Municipal Officials Research Articles

Chinese land complex: Hometown ties and corporate land acquisition

Recent research highlights the significance of hometown ties in the fields of sociology and economics. Using unique, manually-collected microdata of corporate land transactions from China, this study focuses on the hometown ties between municipal officials and corporate executives and investigates their impact on corporate land acquisition outcomes. The results indicate that hometown ties between municipal officials and corporate executives positively influence the likelihood of corporate land acquisition, while concurrently reducing the acquisition cost. Mechanism analyses confirm that the municipal officials have notable control over corporate land allocation. Furthermore, the influence of hometown ties on land acquisition outcomes is primarily facilitated by the private-information and benefit-exchange channels. Heterogeneity analysis at the firm and land type levels are also explored. This study not only deepens the theorectial understanding of hometown ties, but also augments the literature on land resource misallocation from an informal institutional standpoint. Additionally, it offers fresh perspectives to the wider discourse on political connection research.

Participation unpacked: participants' perceptions of its meaning and scope

PurposeThe concept of “participation” has become a buzzword in contemporary public governance models. However, despite the broad and significant interest, defining participation remains a debated topic. The aim of the current study was to explore how participants perceived and interpreted the meaning and scope of participation.Design/methodology/approachThis study is part of a four-year (2019–2022) longitudinal research project investigating stakeholder participation in the context of developing and establishing a strategic regional plan in Region Skåne in southern Sweden. The research project has a qualitative approach and uses interviews with different stakeholder groups such as municipal politicians and public officials and a survey as empirical material.FindingsThe authors developed a participation spectrum including eight types of participation: to be open, to be informed, to be listened to, to discuss, to be consulted, to give and take, to collaborate and to co-create. The authors also identified four different purposes of participation: creating a joint network, creating a joint understanding, creating a joint effort and creating a joint vision. The spectrum and the purposes were related through four characteristics of participation, i.e. involvement, interaction, influence and empowerment.Research limitations/implicationsThe study rests on a single case, and so the results have limited transferatibility.Originality/valueResearching participation in terms of the participants' perceptions contributes a new perspective to the existing literature, which has commonly focussed on the organizers' perceptions of participation. Moreover, in order to clarify what participation meant to the participants, the study puts emphasis on untangling this from the why question of participation.

Resource Mobilisation, Utilisation and Wellbeing of Social and Solidarity Groups In The Assin Fosu Municipality, Ghana.

Purpose: The study focused on farm-based cooperatives in the Assin Fosu municipality and examined resource mobilisation as well as the factors that determine resource utilisation and the wellbeing of social and solidarity organisations.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: 180 respondents from six registered farm-based cooperatives in the Assin Fosu Municipality were chosen for the study using a mixed research design and a multi-stage sample method that included purposive, proportional, and simple random sampling procedures. The Focus Group comprised cooperative chairpersons and was further expanded to include the Municipal Co-operative Officer, who was specifically chosen as a key informant. In addition to narratives drawn from qualitative data, descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to examine the data.
 Research Implications/Limitations: The limitation of this study is the measurement of farm size and income which were based on the mental construct of farmers because most of the cooperative members did not keep records. This tended to distort the reality related to farm size and income which were included in the construct of wellbeing and collective resource mobilisation.
 Findings: We discovered that, except for cooperatives based on cocoa, resource mobilisation was low across all the cooperatives. The study found that the mobilisation of resources and the collective purchase of agricultural equipment and supplies, which reduced production costs, were the driving forces behind resource utilisation. The main wellbeing indicators were longer membership durations and group resource mobilisation and utilisation.
 Practical Implications: The findings of the study will help contribute to the management of social and solidarity groups in Ghana and broaden the understanding of how this development approach affects livelihoods. It is also hoped that the findings will contribute to the mitigation of the cost of neoliberal policies by providing a path to wellbeing at the micro and informal levels through group resource mobilisation and utilisation.
 Social Implications: Social and Solidarity organisations serve as an alternative to economic organisations that are based on neoliberal principles. This is because the latter favours the dominant few in developing economies culminating in widespread poverty, inequalities, and a decline in wellbeing. To maximise wellbeing, cooperatives should intensify resource mobilisation, and utilisation whilst maintaining their membership.
 Originality/Value: The novelty of this paper lies in its contribution to the literature on social and solidarity economies. It provides information on the missing link on how farm-based cooperatives mobilise and utilise resources for the wellbeing of their members.

