Levels Of Government Research Articles

Sleep medicine in the Kyrgyz Republic: past, present and future.

As in many other low and middle income countries (LMICs) around the world, sleep disorders in the Kyrgyz Republic remain mostly undiagnosed and untreated. This article aims to describe the current state of practice of sleep medicine in the Kyrgyz Republic from the perspective of local and international healthcare workers who are active in the field and to propose a strategy to challenge the status quo. After interviewing local primary care and specialist doctors, we identified 3 major barriers to the practice of sleep medicine in the Kyrgyz Republic and namely education and training, financial constraints and infrastructure and equipment. We then propose a multistep strategy to improve the current situation based on 3 pillars: knowledge sharing, implementation research activities and policy changes. We conclude that despite being at its early days and facing major challenges, sleep health in the Kyrgyz Republic is being recognized as a priority by healthcare workers in the field and now requires attention at local and government level. Also, north-south academic partnerships represent an effective tool for knowledge sharing and should be further incentivized.

Application of E-Services in the Urban Local Government in Bangladesh: A Study on Rajshahi City Corporation

Public sector information and communication technology (ICT) has a long history of using mainframe operations in the 1970s and microcomputing in the 1990s. It is recognized by the Government of Bangladesh that ICT has a development impact, as it enhances access to information, the quality of public service delivery and strengthens good governance practices. Since the ending of 2019, the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic has revived the importance of e-governance. In the initial stage of this climacteric period when people were socially distanced, restricted in quarantine, and not interacting face-to-face with each other created a whale of a ponderosas of e-governance in Bangladesh. Without any doubt, e-governance is the prime catalyst for urban development. Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) is one of the oldest and leading municipalities in e-governance adaptation in Bangladesh. RCC, jointly with the local government division under the ministry of local government, has introduced e-governance through initiating an electronic birth registration information system (EBRIS) in 2001. This is one of the best paradigms for adapting e-governance at the urban local government level in Bangladesh. As a part of e-governance, RCC has launched Smart Auto-Rickshaw Management System (SARMS) to reduce traffic congestion on city roads. The study, based on primary sources of information, seeks to assess the role of SARMS in reducing traffic congestion on city streets as part of e-governance. In order to properly implement e-governance in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), researchers have come up with two recommendations for e-service providers following two broad sections. A rich ICT infrastructure is a prerequisite for providing e-services to the recipients. This study is based on empirical research. This first section of this paper is equipped with the details of the respondents, overall opinions of the respondents on e-governance are covered by second section, the third section is depictured the status of e-services in RCC. However, the last section is enclosed by the specific opinions of the respondents on EBRIS and SARMS.

From Research to Roach Traps: Practical Considerations for a Home-Based Asthma Program.

Home-based asthma interventions have a significant evidence base as an effective means to address moderate and severe breathing concerns triggered by home conditions. However, the literature lacks logistical and staffing considerations necessary to successfully implement such a program at a governmental level. This practice report and process evaluation outlines practical details and lessons learned during a healthy homes pilot, and how they were addressed in the design of a permanent program. To inform the creation of a permanent home-based asthma intervention at the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) (City of Alexandria, Virginia) and understand the tools and resources necessary for success. Participating households received a health and environmental assessment, followed by cleaning supplies, relevant education, and referrals to partners for services. AHD staff tracked challenges and insights at each step of the intervention. At the end of the pilot, staff worked with the community to identify solutions and design a permanent program. Although the pilot model was constructed based on existing case studies, technical assistance from national experts, and guidance documents, the team still experienced challenges around recruitment, staff support, home visit implementation, and impact evaluation. While pilots and existing literature can be instructive for identifying issues, work with residents and partners to develop a uniquely tailored community program was essential for practical success. Health departments developing new initiatives should consider both the staff and participant experience throughout the creation of administrative and programmatic processes. Testing out draft versions of these processes and materials using internal and external focus groups can identify potential bottlenecks and solutions upfront.

From conceptualization to practice: enhancing economic resilience at the local government level in Australia

ABSTRACT Seven principles of resilience developed by Stockholm Resilience Centre were adopted as a central framework from which practical objectives were identified to support local government organizations, and small local businesses to enhance their level of resilience to natural disasters. Discussions and interviews with local government executives from four coastal, local governments in Australia were undertaken to refine each economic development objectives to ensure utility and relevance. The final suite of practical objectives aims to respond to socio-ecological system features such as slow and fast variables, feedbacks and thresholds that create climate risks for businesses, and consider the sector and individual businesses’ learning capacity, participation and self-organization. We consider that these important objectives provide a pathway that enable small businesses, central to the local economic sector to self-assess their risks, and develop longer term adaptive and transformative strategies beyond preparedness and recovery. The significance of this research is in its ability to translate and anchor conceptual understandings of socio-ecological systems and resilience theory into a set of practical and useful objectives for local governments and small businesses to combat their vulnerability to natural disasters.

