Local Government Institutions Research Articles

Exploring the determinants of an organisational talent culture for a Botswanan local government institution

Orientation: Talented employees are essential for the service performance of local government institutions. Conducive organisational talent cultures can enable talent to deliver value-based services that meet public expectations.Research purpose: To explore the determinants of an organisational talent culture for a Botswanan local government institution.Motivation for the study: Research on organisational talent culture determinants in Botswana local government institutions is lacking.Research design, approach and method: This research adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. A self-developed questionnaire was used to measure the organisational talent culture determinants of a Botswana government institution (N = 405). The data was analysed using SPSS Statistics software. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, linear regression analyses and multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVAs) were applied to the data.Main findings: The factor analyses provided support for six organisational talent culture determinants: leadership talent mindset, success orientation and strategic intent, institutional values, dynamic operational capabilities, administrative governance and general people management practices. The results showed a weak application of all the organisational talent culture determinants. Leadership talent mindset was a significant predictor of organisational talent culture determinants. Significant differences exist between selected organisational culture dimensions based on the demographic characteristics of the participants.Practical/managerial implications: The vital role of public sector leadership in enabling a conducive organisational talent culture is emphasised.Contribution/value-add: This research contributed to the limited empirical knowledge on organisational talent culture determinants in public sector institutions.

Forced displacement: critical lessons in the protracted aftermath of a flood disaster

Forced displacement and resettlement is a pervasive challenge being contemplated across the social sciences. Scholarly literature, however, often fails to engage complexities of power in understanding socio-environmental interactions in resettlement processes. Addressing Zimbabwe’s Tokwe-Mukosi flood disaster resettlement, we explore hegemonic uses of state power during the pre- and post-flood induced resettlement processes. We examine how state power exercised through local government, financial, and security institutions impacts community vulnerabilities during forced resettlement processes, while furthering capitalist agendas, drawing insights from analysing narratives between 2010 and 2021. Concerns abound that multiple ministries, the police, and the army undermined displaced people’s resilience, including through inadequate compensation, with state institutions neglecting displaced communities during encampment by inadequately meeting physical security, health, educational, and livestock production needs. We explore how forcibly resettling encamped households to a disputed location is not only an ongoing perceived injustice regionally but also a continuing reference point in resettlement discussions countrywide, reflecting concerns that land use and economic reconfigurations in resettlement can undermine subsistence livelihoods while privileging certain values and interests over others. Policy lessons highlight the need for reviewing disaster management legislation, developing compensation guidelines and reviewing encampment practices. Analytically, lessons point to how state power may be studied in relation to perspectives on the destruction of flood survivors’ connections to place, people and livelihoods, underscoring the critical need for theorising the relationships between power dynamics and diverse experiences around displacement.

Structural equation modeling of residents' attitudes and tourism development: a SET based - study of the Kashmir region in India

PurposeThe present study tries to develop a model that assesses the factors that determine support for tourism development by residents of the Kashmir region.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data have been collected (n = 650) from the residents of the top five tourist destinations through a pre-tested questionnaire by a multistage convenient sampling method. A model has been drafted and tested through the technique of structural equation modeling by applying the social exchange theory as a theoretical framework.FindingsThe results revealed that residents who perceived more benefits were more expected to support tourism development, and residents who perceive more costs were less expected to support tourism development, thus supporting the social exchange theory.Originality/valueThe results of this study are extremely useful for the local government and tourism institutions in the future planning of tourism development and also fill the vast gap in the tourism literature with a theoretical base.

Variation in criteria of examination grades from the perspective of “control rights” theory: An analysis of the grading of history as a subject in the new gaokao