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

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

Records and distribution of House Crow Corvus splendens within the eThekwini Municipality from August 2019 to August 2023

House Crows Corvus splendens are originally from southern Asia and are considered one of the most invasive birds in the world (Meininger et al. 1980, Nyári et al. 2006, Ryall 2010). They are invading parts of South Africa, mostly along the coastal areas in three provinces (Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal) (SABAP2). Here we discuss the distribution of House Crows within the eThekwini Municipality, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal from 2019–2023 records collected by the eThekwini Municipality and South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) officials. The record includes the one known roosting site within the Durban Central and most preferred areas within the city.

Evaluating Employee Performance through Work Motivation, Work Discipline, and Leadership Style

The aim of this research is to determine and analyse work motivation and discipline work and leadership style influence employee performance in the Municipal office Covalima. This research explains the causal relationship between research variables. According to Sugiyono (2014) causal research method is a research method to find out the influence of one or more independent variables on the dependent variable(dependent variable), in this research to determine the influence of the independent variable, namelywork motivation, work discipline and leadership style on the dependent variable, namely performance employee at the Covalima Municipal office. The results of the research findings work motivation has a positive and significant effect on Employee performance, meaning that with motivation, employees can do something work with enthusiasm. Without motivation, an employee will not get results the maximum for the work he completed. Even when an employee have high knowledge and skills but if you don't have enough motivation then the work he does will not be as expected. Work discipline has an effect positive and significant on employee performance, meaning that there is work discipline then employee performance can increase. Work discipline is a very important attitude required by everyone in an effort to improve performance in order to achieve goals organization. Leadership style has a positive and significant effect on performance employees, meaning that in carrying out their work duties employees will be motivated if they are stylish leadership consisting of directive leadership, supportive leadership, Participative leadership and achievement-oriented leadership are applied accordingly with employee hopes and desires.

Dvě poznámky ke jmenování a (zejména) odvolávání tajemníka obecního úřadu

This paper is a brief reflection on the current views of the Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court on selected issues related to the appointment or the recalling of a secretary of a municipal office. In particular, it focuses on the unclear legal character of the approval given to the appointment or the recalling of a secretary by the director of a regional office, as well as evaluates the long-held view of case law on the application of the time required for the removal of a secretary of the municipal office.

Quid pro quo? Local government debt and corporate tax avoidance

This study examines the effect of local government debt (LGD) on corporate tax avoidance using a sample of Chinese-listed firms from 2007 to 2019. We find a negative relationship between LGD and tax avoidance only in the municipal state-owned enterprises (SOEs) controlled by the municipal government, suggesting that municipal officials focus on municipal SOEs to raise tax revenues to alleviate debt pressures. Further discussions show that the negative effect of LGD on municipal SOEs' tax avoidance is pronounced in politically connected managers, cities with worse fiscal situations and only present at the early phase of officials' tenure but insignificant later. We examine the economic consequences of politically driven tax planning and find that municipal SOEs with lower tax avoidance subsequently receive more government contracts as favor returns. Such favor exchange changes the distribution of current and future cash flows of the municipal SOEs, which are mainly determined by adjusting the composition of current accruals (i.e., more income-increasing earning management) and cash flow items (i.e., less tax avoidance). This study sheds light on the “two-way favor exchange” between governments and firms and provides implications for understanding local government leaders' heterogeneous incentives for tax enforcement and firms’ competing incentives for tax avoidance.

A five-year case study analysis of USAID local governance programming and public investment spending in post-earthquake Haiti

In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the central government operations were paralyzed, and municipal officials became even more important as they were more readily able to respond to their constituents’ needs during this time of crisis. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) five-year post-earthquake Limyè ak Òganizasyon pou Kolektivite yo Ale Lwen (LOKAL+) program aimed to bolster the capacity of municipalities – beyond this disaster event – through revenue mobilization activities, within quake-affected and non-quake affected areas. The intended outcome of this effort was to improve local public service delivery throughout Haiti.Nearly all participating LOKAL+ municipalities experienced increased local revenue collection, particularly in property and business taxes, from 2012 through 2017. However, the impact of these increases on public investment spending was not evident even though this was a stated objective of the program. To evaluate whether public services improved in two of the nine LOKAL+ localities, due to USAID’s local revenue mobilization efforts, I employed a case study analysis using descriptive statistics, in-depth interviewing, and content analysis.The findings revealed modest public service improvements in one of the two case study sites. However, the political climate within which LOKAL+ was executed – mainly, the unlawful installation of interim executive agents throughout the country at the time – had an observed impact on the study’s findings. The implications of country-specific political economic realities on the timing of donor-led local governance efforts are underscored, as Haiti continues to navigate compounding political crises – including the assassination of the President in 2021 – since the end of the LOKAL+ program.

