Local Government Priorities Research Articles

Inclusion of ecosystem services in the management of municipal natural open space systems

Abstract Unprecedented urbanisation in the Global South is transforming natural urban landscapes, impacting on the ability of nature to provide essential ecosystem services. Within the context of pressures facing many urban natural open spaces, particularly in Africa, we used a local municipality in South Africa as a case study to (i) identify local government priorities for a natural open space system; (ii) develop an understanding of whether, and how, ecosystem services are considered by local government, and the reasons thereof; and (iii) ascertain the extent of proactive planning regarding regulating and other ecosystem services, including the temporal and spatial scales, and implications. In‐depth qualitative interviews (n = 12) were undertaken with senior municipal officials representing departments whose work impacts the environment. Municipal decision‐support documents were also analysed for any direct and/or indirect references to ecosystem services. Planning for, and management of, ecosystem services provided by natural open spaces is influenced by interwoven infrastructure, municipal service delivery and equity challenges, complex institutional constraints and poverty, with little focus on the socio‐economic opportunities and other benefits of natural open space systems. Values, perceptions and knowledge also influence the management of ecosystem services. The study contributes to understanding the opportunities and challenges for the future governance of natural open space in the Global South, which require explicit consideration in municipal planning, management and budgeting processes. Policy and management implications identified include prioritisation of the regulating functions provided by natural open space systems, pivotal to the urban resilience agenda; building on the inherent appreciation of nature features as city assets, while achieving socio‐economic upliftment; improved (on‐site) collaborative management of natural open spaces; and involvement of local government officials in the preparation and updating of environmental policies and decision‐support documents, to ensure skills and knowledge transfer and interest are entrenched in local government departments. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Adaptation planning for climate change: is the health and safety of rural women a priority for local government? a policy analysis

Adaptation planning for climate change: is the health and safety of rural women a priority for local government? a policy analysis

The Implementation of the Pancasila Economy to Empower MSMEs Post Pandemic Covid 19

Many industries have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, especially the economy. This economic impact is not only felt locally but even internationally. The marketing plan for MSMEs engaged in the creative economy sector, namely human activities in which individuals independently manage economic resources while being under the authority they control. MSMEs are currently changing their marketing tactics to advertise their products through online marketplaces in the era of globalization. To find out how a Pancasila-based economy that is transitioning to the digital era will be used and how local government priorities for MSMEs during a pandemic are the goals of this research. A literature study approach is used in this article to describe various books, journals, and internet publications. The study of the findings of this article shows that the growth of digital MSMEs and digital entrepreneurship in Indonesia amid the Covid pandemic has turned into a rescue solution. One of the solutions to ensure that MSMEs remain accessible during the Covid 19 pandemic is the establishment of digital MSMEs. Various MSME digitalization development projects in the Indonesian Pancasila digital economic ecosystem can accelerate the digital transformation process. During the Covid 19 outbreak, the creative economy sector adhered to a Pancasila-based economic system, and supporting elements for entrepreneurship included promotions, excellent service, customer appreciation, affiliation or partnerships, and social capital. keywords: digitalization; economy; globalization; pandemic; MSME

Motives for and Barriers to the Use of Electric Moped Scooter Sharing Services

Abstract In line with the concept of sustainable development, changes in various forms of urban transport have been observed over the past few years, and the implementation of low-emission transport solutions is becoming a priority for local government. One of the key changes observed worldwide taking place on the urban transport market is the dynamic development of various forms of shared micro-mobility. One of these forms are electric moped scooter sharing services and despite their rapid growth in popularity, the existing research contributions on determinants of the use of this micro-mobility mode are limited to only a few studies. The goal of this paper is to advance knowledge regarding the motives and barriers to the use of electric moped scooter sharing services. The paper discusses the results of a study that was carried out in 2021 on a sample of 352 Polish users of electric moped scooter sharing services. The most important reasons for using these services included the convenience of this mobility mode and no city parking costs. The biggest barriers in choosing this micro-mobility mode for Polish consumers were those related to the safety of use.

