Government Functions Research Articles

The social gradient of trust in government: An empirical analysis based on the 2019 wave of the Chinese Social Survey

Recent research on trust in the Chinese government has increasingly focused on whether it can be seen as the civic foundation of political stability. Differing from previous studies discussing the authenticity of the high mean level of trust in China, this paper responds to this discussion by examining how trust in the government varies across different social classes. By analyzing data from the Chinese Social Survey, our research revealed a gradient in trust towards both central and local governments across social classes, with notably lower trust observed in the lower classes. The social gradient was more pronounced in trust towards local governments compared to the central government. Furthermore, we found that the implementation of equity-oriented policies was effective in bridging the gap in trust between classes. These findings not only indicate that highly stratified trust may lead to potential risk to political stability, but also provide valuable insights into government behavior and its consequences, which are essential for guiding the transformation of governmental functions in the future.

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.

The physical and virtual presence of the local state and citizens’ life satisfaction in urbanising China

China’s rapid and ongoing urbanisation has led to the expansion of the local state. The state, traditionally exhibited as physical institutions of government, has emerged virtually in recent years based on intricate network infrastructure systems, such as social media platforms. Scholars contend that a strong physical state infrastructure enhances government function and can increase citizens’ life satisfaction; in contrast, the state’s virtual presence is unlikely to exert a substantial independent impact because of its reliance on the state’s physical infrastructure. In this research, we calibrated innovative measures of the state’s physical and virtual presence. Combined with data from the 2018 Urbanisation and Quality of Life Survey conducted in 40 sampling sites undergoing rural–urban transition, we further assessed how the local state’s physical and virtual presence is associated with citizens’ self-reported life satisfaction in the context of China’s national new-type urbanisation. Our results, based on three-level mixed-effects regressions, indicate that the local state’s bricks-and-mortar institutions do not correlate with citizens’ life satisfaction; rather, the establishment of a web-based, cost-effective, transparent, and coordinated virtual presence is associated with a higher level of life satisfaction among citizens. At a time when the Chinese central government emphasises its commitment to ‘people-centred’ urbanisation, the findings offer insight into the strategies that local governments could employ to improve governance quality and enhance citizens’ well-being.

A Girlfriend Gaze on Romantic Feelings: Coconstructing Postfeminist Selfhood on Douban

This article discusses how postfeminism plays into the exchange of romantic relationship advice between young women on the Chinese social media platform Douban. Employing Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis, we elucidate how the process of giving and receiving romantic relationship advice facilitates the construction of a normative, postfeminist selfhood specific to China’s post-socialist transition. Under postfeminist aspirations for independence, self-empowerment, and personal success, this selfhood is constructed in social-mediated communication to offer an instrumentalist assessment of romantic relationships. In doing so, young Chinese women repudiate each other’s lovesickness, pathologizing romantic desires to achieve a false sense of emotional stability and mental strength. This gives rise to a girlfriend gaze on women’s emotional changes, establishing a self-/peer surveillance mechanism that regulates how members of the Douban community engage each other on the platform. While masked with a veneer of female empowerment and sisterly help, this mode of self-/peer surveillance not only perpetuates the stereotypical association of women with emotionality and irrationality but also marginalizes public discussions on structural gender inequalities, undermining collective efforts to challenge the patriarchal status quo. The research findings shed light on the functioning of neoliberal governance in contemporary China in the context of social-mediated communication.

Smart ignorance: Instrumentalising useful unknowns to bureaucratise and rescale power in the city

Critical geography inextricably associates smart cities with modalities of entrepreneurial governance, the privatisation of government assets and functions, and an effectively diminished role of the state in urban governance. In this article, I argue that this is an incomplete examination of ‘actually existing smart cities’ as it overlooks the bureaucratisation of city government through rescaling, which occurs via the instrumentalisation of ambiguity and ignorance. Furthermore, the existing literature focuses on the rescaling of power in ‘spaces of exception’ or enclave developments, but does not adequately address what happens when these corporate parastatal entities land in ‘actually existing’ cities where urban spatialities and political geographies are alreacy established and do not need to be formulated afresh. I draw on rich qualitative research in one case study of an ‘actually existing’ smart city – Pune in western India – to explore how the implementation of a smart cities programme results in a bureaucratisation of city government through existing useful unknowns, and generates further ambiguity around issues of authority and power in city government. This article offers a significant conceptual contribution to the understudied political geographies of city government by moving beyond the examination of zones of exception and investigating the dynamics of integrating privatised governance mechanisms into a historical ‘actually existing smart city’ with a formalised city government dating back to the late 19th century.