Participation in Decision-Making, Career Development, and Organizational Commitment

Employee participation in decision-making is a key factor in an organization's success, significantly influencing career development and organizational commitment. This study underscores the ethical and strategic imperative for management to empower employees in decision-making processes, a vital component of human resource management. Focusing on municipal officers from the Lampung regional province, the research employed a survey method to gather data. Analysis of 70 valid responses using SmartPLS software highlighted the substantial impact of budgetary participation on both career development and organizational commitment. Moreover, the findings revealed a direct correlation between budgetary participation and organizational commitment. Employees involved in budgetary decisions demonstrated greater dedication to fulfilling the organization's objectives. The study emphasizes the significance of involving employees in budgetary decision-making processes, which directly affects career progression and commitment to the organization. Contributing to the expanding body of literature on budgetary participation in the public sector and emerging economies, this research offers insightful implications for organizations and managers aiming to enhance employee engagement and loyalty.
 Keywords: career development, emerging countries, organizational commitment, participation in decision-making, public sector

Istorijski arhiv Kotor – pamćenje grada

Kotor was the first town in the present-day Montenegro to have autonomous archival institution. The State Archives in Kotor was established on 30th November 1949. This piece of information points out to the awareness of the importance of archival cultural heritage that was being created in Kotor and in the wider region of Boka Kotorska Bay through centuries, as well as on the need for its preservation and presentation to expert and general public. It is, however, important to mention that as early as in 1417 a provision in the Book of Statutes of the Town of Kotor, printed in Venice in 1616 the oldest provision of which dates back to 1301, lays down a duty for all important acts created in the work of public institutions to be stored in three storages: St. Tryphon Cathedral reliquary, municipal office and in the office of the notary public. The year 1764 saw Marin Vrakjen being officially appointed as archivist in Kotor. Today, Kotor Historical Archives houses archival material created in the work of local authorities, legal entities and natural persons in Kotor but also in the wider region of Boka Kotorska and other parts of the present-day Montenegrin littoral up to Spič, in the vicinity of Bar. Archival departments in Herceg Novi, Budva and Bar also house part of the archival material created in their respective areas, just as church archives and museums do. The oldest document kept in Kotor Historical Archives dates back to 1309. It is a fragment of a contract for the sale of a property written on a piece of parchment. The task of every archival institution, thus also of Kotor Historical Archives, is to explore archival records of historical-scientific importance related to the events from political, social, economic and cultural life of Boka Kotorska spanning from the ancient past to the modern era; to study the documents by applying scientific methods, prepare them for the scholars of various fields, to publish collections of archival documents by different topics and to open wide its door to all those interested in the history of our town and the surrounding area.

The role of municipal digital services in advancing rural resilience

Community resilience refers to collective efforts to help improve response and recovery for the entire community in response to disasters. Municipalities that provide information and services to residents through digital platforms have more options for meeting citizen needs during crises. In this study, we examine the provision of digital services by rural municipalities in Maine, USA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on an inventory of 100 municipal websites and interviews with 20 municipal officials, we assessed the prevalence of 20 digital services, associations between municipality characteristics and digital services, and factors that spur changes in digital services. We discovered that many rural communities use digital platforms, and provide digital information, digital transactions and opportunities for digital democracy. While we found positive associations between greater levels of digital services, larger community populations, and more representative forms of government, we learned that a range of technological and cultural barriers also determine the degree to which a municipality engages with and adapts their digital services. Our findings establish a link between municipal digital services and rural resilience, confirm prior trends observed in larger and more urban local governments, and encourage future work on relatively under-studied rural areas.