Integrating refugees through ‘flexible housing’ policy in The Netherlands

The Dutch government recently introduced ‘flexwonen’ (flexible housing) to accommodate refugees, with policymakers encouraging housing suppliers to rent modular houses under temporary contracts. These housing practices, nonetheless, ostensibly conflict with integration policy goals, as integration requires stability. Building on an analysis of policy discourses and interviews with central government and municipal actors, our research adopts a capability-based perspective to assess how policymakers and housing suppliers evaluate housing and integration prospects and securities. Our findings illustrate how national policy discourses emphasise opportunities offered through flexible housing, but also how the actual needs and unique circumstances of those being housed are overlooked. Consequently, local policy actors and housing providers report that they struggle with the implications of uncertain living conditions, with some refugees adapting better than others. This study underscores the importance of considering refugees’ ‘capabilities for integration’ in accommodation policies at all levels of governance.

How has blended learning impacted tourism and hospitality graduates in employability? Feedback from graduates and tourism industry employers

PurposeThe aim of this empirical research is to define blended learning (BL) in the context of tourism education and discuss its effectiveness in learning and, upon completion, the employability of graduates in due cause.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative research consists of 22 in-depth interviews with experts from the tourism industry and graduates. The sampling method was purposive (judgmental), and open-ended questions were asked in order to encourage the interviewee to be expressive and to share their views and opinions on what the impact of the BL program has been.FindingsThe study found that the most significant obstacles were a lack of funding, a lack of cooperation from the local and various levels of government and a lack of knowledge about sustainable tourism product development among local residents.Originality/valueDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the tourism schools and university departments have developed a combination of mixed learning to include online, classroom and sector experience, which can be summarized as BL. This research suggests that BL has provided for a blend of skills and, as a result, employable graduates.

Research of blockchain-embedded agricultural quality credit regulation influencing factors

PurposeThe credit of agricultural product quality and safety reflects the ability of the main actors involved in the supply chain to provide reliable agricultural products to consumers. To fundamentally solve the problem of agricultural product quality and safety, it is worth studying how to make the credit awareness and integrity self-discipline of the supply chain agriculture-related subjects strengthened and the role and value of credit supervision given full play. Starting from the application of blockchain in the agricultural product supply chain, this paper aims to investigate the main factors affecting the credit regulation of agricultural product quality.Design/methodology/approachUsing the DEMATEL-ISM (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory–interpretative structural modeling) method, we analyze the credit influencing factors of agricultural quality and safety empowered by blockchain technology, find the causal relationship between the crucial influencing factors and deeply explore the hierarchical transmission relationship between the influencing factors. Then, the path analysis in structural equation modeling is utilized to verify and measure the significance and effect value of the transmission relationship among the crucial influencing factors of credit regulation.FindingsThe results show that the quality and safety credit regulation of agricultural products is influenced by a combination of direct and deep influencing factors. Long-term stable cooperative relationship, Quality and safety credit evaluation, Supply chain risk control ability, Quality and safety testing, Constraints of the smart contract are the main influence path of blockchain embedded in agricultural product supply chain quality and safety credit supervision.Originality/valueCredit supervision is an important means to improve the ability and level of social governance and standardize the market order. From the perspective of blockchain embedded in the agricultural supply chain, the regulatory body is transformed from the product body to the supply chain body. Take the credit supervision of supply chain subjects as the basis of agricultural product quality supervision. With the help of blockchain technology to improve the effectiveness of agricultural product quality and safety credit supervision, credit supervision is used to constrain and incentivize the behavior of agricultural subjects.

At any cost: a paradigm shift in the culture of caesarean section rate monitoring in the United Kingdom

Recent reviews into maternity safety in the United Kingdom (UK) have led to a paradigm shift in culture and policy around caesarean section (CS) rate monitoring. CS rates in the UK have risen considerably over the last few decades and, in this time, there has been national effort at the level of government to kerb such rises due to concerns about the associated morbidity, and the medicalisation of birth. However, recent findings from two landmark reviews raise concerns that the pursuit of low CS rates may have caused harm to patients in some instances, and this has led the UK government to recommend cessation of the use of total CS rates as performance metric for maternity services. Instead, it is proposed that such data be collected with use of the Robson classification. Ongoing appraisal of maternity safety will be required to evaluate the effect of these changes in future.

