National Government Departments Research Articles

Transformation of digital government services in the public sector in South Africa

Background: It is well-documented that the 21st century is providing digital technologies in an alarming rate. Their emergence promotes effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and transparency of public services and internal governance. This study was conducted within the government departments and state-owned agencies of South Africa.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the transformation of digital government services in the public sector in South Africa.Methods: This case study used qualitative approach where data were collected through semi-structured interviews from the national government departments and state-owned entities. The target population comprised information technology officers, investigators or analysts and administrative officers. Data collected were thematically analysed preceding the transcription of audio-recordings.Results: Some of the significant results of this study showed that the executives avoid playing their role to drive Information and communications technology (ICT) through Corporate ICT Strategy.Conclusion: Some of the challenges of adopting digital transformation are associated with low digital literacy, poor digital infrastructure, unreliable power supply, among others.Contribution: This study establishes that if the senior managers from ICT section become members of the executive committee, the government can have successful implementation of ICT projects without scepticism. This study also contributes to the awareness of considering digital literacy skills to support digital transformation.

Water Footprint Flow and Vulnerability of China’s Provincial Energy Sector

Water and energy are mutually reinforcing elements in production and consumption activities, forming an inseparable relationship. This study, conducted at the provincial level, investigates the intricate connections between energy water footprint flow, water shortage, and water pollution. It aims to elucidate the vulnerability of provincial energy sectors to water use, fostering regional coordinated management for sustainable energy and water development. Utilizing a multi-regional input–output model, the research analyzes both the quantity and quality of water resources. The water footprint of China’s provincial energy sector is quantified and scrutinized. Furthermore, an evaluation index system is constructed based on the water footprint concept. The entropy weight TOPSIS method is then applied to assess the vulnerability of inter-provincial energy sector water footprints. The key findings are as follows: (1) The energy water footprint has shifted from water resource-deficient areas, such as the northwest, North China, and northeast, to economically developed regions with relatively abundant water resources, such as East China and South China. This reveals that the transfer of water footprints in economic activities does not entirely alleviate water shortages in China and may even exacerbate shortages in certain water-deficient areas. (2) The graywater footprint of the energy sector is significantly larger than the blue water footprint and water shortage footprint. (3) The production and supply departments of power and heat emerge as the largest contributors to the transfer of energy and water footprints from water shortage areas to water-rich areas, followed by coal mining and dressing departments. (4) Top 10 Vulnerable Provinces: Tibet, Zhejiang, Ningxia, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Henan, Hunan, Beijing, Chongqing, and Hebei are identified as the top 10 provinces vulnerable to water footprints in the energy sector. This vulnerability closely correlates with the energy sector’s dependence on water footprints and production leverage. Recommendations include optimizing the energy mix and establishing stable external water footprint supply channels for provinces with high water footprint dependence. Provinces with high production leverage are advised to accelerate innovation and application of water-saving technologies in key energy sectors, increase the utilization of clean energy, and enhance resource recycling. National government departments should focus on controlling and reducing water pollutants in the energy sector across regions, addressing water shortages by purifying water bodies and improving water quality.

Research on Performance Evaluation of Sponge City PPP Projects in the Yangtze River Delta Region

In order to alleviate urban water ecological problems and promote sustainable urban development, many cities in my country are building sponge cities. At present, the country is vigorously promoting the application of the PPP model for project construction. The national government departments are actively preparing for the construction of sponge cities, promoting the construction of sponge cities in 30 pilot cities across the country, and encouraging sponge city construction projects using the PPP model, attracting a large amount of social capital to participate, and promoting The PPP model has been widely used in sponge city construction projects. This article takes the sponge city PPP project as the research object. In order to scientifically and rationally evaluate the construction performance of the sponge city PPP project, and on the basis of studying and summarizing the characteristics of the sponge city PPP project model and the development status of the performance evaluation system in my country, we conduct an analysis of the content of the performance evaluation. and research; establish and select a performance evaluation index system; conduct a comparative analysis of this model with other commonly used models, and build a PSIR-based PPP project performance evaluation model based on the design flaws of the existing performance evaluation system; and analyze and summarize the data. , clarifying its specific application and impact in practice; finally, a summary and outlook of the entire research are given.

