Local Institutions Research Articles

Fund Allocation Between the Central and Local Government and Its Impact on the Local Public Service Delivery: The Case of Chittagong City Corporation, Bangladesh

This study examines how Central–local relations, mainly the financial control of the Central government, impact the local public service delivery of the local government institutions, particularly the city corporation in Bangladesh. The case study method has been employed to study the impact for which the semi-structured questionnaires for interviews were used mainly to collect qualitative data from one of the oldest city corporations in Bangladesh, Chittagong City Corporation (CCC). A total of 117 respondents were included from three diverse groups: elected representatives, government officials and citizens from the survey area. The study reveals that central–local relationships, particularly the Central government’s financial control, severely impact the CCC’s service delivery in five significant sectors: waste management, streetlighting, infrastructure construction and maintenance, education and health care services. This research concludes with some policy recommendations that will be helpful to the policymaking community not only in Bangladesh but also in other South Asian countries.

There and back again: local institutions, an Uruk expansion and the rejection of centralisation in the Sirwan/Upper Diyala region

During the fourth millennium BC, public institutions developed at several large settlements across greater Mesopotamia. These are widely acknowledged as the first cities and states, yet surprisingly little is known about their emergence, functioning and demise. Here, the authors present new evidence of public institutions at the site of Shakhi Kora in the lower Sirwan/upper Diyala river valley of north-east Iraq. A sequence of four Late Chalcolithic institutional households precedes population dispersal and the apparent regional rejection of centralised social forms of organisation that were not then revisited for almost 1500 years.

Local democratic resistance to autocratisation: evidence from Budapest, Banja Luka, and Zagreb

ABSTRACT Local opposition forces often win local elections in key cities in autocratising countries. However, we still know too little about the interplay between local and national regime developments. The paper unpacks these subnational processes, with new evidence from three case studies in Southeastern and Central Europe: Budapest, Banja Luka, and Zagreb. We systematise a corpus of 26 semi-structured interviews with local experts, activists, and politicians to examine how city-based oppositions can resist autocratisation through three strategies: building coalitions and leaderships, leveraging local institutions, and enhancing media presence and alternative rhetoric. We also examine the incumbent’s response to such local democratic resistance. Our findings illustrate that, even though autocratising agents in the central government retain important levers of power that could limit opposition spillovers, such victories in large cities can provide opposition actors with new channels of resistance from below that could help contain autocratisation.

The Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the City of Durrës as a Challenge for Local and Central Institutions, with a Focus on the Recognition and Practical Implementation of Legal Procedures and Normative Acts in Order to Preserve and Develop Cultural He

The damage done to the archaeological property of the city of Durrës is one of the major damages caused to our cultural heritage after the 90s. The reconstruction projects of buildings destroyed by the earthquake in Durrës, financed by the Albanian Development Fund, are being carried out without archaeological monitoring, destroying traces of ancient monuments. According to the law on cultural heritage, constructions that are carried out in areas with high archaeological intensity, such as the "Dyrrah" boulevard in Durrës, must be monitored by archaeologists, but in the case of the 6-story building, this control was missing. The creation of genuine scientific studies about all the archaeological materials and the very rich cultural heritage of the city of Durres, organizing publications, monographs, articles, inside and outside the country, of the cultural values that the city of Durres carries, the organization of joint workshops with universities different in the Balkans and wider, where the University of Durrës in cooperation with the relevant Departments to promote these studies, through the cooperation of pedagogues - specialists in the field of archeology and Cultural Heritage, in cooperation with the Institute of Albanian Albanology, to enrich the library of the city with studies Durrës and the National Library. According to the law on cultural heritage, constructions that are carried out in areas with high archaeological intensity, such as the "Dyrrah" boulevard in Durrës, must be monitored by archaeologists, but in the case of the 6-story building, this control was missing. Received: 12 August 2024 / Accepted: 30 October 2024 / Published: 3 December 2024

Religiosity and Scientificity: The Transformation of Missionary Anthropology in the West China Border Research Society (1922–1950)