State civil apparatus performance model: The role of transformational leadership, work autonomy, and work involvement

The performance of local government employees plays an important role in carrying out government functions and providing quality public services. This study aims to analyze the relationship between Transformational Leadership and Job Performance, focusing on the mediating role of Work Engagement and moderating Job Autonomy in the context of employees of the Sumenep Regency Government. Although the Sumenep Regency Government achieved an Unqualified Opinion (WTP) on the financial report, challenges in the form of ethical violations and low productivity remain. The research method used a questionnaire to collect data from 81 employees with the Slovin sampling technique, ensuring the representativeness of the results. The results of the analysis showed that Job Autonomy had a significant effect on Job Performance (O = 0.555; T = 5.551; p = 0.000), while Transformational Leadership did not contribute directly to Job Performance (O = 0.038; T = 0.468; p = 0.320). This study is expected to provide new insights into the mechanisms that affect employee performance in the public sector and suggest the application of the transformational leadership model as a strategy to increase employee work engagement and performance, as well as increase accountability and transparency in the management of public resources.

Implementation as the acid test: International lessons from Universal Health Coverage reforms around the world

Abstract Introduction Health systems around the world are moving towards Universal Health Coverage, which is included in the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the journey towards UHC began decades ago, with countries in Europe introducing national health services following World War II. This was mirrored in Canada and, more recently, countries in Latin America introduced health reforms as part of broader social movements. Since the millennium, reforms have also taken place in Low and Middle Income Countries as well as High Incomes Countries. However, because the introduction of UHC often necessitates far-reaching reforms, countries face significant challenges along the path of policy implementation. Methods A realist review explored international experiences of introducing and implementing UHC. Embase, Medline and Web of Science were searched. Descriptive, inductive and deductive realist analysis aided the development of Context, Mechanism, Outcome Configurations, alongside stakeholder engagement. Findings How countries go about establishing UHC depends on their social, political, cultural and economic contexts. For reforms to be facilitated, there must be cohesion and commitment across all systems, as well as the functions of financing, governance and service delivery. This includes political support, often underpinned by legislation framing healthcare as a human right, as well as communication between stakeholders and the development of a strong primary care sector. Conversely, fragmentation across these systems and functions pose significant barriers to reform. Conclusions Examining international experiences of UHC reforms supports learning around the factors that facilitate or challenge implementation. These learnings empower policy makers and health system leaders by providing roadmaps for reform implementation. Finally, this research provides insights into health inequities that are rebalanced through the implementation of UHC reforms.

Survey instructions bias perceptions of environmental health risks

A basic function of government is to manage environmental risks. This requires measurement of how the public perceive different risks, but it is hard to measure risk perceptions in a neutral, unbiased way. In a pre-registered experiment with a nationally representative sample (N = 800), we tested the effects of survey instructions on perceived risk from common environmental health hazards. Participants were randomised to read instructions that made salient a relatively unfamiliar hazard (electromagnetic fields; EMFs), a familiar hazard (carbon monoxide) or no hazard (i.e. that the study was about environmental health risks in general) before rating the perceived risks of a series of hazards. Results revealed an asymmetric salience effect. Instructions that highlighted EMFs elicited higher perceived risk from EMFs, while perceptions of other hazards were unaffected. Instructions that made carbon monoxide salient did not affect perceptions of carbon monoxide, but diminished perceived risk from other hazards. Effects were observed using standard rating scales and via a novel policy budget allocation task. In exploratory analyses, we further tested the relationship between perceived risk as elicited by rating scales and revealed risk perceptions. How often respondents report thinking about a hazard day-to-day best predicted choices in a hypothetical budget task and self-reported mitigative behaviour, when controlling for other dimensions of perceived risk, such as perceived severity of the consequences of exposure. The results have implications for designing surveys to measure perceived risk of environmental health hazards.

