Local Public Services Research Articles

Country, sector and method effects in studying remunicipalization: a meta-analysis

A growing literature demonstrates increasing remunicipalization of local public services. Yet, while this literature is becoming extensive, many debates still exist about remunicipalization’s causes. This article reports the findings of a meta-analysis of the remunicipalization literature, focusing on the question: how do country, sector and method effects affect the findings of remunicipalization studies? I include articles on remunicipalization under different terms (‘remunicipalization’, ‘reverse privatization’, ‘insourcing’ and ‘contracting in’), using a large range of methods (case studies, surveys and document analysis) and covering a large period (1995–2019). I find 30 causes of remunicipalization that are considered and found in the literature. Political and pragmatic factors appear to be most frequently considered and found as causes of remunicipalization in the literature; environmental factors are less often considered but seem highly relevant. Moreover, I uncover large differences between the qualitative and quantitative literatures. I offer a research agenda to allow greater future synthesis in the remunicipalization literature.Points for practitionersThe literature on remunicipalization is highly fragmented and remunicipalization can have many different causes. Remunicipalization appears to be both a political and a pragmatic trend, but the literature is still too fragmented to know for sure. Be aware of the potential biases and limitations in current research on (causes of) remunicipalization.

Rethinking vaccine hesitancy among minority groups

Rethinking vaccine hesitancy among minority groups

Establishment and associated factors of health records among young Chinese migrants

BackgroundMost Chinese migrants have been faced with obstacles to getting access to local public health services. Young migrants among internal migrants make a major contribution to the economy. However, the establishment of their health records has been ignored. This research was aimed at exploring the status and associated factors of the establishment of health records among young Chinese migrants.MethodsData were obtained from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were performed to investigate the associated factors of the establishment of health records among young Chinese migrants.ResultsApproximately 30.2% of young migrants had their health records established in inflow communities. Urban residence, medical insurance (insured), and lower average monthly household income were attributed to the establishment of more health records. Young migrants who were in northeast China and across provinces and immigrated for working or engaging in trade were less likely to have health records established. Young migrants who participated in social activities and public affairs activities and took type of people in touch as natives in the inflow area showed a higher possibility of establishing health records. Meanwhile, receiving health education and hearing about national basic public health services (BPHSs) were beneficial for establishing the health records of more young migrants.ConclusionThis study showed that the health records of young migrants had a relatively low establishment rate. Sociodemographic and migration characteristics, health status, public health services, and social integration factors were all related to the health record establishment of young Chinese migrants.

Forme alternative de gestionare a serviciilor publice locale în Republica Moldova

The paper’s author analyzes several alternative options for local public services management in the Republic of Moldova, based on current legal framework and existing administrative practice. For this purpose, the need to choose an alternative management option was analyzed; alternative options were listed; and an analysis of each option was performed. The paper’s perceived need emerged from an existing situation, typical for the Moldovan local government, where management can only be one of the two traditional ones - direct or delegated, both generating enough problems (studied by the author in other publications). However, local government is often unaware of the fact that it has other perfectly legal alternative options. A reflection chart is included at the end of the paper in order to help local government select the optimum management option when it comes to the public services delivery.

Sustainable Mobility and the Institutional Lock-In: The Example of Rural France

Sustainable mobility issues in rural areas, compared with urban mobility issues, have so far been poorly covered in the French and European public debate. However, local mobility issues are determining factors in territorial inequalities, regional development and ecological transition. This paper is based on preliminary findings of qualitative socio-anthropological fieldwork carried out in two rural departments of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: Drôme and Ardèche. Our objective is to highlight how the question of sustainable local mobility is linked to governance issues and multiple overlapping institutions. We argue that analyzing stakeholders’ strategies and territorial governance is key to understanding the contemporary dynamics surrounding a transition towards a more sustainable mobility in rural areas. In order to do so, we show how the debates surrounding the adoption of a law allowing for the transfer of responsibility to local authorities for the organization of mobility services reveals the complexity of local mobility governance in rural areas and provides material for the analysis of the logics of stakeholder engagement, cooperation and conflict within the field of sustainable mobility. Through the case study of the organization of a local public transport service in a rural area, we shed light on the action of multiple stakeholders and their potentially antagonistic objectives.