Existing literature on national governance models has focused on the analysis of long-term, stable public organizational processes between different levels of governmental and social organizations. In contemporary China, a considerable part of the organization and implementation process in public services relies on cooperation among different local governmental institutions and social groups. This type of process is characterized by short-termism and instability. This paper uses the perspective of the “control rights” theory to analyze the relationship between the three parties: the principal, management, and the implementation agency in the case of the phenomenon of grading criteria variation in the grading of history as a subject in the gaokao (college-entrance examination) of Province X. This paper shows that although the relationship shows a high degree of correlation, the three parties do not belong to the same bureaucratic organization and lack administrative oversight within the process, which increases the uncertainty in negotiation and maneuvering, resulting in two issues: First, the principal party and management party often have divergent views on targets. With the advantage of controlling incentive distribution, the principal party is able to involve itself in the inspection and evaluation of policy implementation, and therefore maintains the ability to arbitrarily intervene in the process. Second, implementation agency behavior is constantly influenced and modified by feedback from the principal party and the management party, and vice versa. In the process of continuous feedback and adjustment, the three parties gradually reach their own shared understanding of policy implementation that becomes the cause of local variation in grading standards. This paper suggests that unstable public organization process is an important area of study on contemporary Chinese governance. Control rights theory can be further explored as an analytic tool and strategies of various social forces in gaining organizational control should also be investigated in depth.

Designing business models for rural agroindustry to increase the added value of coconut

Indonesia is the world’s largest coconut producer, where smallholder plantations play a significant role. Income-generating from coconut farming currently very low because there is no by-products processing. The integrated coconut industry is a strategy to produce processed products with added value by utilizing all product components. However, implementing a rural-based integrated coconut industry faced several constraints. This paper aims to analyze the constraints of increasing coconut added value and identify the integrated coconut industry’s business model, followed by a support system analysis. The constraints faced include raw material, processing, human resource capacity, and support system. These constraints are not only related to technical problems but also managerial aspects. Therefore, the required approach must be system-based, where the development of a business model with its supporting system is a strategic step to overcome. Three business model patterns can be built, distinguished by business model structure, role sharing, and risk management. The development of a business model requires an innovation system that allows the transfer of knowledge and technology. It focuses on capacity building, technology transfer, market access, and financial support. The system will involve small-medium enterprises, local government, research institutes, coconut associations, and financial institutions.

MGNREGA: Ensures Guaranteed Wage Employment in Rural Area

The Mahatma Gandhi Nation Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is perhaps the world largest right to work model being implemented in India. The most distinctive feature of MGNREGA from the earlier rural public works programme is that it has provided a legal entitlement to work on demand. But unfortunately MGNREGA is not meeting demand for wage employment in rural areas it may be because poor transparency and accountability and lack of capacity on the part of Panchayats. Lack of awareness among villagers about the provisions of the Act and not using proper strategy for awareness building is another factor which is responsible for lacuna due to which proper implementation of MGNREGS is remain challenge in rural areas.There are still lots of problems in the implementation of MGNREGA. Still, it has not reached the poor and needy due to lack of interest of the implementing agencies especially local self governance in rural area. MGNERGS needs more creative innovative and time bound efforts from the local governance institutions to meet the demand for wage employment in rural area. Gram Sabha and Social audit can play crucial role to implement these scheme.The present paper is based of secondary source of literature, discusses about whether MGNREGA really meeting demands of wage employment at village level and suggests mechanism for effective implementation of MGNREGA.

Examining citizens’ trust in local government institutions: a focus on upazila parishads (sub-district councils) in Bangladesh

Against a backdrop of strikingly limited research on the subject, this article examines citizens’ trust in upazila parishads (UzPs) – a historically significant form of local government institution (LGI) in Bangladesh. A set of indicators has been developed that help to evaluate citizens’ trust in these LGIs. Alongside secondary literature and official document reviews, a mixed-method approach was adopted for empirical data collection combining quantitative (a questionnaire targeting a cross-section of service recipients) and qualitative ( key informant interviews with LGI service providers) methods. The results revealed a poor level of citizen trust in UzPs, as the majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their performance. This low level of citizens’ trust was attributable to such reasons as delays in service delivery, dishonest and unfair practices, and disrespectful treatment by service providers. From a ‘supply-side’ perspective, service providers mentioned many constraints to good performance including the challenge of meeting growing demand with inadequate resources, frequent staff transfers, limited scope for training on modern technologies, and pressure and interference from influential elites.