The procedure for selecting declarations for NACP’s full audit: novelties and challenges

Every year, from 600 to 900 thousand declarations are submitted to the Unified State Register of Declarations of Persons Authorized to Perform State or Local Governance Functions. Meanwhile, only 27 employees of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) are responsible for conduction the full audit of these declarations. In such circumstances, the question of methodology under which the NACP selects declarations for full audit comes to the fore. Prior to the full-scale invasion on Ukrainian territory, national legislation had several provisions that defined the procedure for selecting declarations for full audit. The selection system in place at the time resulted in most full audits being conducted only on a very limited number of top officials. During martial law, in September 2023 - June 2024 the system of selecting declarations for full audit was significantly changed. Inter alia, the NACP adopted three new Procedures to regulate these issues. According to the updated regulations, all submitted declarations undergo a computerized risk assessment, after which declarations with the lowest risk are sent for automated audit, and the declarations with the highest risk are selected for full audit according to four levels of priority. While the new system of selection is certainly a significant step forward, it is not without drawbacks. Firstly, it involves unreasonable concealment of the rules of logical and arithmetic control (LAC) from the public, i.e. the criteria by which the NACP calculates the risk rating of each submitted declaration. Secondly, the institution of automated audit introduced in November 2023 is currently of low practical value and in some cases may even hinder the effective selection of declarations for full audit. To address these shortcomings, the NACP is recommended to make the LAC rules publicly available and provide an opportunity for their public discussion, as well as to abandon the mechanism of automated audit in the form in which it currently exists.

ANALISIS PENGARUH BELANJA PEMERINTAH, IPM, DAN INVESTASI DALAM NEGERI TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI PROVINSI PAPUA

Economic growth is a benchmark for analysis of a region's development. So it is necessary to pay attention to the determinants of economic growth. Papua is a case study in this analysis because the level of economic growth is in the high category, in addition to the human development index remaining low in the last ten years. This research aims to analyze the influence of government spending according to function, human development index and investment on economic growth in Papua Province in 2011-2019. The type of data used is panel data from 29 districts/cities for eight years using the panel data regression analysis method. The results of this research show that government spending has different results for each type of government function spending. It was found that education spending and economic spending had no influence on economic growth, but the opposite was true for health spending. Apart from that, the human development and investment index explained through PMTB also has an influence on economic growth. These findings could have implications for the government in deciding policies for allocating government spending, especially for education and economic spending functions, which are still not efficient in stimulating economic growth in the Papua region.

Семья как субъект правореализации на современном этапе развития российского законодательства

Today family as a collective subject of law enforcement performs a number of important for government functions: upbringing, educational, reproductive. Creation of conditions for full realization families` rights and opportunities becomes the State`s task. The article considers the problem of family recognition as an independent subject of law enforcement, reviews forms of rights realization by the family and its members, characterizes the main measures of state support, its influence on the level of legal protection and family well-being.

Транспарентность и политические риски: вызовы и перспективы для российской государственной системы

The article analyzes the problems of political risks and transparency of state power, paying special attention to domestic and foreign research in this area. The author points out the insufficient systematization and understanding of political risks in Russian science. Special attention is paid to the concept of transpar-ency as a key principle of the functioning of modern government. The article examines examples of legal regulation of transparency in countries such as Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The author emphasizes the importance of creating a balanced system where transparency must be combined with the need to protect national security. In addition, the article discusses the problem of "double standards" in international politics, considered as an instrument of information warfare and a means of manipulating public consciousness.

Confucianism And Stock Price Synchronization

This paper empirically examines the effect of Confucian culture on stock price synchronization by selecting data from listed companies from 2008-2021. The results show that Confucian culture can significantly reduce the level of stock price synchronization and does so mainly by suppressing managers' self-interested motives and improving the quality of corporate information. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effect of Confucian culture on stock price synchronization is more pronounced in firms that have not been exposed to foreign cultural shocks and have less analyst attention. The findings provide empirical evidence to support the governance function of Confucian culture and have important practical implications for improving capital market pricing efficiency.