Vision and Market Segmentation in Urban Strategy through Marketing Approach: A Case Study of Sumy City

Abstract Competition for all kinds of resources has started among the Ukrainian cities and first of all for human capital. Therefore, a proper strategic planning is the uppermost priority for local governments. In this paper, the vision and market segmentation of the adopted strategy for the socio-economic development of the Ukrainian city of Sumy is analysed using the comparative method and content analysis. It aims to demonstrate that the city marketing approach towards strategy creation helps to make the strategy more concrete and visible. Existing city marketing strategies of Helsinki, Whitehorse, and North Port were used for comparison.

USING SCENARIO PLANNING TO ENHANCE COASTAL RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE: COMMUNITY FUTURES IN THE ESTUARINE LANDSCAPES OF BRISBANE WATER, CENTRAL COAST, AUSTRALIA

Abstract. Local governments face daunting urban planning challenges in the face of rapid population growth, increasing demand for affordable housing and climate change and divergent community perceptions. There is currently insufficient action to meet these formidable and dynamic challenges. Greater know-how and capacity development need to be invested in local planning and political authorities to promote knowledge-based action. More than two thirds of Australians reside along the coastal cities with over 15 million addresses across 544 local government areas at risk from coastal hazards from 2020 onwards (XDI, 2019). This makes it an urgent priority for local government to fast track adaptation planning for its residents in the low-lying hazard prone areas as well as Council services and infrastructure. In 2019, UNSW students from the Master of Urban Development and Design and Master of Landscape Architecture programs addressed these challenges within a design studio environment. In the studio they developed strategies for urban resilience for a network of five communities surrounding the Brisbane Waters on the Central Coast. The studio adopted an urban scenario planning approach using open source data and on-the-ground evidence to develop diverse community resilience strategies. For each community three scenarios were developed to test alternative urban design strategies and provide insight on possible contrasting futures. This paper demonstrates the benefit of evidence-based scenario planning for local authorities. Such approaches contextualise complex abstract problems and provide new insights for local climate adaptation in accessible and transparent ways. This proactive approach emphasises the need to build the urban design and planning capabilities of local authorities to enhance coastal adaption and resilience to climate change.

The COVID-19 pandemic: local to global implications as perceived by urban ecologists

The global COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, but in many different ways, stimulating contrasting reactions and responses: opportunities for some, difficulties for many. A simple survey of how individual workers in urban ecology have been coping with COVID-19 constraints found divergent responses to COVID-19 on people’s activities, both within countries and between continents. Many academics felt frustrated at being unable to do fieldwork, but several saw opportunities to change ways of working and review their engagement with the natural world. Some engaging with social groups found new ways of sharing ideas and developing aspirations without face-to-face contact. Practitioners creating and managing urban greenspaces had to devise ways to work and travel while maintaining social distancing. Many feared severe funding impacts from changed local government priorities. Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified issues, such as environmental injustice, disaster preparation and food security, that have been endemic in most countries across the global south in modern times. However, developing and sustaining the strong community spirit shown in many places will speed economic recovery and make cities more resilient against future geophysical and people-made disasters. Significantly, top-down responses and one-size-fits-all solutions, however good the modelling on which they are based, are unlikely to succeed without the insights that local knowledge and community understanding can bring. We all will have to look at disaster preparation in a more comprehensive, caring and consistent way in future.

Policies influencing the provision of healthy food and drinks in local government‐owned sport and recreation facilities in Victoria, Australia

ObjectiveSporting facilities owned or managed by local governments (LGs) can promote health by selling healthy food and drinks. This study assessed the policies, attitudes and practices of LGs in Victoria, Australia, relating to obesity prevention and the provision of healthy food in their sporting facilities. MethodsAn online survey was e‐mailed to all Victorian LGs (n=79) in July 2018. Questions assessed LGs' healthy food policies relating to sport and recreation facilities and the priority LGs give to obesity prevention. ResultsForty‐nine LGs (62%) completed the survey from July to November 2018. Obesity prevention and promotion of healthy food and drink were a moderate to high priority for councils. The priority LGs give to healthy food promotion was reported to have increased over the previous year in 55% of LGs. Those LGs in areas of higher socioeconomic position and located in major cities had made more healthy changes at their facilities. ConclusionObesity prevention is a priority for LGs, and they are making changes to improve the food environments in their sporting facilities. Greater support may be required for smaller LGs and those in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas to create healthier food environments. Implications for public healthMonitoring changes to healthy eating policies within council facilities is essential to understand how local government actions are contributing to obesity prevention.

