Lower Levels Of Government Research Articles

The mandate of “heaven”: How forestland property rights were undermined under the Chinese discourse of Ecological Civilization

The relationship between upholding forestland property rights and achieving environmental conservation is not always straightforward. Occasionally, property rights can be undermined in the pursuit of environmental conservation. This article adopts the concept of “rule of mandates” to explain how a Chinese reform of property rights over forestland, namely the Collective Forest Tenure Reform (CFTR) initiated in 2003, was subsequently undermined under the discourse of Ecological Civilization. In doing so, the article updates the framework for analysing policy implementation under the rule of mandates. Unlike the rule of law, the rule of mandates enables a government to assign a set of mandates that are ambiguous, contradictory, and with hierarchical priorities. Under the top-down authoritarian hierarchy, lower-level governments are obliged to implement the high-priority mandates of higher-level government. Tracing the forest governance dynamics of two counties in Fujian province from 2010 to 2019, the case study reveals that, in the early 2010s, the central government prioritized environmental conservation over forestland property rights under the discourse of Ecological Civilization. At local levels, this manifested in undermining property rights through restricted timber harvest levels for the sake of environmental conservation. Unlike policy implementation under the rule of law, restrictions on timber harvest were implemented by direct government mandates. This analysis points to the vulnerability of property rights under the rule of mandates. In a developing country context characterized by pressing environmental concerns and a dysfunctional rule of law, this study demonstrates the challenges of prioritizing environmental conservation over legal tenure.

Do independents like to party? The rise in independent and minor party MPs in Australian parliaments since 1970

ABSTRACT Commentary about the successes of the ‘Teals’ and the Greens in the 2022 federal election echoes scholarship regarding the ongoing fragmentation of major party support, weakening partisan alignment, and the rise of post-materialist voting since the 1970s. To explore the dynamics behind this trend, we construct a novel dataset of independent and minor party members of parliament elected to single-member electorates in Australian lower houses since 1970, empirically exploring the circumstances through which these candidates are successful. Tracing the rise of independent and minor party MPs, we observe that initially, these MPs often emerged through lower levels of government and outside organised politics, while, more recently they have succeeded through party structures and what we term ‘party-like’ forms of organisation. Our results suggest that political fragmentation is increasingly a challenge to conservative politics, especially via the rise of organised party-like independents, representing a realignment from the twentieth century.

Whose Upward Mobility?: Evaluating Intersectional Effects of Gender Quotas

ABSTRACT Existing research shows that gender quotas implemented at the lowest level of government can have positive spillover effects on enhancing women’s representation at higher levels of government where gender quotas are not in place. Yet it is unclear whether this carry-over effect varies for different subgroups of women. I theorise why gender quotas may support the career progression of some women but not others. Analyzing India’s 40 years of state-level election data, I find that more women from privileged groups have run for higher-level political office with exposure to 50% gender quotas implemented at the village level political office. A closer look at the overall institutional context shows that women from traditionally disadvantaged groups benefit in higher-level elections in the presence of electoral quotas for subordinate groups. Had there been no quotas for marginalised groups at the higher level, the upstream effect of exposure to gender quotas would have been skewed toward women from dominant groups. This research contributes to our understanding of sustainable representation through an intersectional lens and emphasizes the importance of carefully designing institutional reforms in achieving political inclusion.

Assessment of the synergy degree of China's food safety risk governance policy tools based on text mining and machine learning methods

SummaryImplementing proactive and effective policy tools is essential for governments to manage food safety risks. Existing studies have overlooked the synergistic effects among policy tools for governing food safety risks in China. This study uses policy tool synergy to develop a quantitative model to evaluate the degree of synergy among policy tools for food safety risk governance by considering its vertical, horizontal, and temporal dimensions. Using the Top2Vec topic model and text mining techniques, we examined 558 policy documents implemented by the central and six provincial governments. The findings reveal that China's food safety risk governance system has established a collaborative mechanism, with the Administration for Market Regulation, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Health Commission playing crucial roles in policy implementation. Vertical and horizontal synergies between the upper and lower levels of government and among departments at the same level are crucial for enhancing comprehensive synergy.

