Local Public Services Research Articles

Applying organizational density to local public service performance: separating homeless service outcomes from outputs

ABSTRACT What happens to local services’ performance when service-provider density increases in a community? The answer is difficult. To explore how density relates to multiple aspects of performance, this study aims to examine the effects of service-providers’ density on service outputs and policy outcomes. Using a panel dataset of local homeless service planning bodies, the Continuum of Care Programme, we found that service outputs improved; however, the prevalence of homelessness did not decrease. Drawing upon organizational density theory, our findings contribute to the extant knowledge on public management by exploring how service-provider density relates to service outputs and policy outcomes separately.

Authoritarian environmentalism, just transition, and the tension between environmental protection and social justice in China's forestry reform

Authoritarian environmentalism (AE) has become an important source of social injustice in China. Taking clues from the theory of just transition and a case study of forestry reform in Northeast China, this article discusses the tension between environmental protection and social justice in Chinese AE. From a procedural perspective, the belief in insulated eco-elites being best placed to make environmental decisions, and the emphasis on policy expediency, are manifested in the top-down imposition of a sweeping ban on logging of natural forests. However, this non-participatory approach prevents critical and nuanced viewpoints on local impacts to be recognized and addressed. From a distributional perspective, while AE does not inherently contradict the norm of distributive justice, the forestry reform has negatively affected the undercompensated and under-supported laid off workers, created new energy poverty issues, undermined local public services, and disproportionately affected smaller, remote communities, some of whom have been outright abandoned. The findings highlight the need for scholars to engage with social justice issues in AE by championing the importance of a just transition process, experimenting with public engagement in the context of authoritarianism, and generating policy knowledge that facilitates the transformation toward sustainability.

Fiscal decentralization and efficiency of public services delivery by local governments in Ghana

AbstractIn this paper, we estimate the efficiency of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana, and investigate the impact of fiscal decentralization on the efficiency of local public goods and services delivery by MMDAs. Using data from composite budgets of all 216 MMDAs, we employ both non‐parametric and parametric frontier methods to carry out the study. The results with regard to our two indicators of fiscal decentralization indicate that fiscal autonomy proxied by MMDAs’ internally generated funds as a share of their total revenue has a positive influence on the efficiency of MMDAs whilst vertical imbalance—a high share of central government grants in MMDAs’ total expenditure—does not improve the delivery of local goods and services by MMDAs in Ghana. The findings indicate a clear signal to policy managers to prioritize support to MMDAs in the mobilization of internally generated revenue.

Public Service Competition，Factor Flow and New Regional Economic Pattern

In the past 40 years, local government competition has played a very important role in China’s economic growth. However, the rapid economic growth has been accompanied by challenges in public health, public education, resources and the environment, etc. How to improve the level of public services and gather innovative elements such as human and capital with a better capacity of carrying is a realistic problem that urgently needs to be considered. The outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic is a major test for the national and local governance system. While forcing the improvement of local public service capabilities, the competition for public services around the prevention and control of the epidemic becomes visible. To clarify the realistic background and institutional constraints that lead local competition to economic growth rather than public services, and to guide public services to become a new competition yardstick for local governments through new institutional arrangements, can provide new impetus for China’s regional coordinated development, which is also the internal requirement of the modernization of national governance for local government reform.Firstly, this paper adopts a two-region model to show that the failure of local public services to coordinate with economic growth is a natural result of local government behavior choices. Under the new incentive and restraint mechanism, it is possible to move from economic growth competition to public service competition. Secondly, based on the typical facts of local public services, around the current major adjustments in China’s productivity layout, the empirical tests find that the full flow of population and capital elements in the new era relies on the spatial network system with infrastructure and public services as carriers, and public services have become a carrier for central cities and urban agglomerations to attract core resources. Furthermore, from the central-local-social perspective, based on a two-regime spatial Durbin model with fixed effects, the results show that reforming the performance evaluation index system, expanding local government information disclosure, enhancing public opinion supervision and public participation, and stimulating the vitality of social organizations provide a realistic and feasible way to promote the establishment of a competitive relationship of “racing to the top” and “aiming high” to improve the overall public service level and promote the equalization of public services.

Quality of local government and social trust in European cities

Communities are responsible for a range of public services and represent critical experiential contexts for social interactions between residents. However, the role of local governance and public service provision for creating social trust has received limited attention so far. This study examines how quality, efficiency and fairness of local public service provision relates to social trust. Using multilevel models on repeated cross-sectional survey data from the Quality of Life in European Cities project, we test the relationship between time-varying city-level indicators of quality of local government and social trust. The empirical results show that an increase in the dimension of local public service quality is substantially associated with an increase in social trust. We find improvements in sport and leisure facilities as well as the state of public spaces, streets and buildings to be particularly relevant.