Pollute first, control later? Exploring the economic threshold of effective environmental regulation in China's context

For most developing countries, local government faces a trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection. The intentions towards having a better environment as the economy grows will trigger a shift in the priorities of local government from economy to environment at a certain level of economic development. To investigate the “pollute first, control later” path in China and how environmental regulation performs differently due to economic development, this paper develops a conceptual model to depict the nexus between economic growth and environmental improvement. A panel threshold model is estimated based on Chinese data from different spatial scales – 30 provinces and 105 environmental monitoring cities. The results validate the threshold of economic development of approximately CNY 90,000 GDP per capita, which represents the turning point for the local government priority change; such that only when it is exceeded does environmental regulation significantly reduce emissions. Until 2016, only 4 provincial districts and 35 prefecture-level cities have crossed the threshold, these being mostly in the more prosperous eastern coastal areas. The results emphasize the need to consider timeliness when evaluating the effectiveness of environmental regulation and highlight the importance of adopting differentiated governance. Moreover, the need to enhance the effectiveness of environmental regulation requires driving the change of local government's priority to the environment and strengthening the institutional capacity of environmental protection agencies.

Prosecuting Procurement in the Russian Empire

Abstract Concern about the issue of forced prostitution reached its height in the Russian empire (as elsewhere in Europe and the Americas) at the turn of the twentieth century, as part of the wider international “white slave” panic. In 1909, new antiprocurement statutes were incorporated into the Russian empire’s Criminal Code to ensure that those who forced, coerced, or encouraged young women to enter the commercial sex industry felt the full force of the law. This article uses a case study of the Russian empire’s Estonian provinces (Estliand and Lifliand) to highlight the regional nature of Russian imperial experience. Prosecuting procurement was aligned with the priorities of local government, and the authorities in Revel’ (Tallinn) and Iu’rev (Tartu) used the issue of procurement to bolster their revenue. Here, the statutes gave the authorities additional tools for targeting individuals, such as managers of unlicensed brothels, who deprived the government of the income it generated from regulating the commercial sex industry. Drawing on court cases from the early 1910s, this article also examines the interaction of lower-class people with the state, their engagement with the legal system, their knowledge of the law, and the rhetorical strategies they employed to in their attempts to secure specific outcomes.

Road Safety – Is It a Local Government Priority? (What Does the Experience Suggest?)

As the road authority for the unclassified (i.e. local) roads in their local government area, councils have the legislated responsibility to manage their road infrastructure; this fundamentally includes the safety of road users on their networks. Almost 70% of the 392 fatalities on NSW roads in 2017 occurred on country roads (Transport for NSW, 2018). The contribution of the local road network to road trauma across Australasia is significant with over half (52%) of all fatal and serious injuries recorded on roads that are the sole responsibility of local government (McTiernan et. al., 2016). Governments at all levels - Local, State and Federal – can no longer ignore the contribution of local roads to the national tragedy and trauma occurring each year. Without a concerted effort by all tiers of government to address road safety performance on the vast local road network, Australia will not achieve the 30% reduction target in fatal and serious injuries as set out in the National Road Safety Plan. Unfortunately, the current status for managing safety on local roads sees a myriad of systemic hurdles and failures that ultimately result in local government not making road safety a genuine priority. But what is required to change this situation? Two case studies are presented to assist a discussion about some of the systemic failures that contribute to local councils not taking, or not being able to take, action to make road safety a genuine priority.

Victorian local government priority for Aboriginal health and wellbeing: a mixed-methods study.

The aim of this study is to identify if Victorian local governments prioritise Aboriginal health and wellbeing issues through policy and explore the key factors influencing policy and program development and implementation. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study design utilised a survey to quantify commitment to Aboriginal health policy followed by in-depth interviews that explored how and why policy or programs were in place. Data were analysed separately and then interpreted together. Representatives from 39 of Victoria's 79 local governments (49%) responded to the survey and 14 were interviewed. Seventy-four per cent had policy and programs addressing Aboriginal health and wellbeing. The key factors influencing policy and program development were: (i) the process of policy and program development and implementation and the role of other policies; (ii) the influence of Aboriginal community characteristics; and (iii) advocacy for Aboriginal health and wellbeing. Underpinning these factors was that local government is 'working together (in partnership and through collaboration) towards reconciliation'. Victorian local governments that participated in this study appear to prioritise Aboriginal health and wellbeing, especially where collaboration with the Aboriginal community is strong. The effect of policies and their subsequent programs on the health of Aboriginal peoples warrants further exploration.

