Organization Of Local Authorities Research Articles

Environmental Ethnography

Environmental ethnography is discussed here from involvement with a local government authority in Aotearoa New Zealand focused on soil, water and land management. Climate change and environmental degradation are making such local government work more difficult and expensive. As costs trend upwards and new rules are applied, community challenges to local authorities increase. Environmental ethnography identifies constraints on the organisational ability to meet infrastructural needs to produce environmental solutions locally. Some constraints are internal (organisational), some are local (community beliefs and attitudes), but the most significant constraints are external to local agencies. In ethnographic terms, working with local and national environmental authorities is a process of learning from staff, scientists, and administrators. Māori and Pākehā communities’ efforts to manage their local destinies provide insights into pressures on local government organisations. Landowners’ expectations and politicised discourses of climate denial or deferral also constrain day-to-day local authority work. Three intersections of local authority organisations' actions and local communities’ responses emerge from reflecting on this ethnographic learning, each shaping what local authorities can achieve. First, the social is not another set of insights; rather, the social is in the science. Second, in Aotearoa New Zealand the familiar nature-society binary is usefully disturbed by mātauranga Māori understandings of people and the environment. Third, changing modern productivist attitudes towards the environment is more than local—it is national and global—yet people’s responses are also intensely local. Environmental ethnography helps illuminate such tensions that create organisational and community dilemmas for local government authorities.

The experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young carers: practice implications and planning for future health emergencies

BackgroundYoung carers are children or young people aged up to 25 years old who undertake unpaid caring responsibilities for a friend or family member. Young carers faced significant challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions on mental health, wellbeing and access to support in young carers in the United Kingdom (UK) to understand how to improve services, as well as support this population in future health emergencies.MethodWe conducted 22 qualitative semi-structured interviews from May to November 2021 with 14 young carers and eight staff working in organisations that supported them. Interviews took place remotely over video or telephone call and explored participant experiences of the pandemic and its impact on their health, wellbeing and caring responsibilities. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyse interview transcripts.ResultsWe identified four overarching themes pertaining to the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions on mental health, wellbeing and access to support in young carers in the UK: (1) challenges in protecting loved ones from the virus, (2) changes to and loss of routine, (3) reduced access to pre-pandemic informal and formal support structures and (4) better understanding of inner resilience and goals. Many participants struggled with their mental health and wellbeing as a result of pandemic related restrictions which impacted on support structures for themselves and the individual they cared for. However, positive impacts pertained to additional support provided by local authority and third sector organisations.ConclusionsOur findings highlight some of the changes that affected young carers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of changes to routine and a reduction in pre-pandemic support were the greatest concerns reported by participants in this study. The additional support provided by local authority and third sector organisations during social restrictions suggests such organisations could play a greater role in supporting this population going forward and that schools and Governments may wish to put in additional strategies and provisions to protect young carers in the future.

SCIENCE OF MUNICIPAL LAW AT LOMONOSOV MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY

The article discusses the features of teaching municipal law at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. This was in uenced by various factors, the central place among which is the dynamics of ideas about the essence of local self-government. The issues of teaching municipal law at Moscow University are traditionally included in the range of tasks of the department related to the organization of state power - the department of state law, Soviet construction, now - the department of constitutional and municipal law. The teachers of the department have made and continue to make to the formation of local self-government and Russian statehood. Devoting their work to the problems of the organization and activities of local authorities, the teachers of the department, on the one hand, maintained the continuity of scienti c views, strengthening the traditions of the national state-law school, and on the other hand, they created the foundation for future statelegal (constitutionallegal) transformations, sensitively responding to the requirements of the time, and sometimes ahead of them. Special attention is drawn to the fact that the issues of teaching municipal law at Moscow University are traditionally included in the range of tasks of the department related to the organization of state power - the department of state law and Soviet construction, now - the department of constitutional and municipal law. The paper points to the contribution that the teachers of the department have made and continue to make to the formation of local self-government and Russian statehood as a whole.

