Public Administration Institutions Research Articles

Exploring the Causes of Low Reporting of Medico-Legal Issues in Ghana: Perspectives of Key Informants in the Health Sector

Objective: The study aimed at exploring factors leading to medico-legal issues and why they are under reported. Methodology: This was a qualitative study in which 16 key informants were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Ethical Review Board. Data was analysed thematically. A written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Results: A medico-legal issue arose if the standard of care was perceived to have been breached or when a complaint was not managed according to the complainant’s expectations. Reasons for low reporting included the long emotionally exacting and expensive adjudication process. Additionally, procedures at the facilities to address complaints are considered non-transparent and prejudicial. Finally, interviewees were credulous believing in predetermined death. They have the attitude of ‘leave judgement to God.’ Even if the victim wants to take the matter up, others may impress upon them to stop it. Conclusion: The study concludes that factors leading to medico-legal issues include a breach in the approved standard of care of the patient and whether the complainant is unhappy with the handling of the matter. The emotionally and financially exacting nature of dealing with these issues, and the perceived unfair processes account for the low reporting. Belief in fatalism is a contributory factor.

Plain language in public organizations: a systematic literature review

This systematic literature review examines how plain language is being addressed in studies involving public organizations. From selected studies in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, the most researched themes on the subject were highlighted and good practices were identified that can favor and improve communication in public administration institutions based on Simple Language. The results showed that simple language is an important tool for effective communication with citizens, as it allows them to get closer to what they really need; for making him understand what he finds; and for using what they find to meet your needs as a citizen. In other words, Simple Language makes public communication more inclusive and democratic. Practical implications include the need for training for professionals who deal with public communication and the creation of guidelines to produce texts in didactic language.

의사결정 참여가 조직 내 의사소통에 미치는 영향 - 조직목표 명확성의 조절효과

This study investigates the impact of decision-making participation on communication within public organizations, with a particular focus on how the clarity of organizational goals moderates this relationship. Using data from the 2022 Public Service Life Survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration, the research examines communication practices among public officials in central and local administrative agencies. The findings reveal that participation in decision-making is a key factor that positively influences communication across multiple levels within public organizations. Specifically, it enhances interdepartmental communication, vertical communication between different hierarchical levels, and horizontal communication among colleagues. Additionally, the clarity of organizational goals emerges as a significant contributor to improved communication, particularly between departments and among peers. However, its influence on vertical communication is less pronounced. Furthermore, the study highlights that the clarity of organizational goals strengthens the positive effect of decision-making participation on overall communication within the organization. This moderating effect is especially evident in enhancing both interdepartmental and vertical communication, although it has a limited impact on horizontal communication. These insights underscore the importance of fostering participation in decision-making and ensuring clear organizational goals to facilitate effective communication within public organizations.

공무원 채용시험 과목의 변화가 공공봉사동기에 미치는 영향: 이중차분법을 중심으로

In 2017, the subject ‘Constitution' was added to the Open Competitive Examination for Grade 5 public officials to strengthen the assessment of public service values among applicants. This study examines the impact of this new subject on Public Service Motivation (PSM) among newly recruited Grade 5 public officials. Survey data spanning from 2013 to 2023 from the Korea Institute of Public Administration was utilized to measure PSM. The study employed the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method, a quasi-experimental design technique, to enhance causal inference. The treatment group consisted of new Grade 5 public officials, while the control group comprised new Grade 7 public officials. Visual and statistical tests confirmed the parallel trend assumption. Despite a decade-long decline in PSM scores for both groups, the introduction of the 'Constitution' subject resulted in a 0.127-point increase in PSM scores among new Grade 5 public officials. This suggests that the changes in examination subjects effectively achieved their intended objective by selecting individuals with high public service motivation. Unlike other countries with intense competition for public official positions, Korea did not experience adverse selection issues, where individuals with low PSM were recruited.