Disaster literacy in disaster emergency response: a national qualitative study among nurses

BackgroundAs the largest group of healthcare professionals, nurses play an indispensable and crucial role in disaster response. The enhancement of nurses’ disaster literacy is imperative for effective disaster emergency management. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge regarding nurses’ disaster literacy. This study represents the first attempt to explore the key components and characteristics of disaster literacy among nurses.MethodsA qualitative descriptive design was employed, and the reporting followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines (refer to File S1). The purposive sampling method was utilized. Thirty-one rescue nurses from 31 medical institutions across 25 provinces and regions in China were recruited to participate in the study. The respondents were requested to share their experiences and insights regarding disaster rescue operations. Inductive content analysis was employed for data examination.ResultsThe results indicated that rescue nurses universally recognized that there was a pressing need to enhance the level of disaster literacy among nurses. The disaster literacy of nurses encompasses nine dimensions: physical and mental quality, disaster rescue general knowledge, professional and technical competence, professional ethics, teamwork, emotional ability, information literacy, leadership, and knowledge transformation.ConclusionsTo ensure national sustainability, government departments, healthcare organizations, and hospital administrators can accurately evaluate the disaster literacy of individual clinical nurses, groups, and the workforce as a whole through nine dimensions, which also can provide evidence to support the development of precision strategies to strengthen the disaster literacy of nurses.

Understanding Challenges Women Face in Flood-Affected Areas to Access Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: A Rapid Assessment from a Disaster-Torn Pakistan.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is ranked as the fifth-most vulnerable country to climate change. Most recently, during June-August 2022, heavy torrential rains coupled with riverine, urban, and flash flooding led to an unprecedented disaster in Pakistan. Around thirty-three million people were affected by the floods. More than 2 million houses were damaged, leaving approximately 8 million displaced and approximately 600,000 people in relief camps. Among those, 8.2 million women and 16 million children are the worst affected, with many requiring urgent medical and reproductive healthcare. To plan an efficient healthcare program and a climate-resilient health system, it is crucial to understand the issues that the affected people face during floods. Methodology. This rapid assessment included the population in the most severely affected districts across the four provinces of Pakistan. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative techniques was utilized. A total of 52 qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with community-level healthcare providers, national and provincial government departments, and development partners involved in relief activities. Using a structured questionnaire, the quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with a final sample of 422 women, married and unmarried (15-49 years old), residing in the relief camps in the flood-affected areas. The outcome variable of the survey was the access to sexual and reproductive health services faced by the women in the flood-affected districts. Data collection took place four months postfloods during Nov-Dec 2022, while the data analysis was conducted between Dec 2022 and Jan 2023. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 20, and qualitative data was analyzed using NVivo 12. Ethical consent was sought from all the participants. Ethical approval was also sought from the ethics committee of the Health Services Academy, Government of Pakistan. The findings indicated that, overall, all the provinces were unprepared for a calamity of such a large magnitude. Access to services and health data reporting from the flood-affected areas was challenging mainly due to a shortage of trained health workforce because of the displacement of a large volume of the health workforce. Overall, equipment, medicines, supplies, and food were scarce. Women residing in the camps were markedly affected, and 84% (375) were not satisfied with the flood relief services provided to them. The floods impacted their monthly income as 30% (132) of respondents started depending on charity postfloods. Almost 77% (344) reported limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and had yet to receive sanitary, hygiene, and delivery kits, while 69% (107 out of 154) of girls stopped schooling postfloods. Almost 77% (112) of the married women reported having a child less than one year of age. Yet, only 30% (44 out of 144 currently married women) were using any form of family planning method-damage to the health facilities affected access to overall maternal care services. The findings concluded that there was no planning for sexual and reproductive health services in the flood-affected areas. Several barriers were identified. The government and development partners needed to prepare to cater to women's needs during the floods. The findings highlight the need for collaborative efforts between the government, civil society, and development partners to address the challenges faced in disaster management and strengthen disaster management capacity.

Identifying and Validating Alcohol Diagnostics for Injury-Related Trauma in South Africa: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