Efficient municipal consolidation and local public spending: a theoretical approach

ABSTRACT This paper analyses whether municipal consolidation decreases local public spending, using the local public goods model. First, the conditions under which municipal consolidation achieves efficient allocation are shown. Then, this paper shows that one effect of municipal consolidation is to expand local public services and not to reduce local public expenditure.

Local Public Services Delivery Mechanisms: A Literature Review

The paper presents a literature review about local public services delivery mechanisms like: in-house provisions, privatization, and inter-municipal cooperation. The aim of this paper is to review the development of the studied field, to find out which delivery mechanism dominates in a certain period of time, and to review which economic research focus dominates in the studied field. Possible effects on the economies of scale, costs reductions, efficiency, and other economic-political-institutional-social factors in the provision of local public services are scrutinized, using a content analysis breakdown. Results show that most studies are country studies and empirical studies in increasing numbers in recent years. The choice of local public services delivery mechanisms are mostly influenced by the size of the local government, the efficiency of service provision, the resources available, and the institutional framework. Politics and market competition also play a role in the decision-making process.

Egyptian small and medium sized enterprises’ battle against COVID-19 pandemic: March–July 2020

Purpose The impact of COVID-19 outbreak freeze economic actors and hold innovative startups. This triggered the researchers to investigate the effect of the pandemic on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt and how do these start-ups deal on the whole with this serious situation. Design/methodology/approach The research in hand used both qualitative and quantitative methods. It started first with semi-structured interview questions addressed to a number of participants, then a quantitative study took place, ending with conclusion and recommendations. Findings There is an agreement among all participants that entrepreneurs should always be flexible and seek for investments in innovation. However, there is a discrepancy among participants’ opinions regarding the measurements taken by the Egyptian Government post the pandemic outbreak. Research limitations/implications The field study results and the exploratory research results would have come out more accurate if it was not confined only to geographical limitation (Cairo Governorate). Practical implications The research in hand suggests that practical measurements should not only provide first aid to start-ups by alleviating the pressure caused by constrained cash flow but also consider long-term measures embedded in and supported by the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure start-ups rapid recovery and growth. Social implications SMEs attribute to social and economic change and have an impact on the local public and social services sector as a result of the business’s activities. Originality/value This study first illustrates the challenges entrepreneurs are facing because of the pandemic, then it presents how entrepreneurs are dealing with the effects of the crisis.

Visualizing spatial disparities in population aging in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

This paper explores the spatial differences in population aging within the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) in the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea). Korea is among the most rapidly growing countries in the world in terms of its increasing elderly population. The speed of population aging and demographic decline has been a central issue in the field of urban and regional planning because it is linked to spatial inequalities in socio-economic development. Considering the present importance of understanding population aging, this paper aims to empirically visualize spatial disparities using the old-age dependency ratio, which is measured by the ratio of the elderly population to the working-age population (age 15–64 years old) of one hundred people. For the empirical period examined between 2000 and 2018, I mapped the changing temporal and spatial patterns of the old-age dependency ratio within SMA using spatial analytic tools and cartograms. The visualization reveals that the old-age dependency ratio is relatively high in sparsely-populated rural areas, which underscores the need for further discussion on how to sustainably provide local public services and manage the pressing issue of population extinction in those areas.

In-cash Transfers: from Passive to Empowered Beneficiaries in the Global South

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in discussions advocating in-cash programmes as a way to alleviate poverty. Indeed, this represents a leap forward in comparison to in-kind programmes. However, little progress, at least in developing countries, has been achieved in answering the question of how the state should transfer the means of redressing deprivation to those who are living in poverty. This article addresses this issue by challenging anti-poverty programmes through a social-egalitarian framework. My main argument starts from the perspective that in-cash transfers are a necessary but not sufficient mechanism for poverty alleviation. I acknowledge that cash alone does not guarantee the poor an equally active role in influencing the public-policy decisions that affect their lives. I then suggest a participatory device to complement the cash-transfer proposal in order to give institutional opportunities to the poor to decide, together with practitioners, what should be done at the level of local public services.