Religiosity and scientificity have long been intertwined in missionary anthropology. Since the 20th century, there has been a shift from religious missionary anthropology to scientific anthropology worldwide. Reviewing published materials and archives, this paper provides a case study of this transformation. It focuses on how the foreign missionary-founded West China Border Research Society transformed from a relatively closed and fixed local Christian academic research institution into a more open, international, and purely scientific research institution disciplined by Christian rationality. It sheds some new light into the Society’s roles and its transformation process. Contrary to the views of many scholars who assert that the Society “died” in 1937 and subsequently engaged in China’s state service and nation-building efforts, we contend that after 1937, the Society sought greater independence and a more scientific approach. Christianity dominated the Society in the early stages after its inception in 1922 in Chengdu, China, and its research results could not be objective or scientific. Although the Society later became more open and globalized, missionary anthropologists still mainly controlled it. After 1937, missionary anthropologists returned to religious rationality under the pressure of being connected to global academia. The Society eventually adopted “salvage anthropology” and tried to develop into a scientific research institution aimed at objective recording, while this somewhat rigid research approach also disciplined and suppressed the nationalist research orientation of Chinese colleagues and scholars. In response, Chinese researchers established other institutions and journals with stronger nationalism and undertook the “border construction work” that the Society could not accomplish.

The Influence of Discipline and Work Ethics, as well as Work Environment, on Employee Performance through Job Satisfaction as an Intervening Variable among Employees of the East Kutai Regional House of Representatives

This study aims to analyze the impact of work discipline, work ethics, and work environment on job satisfaction, as well as their effect on employee performance among employees of the East Kutai Regency DPRD. The research employs a quantitative approach with a descriptive format, utilizing a saturated sampling technique on a population of 101 employees. Data were collected through fieldwork research and library research. The findings reveal that work discipline has a significant positive effect on job satisfaction, while work ethics shows a positive but insignificant effect. The work environment significantly enhances job satisfaction. Additionally, job satisfaction significantly influences performance, as do work discipline, work ethics, and work environment. Notably, work discipline positively impacts performance through job satisfaction, while work ethics has a positive but insignificant effect through job satisfaction. The study's limitations include the relatively small sample size and focus on a specific population, which may limit the generalizability of the results to broader contexts. Organizations should focus on improving work discipline and the work environment to enhance job satisfaction, ultimately boosting employee performance. This research contributes to understanding the relationships between work discipline, work ethics, work environment, job satisfaction, and employee performance, particularly within the context of local government institutions in Indonesia.

Exploring Academic Perspectives for Enhancing Geopark Potentials in Cianjur: A Viewpoint Study

Abstract This study investigates how academic institutions can contribute to enhancing the geopark potential of Gunung Padang in Cianjur, Indonesia. As a significant megalithic site in Southeast Asia, Gunung Padang combines geological and cultural heritage, offering valuable opportunities for geotourism and education. However, limited research and awareness hinder the full realization of these assets. This research focuses on perspectives within the Islamic boarding school community, particularly Al Kautsar Islamic Boarding School, to understand local perceptions of the site’s potential as a tourism destination. Using literature reviews and key informant interviews, the study analyzes the role of local educational institutions in promoting environmental stewardship and community involvement. By integrating geopark concepts into educational curricula, these institutions can foster sustainable development, bridging cultural preservation with economic growth through tourism.

Chinese Broadcast Students and Envisionment of the Physical Characteristics of Male Antagonists in Film

Positive values, often universal in nature, foster a strong audience connection with protagonists in visual content. Conversely, antagonists, usually driven by culturally specific fears, struggle to resonate as deeply. While studies of antagonists in visual content, particularly films, tend to focus on physical portrayals and broad thematic meanings, limited research has explored the early stages of content creation and the creators' perspectives. This study bridges the gap by delving into how aspiring future content creators, specifically Chinese content creators, conceptualise and intend to portray antagonists in their envisioned visual content. The research focused on seven selected Chinese students studying for a broadcasting degree programme at a local private higher education institution in Kuala Lumpur and explored the nature of the physical characteristics envisioned for male antagonists, the underlying reasons behind these visions, and their possible sources. Utilising qualitative content analysis, the study conducted text-based interviews via Google Chat with seven selected participants over three months between July and September 2023. The findings revealed that media consumption exerts a significant influence over the participants' perceptions of the physical traits towards the portrayal of the male antagonists in visual content. Familial media consumption habits were the primary influence during their formative years. As the participants moved towards self-selected media content, it assumed a more prominent role in shaping their perceptions. Race-based or religion-based cultural factors did not appear to have a substantial influence on their portrayals. This study suggests that the nature of family media consumption culture and the later shift towards self-directed media consumption warrant further investigation.