Evaluasi Pelayanan Penanggulangan Bencana Kebakaran oleh Pemerintah Kecamatan

This study evaluates the quality of local government public services in fire disaster management. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study focuses on interviews, observation, and documentation techniques for data analysis. The results identified a shortage of firefighting equipment and a significant reliance on the sub-district as the primary coordinator with the DPKPB. Despite rapid response efforts from the subdistrict government, more public education on fire prevention and handling still needs to be done. The main challenges are inhibiting factors such as natural conditions, lack of public awareness, and lack of infrastructure. This research suggests improved equipment provision, more effective community outreach, infrastructure development, and coordination between agencies and communities to quickly and efficiently respond to fire emergencies.
 

Social Workers as Local Human Rights Actors? Their Response to Barriers in Access to Care and Support in the Netherlands

Abstract The realization of human rights standards depends in part on the commitment of local actors. It can be argued that local public service professionals such as social workers can also be regarded as key players. The possible role of social workers becomes imperative if these professionals are working in a policy context that is not congruent with human rights. If existing laws or policies cause or maintain disrespect for human rights, social workers are in a position to observe that this is having an adverse impact on clients. When social workers are regarded as human rights actors, the question arises how they can or should respond to law and policy that impedes them in carrying out their work with respect for human rights. This article adds to existing theories on social workers as human rights actors by examining the practices of social professionals working in such a challenging policy context. The research took place among professionals in social district teams in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Following a series of decentralizations and austerity measures the social care landscape in the Netherlands has changed drastically over the last few years. As a result, social workers may find themselves on the one hand trying to realize the best possible care for their clients while on the other hand dealing with new laws and policy expectations focused on self-reliance and diminished access to specialist care. The article explores how social professionals’ responses to barriers in access to care affect human rights requirements. In doing so, this socio-legal study provides insight into the ways in which everyday social work relates to the realization of human rights at the local level.

Envisioning an expanded Corporation for Public Broadcasting to transform local public service newsrooms

Envisioning an expanded Corporation for Public Broadcasting to transform local public service newsrooms

Ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants used by specialists in the treatment and cure of diseases in riverside communities in the amazon

The research aimed to learn about the socioeconomic profile and medicinal plants used by local specialists from three riverside communities in the municipality of Porto de Moz, Pará, Brazil. The data was collected with 10 specialists through a semi-structured questionnaire. Local specialists are mostly women (80%), with low income and a low education level. 83 medicinal ethnospecies were identified. The Lamiaceae and Fabaceae families were the most representative in the study area with 9 and 10 species, respectively. The Dysphania ambrosioides (18%) species was the most referenced one. Most of the recommendations regarding use of the medication are related to unclassified signs and symptoms, with 48 references. The young members in the communities exhibit low interest in medicinal plants. The precariousness of local public health services enhances the use of medicinal plants. The medicinal knowledge of local specialists assists in the prevention, treatment and cure of illnesses based on traditional medicine empiricism.

Edukasi Program Posyandu dimasa Pandemi Covid-19 sebagai Upaya Membentuk Persepsi Masyarakat di Wilayah Kerja Posyandu Cempaka Kelurahan Kuin Selatan Kota Banjarmasin

The purpose of this service activity is to increase public knowledge, especially mothers who have babies or children under five years (balita), about the posyandu program. Before starting counseling, a questionnaire was filled (pretest). Counseling uses power point media with the lecture, discussion and question and answer method, then after being given counseling, the same questionnaire was distributed again to be filled back (posttest), after the knowledge data before and after counseling had been obtained, then the data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon statistical test.Based on the results of community service activities in the work area of the Banjarmasin Kuin Selatan Village Cempaka Posyandu, it means that there is a significant difference in knowledge between before and after counseling using power point media, thus it can be concluded that the method of extension using power point media carried out in the work area of the Banjarmasin Kuin Selatan Village Cempaka Posyandu is able and successful in increasing the knowledge of mothers who have chldren under five years. It is recommended that the local public health service (puskesmas) can provide more intensive guidance and training to posyandu cadres, so that they can assist health workers in educating the public about health in general and information about the importance of posyandu and the activities at the posyandu itself as an effort to participate forming a positive perception of the posyandu

Short report: The potential of PCR on skin flakes from bed linens for diagnosis of scabies in an outbreak.