‘It's Time to Make Your Way Home’: Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Multicultural Policies in Australia

ABSTRACT Governments around the world acted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through lockdowns and border closures that had specific impacts on temporary residents (migrants, asylum seekers and refugees). In Australia, there were differential responses across states and territories, and a critical distinction made at Federal government level between permanent residents and citizens as compared to temporary migrants. The result has been the continued Othering of certain groups of Australians of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as well as migrants and refugees on the basis of racial characteristics and visa status. This paper will consider the period where arguably multicultural policies were ‘on hold’ by investigating the timeline leading up to major policy decisions and the immediate and longer-term after-effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arguably the way in which multicultural communities were treated has shown the superficial nature of multicultural policies in Australia and the lack of more solid foundations in support of what now demographically constitutes a majority of the country's population. Drawing on secondary data analysis, the paper will outline the distance these actions have put between political leaders and multicultural communities, and queries the implications for a sustained commitment to multicultural policies in an era of temporary migration.

Coordinating school improvement: Understanding the impact of state implementation approach on coordination in multilevel governance systems

AbstractMultilevel governance is theorized to facilitate effective policy implementation by encouraging the use of local knowledge and expertise, enabling the participation of non‐government actors, and capitalizing on the coordinating and sanctioning authority of centralized governments. Whether a particular multilevel governance arrangement achieves this, however, depends in part on the degree to which it enables coordination among governmental and non‐governmental actors representing different levels and jurisdictions. Using a comparative case study of education governance reform in the United States, this study investigates how differences in state policy implementation approach impact the structure and mode of coordination in multilevel governance systems and considers the effects this has on policy implementation processes. The results indicate that a state's implementation approach impacts coordination by structuring how different levels of government interact, share information, and influence policy. Specifically, variation in the structure of the central governing agency directly enables or restricts the influence of bottom‐up coordination from lower levels of government. The results also highlight the theoretical limitations of current binary structure models of multilevel governance (i.e., centralized vs. decentralized, top‐down vs. bottom‐up, hierarchy vs. network) for capturing important nuances in policy coordination. These findings advance the understanding of policy coordination in multilevel governance systems and inform the design of institutional arrangements that balance trade‐offs in centralization and the delegation of authority across governance systems during policy implementation.

Service Delivery Protests in the South African Government

The social insecurity present in the nation has impeded the desired democratic system from thriving in various communities due to the lack of progress since its inception. The municipal authorities continue to grapple with governance and service provision issues within their communities. The 1994 victory sparked anticipation and excitement in society, leading to the expectation of policy changes and the rectification of past imbalances. However, the situation has resulted in discourse, inequality, and conflict among communities and state institutions. Municipal authorities have been at the centre of service delivery protests and their inability to address the needs of the communities they serve. Protests have erupted at all levels of government, with the majority becoming violent and fueled by various motivations. This study aims to evaluate relative deprivation and community protests within the South African context and to explore their relationship. Furthermore, it seeks to provide possible recommendations on how to address this phenomenon. The study posits that service delivery protests are influenced by relative deprivation, which has persisted due to inadequate service delivery. The paper suggests that inclusive policies that encourage public participation and foster trust in state-society relations can alleviate deprivation and protests. The study used a qualitative approach, gathering data from secondary sources and materials.

Developing an Urban Environment Examination System by Incorporating Construction, Economic, Environmental, Cultural and Development Dimensions