Implementation of the principle of decentralization of power in Ukraine

The article examines the history of decentralization of state power in practice in the countries of the European Union. The characteristics of local self-government as a key subject of decentralization of power are given, and the principle of subsidiarity is revealed. The problems of implementation of the decentralization of state power are outlined, in particular foreign and domestic experience. The article analyzes and systematizes the key risks and problems that arose during the implementation of local self-government reform and financial decentralization in Ukraine.
 The factors that caused the residents of local communities to resist the reform or passive attitude to the creation of united territorial communities were identified and investigated, in particular, economic (expectation of a decrease in the financial capabilities of communities as a result of unification), socio-cultural (the presence of ethnic, cultural and other differences between residents neighboring communities), psychological (distrust of the central and local authorities, fear of the reduction of social sphere facilities, etc.), geographical (deterioration of access to service centers), ecological (attempts of community residents to avoid moving harmful industries to their own territory).
 The geographical unevenness of the pace of the unification of territorial communities during decentralization has been revealed. The main reasons and forms of resistance of district councils and district state administrations to the decentralization reform have been clarified.
 Attempts to reform local self-government in Ukraine have been made since the declaration of its independence, but they have always been hindered by the lack of consensus among the political elite regarding the vision of the external and internal political vector of the state's development in general and approaches to the administrative-territorial division and organization of local authorities in particular. One of the key problems that arose from the very beginning of the reform was ineffective communication between the authorities and citizens, which caused an information vacuum on the ground. As sociological polls showed, citizens of Ukraine had rather low awareness of the features of the decentralization reform.
 Attracting highly qualified specialists to manage them turned out to be a difficult problem for the newly created united territorial communities. The low quality of personnel is usually related to the fact that most of the united communities are formed exclusively from villages, which cannot provide employees of local self-government bodies with competitive salaries and high standards of living.

Местное самоуправление в единой системе органов публичной власти: предпосылки и перспективы

The article is devoted to the theoretical understanding of the issues of improvement and development of local self-government in the context of transformation of the local self-government status in modern Russia, which occurred during the adoption of amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 2020. The adopted amendments were the result of the work of the working group formed by the initiative of the President of Russia V. V. Putin. A working group has been formed for the preparation of proposals for amendments to the Constitution. An important aspect regarding the organization of local authorities is the fact of inclusion of local self-government bodies along with state authorities in the unified system of public authority. This process definitely increases the prestige of the municipal level of government and makes the issue of financial support and economic independence of local governments more relevant, given the potential expansion of their powers and the range of tasks entrusted to them. At the same time, an important question is how responsibilities will be distributed between state authorities and local governments in a unified system of public authorities in the course of implementation of their functions, in particular, provision of resources for normal functioning of municipalities and in terms of autonomous decision-making of local governments in the interests of the population living on the relevant territory. The process of actualization of the status of local government allows to optimize the institutional structure and improve the relations between the elements of the system of public authority. Theoretical understanding of these issues can be of great help in the practical implementation of the normative provisions enshrined in the updated Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Effects of urbanization on coastal wetlands in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract. Dadzie-Paintsil E, Mensah JV. 2022. Effects of urbanization on coastal wetlands in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, Ghana. Indo Pac J Ocean Life 6: 94-105. Wetlands play an important role in the livelihood of humankind; on the other hand, the reciprocal gesture on ecosystem protection is on the decline. The result is the loss of wetlands, especially in urban areas. This study examined the effects of urbanization on coastal wetlands in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of Western Region Ghana. Therefore, using a mixed-method research design, 358 respondents were sampled from the metropolis to respond to the data collection instruments: questionnaire, interview, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) program version 14 was used to facilitate quantitative data analysis, while content analysis was used for qualitative data analysis. The major finding was that wetlands in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis was affected by urbanization, resulting in the loss of some portions of the wetlands. Furthermore, wetlands were perceived as 'wastelands' which should be used for other use. One major recommendation is that residents should be sensitized by the Metropolis Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency to appreciate the value of the coastal wetlands in the metropolis. Again, there should be the co-management of the wetland resources and the provision of alternative sources of livelihood by the local authority, central government, and concerned non-governmental organizations.