Fiscal disparities among local governments in Zhejiang Province, China

ABSTRACT Although nearly all local governments in China face serious fiscal challenges, fiscal pressures on some local governments are more severe than on others. Using data from 2011 through 2016, this paper measures the relative fiscal condition of local governments in a single Chinese province as a means of quantifying fiscal disparities within the province. We measure the fiscal gaps between local governments’ expenditure needs and revenue-raising capacity. Expenditure needs are estimated using a regression-based strategy to identify a set of characteristics of each local government that influence the costs of delivering local public services. We measure own-source revenue-raising capacity as a function of both local GDP and actual local government revenues. Although fiscal disparities remain, they are substantially reduced after the receipt of equalizing intergovernmental transfers. Because per capita transfers to rural local governments are much larger than transfers to large city governments, post-transfer fiscal health is actually weaker in the province’s larger cities than in smaller, more rural jurisdictions.

Spatial Accessibility to Local Public Services in an Unequal Place: An Analysis from Patterns of Residential Segregation in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile

The study of the relationship between the provision of local public services and residential segregation is critical when it might be the social manifestation of spatial income inequality. This paper analyzes how the spatial accessibility to local public services is distributed equitably among different social and economic groups in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago (MR), Chile. To accomplish this objective, I use accessibility measures to local public services such as transportation, public education, healthcare, kindergartens, parks, fire and police stations, cultural infrastructure, and information about housing prices and exempted housing units from local taxes by block, as well as quantile regressions and bivariate Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA). The main results confirm the accessibility to local public services is unequally distributed among residents. However, it affects more low-income groups who are suffering from significant deficits in the provision of local public services. In this scenario, poor residents face a double disadvantage due to their social exclusion from urban systems and their limited access to essential services such as education, healthcare, or transportation. In particular, I found that social residential segregation might be reinforced by insufficient access to local infrastructure that the most impoverished population should assume.

Local public services and sustainable development goals: From a national perspective to a European joint action

Local public services are a benchmark in the development of a sustainable society and attainment of the goals set by Agenda 2030. Therefore, it is necessary to gather information and hear directly from the citizens, who constantly deal with this realm, how their country performs in the provision of qualitative and sustainable services. In Italy, for instance, there is a low level of consideration and contentment in terms of the quality, management, and efficiency of public services. In particular, the local public transport sector stands out as the lowest rated by citizens. This manuscript has two main functions. First, it provides the results of a civic consultation conducted during 2020 in Italy by the Italian consumer organization Cittadinanzattiva APS, which informs about the perceptions and outlooks of citizens towards the reality of local public services that are a constant in their daily life. Second, it introduces a new political initiative promoted at European level in the field of sustainability and consumer protection: The Inter-Institutional Group “Sustainable Development Goals for well-being and consumers’ protection”, officially launched last February 16th, 2021. An initiative that represents the desire of the civil society to contribute to the SDGs, the “New Consumer Agenda” , and the “Green New Deal” and that aims at discussing and raising awareness on how each one of us as EU citizen can give their contribution, convinced that citizen and consumer’s empowerment should be the pillar of the transition towards a more inclusive and sustainable Europe.

Sociological analysis of the factors influencing citizens’ attitudes to local governments in Ukraine