Social, Economic, and Institutional Configurations of the Industrial Symbiosis Process: A Comparative Analysis of the Literature and a Proposed Theoretical and Analytical Framework

This paper aims at comparatively analyzing the IS process in three remarkable empirical cases. Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development framework and its categories for analysis are used to understand each process. A theoretical and analytical framework is proposed based on a survey of contextual elements that shaped the behavior of organizations towards Industrial Symbiosis practices. The results show that although there was no clear, linear order in which the actors developed symbiotic relationships, the decisions related to Industrial Symbiosis are shaped by a similar set of variables. These variables range from technical and economic aspects, such as the diversity of industries and the viability of exchanges, to social and institutional aspects, encompassing critical environmental issues; bilateral agreements; collective engagement; trust to build cooperative relationships; communication and information sharing strategies; integrated regulatory framework at three levels; congruence between government and company actions to create a cooperative environment; and governance structures involving local government, companies, research and development institutions, and a coordinating entity or the champion. This framework may serve as a reference for diagnostic analyses assessing aspects that can be improved wherein Industrial Symbiosis is already underway. It may also be useful in prescriptive analyses assessing the potential for implementing IS.

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat pada Budi Daya dan Pengembangan Produk Pohon Gaharu (Aquilaria sp.) di Kabupaten Tolitoli, Sulawesi Tengah

Tolitoli District has a potential for agarwood trees in the forests, but it has not been optimally utilized and preserved by the local communities. Therefore, efforts are needed to increase understanding and community involvement in cultivation and product development of agarwood trees. The objectives of this activity are: to explore agarwood tree species in the forest and sources of local inoculums using a purposive sampling method for agarwood production, to assess the suitability of agro-climates for agarwood tree cultivation, to conduct face-to-face training and practice for agarwood tree breeding and bio-induction by injection, and to identify socio-economic conditions to support agarwood tree cultivation for community empowerment through product development and cultivation in Kabupaten Tolitoli. The project was implementated by exploring and identifying the existence of natural agarwood trees and agarwood farmers, training, and mentoring. The results of exploration and identification showed that Kabupaten Tolitoli has natural resources of agarwood trees in the forest and local inoculums for the bio-induction of agarwood formation. Also, the local community, including the local government, practitioners, farmers, and educational institutions, have great interest and desire for product development and cultivation of agarwood trees. Thus, it can be concluded that community empowerment through product development and cultivation of agarwood trees in Kabupaten Tolitoli can be implemented.

Polish journal “Issues in Childhood Care and Education” facing the realities and educational policy of the Polish government

The aim of the author was to evaluate the cognitive, descriptive and diagnostic values of the social and educational reality presented in the monthly magazine by state and local government institutions in the practice of managing the country and the life of society. According to my estimates, during the 60 years of their editorial work, “Issues in Childhood Care and Education” has included in its monthly magazine over 5,000 publications of various nature, devoted to all phenomena and problems of education, upbringing, care and development of children and youth, as well as institutions implementing a great program for educating young generation. Professional experience allowed me to highly evaluate the cognitive and diagnostic reliability of the published texts. They provide a real image of educational institutions, their work, problems with everyday life, the remarkable work of organizers, instructors and educators. They allow to assess the development value of this work for children and youth. At the same time, the knowledge of the reality allows for a critical judgement on the way of using these diagnostic and cognitive values to improve the conditions in which a Polish child lives, to improve the work of schools and care and educational institutions. The dominant style of coexistence between science and the world of politics is the artificial principle of division into problems falling under the competence of the world of science (descriptive, cognitive, diagnostic...) and the second sphere – the world of management, decisions, distribution of resources – belonging to the world of politics and other governing bodies. These are two separate worlds, the contacts and mutual communication of which either does not exist or is only instrumental in nature. Politics does not use the achievements of science, its recognition and diagnosis. And here you can find the sources of many bad decisions, failed projects, and social and economic failures.

Introduction to "Subnational COVID-19 Politics and Policy".

Introduction to "Subnational COVID-19 Politics and Policy".

Relationship Between Citizens’ Trust in Local Government and Participation in Local Governance

The article analyses the relationship between citizens’ trust in local government institutions and participation in local governance. The research results have revealed that citizens’ trust in local government is still low and participation lacks activeness. Civic participation is more active than political participation. According to the research results, the main reasons of absence of participation in local governance are lack of information and knowledge about public participation, lack of information about participation opportunities, lack of communication and response to expressed opinion and suggestions. The results of quantitative research showed that participation and trust dimensions are related. Absence of clear communication and response to citizens expressed opinion and suggestions causes distrust and lower participation. However, the research revealed the weak relationship between the trust in local government and participation in local governance. This fact requires further research.

Деятельность местных органов управления по реализации Столыпинской аграрной реформы на территории Беларуси (1906–1914 гг.)