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) suggest sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11) as inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable human settlements. However, existing efforts in urban sustainability have mainly focused on ecological and environmental sustainability, with little attention paid to development, economic, and cultural sustainability. Moreover, a lack of adaptability is a barrier to cross-nation or cross-region implementation of many urban sustainability frameworks due to diverse urban contexts. Furthermore, most studies have developed sustainability frameworks and guides only for one-time assessments and the progress of urban sustainability has been neglected. Improving urban sustainability by considering multiple dimensions and local adaptability through dynamic assessment remains a question. Therefore, this study aims to develop an urban environment examination system (UEES) framework that includes construction, economy and industry, environment and resource, municipal and cultural facilities, and development potential dimensions. The UEES framework consists of 31 indicators associated with critical information (i.e., reported by the statistical yearbooks) from different levels of government in China. An annual update of statistical data ensures the availability of dynamic data, allowing urban managers and decision makers to regularly track urban sustainability. Furthermore, the UEES framework was applied to Qingdao, an urbanizing city in China, to examine the feasibility of the UEES framework. The results indicate that well-urbanized districts could perform better in terms of overall sustainability (e.g., Shinan, Shibei, Laoshan, Chengyang), while districts in suburban and outer suburban areas had lower urban sustainability levels. However, well-urbanized districts could not perform better in all dimensions than suburban and outer suburban districts. Moreover, the transition from less-urbanized to well-urbanized districts could lead to environmental deterioration and economy deceleration (if industries are not well upgraded), but culture and development sustainability can be improved. Overall, this study provides a methodological framework that prioritizes comprehensiveness and local adaptability to perform regular urban environment examinations for urban sustainability in China and provides a reference for urban sustainability improvement by identifying aspects with low scores in Qingdao, China.

One Health communication channels: a qualitative case study of swine influenza in Canada in 2020

BackgroundWith increased attention to the importance of integrating the One Health approach into zoonotic disease surveillance and response, a greater understanding of the mechanisms to support effective communication and information sharing across animal and human health sectors is needed. The objectives of this qualitative case study were to describe the communication channels used between human and animal health stakeholders and to identify the elements that have enabled the integration of the One Health approach.MethodsWe combined documentary research with interviews with fifteen stakeholders to map the communication channels used in human and swine influenza surveillance in Alberta, Canada, as well as in the response to a human case of H1N2v in 2020. A thematic analysis of the interviews was also used to identify the barriers and facilitators to communication among stakeholders from the animal and human health sectors.ResultsWhen a human case of swine influenza emerged, the response led by the provincial Chief Medical Officer of Health involved players at various levels of government and in the human and animal health sectors. The collaboration of public and animal health laboratories and of the swine sector, in addition to the information available through the surveillance systems in place, was swift and effective. Elements identified as enabling smooth communication between the human and animal health systems included preexisting relationships between the various stakeholders, a relationship of trust between them (e.g., the swine sector and their perception of government structures), the presence of stakeholders acting as permanent liaisons between the ministries of health and agriculture, and stakeholders' understanding of the importance of the One Health approach.ConclusionsInformation flows through formal and informal channels and both structural and relational features that can support rapid and effective communication in infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response.

Who are the “police” in “police violence”? Fatal violence by U.S. law enforcement agencies across levels of government

BackgroundPolice violence is increasingly recognized as an urgent public health problem. Basic questions about police violence, however, remain unanswered, including which types of law enforcement agency are responsible for fatal police violence deaths.MethodsWe estimated the proportion of police violence deaths in the U.S. (2013–2022) that were attributable to local, county, state, federal, or tribal police agencies, using mapping police violence data. We examined proportions overall, by decedent race/ethnicity, and by state.ResultsNationally, 60% of decedents were killed by municipal, 29% by county, 8% by state, and 3% by federal, police, with < 1% killed by tribal or other officers. These proportions varied by race/ethnicity, with 56% of Native American decedents killed by municipal police compared to 70–75% among other racially minoritized people. While municipal police were responsible for most deaths in most states, in the Southeast, county police predominated. In some Northeastern states (and Alaska), state police were responsible for > 40% of deaths.ConclusionsWe identify wide geographic & racial/ethnic variation in the agencies responsible for fatal police violence. Findings suggest that the budgetary and infrastructural shifts required to prevent fatal police violence need to occur at multiple levels of government.

Does self‐organizing policy network provide effective waste services? An empirical evaluation of institutional collective action and transaction cost dilemmas

AbstractThis paper examines institutional collective action and transaction cost (TC) dilemmas in a self‐organizing policy network involving federal, state, and municipal agencies for waste services in a port and industrial park. A thematic analysis revealed dilemmas in: (a) vertical levels, which lack leadership in industrial waste management due to unclear responsibility delegation across government levels; (b) horizontal levels, reluctant to take responsibilities and define jurisdiction boundaries for efficient waste services; and (c) functional levels, which exhibit fragmented and unaligned action scopes. Transaction costs, stemming from a deficiency in expertise, infrastructure, and organized information regarding companies' waste management, hinder effective programs and policies. Without tackling these challenges and TCs through a governance framework that includes implementation strategies, monitoring, and institutional controls, the self‐organizing policy network is likely to remain stuck in collective institutional inertia.