Collaboration Model in Blended Learning-Based Training: A Case Study at the Center for State Civil Apparatus Training, Development and Competency Mapping of the National Institute of Public Administration

This study proposes the collaboration model for implementing blended learning based civil apparatus training programs. This study adopted a mixed-method approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative data into the Delphi process to develop a collaboration model for stakeholders in blended learning-based civil apparatus training. The results reveal a model describing the identification of the actors and their roles and the process and prerequisites in collaborating with the blended learning-based civil apparatus training programs. The study offers valuable insights for training institutions and stakeholders involved in similar initiatives, providing practical guidance derived from recommendations to enhance collaborative training practices, ultimately aiming to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of training programs

Quo Vadis Romanian Citizenship

In presenting some considerations on the legal institution of citizenship, we will make some brief historical and doctrinal forays into the concept, a brief x-ray of the legislation and public administration institutions involved in this matter, then we will present some perspectives on the constituent dimensions and also on the reverberations of the connection between the Romanian citizenship and the „citizenship” of the European Union, in regards to the present and its possible future.

Policy Formulation for The Establishment of Professional Certification Agency to Produce Competitive Graduates At Institute of Public Administration

The Institute of Public Administration (IPDN) is an Official Education Institution organizing the Vocational Education Program with the function of producing superior, professional, competitive, and integrity domestic government cadres. This institution faces a problem related to the policy formulation for the establishment of a Professional Certification Agency (LSP) to produce competitive graduates. This study aims to provide policy recommendations for the establishment of LSP to produce competitive graduates. This descriptive study used a qualitative approach. The data source was 30 respondents. Data collection techniques covered interviews, documentation studies, and literature studies. Data were analyzed in stages, namely data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results of the analysis showed that the introduction and formulation of problems related to the lack of specific competencies possessed by IPDN Praja were carried out well; IPDN prioritized handling the problem related to the unavailability of LSP outside IPDN whose competency field specifications are in accordance with the study programs in IPDN and then set a strategy for the formation of the IPDN LSP; the establishment of an IPDN LSP did not face any serious obstacle; and the Rector of IPDN together with all Work Units within IPDN carried out the formulation and produced policies, namely the Rector's Decree Number: 500.10.2.2-225 of 2023 concerning the Establishment of the Professional Certification Agencies of the Institute of Public Administration. In this case, IPDN needs to prepare LSP establishment documents in accordance with BNSP Regulation Number 2/BNSP/III/2014 concerning the Establishment of LSP and LSP-P1 IPDN educational institutions. Besides conducting competency tests, it can also provide information about education and training as a prerequisite for participating in certification.

Food Prices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1926–1945: A Historical Study

Abstract This article addresses food prices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the factors that influence them, and the measures that the government took to guarantee their stability during the period 1926–1945. The article’s timeframe coincides with an important phase of the Kingdom’s development, marked by efforts to promote the integration and unification between all its regions by fostering regulatory, financial, and economic unity within the context of limited financial resources. In doing so, it follows a historical analysis methodology, relying on a variety of source materials, among the most important of which are the local documents kept at the King Abdulaziz Foundation, the Institute of Public Administration, and King Fahad National Library.

The Role of Public Administration in Managing War Between Russia and Ukraine

Every country at peace has the potential to be at war; likewise, countries at war (cold or hot) have the potential to experience peace. Either way, public administration appears to be the only constant factor; hence the main aim of examining its role in managing the war between Russia and Ukraine. The study was anchored on the theory of administrative behaviour. A qualitative research design was adopted in this study. Data for the study were obtained from secondary sources. The research objectives were to: establish the role of public administration in the management of war; and compare how public administration has shaped the management of war in Ukraine and Russia. Findings from this study revealed among others, that public administration in wartime plays a role in entrenching a harmonious society by taking advantage of the opportunities to create a stable social environment. For instance, while public administration in Russia plays the role of justifying the invasion of Ukraine and causing war, it plays the role of justifying defence in Ukraine and showing citizens the efforts of the government in ensuring they are safe amid ‘instability’. To this end, countries or nations of the world should not only learn from this war but strengthen their respective public administration institutions for effective and efficient service utilization.