Introduction. The preparation and implementation of the Stolypin agrarian reform attracted the attention of researchers of the 20th – 21st centuries. However, the interaction of the entire system of already existing and new local government institutions in implementing the reform in Belarus has not become a subject of a special study. The purpose of the article is to prove the interaction of local government institutions within the implementation of the Stolypin agrarian reform in 1906–1914 in the territory of Belarus. Methodology. The sources of the article were legislative acts, as well as the information founded in the archival and published documents. The general scientific and specific historical methods were used there as well as the principles of objectivity, historicism, the value approach. Results. In the early 20th century, a system of local government institutions on the implementation of the government agrarian policy was formed in the Empire. It included land (zemstvo) captains, their district (uyezd) congresses and provincial (guberniya) agencies (prisutstviya). The implementation of the Stolypin agrarian reform required the creation of new institutions – land management commissions. The absence of zemstvo and noble election in the territory of Belarus caused the peculiarities of the formation of the commission staff. Land captains and members of land management commissions carried out explanatory work among the population about the benefits of the transition to farms (khutors) and cuts of lands (otrubs). Based on the information collected by land captains, land management commissions drew up land management plans for the next year, distributed and carried out the work. District congresses and provincial agencies approved land certificates. Conclusion. The success of the reform depended on the coordinated work and cooperation of all elements of the local government system, the prevalence of household land use. The explanatory work carried out by land captains and members of land management commissions, the promotion of sale of banking lands, allotment of land units to ownership and the transition to new household forms received support of the population. All those facts ensured the success of the implementation of the Stolypin reform in the territory of Belarus.

Planning for Sustainability: An Emerging Blue Economy in Russia’s Coastal Arctic?

The main research objective of this study is to examine how coastal urban communities in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) organize the sustainable development (and emerging blue economy) strategy planning process. Along with this general objective, this study focuses on four more specific questions: First, to examine whether the sustainable development and blue economy concepts are integrated into the urban development strategies and whether they are a real priority for the northern coastal communities? Second, to figure out which local government and civil society institutions are involved in the policy planning process and whether this sphere of local politics is transparent and open to public discussions? Third, to find out which specific aspects of the sustainable development and coastal blue economy concepts are given priority in the municipal development strategies? Finally, to discuss whether the AZRF coastal sustainable development/blue economy strategies aim to solve short-term/most pressing problems or they suggest long-term policies built on sustainability principles and are oriented to solve fundamental socioeconomic and ecological problems of the AZRF coastal communities? The hypothesis of this study is that a properly designed strategy planning system would be helpful for both familiarizing northern municipalities with the blue economy concept and its effective implementation. This research is based on several empirical cases, including major Arctic coastal urban centers/ports—Anadyr, Arkhangelsk, Dudinka, Murmansk, Naryan-Mar, Pevek, Sabetta, and Severodvinsk.

Influence Networks Relating to Health Knowledge Among Nairobi’s Micro-Retailers and Their Clients

TRANSFORM, founded in 2015 by Unilever and the UK’s Department for International Development, supports several social enterprises by combining public sector resources with private sector technical capabilities and networks to support innovative social enterprises. Digital programs have enabled social enterprise partnerships to expand the reach of their initiatives to broader audiences including specifically defined groups that hitherto were untapped or difficult to reach. Unilever partnered with TRANSFORM and Every1Mobile to develop UJoin and UAfya in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. UJoin is a social enterprise initiative for promoting business growth among underserved neighborhood shops called dukas. UAfya focuses on young expectant and new mothers, and women interested in family and maternal health topics. Each initiative uses an online community network to discuss and improve knowledge and behaviors regarding livelihoods and health. Online communities provide opportunities to reach specific groups with targeted behavior change messages and campaigns. However, little systematic knowledge is currently available on how to develop, and scale-up effective behavior change programs for digital communities in low-income markets. There is also little information about key guiding principles and best practices that underlie successful digital and online, social networking models. A systematic and participatory tool known as Net-Map was used to explore and understand potential frameworks for establishing digital-based community-driven partnerships with the private sector for health promotion through behavior change. The Net-Map approach was used to help individuals and groups clarify their view of a situation (including networks and power structures), foster discussion, and develop a strategic approach to their networking activities. Eight Net-Maps were constructed, stratified by groups based on location and digital platform. Each map was constructed by an average of 9-10 people for a total of 76 participants. Seventy-six participants identified actors – stakeholders and groups of people involved - and influential links – ways actors are connected - through the Net-Map activity. Among UAfya participants, local government, family, and friends, and the media were identified as the most important actor types. A comparison of the discussions associated with the creation of the maps by UAfya members shows that the two most important link types are conflict, and collaboration/partnership. Among UJoin participants, the three most important actor types were local government, business and financial institutions, and customers. UJoin members identified regulation, and conflict and competition, collaboration and, information sharing as key links between actors. Recommendations based on findings support a vision for scale-up of the UJoin and UAfya programs through accreditation and branding of a novel type of duka. Shop keepers would be trained and knowledgeable to provide high-quality services to improve customer health while also selling health products that benefit the bottom line.