Tracing Internal Migration Governance in India Through a ‘Mainstreaming’ Lens

The COVID-19 migrant crisis was a watershed moment for internal migration, driving home the importance of inclusionary frameworks and action. Despite the lack of an omnibus migration policy, several disparate policy initiatives have emerged at multiple levels of government, across various sectors and involving multiple stakeholder types. This article traces and analyses internal migration policy in India over time, particularly how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped responses. In doing so, it builds on the idea of ‘mainstreaming’, a reflexive approach to policymaking that Peter Scholten proposed to address such complex policy areas as migration. The article argues that a nascent framework for migration governance is evolving in India and offers suggestions on how mainstreaming can help streamline research and policy design for enhanced migrant inclusion.

Urban agendas around the world: A case of policy transfer? An analysis proposal

ABSTRACT The present article addresses the issue of policy transfer. Three public policy tools (the New Urban Agenda, the Urban Agenda for the European Union and the Spanish Urban Agenda) were analyzed. The objective was to develop an analytical framework allowing to examine these public policy tools and to understand the extent and nature of the policy transfer, as well as its underlying mechanisms. Our preliminary analysis indicated a certain degree of policy transfer between agendas. Some divergences were found, however, that could be explained by several factors: the social, economic, and political context in which the agenda was launched; previous experience; and the formal ability of the government level promoting the agenda to influence certain issues. According to our findings, the issue needs to be addressed through extensive methodologies that allow drawing empirical generalizations on the extent to which the characteristics indicated in this first work shape policy transfer. In this way, it will be possible to determine the degree, the nature, and the underlying mechanisms of policy transfer between urban agendas.

The grand bargain on local government debt: Evidence from China's intergovernmental relations

IMPACT This article provides a deeper understanding of policy implementation in local government, highlighting the key role of subnational governments in public risk governance. In fiscally centralized countries with significant local government debt problems, officials at the central government level cannot effectively mitigate local government debt risks solely through restrictive financing policies. The authors explain why policy-makers at the central government level in these countries need to revaluate the structure of the local government financial system.

Food Policy Coherence and Integration: a review of adopted methodologies

Multiple scholars in the last two decades have called for a coherent and integrated approach to food policy to address the challenges of the current food systems. Food Policy Coherence and Integration (PCI) are both challenging, as food matters are addressed at more than one level of governance and across several policy domains. Moreover, the analysis of food PCI has been carried out with different methodologies, but no reviews of such methodologies exist in the literature. Thus, the objective of the present study is to fill this gap, by reviewing which research methods were used to assess food PCI. The research adopts a bibliometric methodological approach to develop a quantitative network analysis of the identified studies and content analysis. Data collection was performed on Web of Science and Scopus including exclusively scientific articles from peer-reviewed journals. A total of 35 articles published since 2006 were included in the analysis. The main topics addressed were health and nutrition policies, followed by food security and agriculture. A variety of methods were used to assess Coherence and Integration. The first methodological phase often aimed at creating a policy inventory, followed by a second methodological phase to assess PCI. Some studies used interviews to identify the relevant policies and to comment on them. Other studies carried out PCI assessment relying on researchers’ expertise. To conclude, food PCI studies choose from a variety of methodologies the one that better fits their aims.

Provincial government and institution level strategy setting: the case of building Chinese ‘world-class universities’

ABSTRACT This study contributes one of the first explorations into how provincial governments shaped the WCU building discourse in tandem with universities. Using a resource dependence approach and insights from institutional isomorphism, it develops a conceptual framework with three perspectives (national government, provincial governments and ‘ministerial universities’) to understand the relationship between national policies and local authorities’ and institutions’ strategic adaptations. This study shows that there are variations in how quickly provincial governments and universities within them respond to national policies. However, provincial reports and institutional strategies exhibit isomorphism with the national goals in the model of goal setting and interpretation of WCU definition. China's national policies for building WCUs reinforce provincial governments’ and ministerial universities’ resource dependence on national government, leading to the adoption of similar goal-setting approaches. However, an ambiguous understanding of WCU definition also prompts the imitation of building WCUs strategies. The ministerial universities develop tailored development plans, reflecting their reliance on provincial governments for critical resources, in light of the variable development advantages and requirements of provincial governments. Hence, the tension of homogeneous goals-setting oriented towards the national standard and diversified provincial development needs in the building WCUs pose a great challenge to local innovative practice.