Geography Matters: Explaining Education Inequalities of Latvian Children in England

This article explores the issue of “geography of education” focusing on the pivotal contribution of place to one’s education. The geographic location of schools and the administrative organisation of local authorities that are responsible for state schools in England create sociospatial inequalities that are associated with individual life‐course trajectories and can contribute to the intergenerational transfer of disadvantage. This article focuses on Latvian migrant families for whom better status often can be achieved through being included in the education system of the country. Therefore, the educational achievement of the children who speak Latvian at home but live and attend schools in England is the main focus of this article. The academic attainment of these children is well below not only the national average across all levels of compulsory education but also compared to both monolingual English speakers and all pupils speaking English as an additional language. The article provides evidence that in addition to the sociodemographic individual and family‐level factors geography also plays a significant role in explaining the educational achievement gaps. As the descriptive quantitative analysis of the geographical and educational data indicates, Latvian children are disproportionally present in local authorities where there is a relatively high proportion of low‐quality schools, a higher‐than‐average proportion of individuals with low qualifications and those in low‐qualified jobs.

New Archaeological Discoveries along the Mole, Desoi and Baran Nian/ Rain Water Nalla District Jamshoro Sindh, Pakistan

The area on the western edge of the district is culturally rich and it is investigated by various historians and archaeologists for a long time. The current study focusses to analyze the effects of Darawat Dam construction on the archeological sites due to the merging of the Mole, Desai, and Baran Nian. The researcher conducted a field survey and used the Global Positioning System (GPS) to unexpose the archeologist sites around the dam and discover fresh archeological sites also. The cultural material found on the surface was analyzed to find out the accurate date and time depth of the sites. During the survey and analysis of the material, it was found that 27 archaeological sites have been badly affected due to the construction of the dam and some of these will be extinct. The study suggests the local authority or Government organizations protect these archeological sites scientifically.

TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES - A WAY TO IMPROVE THEIR EFFICACIOUS PERFORMANCE

The article reveals the relevance of the research topic taking into account the current international situation and the Russian political, legal and socio-economic reality. The objectives of the research are the need for scientific substantiation of the transformation of public authorities in order to ensure their organizational and legal unity and consistency as a condition for enhancing the effectiveness of their activities. The unfounded and flawed nature of the constitutional norm on the autonomous organization and functioning of state and local authorities is revealed. Proposals are proposed and substantiated on the need to include the principle of responsibility of heads of public authorities among other principles of responsibility. A proposal is made on the need to expand the range of subjects of legislative initiative in order to democratize the legislative process more. Logical, historical, comparative-legal, systemic and functional research methods are used.

Удосконалення механізмів управління фінансовим потенціалом територіальних громад з урахуванням європейського досвіду

The purpose of the article is a theoretical-methodological substantiation along with development of practical recommendations for improving existing and developing innovative approaches to managing the financial potential of territorial communities on the basis of sustainable development, taking into account European experience. Using the methods of scientific synthesis, comparison and systematization, the theoretical-methodological foundations of managing the financial potential of territorial communities on the basis of sustainable development and European integration are summarized. To develop ways to improve the efficiency of managing the financial potential of the development of territorial communities, taking into account European experience, abstract-logical and statistical-economic methods of scientific research were used. The article proves that the decentralization reform contributed to changing the system of organization of local authorities through the creation of amalgamated territorial communities, which received a wider range of powers in making managerial decisions, as well as additional sources of formation of financial resources. It is defined that the key among them are the budget, investment, credit, and grant ones. The experience of the European Union countries has shown that the application of an integrated approach to achieve the goals of sustainable development of territorial communities by promoting creation of jobs, research and innovation in the field of infrastructural development of territories, cooperation between cities and villages, implementation of technical assistance measures is also relevant for our domestic realities. An important aspect of managing the financial resources of the EU Member States is the targeted nature of the use of funds and the availability of an effective system of financial management on the ground. Based on the experience of the EU Member States, key goals, principles and levers of managing the financial potential of territorial communities are formulated, focused on the optimal formation, distribution and use of their financial resources, as well as on the adoption of a set of interrelated decisions that will contribute to their sustainable development.