From People into Nations: A History of Eastern Europe by Connelly John (review)

REVIEWS 367 living conditions and peasant participation in local governance institutions (zemstvo, volost´ governments, etc.). And finally, although avowedly about the entire Russian peasantry over time, this book is mostly focused on the central industrial region between Moscow and Petersburg. This feels like a lost opportunity, as a more substantive and clearer documentation of differences across space, over time and between Russian peasants and other groups would have strengthened the contribution of this study. While wide-ranging, written in a student-friendly way, and emphasizing a novel ‘ecological’ perspective on the history of the Russian peasantry, Gorshkov’s study offers few challenges to current historical interpretations. David Moon’s The Russian Peasantry 1600–1930 (London, 1999) covers much of the same ground in a way that nicely incorporates quantitative evidence, original sources and a comparative perspective on the heterogenous nature of rural Russian life. Reading the two books together would provide a useful entry point into the large, hugely important, and still evolving historiography of the Russian peasantry. Department of Economics Steven Nafziger Williams College Connelly, John. From People into Nations: A History of Eastern Europe. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ and Woodstock, 2020. vii + 956 pp. Maps. Illustrations. Notes. Appendix. Index. £30.00: $35.00. East European history can be a daunting subject for historians and specialists let alone for those fair weather or armchair enthusiasts interested in events that shaped the region over the past decades. Writing a detailed history of Eastern Europe is an even more challenging undertaking. For this reason, John Connelly’s latest attempt at narrating and examining a considerable period of modern history set in the context of Eastern Europe is a welcome contribution to the topic’s growing historiography. The author is no stranger to the complex historical cleavages of the region at the centre of this monograph. Connelly, who specializes, among others, in topics of modern East and Central European political and social history, has previously written on the Sovietization of higher education in post-war Eastern Europe during the period of high Stalinism as well as about German occupational ethnopolitics in the east during World War Two. It is fitting that this scholar chose to tackle the project of chronologically mapping a complex 150-year period of East European development over five broad thematic sections totalling twenty-seven chapters. SEER, 99, 2, APRIL 2021 368 From the outset the author outlines what exactly he means by ‘Eastern Europe’, a term used interchangeably with ‘East Central Europe’ throughout the text. The book traces nineteenth-century anti-imperialist struggles that gave rise to twentieth-century nationalist trends before questioning the current state of nationalism in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary; the former Yugoslav Republics; Bulgaria, Romania and Germany. Absent however, are more dedicated discussions on countries many today also associate as East European — the Baltic States, Belarus and Ukraine. Whereas some aspects of their national development are mentioned in the context of the aforementioned countries, the author explains how their experiences largely under the rule of other states during much of the period examined led to the creation of ‘separate stories’, thereby suggesting they deserve distinct attention. This argument may be contested by some, especially those who maintain how nationalist movements, for example in present-day western Ukraine, were also part of greater anti-imperial struggles. For Connelly however, the Eastern Europe designation serves more than just denoting a physical space on the reader’s mental map. Rather it is synonymous with his description of shared experiences and common narratives about the past still circulating throughout the region today. Connelly’s methodology of employing accepted and new vocabulary to trace how patterns and changes reverberated throughout the region deserves appreciation. Terms familiar to even the most amateur of historians like ‘decolonization’ and ‘national self-determination’ described events throughout the region discussed in the first half of his book; that is roughly until the outbreak of World War Two. From there a series of new phrases is introduced — ludobójstwo (the Polish term for genocide coined by Polish Jew Raphael Lemkin), ‘foreign in their own land’, and ‘reform communists’ — that to specialists may seem common, but which encapsulate the wartime events and...