The burden of alcohol use among patients with trauma and the relative injury risks is not routinely measured in South Africa. Given the prominent burden of alcohol on hospital trauma departments, South Africa needs practical, cost-effective, and accurate alcohol diagnostic tools for testing, surveillance, and clinical management of patients with trauma. This study aims to validate alcohol diagnostics for injury-related trauma and assess its use for improving national health practice and policy. The Alcohol Diagnostic Validation for Injury-Related Trauma study will use mixed methods across 3 work packages. Five web-based focus group discussions will be conducted with 6 to 8 key stakeholders, each across 4 areas of expertise (clinical, academic, policy, and operational) to determine the type of alcohol information that will be useful for different stakeholders in the injury prevention and health care sectors. We will then conduct a small pilot study followed by a validation study of alcohol diagnostic tools (clinical assessment, breath analysis, and fingerprick blood) against enzyme immunoassay blood concentration analysis in a tertiary hospital trauma setting with 1000 patients. Finally, selected alcohol diagnostic tools will be tested in a district hospital setting with a further 1000 patients alongside community-based participatory research on the use of the selected tools. Pilot data are being collected, and the protocol will be modified based on the results. Through this project, we hope to identify and validate the most appropriate methods of diagnosing alcohol-related injury and violence in a clinical setting. The findings from this study are likely to be highly relevant and could influence our primary beneficiaries-policy makers and senior health clinicians-to adopt new practices and policies around alcohol testing in injured patients. The findings will be disseminated to relevant national and provincial government departments, policy experts, and clinicians. Additionally, we will engage in media advocacy and with our stakeholders, including community representatives, work through several nonprofit partners to reach civil society organizations and share findings. In addition, we will publish findings in scientific journals. DERR1-10.2196/52949.

Main Predictor(s) of Good Corporate Governance in National Government Departments: A Decision-tree Classification and Prediction Analyses

Purpose: Good public sector corporate governance leads to good management, stewardship of public wealth, public engagement, and ultimately, better outcomes for citizens. As South Africa has one of the worst Gini coefficients in the world, its public sector should effectively address the challenges of inequality, poverty, and unemployment. Yet, almost 30% of national and provincial government departments obtain unfavourable audit outcomes. Methodology: Supporting the drive for clean audit outcomes that equate to good corporate governance, the research objective was to determine the predictors of national government departments’ corporate governance success. The study used CHAID (chi-squared automatic interaction detection) analyses, a decision-tree technique based on information reported over a 13-year period. Findings: The CHAID analyses indicated that national government departments’ corporate governance success is primarily explained by three factors, namely: a quality internal audit function (main predictor), the number of fraud incidents, and the number of internal control weaknesses. Implication: Even though all the variables in this study receive attention in literature and regulation, the problem of unfavourable audit outcomes persists. The question is where to focus on resolving the problem. Regulators may take note of where to focus their efforts in strengthening elements of good corporate governance.

Anastrozole for the prevention of breast cancer in high-risk postmenopausal women: cost-effectiveness analysis in the UK and the USA

PurposeThe effectiveness of anastrozole for breast cancer prevention has been demonstrated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of anastrozole for the prevention of breast cancer in women with a high risk of breast cancer and to determine whether anastrozole for the primary prevention of breast cancer can improve the quality of life of women and save health-care resources.MethodsA decision-analytic model was used to assess the costs and effects of anastrozole prevention versus no prevention among women with a high risk of breast cancer. The key parameters of probability were derived from the IBIS-II trial, and the cost and health outcome data were derived from published literature. Costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated for the two strategies,One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed.ResultsIn the base case, the incremental cost per QALY of anastrozole prevention was £125,705.38/QALY in the first 5 years compared with no prevention in the UK, above the threshold of WTP (£3,000/QALY),and in the 12-year period, the ICER was £8,313.45/QALY, less than WTP. For the US third-party payer, ICER was $134,232.13/QALY in the first 5 years and $8,843.30/QALY in the 12 years, both less than the WTP threshold ($150,000/QALY).ConclusionIn the UK and US, anastrozole may be a cost-effective strategy for the prevention of breast cancer in high-risk postmenopausal women. Moreover, the longer the cycle of the model, the higher the acceptability. The results of this study may provide a scientific reference for decision-making for clinicians, patients, and national medical and health care government departments.

Para-Diplomacy and Border Security: A Kenyan Perspective

Purpose: Para-diplomacy empowers subnational governments to engage directly in international relations, including security policy-making. It operates outside traditional diplomatic channels, bridging gaps between subnational and national governments, and allowing for more nuanced and context-specific approaches to security policy-making. For subnational governments to actively participate in addressing security concerns and shaping security policies, the potential and efficacy of para-diplomacy should be carefully understood and therefore managed. This research explores para-diplomacy and its potential impact on border security in Kenya, particularly the role of border counties.
 Methodology: Using mixed research methods, the study examines the mechanisms of border management and the important, yet undefined role of border counties. By applying purposive sampling technique, the research selected a sample of 76 individuals from 23 border counties and 6 national government departments all of which are part of Kenya’s governance structure. Questionnaires and interview guides were adopted to gather primary data and both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis were employed.
 Findings: It uncovers an institutional gap that fails to clearly define or utilize the potential of these counties in boosting border security. The study also delves into track one diplomacy, delineating its significance in maintaining border stability. It found out that diplomacy appears to produce positive results by transforming conflicts into opportunities for integration through peace building, and conflict management. Additionally, the study investigates the transformative power of neofunctionalism theory, demonstrating how diplomacy can be used to resolve conflicts and foster regional integration. The research suggests that para-diplomacy, the involvement of subnational regions in international affairs, could enhance border security by leveraging the contribution of border counties towards regional integration.
 Recommendations: In conclusion, the study recommends frameworks promoting collaboration between the central government and border counties to improve border management mechanisms and strengthen Kenya's border security. The research highlights the need for a paradigm shift in understanding and utilizing para-diplomacy in border security management.