The paper focuses on the main factors forming public attitudes towards local authorities in Ukraine. The way that a person thinks and feels about a particular politician, an elected official or a local administration largely determines his/her voting behavior ― hence the relevance of the research topic. Local governments are responsible for delivering a wide range of services to citizens; therefore, it makes sense to analyze the citizens’ satisfaction with the quality of (and access to) certain services and compare these figures with the overall attitude to local authorities (which can correspond to a respondent’s evaluation of the authorities’ work in general). The findings of a recent (September–October 2020) nationwide survey titled “Ukrainian society: Monitoring social changes” will constitute an empirical basis for the analysis. The survey, which is annually conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, involves measuring respondents’ satisfaction with a number of items related to the performance of local governments (with regard to the respondent’s place of residence). These items include utility service quality, road conditions, the availability of playgrounds and sports facilities, the work of a local police department, the availability and quality of services provided by preschools and schools, the quality of healthcare services, etc., as well the ability of local authorities to respond to the demands of ordinary citizens. The survey participants are also asked to evaluate the work of a local administration or a city/town mayor. The data of “Ukrainian society” for the year 2020 show that the majority of this country’s population felt totally or partially dissatisfied with local public services (except for those offered by preschools and schools), and they did not consider local governments responsive to people’s demands either. Besides, many respondents gave a negative evaluation to the overall work of local administrations. Drawing upon these data, the author concludes that there is a link between a person’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the quality of local public services and his/her positive or negative attitude towards the local authorities. It is suggested that the obtained results be taken into account when analyzing other aspects concerning local governments (e. g. a respondent’s trust in governmental institutions), especially if the respondent is not inclined to express his/her opinion openly. Special attention is also given to resident surveys as a tool for improving the well-being and quality of life for citizens and communities.

Local agency costs of political centralization

We analyze a model of moral hazard in local public services, which could be efficiently managed by officials under local democratic accountability, but not by officials who are appointed by the ruler of a centralized autocracy. The ruler might prefer to retain an official who diverted resources from public services but contributed part to benefit the ruler. The autocratic ruler would value better public services only when residents reduce taxable investments, which become unprofitable without good public services. For local government to benefit local residents, they must have some decentralized power to punish an official who serves them badly even while serving the ruler well.

Measures to prepare for ratification of the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention enacted

24 | International Union Rights | 28/3-4 FOCUS | FORCED LABOUR – THE WORLD TODAY AND THE LEGACIES OF COLONIALISM AND SLAVERY Measures to prepare for ratification of the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention enacted On 9 June 2021, the National Diet (parliament) of Japan enacted a Bill to prepare legislative measures to pave the way for Japan’s ratification of the International Labour Organisation Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105), following approval by a majority vote in the House of Councillors (the Diet’s Upper House). ILO Convention No. 105 is one of the eight core ILO Conventions, and Japan has been criticised internationally for failure to ratify it. Article 1 of the Convention requires every ratifying member State: to suppress and not to make use of any form of forced or compulsory labour— (a) as a means of political coercion or education or as a punishment for holding or expressing political views or views ideologically opposed to the established political, social or economic system; (b) as a method of mobilising and using labour for purposes of economic development; (c) as a means of labour discipline; (d) as a punishment for having participated in strikes ILO Convention No. 105 and the Asia-Pacific region Just 11 ILO member States have not ratified ILO Convention No. 105, and they are all in the Asia Pacific region. They are: Brunei Darussalam; China; Japan; Lao; Marshall Islands; Myanmar; Palau; South Korea; Timor-Leste; Tonga; and Tuvalu. Two further States ratified and then denounced the Convention: Malaysia and Singapore, also both ILO member States in the Asia-Pacific region. North Korea is not an ILO member State but is yet another country in the region outside of the Convention. But not all countries in the region have this approach: Australia (1960); New Zealand (1968); Philippines (1960); and Indonesia (1999) have all ratified the Convention. Recently signatories such as the Solomon Islands (2012), Cook Islands (2015), and Vietnam (2020). If they can adopt the instrument then it is certainly time for Japan to embrace the Convention. In 2021 the governments of both Japan and South Korea have been discussing this issue. South Korea took a big step this year with the ratification of Conventions No. 87, 98, and 29 (on freedom of association, collective bargaining and forced labour), but it has so far not approved ratification of Convention No. 105. Reform of hard labour punishment for public sector strikers Japan’s National Public Service Law (Act No. 120 of 1947) and the Local Civil Service Law (Act No. 261 of 1950) were in conflict with Article 1(a) and 1(d) because they restrict political rights and also prohibit central and local public employees from organising and participating in strike action (Article 98 of the National Public Service Law and Article 37 of the Local Civil Service Law). Disciplinary action is always taken against civil servants who engage in industrial action contrary to these provisions, but the conflict with ILO Convention 105 arose not just because of these restrictions but because the laws also established a basis to impose terms of imprisonment for up to 3 years with hard labour for those found guilty of inciting strike action (Article 110, National Public Service Law and Article 62 / 63 Local Civil Service Law). The Bill, enacted as the Law on the Development of Relevant Laws for the Conclusion of the Convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour (No. 105) (Act No. 75 of 2021), changes the penalties applicable in these circumstances. The Act contains provisions to amend the National Civil Service Law, the Local Public Service Law, and the Mail Law, and changes the penalty for public service employees participating in strikes or political activities from one of imprisonment with hard labour to imprisonment without hard labour. This changes the type of punishment for public service employees to remove barriers to Japan’s ratification. But punishment exists per se, and the Bill thus provides no solution to the fundamental problems. The Diet enacted the law so as to pave the way for the ratification of ILO Convention No. 105, and the measure was approved by a majority vote in the House of Councillors. However, while...