Activity forms of municipal authorities and prospects for its development in Ukraine

The authors attempt to explore the nature of local public authority, its sources of legitimacy, its types and forms. An idea of the constitutional and legal bases of the organization and activity of local public authorities and its bodies is given there. The existing systems of local self-government in different states are analyzed; attention is focused on the difference between the concepts of “self-government” and “management”. The problems of administrative reform in Ukraine in the context of globalization are analyzed there.

Local authority research systems: a qualitative study to inform the development of a South Gloucestershire Council-wide research system

BackgroundThe co-location of expertise in public health, social care, and place services in local authorities facilitates tackling the wider determinants of health using transdisciplinary approaches. Local authority research systems are needed to enable local authorities to become research active, co-produce research, evaluate their impact, and produce and use evidence to shape practice and policy at pace. We aimed to explore and recommend what is necessary for a South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) research system to sustainably produce impactful research activity. MethodsWe did qualitative interviews with elected members and senior leadership of SGC and key stakeholders from local National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) infrastructure and organisations identified by expert sampling. Interviews were semi-structured with tailored topic guides exploring several topics, including relationships between SGC and local partners, resource and support, co-production, social care research, and the impact of COVID-19. Data from interviews were electronically transcribed verbatim using Otter.ai and coded using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Data were analysed using the framework method and recommendations were proposed based on the findings. Ethical approval was granted by the University of Bristol's Faculty of Health Science Research Ethics Committee. FindingsWe interviewed 27 participants (five from SGC, 22 from local research organisations). Participants identified a need for a SGC research lead to facilitate collaboration and relationship building, and more joint posts across the local authority and external organisations. There was a need for collaborative cross-boundary working, as SGC works with other local authorities in their Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and Clinical Commissioning Group. Challenges included difficulties identifying SGC's priorities and population needs, data, staff training, and collaboration with academic researchers. They also reported resource issues exacerbated by COVID-19. Participants did not express conflicting views on these findings. InterpretationWe recommended the creation of a local authority research lead post working across Council directorates, local authority research networks, support for joint posts, increased accessibility and use of local authority data, cross-boundary research systems, and infrastructure to support research to respond to local authority needs. We also suggested increased funding and incentivisation for academics to engage with local authority research. Potential barriers to these recommendations include local authority funding and staff capacity challenges. This study was limited by its recruitment method, sample size, and data collection and analyses completed by a single researcher. Future research should explore what types of evidence local authorities consider most relevant and useful. FundingNIHR Public Health Research (grant number NIHR131952).

Local Government Transfer into the Process of Ukraine's European Integration: Achievements of Communities and Losses of the Executive Branch of Power

The obligations assumed by the Ukrainian state by ratifying the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union have become a reference point for transformations taking place in various spheres of public life, including local self-government. The article analyzes Ukraine's compliance with EU requirements regarding local self-government organisation, achievements in this field, and determining the prospects for reform. The analysis is grouped into four blocks: implementation of administrative and territorial reform; budget decentralisation; optimization of the organization of local public authorities (executive bodies formation of regional (oblast) and district (rayon) councils, the establishment of prefectures); land reform (transfer of land management to communities). The powers of local self-government bodies and state bodies were transformed in implementing municipal, territorial, fiscal and land reforms. However, further reforms are impossible without amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding the decentralisation of power), the adoption of new legislative acts (on the principles of the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine, on prefectures), as well as amendments to some existing ones (on local self-government, etc.).