The role of governance and infrastructure in moderating the effect of resource rents on economic growth

AbstractThis study investigates how governance and infrastructure moderate the effect of natural resource rents on economic growth using a sample of 110 countries from 2000 to 2018. The empirical evidence is based on panel smooth transition regressions (PSTR). The nexus between economic growth and natural resources is not linear and the underlying non‐linearity is contingent on existing infrastructural and governance levels. Evidence of a “natural resource curse” is apparent in countries with extremely low levels of governance and infrastructural development. The favorable effect of natural resources on economic growth requires a governance threshold of −1.210 and an infrastructure threshold of 2.583, indicating that countries with governance and infrastructure levels higher than these values tend to benefit much more from the wealth of natural resources. Countries identified below the established thresholds are mainly from Africa. Policy implications are discussed with specific emphasis on African countries.Related ArticlesAli, Hamid E., and Shahjahan Bhuiyan. 2022. “Governance, Natural Resources Rent, and Infrastructure Development: Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa.” Politics & Policy 50(2): 408–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12451.Asiegbu, Martin F., Okey Marcellus Ikeanyibe, Pius Otu Abang, Okwudili Chukwuma Nwosu, and Chuka Eugene Ugwu. 2024. “Natural Resource Fund Governance and the Institutionalization of Rent Seeking in Nigeria's Oil Sector.” Politics & Policy 52(1): 169–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12579.Ikeanyibe, Okechukwu M. 2018. “Bureaucratic Politics and the Implementation of Liberalization Reforms in Nigeria: A Study of the Unbundling and Reorganization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.” Politics & Policy 46(2): 263–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12249.

The contribution of water-energy-food nexus governance to sustainability: A case study of Singapore

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus has been promoted as an approach to integrated governance that can increase system sustainability. However, there have been limited empirical studies that demonstrate how WEF nexus governance leads towards sustainability. Therefore, the study investigates how collaborative governance of the WEF nexus connects to sustainability in Singapore, considered one of the most sustainable cities in the world. The objective is to understand the structure of WEF nexus governance in Singapore and explore how this structure contributes towards sustainability. This study uses a case study approach with qualitative text analysis on multiple data types to address this research objective. The results show two key findings. First, the findings show that WEF nexus governance in Singapore has a collaborative governance approach at the national level but is less integrated at lower levels of governance. Second, the results show that while governance integration, including WEF nexus connections, contributes to sustainability, there are also factors beyond WEF nexus governance that contribute towards sustainability in Singapore. The study concludes that WEF nexus governance provides an opportunity for improved sustainability within the system, but WEF nexus governance alone may not be sufficient for sustainability to be realized.

Implementing the green infrastructure concept in practice: an example of the EU-strategy for Alpine Region

ABSTRACT This article reflects on the development of green infrastructure as planning concept and inspects the status of the concept’s implementation under the umbrella of the EU-strategy for the Alpine Region. Qualitative methods, including policy analysis and interviews, were used to evaluate the understanding of the concept among relevant stakeholders from Alpine countries. The results show that there is little agreement with regard to understanding the concept, and that there was a lack of common practice towards its implementation in the 2014–2020 EU budget period. The macro-regional setting consists of the macro regional strategy and the financial support for projects and measures provided via the Alpine Space Programme and The Alpine Region Preparatory Action Fund (ARPAF). The policy analysis reveals that some of the Alpine countries were more pro-active and have either integrated the concept into existing policies (nature protection, planning, environmental policies and so on) or possess GI specific legislation. It was concluded that the existence of various perceptions and views on the concept hinder the successful implementation of the concept and its integration into lower governance levels. Thus, for now, the implementation of GI in the macro-regional context depends upon individual initiatives of the states, regions, or/and local communities.

Análise do grau de governança pública dos municípios do Cariri cearense

Due to the growing need for discussions about governance in public administration, this paper aims to verify the level of public governance in the municipalities of Cariri cearense, given the current scenario that demands management centered on accountability for society, committed to the quality, ethics and efficiency of services. Considering this, the present work sought to answer the following question: what is the level of public governance in the municipalities of Cariri cearense? Thus, for its fulfillment and development, a quantitative approach to the problem was used, using the public governance measurement model developed by Oliveira and Pisa (2015) and adapted by Aquino et al. (2021), in addition to descriptive analysis techniques. The results showed that most municipalities in Cariri presented average degrees (32,14%) and low (46,43%) levels of governance. Furthermore, it was evident that, on average, the equity and participation dimensions presented the best indexes among the five dimensions, while the dimension of the legality-ethics-integrity indexes presented the worst average, followed by transparency and effectiveness respectively.