Does greater filial piety bring more gender income advantages? Exploring the influence of traditional Chinese filial piety on the gender wage gap

PurposeBased on traditional Chinese filial piety, this article examines the impacts and mechanisms of the two-dimensional filial piety concept “Qinqin – Zunzun” on gender wages in China via China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted in 2014 and 2018.Design/methodology/approachThis article construct regression models to examine the relationship between filial piety concepts and wages. Also, it uses unconditional quantile regression and decomposition to explore the impact of filial piety concepts on the wage gap.FindingsIt is found that: (1) The effects of two-dimensional filial piety are heterogeneous in terms of gender. Specifically, authoritarian filial piety significantly suppresses individual wages and has a stronger suppressive effect on women’s wages, whereas affinity filial piety significantly enhances individual wages without gender heterogeneity; (2) Parents' time support in the intergenerational exchange model is a crucial mechanism by which filial piety affects wages, exhibiting significant gender heterogeneity; (3) Regarding wage distribution, authoritarian filial piety mainly widens the gender income gap in the low and middle income-groups, while affinity filial piety narrows the gender wage gap by “raising the floor”, with its converging effect being most significant in the middle and high-income groups. This article deepens the understanding of the gender wage gap and intergenerational income mobility, providing policy references for better utilizing the social governance function of culture.Originality/valueThe article deepens the understanding and mechanisms of the gender wage gap and inter-generational income mobility, providing policy reference for better utilizing the social governance function of culture.

Research on the System of First Violation without Penalty

With the continuous deepening of the construction of a digital rule of law government and the implementation of the principle of inclusive and prudent supervision in multiple fields represented by the business sector, the latest revised Administrative Penalty Law of the People's Republic of China in 2021 has for the first time stipulated the first violation without penalty system in Article 33. The "first violation without penalty " system draws on the "minor violation without punishment" system and conforms to the trend of government function transformation, which is a novel measure in the field of administrative law enforcement. In this article, the author will analyze the system from two levels. At the theoretical level, the connotation of the system will be explained through its origin, practical significance, and comparison with "minor non punishment"; At the practical level, analyze the practicality of the system by combining the "first violation without penalty " lists from multiple regions. The author will also analyze the problems that exist during the implementation of the system and provide their own suggestions.

International cooperation for the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries: unlocking the full potential

ABSTRACT This article investigates the state of global governance for the deep decarbonization of energy-intensive industries (EIIs) and identifies key options for mobilizing the so far underexploited potential of this global governance. Focusing on four main EIIs (i.e. iron and steel, cement and concrete, chemicals, and aluminium) the analysis is advanced in three steps. First, we establish the theoretical potential of international institutions to address the main barriers to EII decarbonization focusing on six main governance functions. Second, the article provides an up-to-date account of the global governance landscape for EII decarbonization and the contribution it has made to addressing the main barriers. This assessment also identifies major gaps and underexploited potentials of global governance. Finally, we systematically appraise key options for advancing global governance for EII decarbonization based on clear assessment criteria (membership, institutional capacity, legitimacy, feasibility). The major findings are that: (a) global governance has advanced significantly in the 2020s across all governance functions, in particular through the emergence of several initiatives focused on industrial decarbonization, including the recent Climate Club; (b) key priorities for advancing global EII decarbonization concern rules for collective action, means of implementation, landscape orchestration/coordination, and a more equal coverage of different sub-sectors and regions. We argue that the main barrier to addressing these priorities is rooted in (geo)politics rather than a lack of suitable institutions. Consequently, the global governance for EII decarbonization may best be advanced through incrementally developing existing rather than creating major new institutions.

STRATEGI PEMERINTAH DAERAH KABUPATEN BANYUMAS DALAM MENCEGAH KORUPSI ANGGARAN PENDAPATAN DAN BELANJA DAERAH (APBD) DI KABUPATEN BANYUMAS

Abstrak . Banyumas Regency is one of the regencies that received the highest ranking for corruption prevention. According to the Corruption Eradication Commission's Monitoring Center for Prevention (MCP) corruption prevention instrument, Banyumas Regency is ranked sixth at the national level with an index of 95.79. This research was conducted to find out the strategies of the Banyumas Regency Regional Government in preventing corruption of the Regional Budget (APBD) in Banyumas Regency and the obstacles of the Banyumas Regency Regional Government in implementing strategies to prevent corruption of the Regional Budget (APBD) in Banyumas Regency. The research method used is normative juridical using secondary data sources and primary data sources in the form of data from interviews with the Banyumas Regency local government consisting of the Regional Secretariat of the Legal Section and the Banyumas Regency Regional Inspectorate. Based on the results of the study, that the strategies and effective efforts of the Banyumas Regency local government in preventing corruption of the Regional Budget (APBD) in Banyumas Regency can be done through the establishment of regulations, handling conflicts of interest, fostering the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), using the Monitoring Center for Prevention (MCP), using the Whistleblowing System (WBS), using complaint stalls, conducting investigative audits, implementing the Government Internal Control System (SPIP), and carry out the duties and functions of local government on the regional revenue and expenditure budget (APBD). The obstacles of The Banyumas Regency Regional Government in preventing Corruption in the Regional Budget (APBD) in Banyumas Regency include delays in the implementation of activity schedules, the effectiveness of regulations, and the incompatibility of public complaints. Keyword: Corruption, APBD, Banyumas Regency.