Public choice and decentralised healthcare service delivery in Lesotho: Assessing improvement and efficiency in service delivery

Providing efficient decentralised local public services such as healthcare in hard to reach and remote areas has been the recent concern of public finance experts. Thus public finance theory, the p...

Decentralization and Sub-Municipal Government in South- Eastern European Countries

True this paper it would be analyzed sub-municipal government as a organizational form of local governance with comparative perspective, and elements which generally formed sub-municipal government as a tools for delivery of local public services and managing of local initiatives which are important for the local community. These two roles are crucial for understanding of dynamic in sub-municipal government. Special focus would be held on sub-municipal government in South- Eastern European countries, which they have a common history and institutional framework, with the main question: how can sub-municipal government contribute to strengthening of decentralization and democratic processes in the local community directly and, indirectly in whole society. Self-government systems which are highly decentralized usually have developed sub-municipal government. On the other side, in centralized countries sub-municipal government usually has reduced role which is connected with managing of public tasks connected with local community needs. The main question is how sub-municipal government can improve decentralization, and how those efforts at the end of the day contribute to better development of whole society.

Board Composition and Performance of State-owned Enterprises: Quasi-experimental Evidence

The quality of governance crucially affects corporate outcomes, and may be particularly important for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) not disciplined by market competition forces. We examine the impact of board composition on the performance of companies controlled by public entities in Italy. For this purpose, we exploit a reform-induced exogenous change in board composition, aimed at increasing female representation and at reducing the revolving-door phenomenon. The law’s provisions were binding for SOEs, but not for companies with a minority share of public ownership, allowing us to adopt a difference-in-differences estimation. The results show that female presence on the boards of directors of SOEs has increased, while that of former politicians has decreased. The new directors have mostly replaced older and less talented men, thereby rejuvenating the boards and improving their quality. To assess the effects of the board shake-up on firm performance, we analyse companies’ balance sheets and survey information on citizens’ satisfaction with the provision of local public services and on objective measures of their quality. While we detect no significant effects on firm productivity, we find that profitability increases and leverage decreases, thereby reducing corporate credit risk. Finally, there is evidence consistent with an improvement in the quality of SOEs’ output.

공공서비스 전달방식에 영향을 미치는 요인에 관한 연구

본 연구는 미국 지방자치단체에서 공공서비스 전달방식에 영향을 미치는 요인에 대하여 분석하였다. 영향요인은 크게 공공가치와 조직환경 등 크게 두개 부분으로 구분된다. 분석결과는 신공공관리론 관점의 능률성과 고객지향성 가치는 공공서비스 전달방식 중 민간위탁에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 포스트신공공관리론 관점의 형평성, 정치적 책임성 등은 민간위탁 보다 공조직에 의한 서비스전달방식에 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 분석결과를 바탕으로 본 연구의 이론적 · 실무적 시사점과 연구의 한계점에 대하여 논의하였다.