BackgroundScabies outbreaks are common in nursing homes in the Netherlands. In October 2018, a local public health service (PHS) in The Hague was notified of a new scabies outbreak in a nursing home in that region. The PHS initiated an outbreak investigation. Cases were defined as: possible (reported symptoms), probable (scabies-like lesions) and confirmed (PCR or microscopy in skin flakes). Head-to-toe examinations were performed of all residents and those staff members who reported symptoms suggestive of scabies. Skin scrapings of lesions were tested either with microscopy or by PCR. Experimentally for case finding, skin flakes from bed linens of residents who reported symptoms of itchiness but did not have primary lesions were sent for PCR testing.Principal findingsAll residents (41) and 37/44 staff were included in this outbreak investigation. We identified 30 possible, four probable and six confirmed cases. The overall attack rate for probable/confirmed cases was 10/78 (13%). Of the six confirmed cases, two were confirmed by PCR, three by microscopy, and one showed positive findings with both techniques. Two out of the three bed-linen specimens were PCR-positive.ConclusionsIn this outbreak of scabies in a nursing home, PCR was used on skin flakes from bed linens, which led to the detection of two additional cases. This illustrates the potential of PCR during the investigation of scabies outbreaks.

Re-municipalization of local public services: incidence, causes and prospects

Since the turn of the century, a global trend of re-municipalization has emerged, with cities reversing earlier privatizations and returning infrastructure and public service delivery to the public sector. The reversal of privatization measures is not an entirely new phenomenon. In the US, for example, returning public services to in-house production has been a long-standing feature of ‘pragmatic public management’. However, many cases of re-municipalization that have occurred since the early 2000s represent a distinctive shift from earlier privatization policies. High-profile cases in cities including Paris and Hamburg have thrust re-municipalization into the limelight as they have followed public campaigns motivated by dissatisfaction with the results of privatization and a desire to restore public control of vital services, such as water and energy. Just as the reform of public services towards privatization spawned a vast body of scholarship, the current re-municipalization phenomenon is increasingly attracting the attention of scholars from a number of disciplinary perspectives. The articles contained in this symposium contribute to this emerging literature. They address some of the burning issues relating to re-municipalization, but they also point to issues yet to be resolved and shed light on a research agenda that is still taking shape.

Human resource management in public transports: organizational typologies and research actions

PurposeStudying bus local public transport in 20 Italian provincial capitals, the present paper aims to identify organizational factors to assess different modes of service managerial steering.Design/methodology/approachStarting from bureaucratic theory, the paper analyzes four different modes of managerial steering in a regression model that accounts for several variables to assess the quality of Italian bus local public service transport.FindingsThe research shows that a network managerial structure performs significantly better than any other type. The 20 provincial capitals are homogeneous in relation to the variables considered. Italian bus local public transport is managed by bureaucratic public organizations. Adhocracy, as opposed to machine bureaucracy, seems to be the more effective mode of managerial steering for sector specific aspects in different capitals, despite that, network managerial structure – associated adhocracy – is used only in five capitals (main cities).Originality/valueThe paper highlights that the dichotomy between machine bureaucracy versus adhocracy shows interesting considerations related to different mode to management of Italian bus local public service transport.

Expansion of quality preschool in Philadelphia: Leveraging an evidence-based, integrated data system to provide actionable intelligence for policy and program planning

To address the national priority for school readiness, there is a growing body of research investigating early care and education (ECE) deserts. This research identifies geographies within jurisdictions where there are high demands for and low supplies of ECE programs. The current study used a new approach to investigate preschool deserts in Philadelphia that addressed shortcomings in existing research. This approach used evidence-based measures of supply and demand across neighborhoods to identify and respond to preschool deserts in real time. A population-based data model of early childhood risks derived from a disciplined, local Integrated Data System (IDS) was used to calculate demand and triage it by multiple evidence-based early risk experiences. Actual counts of the number of slots in preschool centers with an evidence-based high-quality rating were used to calculate supply. High-quality, preschool deserts were defined as the neighborhoods with the greatest number of children with multiple evidence-based early risks and the lowest number of high-quality preschool slots relative to the city average. Results showed that about 3 out of 10 preschool children in Philadelphia live in a high-quality preschool desert. A report on how policymakers used the findings to increase high-quality preschool capacity was provided. Findings demonstrate how this evidence-based approach to the investigation of preschool deserts can increase the possibility of providing relevant, actionable intelligence to local policymakers and public service providers.