South African government personnel expenditure 2006–2021: Methodological considerations in using remuneration data

ABSTRACT The level of detail, coverage, accuracy, completeness and time range of personnel expenditure data available in the transversal payroll system used by South African national and provincial government departments, PERSAL, offers opportunities for wage bill analysis that is not possible with the more common and well-known approaches of using either highly summarised tabled data, reported data or survey data. This paper describes a methodology that was developed to extract trends in the wage bill and personnel numbers. The key drivers of total wage bill growth have been identified as personnel growth and salary growth and this paper demonstrates how to disaggregate total growth into these two key drivers. The full-time equivalent is proposed as a measure for annual headcounts, as it provides an accurate summary. Appropriate stratification when analysing the impact of remuneration policies is highlighted. The structuring of payroll data as employees’ career trajectories enables the analysis of changes at the personal level, adding insight to into personnel movements and improvements in salaries.

Leadership Practices, Stakeholder Involvement and Performance of National Government Departments in Kenya

The performance in most of the National Government departments in Kenya has been average over the years leading to disparities in access to resources and quality services. There is scanty literature on leadership practices and the performance of the departments available. Thus, this study assessed the influence of leadership practices on the performance of the departments moderated by stakeholder involvement. The study adopted quantitative and qualitative mixed research design guided by positivism research philosophy. It used a validated semi – structured questionnaire for data collection from a sample of 195 respondents drawn from National Government Heads of Departments in the Counties. The resultant data was analyzed to generate descriptive and inferential statistics which were used to draw inferences. The study established that leadership practices significantly influence the performance of departments in the National Government of Kenya moderated by stakeholder involvement. To improve on the performance, the management should review the stakeholder involvement management and the leadership practices adopted with a view of re – engineering the implementation process to provide for a performance improvement framework. The respondents were drawn from the National Government Departments in the Counties which excluded the views of Heads of Departments based at the headquarters of the National Government Departments. This is the first study on leadership practices, stakeholder involvement and performance of the National Government departments in Kenya to the best of the researchers. It added knowledge on the leadership practices and stakeholder involvement influence on the performance of public sector organizations.

Managerial Roles as a Strategy Implementation Driver and Performance of the National Government Departments in Kenya

Performance in most of the departments in the National Government of Kenya has remained average over years resulting in disparities in service delivery. This study examined the influence of managerial roles on the performance of the departments moderated by stakeholder involvement. Drawing from the data collected from National Government heads of departments in the Counties, the study concluded that managerial roles significantly influence the performance of the departments and is significantly moderated by the stakeholder involvement. The study has significant implication on the work performance management and stakeholder management policies.

THE ROLES THAT PROJECT SPONSORS PLAY AT STAGE GATES OF A PROJECT LIFE CYCLE MODEL: A CASE STUDY OF A WATER UTILITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Project sponsors play significant roles at the stage gates of project life cycle models (PLCMs). However, research on the roles that sponsors play at stage gates, and the attributes required of the sponsor, are sparse. This study investigated the roles played by government and municipal sponsors at the PLCM stage gates of a water utility, and identified the attributes that the sponsor should have as well as the challenges they face. A case study approach was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders. The findings could assist the senior management of water utilities, national government departments, and municipalities when appointing suitable project sponsors.

Strengthening Intergenerational Equity at the Ocean-Climate Nexus: Reflections on the UNCRC General Comment No.26+

The 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact brought the ocean into the international climate regime, and the 2022 Sharm el-Sheikh COP27 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has finally ushered the world into a special fund to respond to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including on the human rights of present and future generations. But much remains to be clarified about how ocean-based mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology will contribute to inter-generational equity. To shed light on these issues, this article starts from the premise that the ocean is an essential but little-understood component of the interdependency between climate change and human rights. It is followed by an exploration of the importance of a healthy ocean for children’s human rights as a way to advance inter-generational equity under the 30-year-old (1992–2022) UNFCCC through systemic interpretation. The upcoming General Comment on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change (General Comment No. 26) by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child presents an opportunity to clarify the role of existing international human rights obligations in strengthening intergenerational equity at the climate-ocean interface on the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This appears vital to ensure coordination across intergovernmental bodies and national government departments to safeguard ocean-dependent children’s human rights through climate policy and action at different levels.