Problems and Prospects of Decentralization in Pakistan: A Study of Musharraf Devolution Plan

Pakistan has had a long history devolution plan since independence. However, every local government has been masterminded and implemented by the military dictator. Musharraf, after taking over the affairs of the government, introduced a system of local selfgovernment whose elections were to be held on a non-party basis. Although this was one good initiative as the system transferred powers to the gross root level by empowering the local population, tried to ensure the financial autonomy of the local government institutions, and provided for the civilian supremacy of the elected representatives over the more powerful bureaucracy. However, despite all these good points, the system came under hot criticism for many of the loopholes that the authorities filed to address. Perhaps, the most important was the election on a non-party basis. Furthermore, a continuous tussle between the elected representative and district administration hampered the smooth running of the affairs of the district. What this paper concludes is that there is plenty of room for improvement in the system.

Constant components of the municipal self-government efficiency

The thirtieth anniversary of the return of local government at the municipal level to the Polish legal and constitutional order prompts various reflections and summaries. There is also time to ask questions about basic issues. Such is the question about the existence of permanent and durable elements in the institution of local self-government, not susceptible to changes in the economic, technological or cultural environment. They include, first of all: 1) the legal nature of the municipal self-government (in terms of public and private law); 2) general goals justifying its existence; or 3) the ways and methods of their implementation. Considering the utilitarian and praxeological context of the existence of local self-government, it is worth paying attention, above all, to those permanent elements that determine the task-related effectiveness of the municipality. They are in particular: 1) collective needs of the community; 2) cooperation of the municipality with other entities and 3) measures conditioning the implementation of tasks entrusted to the municipality. The above enumeration does not reflect the full list of determinants of the effectiveness of local government institutions, but nevertheless it seems reasonable to present a few comments and observations on the indicated elements, which could also be treated as a source of verifying the correctness of the choice made.

The Local Government System in Bangladesh: An Anatomy of Perspectives & Practices

Bangladesh inherited a colonial model of local government system as it was under the rule of the British Raj and Pakistan for 190 and 24 years respectively. As matter of fact, several attempts have been taken during various regimes since independence for strengthening local governments through decentralization. Despite those efforts, it has been broadly criticized for its over-centralization. Nonetheless, over the last few years, the country has been seen to go through some major reform efforts in strengthening the role and capacity of local government institutions (LGIs). More specifically, a range of decentralization programs and projects have been undertaken through the collaborative efforts of government and development partners. On this backdrop, this study attempts to analyze the local government system in Bangladesh, with the intent to identify whether the current local government system is constraining the performance of local governments. The study is qualitative in nature and data has been collected by reviewing various secondary sources adopting content analysis techniques. Drawing on the shreds of evidence from the available literature, the study argues that despite the recent decentralization initiatives, the current local government system in Bangladesh is in no way facilitating the pathways for the effective local governance of LGIs. Rather its functioning is inhibited for various underlying factors like- excessive deconcentration and delegation with limited devolution; Interfering role of MPs in local governance; conflicting functional assignment of LGIs and line agencies; inadequate resource mobilization and high central dependency; a dearth of adequate staffing in LGIs and absence of coherent legal framework.

INCREASING THRIVING AT WORK THROUGH WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY AMONG GOVERNMENT SERVANT IN PENANG, MALAYSIA

Creating sustainable performance emerged as a crucial issue for any profit and non-profit organization. In this complex and competitive environment, organizations should play a better role in encouraging their employees to thrive at work. Existing evidence from various industries confirmed that thriving at work contributed to organizational performance and helps to mitigate problems such as stress and turnover. This study relied on the socially embedded model to unravel the connection between meaningful work, sense of community, organizational values, and thriving at work. Survey data were gathered from government officers attached from four local government institutions in Malaysia. The analysis employed in the study were Descriptive, Pearson correlation, and Multiple Regression. The study found that thriving positively relates to meaningful work. However, the results surprisingly revealed that a sense of community and organizational values were not significantly related to thriving at work. Interpretations of results, implications, and future research are discussed. Thus, this study will benefit organizations as well as academic researchers.