지방 중소도시 도시구조 변화에 따른 도시발전 연구

Local small and medium-sized cities are undergoing the weakness of the living environment and city function due to the continuing population decline. The quality of residence and business is significantly decreased to local small and medium-sized cities. The purpose of this study aims to suggest several development strategies based on the analysis of characteristics of urban policy, planning, technique, enterprise, and system aspects on local decline small and medium-sized cities. As results of the study, for the urban policy division, regional policy should be focused on local small and medium-sized cities based on the development of implement institute and financial systems. For the urban planning division, it is necessary to establish the identity of local characteristic as an urban planning process. For the urban technique, the center of the local small and medium cities needs to be improved various residential, commercial, business, education, medical service by mixing arrangement in limited space. For the urban enterprise, it is also necessary to improve the settlement conditions such as health care and education through urban infrastructure improvement project. Furthermore, for the urban system, advance regional development system which can induce industries by providing several incentives such as local taxes, infrastructure provisions, and public services should be provided.

Users’ Perceptions of Local Public Water and Waste Services: A Case Study for Sustainable Development

Access to safe drinking water is essential to good health, a basic human right, and a component of effective policy for health protection. Improving the quality of local public water and waste services is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation). This study aims to know the degree of satisfaction of domestic users who receive services related to water and waste in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants in the province of Badajoz (Spain). We carry out this research because the perception of municipal services provided by the public administration is usually negative and deficient. The case study PROMEDIO, the consortium formula, is described as a successful partnership to improve the quality of local public water and waste services. For this purpose, a detailed analysis of the different aspects involved in the relationship between the users and the services provided is carried out. The consortium was found to increase citizens’ satisfaction with the services provided, given the close relationship between the municipality and the users.

Long‐run Effects of Local Government Mergers on Educational Attainment and Income*

AbstractLocal government mergers are an important policy issue in many countries, yet empirical evidence of the effects of merging and of local government size on the production and quality of local public services is scarce. We use the spatial and temporal variation in forced mergers between cities and their surrounding local governments in Norway to provide quasi‐experimental evidence of the effect on long‐run student outcomes. We find that the mergers increase students’ educational attainment by about 0.1 years and income by about 4%, suggesting that mergers improve long‐run student outcomes through increased school productivity.

Challenges for public transportation: Consequences and possible alternatives for the Covid-19 pandemic through strategic digital city application

Public transport was already one of the biggest issues for all municipalities where people are highly concentrated at the same space at the same time. With COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing consequences, mass transportation is actually the main barrier for students and workers dependents of transport to go back to their daily routines with comfort and safety. Thus, the objective is to determine a demand control able to equalize the number of passengers in each car, respecting the COVID-19 social distancing protocols. The number of passengers in each time-of-day range were combined in four different models that included independent variables related to passenger's behavior indicating that almost 90% of all passengers are following a very strict and straight daily routine that can be coordinated and scheduled creating enough time space one from the other to avoid undesirable concentrations inside buses and bus stops. In conclusion, a very accurate urban management tool can arise from the study and may be able to solve not only the pandemic issues but also to improve local public services efficiency, to attract private investments and to improve citizen's quality of life.

Innovative Concept of Providing Local Public Services Based on ICT

Abstract The public sector faces the challenge of re-evaluating public service delivery mechanisms with a citizen orientation. The eGovernment concept should not only focus on delivering a large number of services to increase efficiency and effectiveness when deciding on a top-down approach, based on government needs, but decisions should be made on the basis of citizens’ needs, a bottom-up approach. The object of the paper is to identify problems of public service innovations demand and supply, which determinate the adoption of local public service innovations based on the use of IT technology in the condition of Slovak Republic. The results of the investigation confirmed that there is citizen demand for innovation of local public services, but the process of developing and implementing innovative concepts of public services fails on the grounds of the low innovation potential of the service providers.

Determinan Kinerja Sektor Publik: Dimoderasi Sistem Pengendalian Interen pada Puskesmas BLUD di Kota Pekanbaru

This research is the result of an empirical study that shows facts in explaining the properties that occur in the object under study through statistical principles. The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the factors that influence the performance of regional public health service agencies in the city of Pekanbaru such as financial management of regional public service agencies, quality of human resources and utilization of information systems with internal control as moderating variables. The object of this research is all public health centers of regional public service agencies which is in the city of Pekanbaru. The results showed that the financial management of regional public service agencies, the quality of human resources , and the use of information systems had a positive effect on the performance of public health centers and was strengthened by the presence of internal controls. This research has implications for public sector organizations that implement financial management of regional public service agencies such as community health centers as motivation and evaluation materials related to performance achievement through the process of improving the financial management of regional public service agencies, the quality of human resources , utilization of information systems and internal control. Keywords: Financial Management of regional public service agencies, quality of human resources, utilization of information systems, organizational performance of local public service agencies