Building Heath Research Capacity: The Impact of a United Kingdom Collaborative Programme

Purpose: Strengthening research capacity (RC) amongst health professionals has both organisational and individual benefits. It can increase the quality of research and support the transfer of evidence into practice and policy. However there is little evidence on what works to develop and strengthen RC. This paper contributes to the evidence base by reporting findings from an evaluation of a programme that aimed to build capacity to use and do research amongst NHS and local authority organisations and their staff in a large english research partnership organisation. Methods: The evaluation used multiple qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, focus groups and workshops (n=131 respondents including public advisers, university, NHS, and local government partners). Results: The RC building programme provided a range of development opportunities for NHS and local authority staff resulting in increased confidence and skills to undertake, participate in, and use research. Additionally, positive influences on organisational practice and collaborative working were reported. Conversely, challenges to developing research capacity were also identified as were the importance of resources, senior level buy-in, and the relevance of research topic to practice in facilitating participation in the programme. Conclusion: Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care North West Coast’s (CLAHRC-NWC) RC building programme differed from convential approaches giving less emphasis to formal teaching and more to experiental learning and focusing on both individual capacities and supporting organisations to integrate RC building into staff development programmes. The findings demonstrate that providing opportunities for staff in NHS and local authority organisations to develop research knowledge and skills alongside an infrastructure that supports and encourages their participation in research can have positive impacts on research capacity and organisational research culture. The potential for generalising this approach to other organisational contexts is discussed

What families in the UK use to manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a survey of resource use

ObjectiveTo identify interventions being used to manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the UK.DesignA survey within the Sheffield Treatments for ADHD Research project. A convenience sample of participants in the UK...

Recovery of the Island of Saint Martin after Hurricane Irma: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

This study focuses on the ongoing recovery of the French part of the island of Saint Martin following Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The recovery of this semi-autonomous territory is a major challenge for local authorities and the French state. Based on the hypothesis that the consequences of natural disaster would be an opportunity for a territory to build back better, this study aims to understand the recovery trajectory that is underway on the island of Saint Martin 2 years after Hurricane Irma. Our analysis of Saint Martin’s recovery from natural hazards is based on three factors: (1) the historical context and the evolution of building construction over the past 70 years; (2) the organization of local and national authorities; (3) the perception of the situation by the population. This original interdisciplinary approach of the post-disaster recovery phase provides a better understanding of the complexity of this period. The results of this study and the cross-analysis of these three methods highlight the causal links between the governance of the reconstruction, the psycho-sociological recovery of the disaster victims, and the history of the urbanization of an island exposed to natural hazards.

After the Long Boom: The Reconfiguration of Work and Labour in the Public Sector

This response to Huw Beynon’s paper, ‘After the Long Boom: Living with Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century’ in HSIR 40 (2019), offers a parallel analysis of the fortunes of labour in the public sector. Among Beynon’s central observations, drawing on Karl Marx and Harry Braverman, was the continued reproduction of ‘unskilled’ and degraded labour. A parallel process, de-professionalizing occupations through the separation of conception and execution, has been a feature of the almost continual restructuring of state and local authority organizations and their work practices since the 1960s. This has accelerated in the era of governments committed to neoliberal values and policies. Despite public-sector trade unions having been largely conservative and defensive in their values and practice, a number of factors, both structural and conjunctural, have compelled them to face this new reality and make them the most likely organizations to challenge the expanding reach of neoliberalism. Recognizing these factors provides a possible remedy to the implied pessimism that follows the largely private-sector focus of Beynon’s contribution.