The Challenge of Attaining Resilient Local Structures in Grassroots Peacebuilding: A Study of Post-1994/95 Peacebuilding in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT This article explores the nexus between grassroots peacebuilding and resilient local structures for sustainable peace in the Global South. The burgeoning critical peace scholarship has broadly established a positive link between bottom-up approaches to peacebuilding and the effective mobilisation of local actors and procedures, to promote participation and ownership, enabling the resilience of local structures for sustained peace. Yet, the related debates have yielded inadequate knowledge on the connection between the countless cases of grassroots peacebuilding and the potential for resilience in some of the most notorious conflict-affected and grassroots peacebuilding contexts. This article relies on resilience as a theoretical framework to examine semi-structured interviews and relevant literature on how grassroots peacebuilding processes in northern Ghana affect local institutions for peace. The central finding is that while the post-1994/1995 initiative of grassroots peacebuilding in northern Ghana laid a promising foundation of local infrastructure for peace, the potential link between bottom-up approaches and resilience is impeded because the civil society-led peacebuilding processes failed to establish a sustained local peace infrastructure beyond the negotiations and cessation of the conflict, which is understood within the prevailing complex local structures coupled with NGOs’ technical impediments. The article contributes theoretical and empirical understanding of the limited success of the decades of bottom-up peacebuilding efforts in northern Ghana. This provides a vital nuance to the growing discourses on grassroots peacebuilding in the area, while offering important lessons for similar Global South contexts.

Digitized Disciplinary System and Social Disenchantment An Analysis of Chinas Social Credit System

With the advancement in technology and big data in recent years, disciplinary systems present an increasing tendency towards digitization. Chinas digital Social Credit system, established to evaluate individuals, businesses, and local institutions trustworthiness, serves as a typical model. Through the lens of Michel Foucaults account of disciplinary power and Max Webers account of rationality and disenchantment, the paper is directed to analyze Chinas digital credit systems implications on the publics moral governance rights. Admittedly, the digital scoring system offers advantages in regard to social stability and public utility; it is suitable to Chinas ideological, historical, and geographical character. However, its digital mass surveillance, through fusing value and instrumental rationality and oversimplifying morality, aggravates the spiritual crisis of disenchantment. In return, the collective disenchantment of the public leads to problematic social and political consequences. In response, the paper offers legislative and propagandize related policy suggestions to allay the undesirable outcomes of digital discipline.

Gambling outlets as agents of local area disorganization: Crime and local institutions, the case of the UK

Amid growing public and policy concerns there is a great need for a systematic analysis of the relationship between commodity industries and social disorganization. Using data from the ONS, the UK Census, the UK Police Street-level Crime Dataset, and the POI Ordnance Survey, we analyse the association between gambling outlets as an example of a commodity industry and crime events across England and Wales and explore the possibility of a heterogeneous effect dependent upon the level of deprivation and residential stability of an area. Our findings show that gambling outlets are significantly and positively associated with different types of crime even when controlling for other businesses, the areas’ demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Small businesses provide distinctive shielding effects – in areas of high density of small business owners, there is no significant correlation between crime types and gambling density. Our results have significant policy implications.

Good Corporate Governance Principles and Performance of Local Finance Institutions

The purpose of this research is to find empirical results on the influence of GCG principles on the performance of local finance institutions in Bali. The local finance institution in Bali is popular called Lembaga Perkreditan Desa (LPD). The GCG principles used in this study are transparency, accountability, responsibility, independence, and fairness. The population in this study was 557 employees. There are 102 respondents collected using the purposive sampling method which consists of the head of LPD, the head of the supervisory board, and the head of the accounting of each LPD in Denpasar. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression analysis. The research results show that independence positively influences the performance of LPD. In contrast, transparency, accountability, responsibility, and fairness do not affect LPD performance. The LPD’s management has an important role in increasing the principle of independence because independence has the most dominant influence on the performance of LPD in Denpasar