Factors Affecting Contingent Liabilities in the Public Sector

Inappropriately accounted-for contingent liabilities could result in government departments having to make enormous payouts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors affecting contingent liabilities in the public sector, using the audited financial statements of four national government departments in South Africa as the data set. The four departments are Education, Correctional Services, South African Police Services, and Health. Data from 12 years, 2007/8 to 2018/19, for each department were analyzed. The paper applied a quantitative approach using positive accounting theory to explain accounting practices on the effects of litigation claims and intergovernmental payables on the departments’ contingent liabilities. In addition, a Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate factors affecting the contingent liabilities of litigation claims (LC) and interdepartmental payables (IP). The study results indicated a statistically significant positive relationship between litigation claims and interdepartmental payables. The results further confirmed that both variables significantly impacted the growth of contingent liabilities in the public sector. The benefit of this study is that determining the escalation and quantum of contingent liabilities may encourage government departments to implement policies that promote efficient management and accounting practices to contain and eventually reduce contingent liabilities accounts’ transactions. Achieving this will significantly reduce government departments’ unproductive cash outflows, measured in millions of rands annually.

An exploratory analysis of the corporate identity of selected national government departments in South Africa

A communication task team appointed by the Government of South Africa in 1996suggested that there should be one corporate identity for the government. A problemresulting from this suggestion was what this unitary corporate identity should reflectand which elements it should include.This article is based on a study into the viability of creating one corporate identity forall the South African government departments.Background is given for a government decision to create one corporate identity. Theview that corporate identity consists of the integration between visual identity andbehavioural identity and its possible application on the government departments ofSouth Africa is discussed.The main finding of this study is that the current corporate identity of four selectedgovernment departments consists of corporate service and behaviour, dynamism andvisual identity

Discussion on Enterprise Green Human Resource Management

As the main component of China's social market economy, enterprises must assume the major responsibility of protecting the environment and achieving harmony between man and nature. In recent years, due to the current environmental pollution, resource depletion, low environmental awareness of enterprises and other problems, the issue of environment will attract the attention of national government departments and citizens. In this case, enterprises need to attach great importance to it, and it is necessary to take measures to change and innovate management models and methods. As one of the core departments of enterprises, green human resources and management systems have become the key to the sustainable development of the company and the harmonious coexistence of enterprises and ecology.

The challenge of healthcare big data to China’s commercial health insurance industry: evaluation and recommendations