Local Practices vs National Models of Integration? The Management of Ethno-religious Diversity in an Urban Context

This article examines the ways in which ethnic and cultural diversity is concretely managed in the city of Marseille, a metropolitan area located in France, a country that academic literature defines as assimilationist. Based on a series of 26 semi-structured interviews and on the analysis of municipal archives, it reveals that ethnic, cultural and religious organizations are essential actors in local political life in Marseille. On one hand, in order to manage their culturally heterogeneous city, municipal officials rely on alliances with community leaders to maintain legitimacy among the local population. On the other hand, community leaders demand symbolic gestures of cultural recognition from the mayor in exchange for their political support. This paper, inspired by conceptual tools developed by Pierre Bourdieu, builds an innovative theoretical framework for analysis of the ‘social field of multiculturalism.’ In the process, it sheds light on strategies of negotiation and competition among different local actors in the daily management of diversity.

Abusive supervision in public service organisations: investigating the moderating effect of attribution styles

ABSTRACT This study explores how abusive supervision impacts employee turnover intention and performance and examines how attribution styles moderate the relationship in public service organisations. Data were collected from five types of public service organisations in Indonesia (i.e., municipal offices, hospitals, police offices, social security offices, and schools) using a multi-wave longitudinal survey method with a five-workday interval. After removing incomplete responses and participants with careless responses, 369 participants were included in the analysis. The data were analysed using Hayes’ moderated-mediation regression technique. This study confirmed that abusive supervision indirectly reduced performance by increasing turnover intention. However, three attribution styles (i.e., self-, supervisor-, and organisation-directed) showed different moderating effects on the relationship. Self- and organisation-directed attribution could intensify the positive impact of abusive supervision on turnover intention. The negative impact of abusive supervision on performance was observed when supervisor-directed attribution was low.

Kajian Kelebihan Menggunakan Ilustrasi sebagai Bahasa Visual dalam Memahami UKBS 1984

The use of the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (UBBL) is no stranger among architectural practitioners and to the Local Authorities (PBT) in general, in which the UBBL also has several different versions according to PBT in each state. UBBL is a ‘must book’ in every local municipal office and in the architectural firms including to the architectural students in Malaysia. This showed how important the UBBL, however, there is a difficulty in understanding the content stated among the students and practitioners of the industry. Among the factors that make it difficult to understand is due to the use of legal language in which the UBBL is a law that has been subsidized under Act 133 on 05 June 1974. In addition, the absence of a simple and concise explanation for each clause in the UBBL and the absence of illustrations or diagrams that could explaining a clause. The use of illustrations as a visual language can help to ease understanding for students and the architecture industry of the meanings, principles, procedures and anything relates to subject matters. This paper is to discuss the meaning of visual or illustrative language, its history, the importance, and the impact of its usage in other fields. The methodology is through the analysis of relevant secondary sources. The findings showed the type of illustration that is fits to be used is the industry and technical illustration as they can explain the meaning of a clause in UBBL by using simple elements such as lines, geometries, scales and the stated measurements. All these features are common in the field of architecture, thus facilitating the process of understanding UBBL within a short time among the architectural students and practitioners.

Going Local: Public Attitudes toward Municipal Offices of Immigration Affairs

Local governments have been increasingly active in immigration policy by cooperating with federal immigration enforcement or creating local offices of immigrant affairs (OIA) charged with integrating immigrants. How do these policies shape perceptions of locales following these policy routes? Using a set of pre-registered survey experiments, we find that compared to local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, creating an OIA produces more favorable public attitudes, with minimal differences when undocumented immigrants also receive access to services. Democrats, especially white Democrats, have the most favorable views of cities with an OIA. While Republicans prefer cooperation with ICE, their attitudes toward cities with OIAs remain positive. Our findings suggest that despite partisan polarizing immigration policy debates, establishing OIAs does not attract the negative political attention common in an era of hyperpolarization. OIAs could be a rare immigration policy that may be effective and supported.