Strategi Kodam III/Siliwangi dalam Pemberdayaan Wilayah Pertahanan untuk Ketahanan Nasional

Strengthening Indonesia's national defense in facing various threats, both physical and non-physical. This strengthening includes the modernization of military equipment, community empowerment through territorial development programs, and increased coordination between regions. Kodam III/Siliwangi plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the West Java and Banten regions, especially in the face of the threat of terrorism, natural disasters, and cyber attacks. This study aims to analyze the strategy of Kodam III/Siliwangi in empowering land defense areas to realize national resilience. The focus of the research includes the modernization of military equipment, community empowerment through territorial development programs, and improved coordination between regions to deal with various threats, both physical and non-physical. Kodam III/Siliwangi, as the subject of the research, plays a strategic role in maintaining the stability of the West Java and Banten regions, especially in dealing with the threat of terrorism, natural disasters, and cyber attacks. The research method used is qualitative descriptive with SWOT analysis. The results of the study show that Kodam III/Siliwangi implements an aggressive strategy through optimizing disaster-resilient infrastructure, strengthening cyber capacity, and continuous human resource training, thereby increasing operational readiness in facing physical and digital threats. Collaboration with local governments, educational institutions, and research strengthens integrated defense planning. In addition, local economic development through partnerships with the private sector and community empowerment supports social and economic stability, making the region more adaptive to various conventional and non-conventional challenges.

Understanding English learners’ experiences of their teacher’s self-directed navigation of education policies

ABSTRACT This study reports on students’ experiences of their instructor’s self-directed enactment of education policies. Informed by a qualitative study approach, the study drew on diverse data sources related to an English reading class and an English writing class taught by the same instructor at a Chinese university. The data sources included interviews with students, students’ reflections, and field notes on students’ learning activities. The qualitative analysis of the data showed that when their instructor was continually overcoming the constraints of the local institution and making self-directed efforts in line with national policies during his teaching, the students, on the whole, gained positive experiences through the in-class teaching and their own learning. However, they seemed to focus their attention primarily on the actual teaching and learning rather than caring about the policy and the strategies employed to enact it, and their experiences were sensitive to diverse factors. The study sheds light on the students’ positive yet complex experiences when they were exposed to the instructor’s self-directed attempts to bridge the gap between education policy and teaching in a local context.

“To protect and serve” … and rule: constitutional sheriffs and the emergence of far-right extremism within local politics

ABSTRACT This paper explores the emergence of far-right extremism within local political institutions in the United States. Building on theories of intergroup contact and group threat, I hypothesize a set of community socio-demographic conditions which may foster public support for far-right extremism, and test these using a database of county sheriffs who aligned themselves with the constitutional sheriff movement – a movement closely tied to white nationalism – between 2012 and 2022. Findings offer support for both contact and threat dynamics; however, which relationship prevails depends on a novel optimal contact condition, where the likelihood of a constitutional sheriff is highest at particular levels of demographic diversity. Additionally, results indicate threat dynamics sourced from economic status, but opportunities for positive outgroup interactions and faster demographic diversification appear to build resilience against extremism. Notably, all identified associations are driven by racial rather than nativity-based dynamics, which I suggest is likely due to the nationalization of anti-immigrant narratives inducing perceived, over experiential, threats. These findings have important implications for understanding the local dynamics of far-right extremism and the infiltration of fringe ideologies into political institutions.

Re-Imagining Transformative Strategies to End Minority Marginalization in Ethiopia

Abstract Since 1991, Ethiopia embarked on a journey to create an ethnically egalitarian state, aiming to rectify historical injustices and protect minority rights. Ironically, what was meant to be a beacon of equality has turned into a pervasive experience of minority marginalization. This stark reality underscores the failures of the existing legal and institutional frameworks. This article, therefore, critically examine the transformative strategies to end marginalization of minorities in Ethiopia. The study employed a qualitative research approach blending both primary and secondary data sources. The findings revealed that the failures of existing constitutional promises and institutional frameworks regarding the protection of minority rights, necessitating re-imaginations of transformative strategies. The study advocates for the progression of national and local minority rights institutions, the implementation of transitional justice measures, the instigation of electoral reforms, and the decentralization of power. Furthermore, the establishment of minority autonomous governance and the augmentation of local government capacity are recommended. Additionally, the formation of national minority councils, accentuating parliamentary endorsement for legislative reforms by minority representatives and public service reform is suggested to enhance minority employment opportunities. Lastly, the study recommended equal media access to promote the political participation and freedom of expression of marginalized minority groups.