ENHANCING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: THE IMPACT OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS SKILLS ON STUDENTS AT THE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT (IPAM), UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE

The goal of this study is to improve academic excellence by examining how students at the University of Sierra Leone's, Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) use successful academic strategies. Data was collected from a sample of IPAM students using a mixed-method research strategy that included surveys and interviews. Based on the findings, academic performance and overall excellence are significantly impacted by the acquisition and use of academic success skills. Time management, goal-setting, organization, research and note-taking, critical thinking, exam preparation, and leisure reading are just a few of the many aspects of these abilities. Higher levels of academic accomplishment are regularly demonstrated by students who possess and use these talents effectively. The report also stresses how critical it is to incorporate academic success skills into curricula and give students the tools and assistance they need to develop and improve these abilities. According to the results, academic performance significantly improves for students who receive focused instruction and direction in academic success strategies. Educational establishments, especially those looking to improve student academic performance, should take note of these facts. Institutions can increase overall academic performance and success by implementing initiatives to facilitate the development of academic success skills among students, given the recognition of their critical importance. This work adds to the body of knowledge on academic success abilities and provides insightful information for modern higher education administrators, educators, and politicians.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0787/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Sustainability of public administration in Ukraine: analysis of determinants

The article is dedicated to substantiating the thesis that the public administration institution in Ukraine does not exhibit characteristics of stability, meaning it is currently unable to effectively withstand changes, pressures, or contemporary challenges.
 It specifies that the modern interpretation of the content and essence of public administration in Ukraine has two paradigmatic aspects (scientific and normative), the difference between which significantly varies in orientation, methodological approach, focus, and goal characteristics.
 There is a dynamic of their gradual convergence. This indicates a balanced and effective approach to the management of public affairs. However, the public administration institution in Ukraine has not gained normative consolidation, and its further development is justified by the reform of the public service institution, optimization of specific aspects of executive and local self-government activities.
 In justifying the characterization of the public administration institution in Ukraine in terms of hidden stability, it is also pointed out that: 1) citizens’ trust in executive authorities and local self-government remains at a low level, with no stable increase observed; 2) the standard of living in Ukraine is extremely low, and there is no noticeable dynamics towards improvement; 3) the activities of public administrations still do not meet the standards of the SIGMA Program.
 It is determined that the stability of the public administration institution in Ukraine can also be assessed based on indicators of the effectiveness of managing public affairs.
 In summary, the apparent stability observed at first glance conceals some shortcomings and inefficiencies in the public affairs management system, resulting in a lack of clear accountability and effective monitoring, as well as a high risk of corruption, abuse of power, social tensions, etc.

Development and implementation of human resources management policies and strategies in the Romanian public administration

Human activity seen from various perspectives: social, economic, political, administrative is carried out by people organized in collectives, depending on its importance. The administrative approach comes to order the logic of activity in a community entrusted to an authority that carries out planning, organization and control actions, in order to achieve the social mission and the purpose of the establishment and operation of public administration institutions. In this context, we propose a brief, specified approach to the need to streamline the activities of public administration authorities. The problem of human resources management in public administration requires a specified approach to the objectives of streamlining the activities of public administration authorities based on a human resources management strategy, which would contribute to the creation of a professional, transparent, flexible and responsive public function to the needs of society. The policies in the field of public office and civil servants represent a particularly important and always current key issue for ensuring the competitiveness and success of any public institution, even more so of the public administration.

COOPERATION AS PART OF CLUSTER INITIATIVESAS AN EXAMPLE OF INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY

The necessity to adapt to fluctuating market conditions caused by the pandemic, increasing inflation and customers’ expectations are only sample challenges facing entrepreneurs. The challenges are changing over time, however, the relations among business and scientific entities and public administration institutions constitute the natural element of business functioning. Running a business connected with current functioning as well as the need of introducing innovations demands from entrepreneurs not only competition but also cooperation with other entities. The cooperation as part of cluster initiatives provides a good example. The aim of the article is to explain the role of clusters and cluster initiatives in the development of innovation processes and the intensification of cooperative connections. The work contains overview of the statistics in a range of innovative activity of enterprises cooperating as part of cluster initiatives over the period of 2017–2021.