BackgroundChina’s social medical insurance system faces challenges in financing, product coverage, patient health responsibility sharing and data security, which commercial health insurance companies can help address. Confronting accelerated population aging, the rapid increase of patients with chronic diseases and the maternal and child healthcare needs created by the three-child policy, the Chinese government has encouraged the development of commercial health insurance. But China's commercial health insurance companies face financial sustainability problems, limited product ranges and high operating costs. At the same time, the informatization level of China's healthcare industry, and the value of healthcare big data, is increasing. We analyze and describe the potential application of healthcare big data in the life cycle of China's commercial health insurance system and provide specific action plans for Chinese commercial health insurance companies; identify the challenges to commercial health insurers; and make recommendations for the application of big health data by commercial health insurers. Our recommendations inform healthcare policy makers on the development of commercial health insurance and the improvement of the healthcare financing system. We not only verify the value of healthcare big data, but also identify specific ways that healthcare big data plays in the development of commercial health insurance. Based on the research results, we recommend new policies for government and new uses of healthcare big data for commercial health insurance institutions. The benign development of commercial health insurance will improve the level of health services in China.MethodsBy interviewing health insurance managers (including actuaries, product managers, business executives, information technology medical workers, and commercial health insurance personnel) and by accessing research papers, industry reports, news reports and public information disclosure documents about commercial health insurance, we describe the impact of healthcare big data on the life cycle of commercial health insurance products and processes.ResultsWe identify the issues and challenges of commercial health insurers in the use of healthcare big data, and advance specific strategies to expand the use of healthcare big data. In the life cycle of commercial health insurance products, healthcare big data can improve premium income, control medical costs and increase operational efficiency. First, healthcare big data can increase premiums, products and services by attenuating moral hazard and adverse selection problems, where high quality clients over-pay and high-risk clients underpay for health insurance. Second, healthcare big data can reduce medical expenses compensation pay-outs by promoting the establishment of a management medical system. Finally, the use of healthcare big data improves operational efficiency by increasing payment speeds, identifying fraud and increasing claim verification processes through automating payments and reducing offline processes. We discuss the obstacles to obtain healthcare big data confronting commercial health insurance companies. The sharing and data mining of healthcare big data brings privacy risks to the insured and there are significant differences in data standards and quality of healthcare big data that limit the application of healthcare big data in commercial health insurance. We recommend that national, regional and local government departments coordinate policies to facilitate the cooperation between commercial health insurance companies and regional healthcare big data platforms. In terms of technology, we recommend the establishment of data sharing platforms and data exchange mechanism across institutions and regions according to nation-wide standards and specifications. Government management departments should establish healthcare big data standards and specification system, promote the construction of healthcare big data and ensure the integrity, authenticity and reliability of health data. We recommend data quality continuous improvement and management mechanisms that combine technology and management. Government regulation should oversee commercial health insurance institutions and establish data security management systems to monitor and supervise the privacy of personal data.ConclusionsHealthcare big data can play an important role in the development of China's commercial health insurance industry. Healthcare big data can increase commercial health insurers’ financial viability while providing improved, and cost-effective, products and services. By providing more and better information to insurers, healthcare big data attenuates the asymmetric information problem, addressing moral hazard and adverse selection problems. By combining hospital and medical organization management information systems with insurers’ data management, healthcare big data can help insurers set sustainable premiums, control medical costs and promote operational efficiency. At present, the informatization degree of China's healthcare industry remains limited. To improve the performances, products and services of commercial health insurers, we recommend government reforms in healthcare big data, such as expanding medical industry cooperation; further developing the processes of applying healthcare big data; augmenting data sharing; addressing privacy risks; setting data standards; and improving data quality.

Delivering public value by selected government departments in South Africa – Perceptions of senior managers

Background: Over the years, the expectations of both the public and private sectors regarding value have changed significantly, thereby increasing the need for government departments to revisit their public-value creation model.Aim: This study sought to explore perceptions of senior managers in selected national government departments in South Africa with regard to the influence of information sharing, process innovation, stakeholder analysis and engagement in the relational governance and public value.Setting: The respondents were 230 senior managers from the five national government departments who, over time and in various groups, attended the Executive Development Programme hosted by the National School of Government.Methods: A quantitative research approach involving a cross-sectional survey design was followed in the study. Data were analysed by means of structural equation modelling (SEM).Results: In the study a strong, positive relationship was found between information sharing, process innovation, stakeholder analysis and relational governance. Further, a strong positive relationship between relational governance and public value was also established.Conclusion: Based on the perceptions of senior managers, government departments seeking to deliver superior public value need to focus primarily on managing their relational governance. To that end, it is vital that they develop their information-sharing and process innovation, as well as stakeholder analysis and engagement.

Expanding narratives of governance constraints to improve coral reef conservation.

To understand and address the failures of reef governance, it is critical to understand the perceptions of diverse policy makers and practitioners about the challenges they face in achieving their goals. Examining the discourse of policy makers and practitioners can reveal the extent to which these perceptions capture the full spectrum of potential governance challenges, including those related to management, institutional structures and processes, the values and principles underpinning governance, and the social and environmental context. We conducted semistructured interviews with 110 policy makers and practitioners across multiple sectors, scales, and contexts in Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Belize, and Honduras. We used thematic qualitative analysis informed by theories of interactive governance and governability to examine the challenges perceived by governance actors. Perceived governance challenges were broadly consistent across countries, but differed by sector (V = 0.819, F6,60 = 1.502, p = 0.01) and by level (community compared with national) (V = 0.194, F1,10 = 2.178, = 0.026). Management inputs and outputs, challenges relating to the socioeconomic context, issues of leadership and power, and stakeholder engagement were commonly cited challenges (>75%). Few respondents discussed challenges relating to the ecological context, governance processes, or the values and principles underpinning governance. We argue that examining perceptions can inform efforts to improve governance and assess the appropriateness of particular management tools under context-specific governance constraints. Furthermore, expanding the narratives of governance challenges to encompass the subtle values and images underpinning governance, and the scale of the challenges faced, can help identify a wider set of opportunities for change.