Optimal decisions of elderly care service supply chain with government intervention

Government intervention plays an indispensable role in the development of the elderly care service supply chain (ECSSC). However, no research has focused on the optimal decision-making of the ECSSC considering government intervention under different channel power structures. This study establishes a three-stage ECSSC model, including the government sector, elderly care service provider and elderly care service integrator, while considering different government intervention measures and channel power structures. The service-level elasticity coefficient is defined as an uncertain variable, that can affect service demand and ESI service costs. This study explores the optimal decisions and market performance of the government and ECSSC under different channel power structures and government intervention, providing guidance for the ECSSC development and government decision-making. The results show that, first, government intervention is beneficial for the ECSSC, customers, and social welfare. Compared with the subsidy and service-level regulation scenario, only the former is beneficial for the supply chain, social welfare, and unit customer expenditure, but at the cost of lower service level and higher government expenditure. Second, different channel power structures do not affect service level, social welfare, and unit customer expenditure. However, the ESI-dominated structure favors ECSSC development. Third, the setting of the reward-penalty factor should not be too high, as, in this case, supply chain members, customers, and social welfare will benefit from the increased expected value of service level elasticity. At last, managerial insights are presented.

Coordinating school improvement: Understanding the impact of state implementation approach on coordination in multilevel governance systems

AbstractMultilevel governance is theorized to facilitate effective policy implementation by encouraging the use of local knowledge and expertise, enabling the participation of non‐government actors, and capitalizing on the coordinating and sanctioning authority of centralized governments. Whether a particular multilevel governance arrangement achieves this, however, depends in part on the degree to which it enables coordination among governmental and non‐governmental actors representing different levels and jurisdictions. Using a comparative case study of education governance reform in the United States, this study investigates how differences in state policy implementation approach impact the structure and mode of coordination in multilevel governance systems and considers the effects this has on policy implementation processes. The results indicate that a state's implementation approach impacts coordination by structuring how different levels of government interact, share information, and influence policy. Specifically, variation in the structure of the central governing agency directly enables or restricts the influence of bottom‐up coordination from lower levels of government. The results also highlight the theoretical limitations of current binary structure models of multilevel governance (i.e., centralized vs. decentralized, top‐down vs. bottom‐up, hierarchy vs. network) for capturing important nuances in policy coordination. These findings advance the understanding of policy coordination in multilevel governance systems and inform the design of institutional arrangements that balance trade‐offs in centralization and the delegation of authority across governance systems during policy implementation.

The regional integration transition of China’s immigration policy: The case of Yiwu

By examining the immigration policies of Yiwu, one of China’s international trade cities, this article observes a policy transition from how to control immigrants to how to integrate them. To explain this policy transition, this paper refers to neo-institutionalists’ theory, specifying the institutional setting, judicial organs, and social groups in China’s background. With the case study of Yiwu, it demonstrates that the decentralization from upper-level government to lower-level government on the one hand, and the horizontal reform within local government itself on the other, are the decisive factors in the changing immigration policies. Judicial organs, especially the court, are cooperating with government-organized non-governmental organizations (GONGOs) in their foreign-related litigation and mediation. At the community level, the “contracting out” of public services gives non-government organized social groups opportunities to participate in community management.

Community Participation in Community Secondary School Construction Projects in Kibaha District Council, Tanzania

The centrality of participatory practices in recording development objectives is widely acknowledged. However, limited information exists on the factors that motivate community participation in the construction of community secondary schools. This article mends the said gap by exploring the factors that motivate community participation in community secondary school construction in Kibaha, Tanzania. The study utilised a descriptive research design, garnering primary data through 118 household surveys and 2 key informant interviews. The study also collected data through documentary reviews meant to triangulate the data gathered through interviews to deepen discussions and check primary data. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics software with simple frequency analyses presented in tables and discussed descriptively. Atlas ti was used to process qualitative data that eventually underwent content analysis and descriptive discussion. The study unveils that community participation in community secondary school construction is positively impacted by accumulated knowledge on participation, community secondary school benefits, transparency on income and expenditure, quality leadership, decentralisation of decision-making at low levels of governance, and local people empowerment. Conversely, the absence of these motivating factors has negative motivational effects on community participation in such projects. Hence, it is imperative to make concerted efforts to reinforce the positive motivational factors. These efforts should include enhancing community awareness of participation, empowering community members to actively participate, fostering a culture of good governance, particularly in matters of financial transparency, and involving the community in decision-making throughout the implementation of development projects. Furthermore, clear explanations of the benefits accruing to communities from the construction of community secondary schools are essential.

