nature. In Spain, an optimal balance between centralization and decentralization has been achieved, which depends on the order in which competences are distributed between the central government, the regions and the local government bodies, the scope of its competences and the principles of cooperation with the state and regional authorities.

MODELLING THE EFFECT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRACTICES ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: THE ENERGY SECTOR OF GHANA.

The growth and success of businesses, particularly public institutions such as Ghana's state-owned energy sector firms, necessitate the adherence to appropriate corporate governance practices and functions. This study aimed to examine the nature of the relationship between corporate governance practices and how these affect the organizational performance of Ghana’s energy sector. To achieve this objective, the study employed a survey design where 165 employees from the energy sector were randomly sampled using a systematic sampling method and interviewed using a structured questionnaire through a quantitative study. The results of the study after correlational and regression analysis show that among the corporate governance practices that involve the board of directors, CEO and management, audit committee, and code of conduct, they can be used to predict organizational performance The Code of Conduct adherence had a highest positive impact on organizational performance, followed by the Board of directors and the Audit committee. The CEO's and manager's practices had no significant impact on performance. The study recommends that in attempting to improve performance of the organization much emphasis must be focused on the strict adherence to the Code of Conduct. Because when code of conduct is strictly enforced, and the board of directors are committed to it, this will lead to improved overall organizational performance.

THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SYSTEM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON PUBLIC BUDGETS

Public procurement is a crucial function of governments, accounting for a significant part of their expenditure. As such, ensuring the efficiency, sustainability, and integrity of public procurement processes is key to optimizing the use of public funds. This literature review examines existing research on public procurement, focusing on its impact on budgets, efficiency, and sustainability. The review highlights the importance of legislation and public policy in shaping procurement practices and identifies corruption as a significant challenge to achieving efficiency, sustainability, and budgetary impact. The examination also highlights various elements that can enhance the effectiveness of public procurement procedures, such as electronic procurement systems, involvement of stakeholders, and the incorporation of sustainability criteria. Overall, this literature review provides insight into the complexity of public procurement and makes recommendations for improving its efficiency, sustainability, and budgetary impact. The findings suggest that strengthening legislation, promoting transparency, and incorporating sustainability criteria into public procurement processes are essential to optimize the use of public funds and to ensure that public procurement is a tool for sustainable development.

Governance in times of war: Public procurement in Ukraine.

Wars increase the importance of government functions, yet they also constrain their ability to fulfill these functions. In particular, wars hinder economic activity, thereby limiting governments' capacity to raise the revenues required to maintain stability and meet the heightened needs of citizens. Effective governance is therefore severely undermined in times of war. However, empirical research on how wars affect government procurement is limited. We address this gap by exploring procurement dynamics using over one million public purchases of goods and services in Ukraine between January 2021 and October 2022, corresponding to the Russian invasion of the country. We document a large fall in the total number of purchases since the invasion and an increase in the share of successfully completed procurements. This higher success rate comes at the cost of efficiency, with the government paying more to source their goods. This can be attributed to the decline in the share of government purchases via online auctions and the reduced competition. Thus, the prioritization of the quick acquisition of goods and services forced governments to sacrifice cost-effectiveness. In summary, the war did not lower the successful purchasing of private goods and services, and transparency was not decreased. However, the trade-off of speed and transparency for greater costs may become increasingly problematic with the growing budget constraints resulting from the war. This article contributes to our understanding of the Ukrainian government choices during the early phase of the war. The results also highlight the importance of ensuring procurement efficiency and transparency when the war ends as reconstruction efforts will require substantial increases in government procurements.

The Military Component and its Role in the History of the Japanese State and Society: The Specifics of the Japanese Military System in the 7th–9th Centuries

The purpose of this article is to analyze the role of the military component underlying the functioning of the Japanese state in the 7th–9th centuries. It was during this period that military houses appeared in Japan, and military service began to be perceived as one of the most important government functions. The recruitment of the armed forces was based on universal conscription. As part of the most important government codes, the Military Defense Law for the first time in Japan laid the foundation for the formation of the institution of universal conscription. In this regard, it is extremely interesting to trace how much the Japanese recruitment system coincided and whether it coincided at all with the Chinese one. Created at the turn of the 7th–8th centuries the army recruitment system was a complex phenomenon, which was undoubtedly a progressive step towards the formation and development of the Japanese state. However, despite all the progressiveness of this system, which was borrowed by the Japanese from China, in the conditions of Japanese reality (exorbitant burden for peasants and the absence of enemies) it turned out to be unnecessary and by the 9th century it was replaced by “private” formations. However, the fact that this system, with minimal changes, was taken as the basis of the Japanese Imperial Army in the second half of the 19th century and existed until 1945, speaks of its advanced character and enormous historical significance.

Among Independence, Sovereignty and Autonomy: The Dutch Caribbean

This paper critiques the structure and functionality of the 21st century nation-state through analysis of emancipatory decisions in the former Dutch Caribbean colonies of Aruba, Curaçao, and Suriname.Suriname, the most culturally Dutch of the Caribbean territories, was the first of the former colonies to secede from the Netherlands. Although Suriname achieved independence in 1975, the economy remained heavily reliant on the policies of the United States. As such, the Surinamese government prioritized the interests of NATO and struggled to reconfigure its preexisting relationship with the suzerain. This dynamic strained Surinamese relation with Latin American nations more actively resisting US imperialism and isolated Suriname politically.Aruba became a constituent country in 1986; however, this shift was not contemporaneously reflected in Curaçao. Curaçao had headed the former Colony of Curaçao and Dependencies, and independence would have weakened its influence on the other islands whose governing structure would have remained unchanged. While Aruba had the opportunity to claim equal status with Curaçao, it instead pursued emancipation. Demographically Mestizo unlike neighboring islands, Aruba was eager to distinguish itself from Curaçao, where advocacy for decolonization arose with support from regional Black Power movements. Aruba and Curaçao had a long history of human exchange with Latin American continent from the pre-Columbian period. The inhabitants, especially those of African descent excluded from citizenship on the basis of race, moved to Spanish colonies where citizenship was granted upon conversion to Roman Catholicism. The people could use religion to obtain citizenship. They had no loyalty to the European empire nor a sense of belonging to any European kingdom. What they wanted was citizenship and human rights.Around the time Suriname declared independence, European governments began to promote neo-liberal policies that advanced smaller or limited government function. The former Dutch empire was itself abandoning its role as sovereign of a nation-state. Aruba, which had witnessed Suriname’s predicament post-independence and where sense of belonging within the nation-state was historically weak, finally elected to retain within the Dutch Kingdom. To become an independent nation would have entailed severing preexisting ties with Europe and rendered the territory more vulnerable, since globalization often facilitates interference from supranational institutions and military alliances such as the EU and NATO. The trajectory of Aruba prompts questions regarding the true definition and function of the 21st century nation-state.Today, even independent nations comply with international regulations and belong to multinational free trade spheres and military alliances. Due to Dutch disinterest, Aruba and Curaçao enjoyed a greater degree of autonomy. Thus, dependent territories such as Aruba that are capable of maintaining intercontinental and supranational affiliations do not immediately necessitate full independence