Is Aboriginal nutrition a priority for local government? A policy analysis.

The present study aimed to explore how Australian local governments prioritise the health and well-being of Aboriginal populations and the extent to which nutrition is addressed by local government health policy. In the state of Victoria, Australia, all seventy-nine local governments' public health policy documents were retrieved. Inclusion of Aboriginal health and nutrition in policy documents was analysed using quantitative content analysis. Representation of Aboriginal nutrition 'problems' and 'solutions' was examined using qualitative framing analysis. The socio-ecological framework was used to classify the types of Aboriginal nutrition issues and strategies within policy documents. Victoria, Australia. Local governments' public health policy documents (n 79). A small proportion (14 %, n 11) of local governments addressed Aboriginal health and well-being in terms of nutrition. Where strategies aimed at nutrition existed, they mostly focused on individual factors rather than the broader macroenvironment. A limited number of Victorian local governments address nutrition as a health issue for their Aboriginal populations in policy documents. Nutrition needs to be addressed as a community and social responsibility rather than merely an individual 'behaviour'. Partnerships are required to ensure Aboriginal people lead government policy development.

Benchmarking local public libraries using non-parametric frontier methods: A case study of Flanders

Being faced with significant budget cuts and continual pressure to do more with less, issues of efficiency and effectiveness became a priority for local governments in most countries. In this context, benchmarking is widely acknowledged as a powerful tool for local performance management and for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of local service delivery. Performance benchmarking exercises are regularly carried out using ratio analysis, by comparing single indicators. Since this approach offers only limited assessments in absolute terms, it is difficult for decision-makers to track and improve overall performance. Therefore, the use of non-parametric frontier methods, namely free disposal hull (FDH) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) is presented as an alternative technique for benchmarking the performance of organizations in relative terms. The potential applications and strengths of these non-parametric frontier methods for benchmarking the efficiency of local public services are highlighted by applying FDH and DEA techniques to the local public libraries in Flanders. Incorporating all possible paths of expansion – both in space and in time – enables a focus on sustainability within efficiency benchmarking.

New CLGF Four-Year Grant to Help Local Government Service Delivery and Boost CLGF’s Research Capacity

The UK Department for International Development (UK AID) has agreed £4.5 million funding for a four-year CLGF programme to improve governance and service delivery at local level in several areas of the Commonwealth including Africa and Asia from 2012-16. It will also help to support national policy frameworks for local government service delivery, and increase engagement of local government in regional policy planning and implementation. CLGF will continue to work with its members, UN partners and others to mobilise more resources towards the support of local government in the Commonwealth. The new programme will focus on local government pilot projects in LED, supporting ministries and local government associations in strengthening their national policy making for local government, and establish regional forums to enable local government to engage in and influence regional policy making to reflect the needs and priorities of local government. It will also boost CLGF’s research capacity with targeted research to strengthen CLGF’s policy making and advocacy, including more sustained engagement in international policy debates on key issues affecting local government, such as climate change.

Insights on the Definition of an Agenda for ICT Development in Municipal Governments: A Reference Model

In this paper is studied the situation regarding the usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in local e-governments. The methodology consists of a model based on successful case studies in different municipalities around the world and the study of different administrative regulations of information Technologies. This reference model is intended to be used as a primary tool to generate the foundation of the agenda for ICT development in municipal governments. Therefore it can also be used as a support and as an orderly tool for the implementation of municipal work plans in ICT. Through the use of the proposed model the local governments may generate standardization and interoperability between governmental offices, but also becoming an integrated tool to generate a full perspective from three different angles; the citizens or users of municipal services, the designer and implementers, and the relation between regulations and norms with the particular situation of each municipality. The present paper is part of a broader research in which the following is analyzed: first, the needs for ICT implementation in a municipality, second, the availability of information technology services, and third, the degree of application of Information Technologies in the municipal government for exercising e-government. For the study, the following variables are considered: the particularities of each municipality from the user's point of view, the implementer's perspective, the administration of Information Technology norms and the conditions presented in the municipality to access to the available technology. From this analysis a series of indicators are obtained. Such pointers are useful to determine the access that the citizens have to technology, services and web applications. This research also includes a proposal for managing the current local government priorities, through a comparative analysis with a reference indicator that will show the main areas that should be addressed when generating the particular agenda for ICT development in each municipality.