FORMATION AND ACTIVITIES OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN UKRAINE IN 1917‒1921: HISTORIOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW

The aim of the work is to analyze the range of scientific works on the problem of formation and activities of local authorities in Ukraine in 1917–1921 in domestic and foreign historiography. Research methodology. The methodology is based on the basic principles of historical knowledge. We have been able to research the scientific literature from the time of creation of local authorities in the years of the Ukrainian Revolution to the present, thanks to the principles of comprehensiveness and systematic approach, in particular. Using a specific search method, we have formed a scientific literature on the subject for analyzing to address the goals and objectives of the article. Using the typological and problem and chronological method, we have made a chronological and thematic classification of the existing historiographic base. The method of comparativism allowed us to compare the views of different researchers and to clarify the content of specific works on the problem under study. 
 Scientific novelty. For the first time, a comprehensive review of available research has been conducted to highlight the specifics and trends of the creation and functioning of the local authorities in the era of the Ukrainian Revolution. Summarizing the disparate and fragmentary data, it was possible to determine the conceptual vision of the problem under study in the current historiography. 
 Summary. On the basis of the analysis of the historiographic base of the problem of formation and activities of local authorities in Ukraine during the Ukrainian Revolution in 1917‒1921 we have made the general classification and divided the available materials into three groups. The first group consists of the works of statesmen and direct participants in the events of the Ukrainian Revolution, in which they characterized the practice of creating local authorities. Soviet historians ignored this topic, considering in their studies the Bolshevik Councils, neglecting the importance of the activities of the authorities of the UNR and the Ukrainian state. The analysis of a range of the scientific achievements of contemporary domestic and foreign scientists attests to the considerable attention of historians to the period of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921. However, it is necessary to note the extreme lack of elaboration of the theme of organization and activities of local authorities during the Ukrainian Revolution and to acknowledge the lack of structured comprehensive studies on this issue.

Ottoman ruling elite in the sanjak of semendire during the eighteenth century

The Transitional period in the Ottoman Empire (17th-18th century) brought about changes in the organization of government that were felt deeply at the imperial periphery. The process of decentralization in the Ottoman Balkans was most prominent during the 18th century. Traditional roles of political and social agents in towns became ever more unstable and the shifts of ruling elites were ever more pronounced. The ruling, Muslim elite had gradually joined together by forming political alliances in order to gain influence and money. Political struggles became constant. Belonging to the elite through acquiring the status of asker - either by enlisting into janissaries or by getting a timar and the status of spahi - did not guarantee a political influence or wealth. The new elite got their positions thanks to the political connections with either local or central government. The financial power was a factor that mostly determined a person?s status in the 18th century, and it did not depend on the legitimacy of economic undertakings. The capital was accumulated through trade, tax farming and tax collecting. The close relations with the representatives of government secured path towards an elite status. The rise of the new local governing elite and the ways of its social and political promotion were not identical processes even in the neighboring provinces. The role of m?tesellim, voyvoda or kapudan, depended on the character of the Ottoman administration in the province (sanjak), which is why case studies contribute to the overall knowledge about the organization of Ottoman local authorities.

Место общественной палаты муниципального образования в различных моделях местного самоуправления

The phenomenon of differentiation of the genesis of public chambers of municipalities from the model of organization of local self-government is established The factors that substantiate the reasons for such differentiation are determined. These reasons are associated with the demographic characteristics of municipalities, the specifics of the local community and other factors. The variety of models of organization of local self-government in the legislation of the Russian Federation is considered. It was established that these models determine the organization of local authorities, the procedure for filling positions in the municipality. It is concluded that there is a stable causal relationship between the procedure for organizing local self-government and the formation of public chambers of the municipality. The most substantiated schemes for organizing public chambers of municipalities are proposed. This is carried out on the basis of an analysis of legislation, municipal regulatory legal acts, using the method of legal modeling. These schemes allow taking into account the specifics of such chambers and the polarization of their activities. This polarization depends on the place of the public chamber in the system of local self-government bodies in the implementation of local issues. Within the framework of a comparative analysis, it is concluded that for some models of local self-government, the creation of a public chamber is not advisable. For other models, it is necessary to consider the balance of power between the head of the municipality and the representative body of local government. This is necessary so that the public chamber does not turn into an instrument for settling political scores and promoting the activities of the local administration. In most models of local self-government, it is advisable to exclude the head of the municipality from the procedure for forming the composition of the public chamber.