Fiscal Decentralization, Good Governance and Local Economic Development in councils in Ngoketunjia Division, Cameroon

Abstract Dissatisfaction about the form of the state in Cameroon led to the putting in place of law No. 2019/024 of December 2019 instituting the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities, envisioned to improve local governance and impact local economic development. This, it was hoped will limit the interference of the central government in the management of regional and local affairs. Contrary to this theoretical supposition, there is still apparent strong centralization of financial powers by the central government in Cameroon. The rapport between the central government and the lower levels of government is rather that of command and obey relationship. Consequently, fiscal decentralization that is likely to promote good governance and engender local economic development at both regional and local levels appears to be rather an instrument of control for the central government, raising a concern as to the link existing between fiscal decentralization, good governance and local economic development in councils in Ngoketunjia Division. Employing largely a quantitative approach and within the prism of survey research design, guided by the efficiency theory of local government, findings revealed that fiscal decentralization, good governance and the transfer of revenue assignments and expenditure responsibilities following the enactment of the decentralization code on local economic development in councils in Ngoketunjia division has achieved little local economic development, established statistically by a calculated chi square value which stood at 152.14 as opposed to table value 26.217, leading to the rejection of the alternative hypothesis while the null hypothesis was accepted. It was discovered again that, there is no significant link between fiscal decentralization, good governance and local economic development in Councils in Ngoketunjia Division, shown in the computation of chi square test that stood at 130.8, disparate to table value of 26.217. The outcome was the rejection of the alternative hypotheses and acceptance of the null hypothesis. The paper concludes that, in Cameroon and particularly in the councils in Ngoketunjia division, there is tight de-concentration power rather than fiscal decentralization and good governance, suggesting that, the impact of fiscal decentralization and good governance on local economic development in councils in Ngoketunjia division is simply an ideological construct yearning for effective implementation. Keywords: Fiscal Decentralisation, Good Governance, Local Economic Development, Decentralisation, Local Government

Village Financial Management StrategyLombok Timur District (Case Study In Keruak District)

One of the positive impacts of regional autonomy is the change in the government system from a centralized system to a decentralized system. Decentralization in regional autonomy means that there is a delegation of authority from the central government to regional governments. The delegation of authority means the granting of authority and flexibility to the regions to manage and utilize regional resources optimally. Although the emphasis on autonomy is placed at the Regency/City level, in essence, independence must start from the lowest level of government, namely the Village. Because government starts from the village, as a follow-up to the provisions contained in Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government, Law Number 6 of 2014 concerning Villages was issued. Article 1 of Law Number 6 of 214 concerning Villages states that: "The village is a legal community unit that has territorial boundaries that are authorized to regulate and manage government affairs, the interests of the local community based on community initiatives, origin rights, and/or rights. recognized and respected in the system of government of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. The research objectives are: To analyze the Village Financial Management strategy in 2 villages namely Stungkep Lingsar Village and Mendana Raya Village, Keruak District, East Lombok Regency, for the 2015-2018 fiscal year. The research method used is a qualitative research method, while the results of the research are as follows: There is a very clear difference between financial management in Setungkep Lingsar Village and financial management in Mendana Raya Village. Village financial management in Setungkep Lingsar Village, starting from the planning, implementation, administration, reporting and accountability processes have been going well and correctly in accordance with applicable regulations, while village financial management in Mendana Raya Village, in terms of activities related to Planning, Management Business, Reporting and Accountability have been carried out properly and correctly in accordance with applicable regulations, especially the provisions in Permendagri Number 113 of 2014 concerning Village Financial Management, only in terms of carrying out activities that deviate from existing provisions, where the transfer of funds to build and or finance other activities that are considered urgent and have not been listed in the APBDesa, not accompanied by changes in the APBDesa. Suggestion, the East Lombok Regency Government and the Village Head and related agencies to provide in-depth understanding to village government officials either through education education and training as well as through courses related to village financial management

Economy-equity equilibrium based bi-level provincial renewable portfolio standard target allocation: Perspective from China

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are policy tools used in many countries to promote the use of renewable energy. However, balancing the equity and costs of RPS target allocations is very difficult. Therefore, this study proposed a bi-level framework to characterize this dilemma, in which the upper-level government, as the RPS target allocator, focuses on policy equity and maximizing global renewable energy utilization, and the lower-level government, as the policy implementer, considers the costs to achieve the RPS target. Only when the two types of decision-makers fully interact can they establish economical and equitable goals for a successful implementation. The bi-level mathematical model uses responsibility, capacity, and equality principles to measure equity and optimize the RPS target allocations. The proposed approach was applied to a Chinese case, from which it was found that the inclusion of hydropower in the RPS targets made equitable allocations more challenging, and equitable RPS target allocations have higher costs. Besides, central governments can determine equity principle weights to encourage greater renewable energy generation.