Policy change to create supportive environments for physical activity and healthy eating: which options are the most realistic for local government?

The objective is to identify and test regulatory options for creating supportive environments for physical activity and healthy eating among local governments in Victoria, Australia. A literature review identified nine potential areas for policy intervention at local government level, including the walking environment and food policy. Discussion documents were drafted which summarized the public health evidence and legal framework for change in each area. Levels of support for particular interventions were identified through semi-structured interviews conducted with key informants from local government. We conducted 11 key informant interviews and found support for policy intervention to create environments supportive of physical activity but little support for policy changes to promote healthy eating. Participants reported lack of relevance and competing priorities as reasons for not supporting particular interventions. Promoting healthy eating environments was not considered a priority for local government above food safety. There is a real opportunity for action to prevent obesity at local government level (e.g. mandate the promotion of healthy eating environments). For local government to have a role in the promotion of healthy food environments, regulatory change and suitable funding are required.

What Does Sustainability Mean to City Officials?

Sustainability has become a popular concept influencing the work of community and economic development officials in city governments. However, the term sustainability lacks conceptual clarity, and a variety of programs could advance sustainability goals. Given this problem, this study asks, What does sustainability mean to city economic development officials? Q-methodology is used to identify which aspects of sustainability are most important to a sample of city officials in the San Francisco Bay Area. Three patterns of importance were identified, exhibiting emphases on urban design, traditional economic development, and civic engagement. Understanding the multiple meanings of sustainability for local government officials will be critical as city officials seek to advance this new priority for local governments and as scholars evaluate the implementation of urban sustainability programs.

Government Ability and Sustainable Development

Compared with the traditional development model, sustainable development embodies more public and long-term tendency in its goal and content. This means government ability will face more challenges. “Kaldor-Hicks Improvement” principle supplies a frame for government implementing sustainable development and going to “Pareto Improvement”, and decides that the core of government ability is institution supply ability. In order to fully exert government ability, institution arrangement should obey four basic principles of market priority, local government priority, public participation and legalization.

Effective Regulations with Little Effect? The Antecedents of the Perceptions of Environmental Officials on Enforcement Effectiveness in China

Enforcement gaps are an especially vexing problem in China due to pervasive "pro-growth" local government priorities, the weak administrative capacity of environmental agencies themselves, and relatively weak levels of societal support for a cleaner environment. This study seeks to examine this problem from the perspective of the local enforcement officials by empirically examining the relationships between these and other influences on their perceptions of enforcement effectiveness. Using samples of enforcement officials from the fast-growing cities of Chengdu, Dalian, and Guangzhou, this study finds that many of the more commonly cited problems related to regulatory enforcement were not as influential in accounting for variations in perceptions of enforcement effectiveness than the current literature might suggest. Moreover, this study also finds that the pattern of influences varies greatly across jurisdictions, with only the officials' belief in the legitimacy of the governments' policies being significant in all three samples. Strong influences on perceptions of enforcement effectiveness in two of the three samples include the environmental values of enforcement officials, their perceptions of organizational capacity for enforcement, and their assessment of government support for environmental protection. Although government support was found to be a strong predictor of enforcement effectiveness in two of the three samples, the influence of societal support had a somewhat mixed and more complicated effect. In addition, this study suggests that further improvements in enforcement effectiveness may be possible by cultivating or selecting enforcement officials with strong environmental values and beliefs in the legitimacy of the government's environmental policy to take charge of enforcement. Because it is generally accepted that local environmental protection bureaus are generally upgrading their organizational capacity for improvement as the result of increasing central government support for environmental protection and institutional restructuring, and because environmental awareness in China is growing, this study suggests that some incremental progress is likely in China's efforts to close the enforcement gap. Unfortunately, such improvements are likely to be masked by the steep trajectory of economic growth, the narrow scope of regulatory control (i.e., with scant attention paid to nonindustrial sources), and the migration of industrial pollution to rural areas.