November 12 - World Pneumonia Day

World Pneumonia Day is celebrated annually on November 12. It appeared on the calendar at the initiative of the Global Coalition against Childhood Pneumonia. This is the name of the association of international, governmental, non-governmental and local organizations, research and educational institutions, foundations and citizen activists. The coalition aims to bring the problem of pneumonia to the attention of government officials, health professionals and potential donors of financial resources. In 2009, the World Health Organization, together with UNICEF, announced a «Global Action Plan for the prevention and Control of Pneumonia.» The purpose of this plan is to intensify the fight against pneumonia through combined measures to protect children, prevent and treat the disease.

Perspective on The Impact of The First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmic Residency Training in Nigeria

Background: To describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmic residency training in Nigeria, as experienced by trainers in their local institutions during the first 12 months of the pandemic. Methods: A nationwide, cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among ophthalmology trainers in accredited ophthalmic residency training institutions in Nigeria during the 13th month of the pandemic (April 2021). Results: A total of 162 trainers from 30 training institutions responded, yielding a response rate of 63%. The mean age of respondents was 51.3 ± 8.6 years. Respondents were affiliated with federal government-owned hospitals (71%), state government-owned hospitals (20.4%), and mission/private hospitals (8.6%). Trainers reported that COVID-19 had a ‘very severe’ or ‘severe’ negative impact on various aspects of training, including surgical skills transfer (73.5%), clinical skills transfer (48.8%), refraction training (46.3%), soft skills transfer (38.2%), and research training (37.6%) in the first year of the pandemic. Facilities for online learning were available to 125 trainers (77%), while 31 trainers (19%) had access to surgical simulation facilities, 32 trainers (20%) used teleophthalmology, and 68 trainers (42%) had access to Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Teleophthalmology and EMR facilities were more available to trainers in private or mission centers compared to those in publicly-owned training institutions. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significantly negative impact on ophthalmic residency training in Nigeria, with surgical training being the most affected area. Online learning technologies played an essential role in mitigating some of these impacts.

The Nexus Between Financial Literacy and Saving Performance: Implications for Creating Self‐Financing Society

ABSTRACTMaking informed and effective savings decisions requires adequate knowledge and skills about saving products. This knowledge and skills are acquired through financial literacy (FL) training. Despite the existence of various local financial institutions and their efforts to encourage saving mobilization, domestic savings in many developing countries remain low due to low levels of FL. Using a nonrandomized, quasi‐experimental design method, with a sample of 328 saving and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) from Ethiopia, we investigated whether SACCOs providing FL for their education and Savings Committee members report improved saving performance than their counterparts not offering FL. We used administrative data and conducted our analysis at the institutional level. Our result from a combination of difference‐in‐difference and propensity score matching (DiD‐PSM) estimations reveals that FL training plays a decisive role in boosting SACCOs' saving performance. The DiD‐PSM result further shows, compared to controlled SACCOs, treated SACCOs have been successful in acquiring new net saver members and encouraging current members to increase their deposits. Besides, the implications of our findings for financial self‐reliance are discussed. To improve saving performance, policy initiatives promoting FL training in SACCOs are required.

Institutional Strengthening in Supporting Ecotourism Development in the Branca Area Tourist Area, Dili-Timor Leste

The community service program aimed to strengthen institutional capacity in supporting the development of ecotourism in the Area Branca, Dili, Timor Leste. This research focused on assessing community participation and collaboration among stakeholders, including local government and businesses, to enhance tourism management. Using a qualitative methodology, the study employed observations and focus group discussions conducted between June and August 2024. The findings indicate limited community involvement and weak institutional frameworks as significant barriers to tourism development. Strengthening local institutions and fostering partnerships with external stakeholders were proposed as strategic solutions to enhance tourism management. The results imply potential long-term benefits for local economic growth and sustainable tourism development.