Different Models of the Federal System

There are different types of systems in modern countries and governments. Governments are becoming distinct sub-systems. In a federal system, a state's authority is constitutionally split and governed by lower levels of government. This is opposed to a unitary system, where it is regulated from top to bottom based on law. There are some federal system models in modern countries. At first, the Constitution of United States of America applied federalism to its creation. Central federalism was mandatory for country formation. That is the first contemporary federal system in contemporary governing systems. Despite this, many countries have adopted different federalism models today. Federal systems also have various practices. Since this paper is prepared using the secondary sources of data, it attempts to introduce various models of federal government systems practiced in different countries. It also critically examines the reasons why multiple forms exist within the federal government system.

Research on the Logic of Local Government Policy Implementation-Case Analysis Based on the Performance of the New Coronavirus Pneumonia Policy

Realizing public policy objectives requires cooperation between the higher and lower levels of government or different departments of the same level of government. However, in the process of public policy implementation, it often occurs that some implementing entities adopt the method of " policy on the top, countermeasure on the bottom " to selectively implement or flexibly implement the policy, which eventually leads to " collective action difficulties " and the implementation effect deviates from the original intention of the policy. This paper takes the implementation effect of epidemic prevention policies in various places since the outbreak of COVID-19 as a case to study and analyze the logic of policy implementation of some implementing entities. Research has found that the behaviour of various entities in policy implementation is influenced by multiple logic, which ultimately points to the maintenance of departmental interests. In the implementation of public policy to prevent the implementation of public policy from falling into the departmental interest, relevant means such as coordination, trust, cooperation, integration, etc., can be used to solve the problem of policy implementation deviation.

Use of Village Funds in the Accelerated Convergence Program for Stunting Prevention

This research aims to provide an overview (description) and analyze several Village Fund programs related to stunting prevention and the extent of the success rate of the impact of using Village Funds on reducing rates of malnutrition and stunting in Ketitanglor Village. Research technique in the form of a literature review study of several appropriate articles, Regulations of the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, APBD desa Ketitanglor, Bojong District, Pekalongan Regency and qualitative analysis. Based on the research results of several articles, it shows that stunting convergence must receive serious attention from the lower level of government, namely the village. The Central Government must provide clear regulations and a legal umbrella regarding the use of Village Funds for accelerated convergence in stunting prevention in villages. It can be concluded that stunting convergence must be carried out in an organized, coordinated manner and involve all elements, including health workers, village stakeholders including community leaders, social religious institutions, non-governmental organizations and also village government, supra-village government at the sub-district, district/city level and Provinces and Central Government.

IMPLEMENTATION OF E-GOVERNANCE TOWARDS VILLAGE DIGITALIZATION MOVEMENT IN WANAGIRI VILLAGE, SAKETI, PANDEGLANG

Desa Wanagiri is located in the Saketi Subdistrict, Pandeglang Regency. This village is situated 3 km from the subdistrict's capital, Saketi, 23 km from the regency's capital, and 43 km from the provincial capital of Banten. The geographical condition of Wanagiri village provides it with potential worth exploring further. At the forefront of public services at the lowest level of government, good public service is crucial for the success of economic development. However, several issues need to be addressed, such as the need for more skills among village officials, poor office administration management, and insufficient information about the village.
 Additionally, public services must keep up with the advancement of information and communication technology and the spirit of the bureaucratic reform agenda. A solution to these problems is proposed: creating a village application and website, accompanied by relevant training. The methods used in this service activity are tailored to the existing issues. The objectives of implementing this program include organized management of digital-based village administration, establishing an informative village website, promoting village potential, and enhancing the abilities and skills of village officials. The expected outcomes of this program are improving service quality to the community, scientific publications, and transferring knowledge and technology to village officials. It is hoped that village officials will become proficient in providing services to the community with the support of information technology, resulting in efficient service for the community.

Target and Performance: Evidence from China’s Air Quality Management

Taking China’s air quality management during the 13th 5-Year Plan (2016–2020) as a case, this study empirically examines the impact of mandatory policy target set by the higher-level government on the performance of lower-level government in achieving the target. The results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental target value and target completion rate. In addition, the inverted U-shaped relationship is moderated by local economic growth rate. Specifically, economic growth impairs the positive effect of environmental target value on environmental performance before the turning point but alleviating the negative effect after the turning point. Moreover, higher-level attention can strengthen the target setting effect for local governments. Therefore, a successful target-based performance management system needs the reasonable design for the target difficulty and coordination of conflicting targets.