Monitoring and evaluation as critical approach to enhance the performance of local government: South Africa

The present study undertakes an analysis of monitoring and evaluation as a pragmatic methodology for enhancing the efficacy of municipalities in the context of South Africa. Research findings indicate that a significant obstacle faced by South African municipalities is the issue of substandard performance. These aspects can be linked to several reasons, such as inadequate allocation of resources, limitations in capacity, and deficiencies in monitoring and assessment processes. This article posits that the use of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is crucial in addressing instances of suboptimal performance within municipalities. There exists a necessity to enhance the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in order to attain efficient performance management and ensure the provision of high-quality service delivery. The research was conducted among three distinct municipalities, namely Amajuba, uThukela, and uMgungundlovu, located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The sample population comprised of municipal officials belonging to the Performance Management System (PMS) and Corporate Services units. The study employed a qualitative methodology and deliberately selected important participants who possessed knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter under investigation. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the sample size consisted of 20 people. The researchers organized focus group conversations in order to gather data, which was subsequently controlled through the utilization of the NVivo software application. The findings of the study indicate that monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a crucial component in enhancing the performance of local government. Its primary purpose is to establish the essential circumstances for achieving greater levels of performance that are sustainable over an extended period. Municipalities are required to demonstrate a firm dedication to the prioritization and adoption of municipal monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as an essential tool for facilitating progressive local governance. This commitment involves the institutionalization of M&E practices, the enforcement of mandatory adherence to established systems and procedures, the integration of information technology systems to enhance and fortify the implementation of M&E, and the utilization of participatory M&E approaches to assess the effectiveness of municipal functions and development endeavors.

Воспроизводство городского сообщества в условиях цифровой трансформации урбанизированной среды

The article analyzes the changes in the conditions of urban community reproduction that occur as a result of digitalization of the urbanized environment. The empirical basis of the work are the results of the author’s so-ciological research conducted in 2022 by methods of mass questionnaire survey of city dwellers (Kursk, Belgo-rod, Voronezh regions, n = 1,518), expert survey (50 experts), focus group interviewing among youth repre-sentatives, public sector employees, municipal government officials, retirees, entrepreneurs, and the unem-ployed (6 groups). The authors identify several key areas of changes in the conditions of the reproduction pro-cess of urban communities that occur under the influence of digitization and digitalization: the inclusion of “technosubjects” in the urban space, the formation of hybrid urban communities, the expansion of communica-tion opportunities, changes in the mechanisms of socialization and personal identification, the emergence of new technologies for influencing the consciousness of members of urban communities, the transformation of forms social control.

Socio-Political and Ecological Dimensions of Municipal Wildlife Management

In urban and suburban areas, the complex socio-environmental landscapes and diverging interests of stakeholders make wildlife management difficult. We analyze how municipalities in Massachusetts make decisions about the management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Combining statistical analyses of a survey of municipal officials, qualitative analysis of management documents, and semi-structured interviews, we investigate (i) the socio-environmental conditions linked to municipal concerns about deer, (ii) the concerns that prompt municipalities to explore deer management actions, and (iii) why some municipalities take management action while others do not. We find that landscape features, Lyme disease incidence, and an array of concerns about deer prompt municipal governments to explore options for deer management. We show that management champions and small-scale politics are crucial in translating concern to management action. Our study illustrates the complexity of wildlife decision-making in sub/urban environments where the movement of wild animals intersects with patterns of development and politics.

Assessing radioactivity and hazards: analysis of soil, water, and coal samples near a coal-fired thermal power plant and their implications for human health and the environment

ABSTRACT The combustion of coal poses significant risks, increasing the radioactive burden on the atmosphere and affecting the health of individuals near coal mines and coal-fired thermal power plants (CFTPPs). A detailed study was conducted within a 3 km radius surrounding the site of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited (BCMCL), Bangladesh’s premier operational coal-fired thermal power plant, during which 50 soil samples, 50 water samples, and 21 coal samples were collected from a variety of locations inside and beyond the BCMCL boundaries, and these samples were then analysed for radioactivity using a high-purity germanium detector. The range of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the studied soil, water and coal samples were 24–47, 30–76, and 340–570 Bqkg−1; 1.6–2.9, 1.1–3.8, and 53–92 Bqkg−1; 19–57, 20–97, and 78–170 Bqkg−1 respectively. The majority of hazard indices, including absorbed dose rate, gamma index, effective dose, and excess lifetime cancer risk, associated with soil samples were higher than the world average. This indicates that long-term exposure to terrestrial ionising radiation is unsafe for coal miners and the local community. The quantitative measurements of this study have important implications for planning larger and more modern coal-fired power plants. Additionally, the study’s results underscore the need for municipal officials to impose restrictions and closely monitor the release of fly ash in the vicinity of coal-fired power plants. Furthermore, there is a crucial need to monitor the health of workers and locals living near the power plant to safeguard against potential health risks.