Determinants of Internal Audit Effectiveness in Local Government Authorities (LGAs): Evidence from Morogoro Region of Tanzania

This study examines the determinants of internal audit effectiveness in Local Government Authorities (LGAs), addressing the growing importance of robust Internal Audit Function (IAF) in public sector governance. The study employed the descriptive research design based on a mixed research approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected from 45 purposively selected respondents with extensive auditing experience. A multiple linear regression model was used to assess the impact of these factors on internal audit effectiveness. The empirical results indicate that the four factors account for 65.7% of the variance in internal audit effectiveness, with IT utilization being the most significant contributor (R² = 0.657, Adjusted R² = 0.616). The ANOVA results further validate the model, showing a statistically significant F-statistic of 3.2976 with a p-value of 0.001, indicating the robustness of the findings. Top management support was found to be critical in fostering a culture of accountability, while the independence of internal audit ensures objectivity and unbiased assessments. IT utilization was identified as a key driver in enhancing the efficiency and reliability of audit processes. Finally, the competence of internal auditors was shown to significantly influence the quality and accuracy of audit outcomes. The study recommends the need for institutionalizing top management support, safeguarding auditor independence, advancing IT utilization, and promoting continuous professional development for auditors. These measures are essential for improving governance and accountability within LGAs, thereby contributing to more effective and reliable internal audit practices.

Digital Public Services in Indonesia Show High Satisfaction and Adaptation Challenges Remain

General background: Public service is an essential function of government, aimed at fulfilling citizen needs through the provision of goods, services, and administrative support in accordance with regulations. Effective public service requires continuous bureaucratic reforms. Specific background: Lemujut Village, in collaboration with the Population and Civil Registration Service of Sidoarjo Regency, introduced the Online Service (Plavon) application to improve population administration and civil registration services. However, the effectiveness of the Plavon application remains underexplored. Knowledge gap: There is limited research on the effectiveness of digital public service platforms like Plavon in rural Indonesian settings, particularly in terms of productivity, efficiency, satisfaction, and adaptability. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Plavon application in improving public service quality in Lemujut Village by analyzing five key elements: productivity, efficiency, satisfaction, adaptation, and development. Results: Findings indicate that productivity is high, with Plavon operators following procedures and maintaining public trust. However, efficiency is lacking, as some administrative processes fail to meet service time standards. Community satisfaction is notably high at 98.98%, but adaptation to digital services remains suboptimal due to inadequate socialization. Development efforts, such as coordinating via WhatsApp and establishing a call center, show significant progress. Novelty: This study provides a detailed evaluation of the Plavon application’s impact on village-level public services, highlighting the role of digitalization in improving service delivery while identifying challenges in community adaptation and efficiency. Implications: The findings suggest the need for enhanced socialization of digital services and continued development of digital infrastructure to ensure equitable access and efficiency in rural public services. Highlights: High public satisfaction, but service delays persist. Digital adaptation slow due to lack of community awareness. Effective coordination boosts service improvement efforts. Keywords: Public service, digital platform, Plavon, effectiveness, rural Indonesia

Research on the impact and improvement path of artificial intelligence on government regulation efficiency

With the deep integration of intelligent technology and government management scenarios, the management functions of modern government have also undergone changes, and artificial intelligence has gradually penetrated into the modernization process of government management. Artificial intelligence not only accelerates the transformation and innovation of government management models, but also impacts government regulation, triggers information security risks, and brings legal and ethical issues to the government. The article will analyze from four aspects: achieving intelligent control, strengthening joint governance, conducting credit supervision, and accelerating regulatory mechanism reform, providing a basis for the government to choose a path to improve regulatory efficiency in the intelligent era.