Reflections on the crisis management of selected municipal and city authorities during the coronavirus pandemic

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 had a significant impact on the operation of all aspects of society, including public administration institutions. This article aims to examine the most challenging issues encountered by selected municipal and city authorities, how they responded to these issues, and how the experience gained has been reflected in crisis plans for managing similar future events. This aim is accomplished through a literature review of public sources and scientific papers on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public administration, as well as the results of interviews with representatives of the selected authorities. The results confirmed that the selected authorities were able to rapidly overcome the initial lack of relevant information and unpreparedness to implement anti-coronavirus measures and maintain the standard level of public services provided, albeit in a limited capacity.

Exploring the Harmonization of Political and Administrative Set-Ups for Better Service Delivery in an Organization- Case Study IPAM, USL

This research study examines the harmonization of political and administrative setups for better service delivery in an organization. The study focuses on the Institute of Public Administration and Management at the University of Sierra Leone (IPAM USL) to investigate the process of harmonization within the institution. Through a qualitative research design including interviews, observations, and content analysis, the study seeks to analyze the implementation of the harmonization process and its effects on the performance and service delivery of the institute. Key findings will provide insight into the effectiveness of the harmonization process and important recommendations for further improvement in service delivery through the harmonization of political and administrative set-ups.

Determinants of Financial Reporting Quality: Evidence from Local Governments in Sumatera Island

This study aims to investigate determinants of financial reporting quality (FRQ) local government in Sumatera Islands, Indonesia. The FRQ local government is proxied by audit opinion from the Indonesian Supreme Audit Board (ISAB) for each local government sample. The tested independent variables are capital expenditure, characteristics of local governments (size, financial independency, and local government status), and mayor’s characteristics (experience and age). Data were obtained from the summary of semester audit results of ISAB, official website of the ministry of finance and the local governments in Sumatera Island. Total samples are 143 local governments and the period of study is 5 years (2016 – 2020, or 715 observations). Using the multinomial logistic regression, this study found that a lower ratio of capital expenditure, smaller local governments, local government in city areas, and local governments led by older and experienced mayor are associated with higher financial reporting quality. This study also uncovered that mayor education level and mayor graduated from the Institute of Public Administration (or IPDN) have positive influence of financial reporting quality of the local governments.

Like a bridge over troubled water: Wellbeing and trust in governance during turbulent times

The COVID-19 pandemic extended interest in the relationships between citizens and governments in turbulent times of crises and emergencies. While the pandemic generated a critical existential threat to the lives of many, it also had a significant effect on the quality of life and on the wellbeing of even larger populations. This paper deals with the relationship between the wellbeing of citizens and three types of trust in governance (i.e. trust in political institutions, trust in public administration, trust in enforcement institutions) during the pandemic. We aim at advancing knowledge on both wellbeing and trust during crises, and more specifically on direct and indirect patterns of these important relationships. To do so, we suggest alternative models and a series of hypotheses aimed at examining them empirically. Two datasets on Israeli citizens are used. They were collected over two points in time during the heat of the pandemic and toward its decline and end (Study 1/t1; N = 1026 and Study 2/t2; N = 3024) and largely represent major sectors and ethnicities in the population. The findings generally support a positive relationship between wellbeing and trust, but more importantly indicate that during crisis, trust in public administration and enforcement institutions mediates the relationship between wellbeing and trust in political institutions. We thus argue that the public service may act as a bridge between citizens’ wellbeing and political trust. In our view, the findings testify to the complexity of the wellbeing–trust relationship, especially in challenging times. Implications and directions for future studies are suggested. Points for practitioners Trust in governance is different for various political institutions and for different public administration organizations, especially in turbulent times Civil servants should be aware of citizens’ wellbeing during crises as it affects trust in governance Citizen trust and wellbeing are significantly related in times of emergency and crises

Development of a partnership between academia, community, and government in response to the 2022 mpox outbreak in Japan.

Objectives In response to the steady rise in the number of cases of mpox in nonendemic countries, starting with an outbreak in the United Kingdom in May 2022, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on July 23, 2022. As of November 13, 2022, seven cases of mpox have been reported in Japan.Methods A community engagement approach was applied to prevent the spread of mpox in Japan.Results A tripartite partnership between academia, community, and government (ACG) was established to promote multisectoral communication between vulnerable communities, medical personnel involved in diagnosis and treatment, public health specialists at public health centers, epidemiologists at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), and government and public administration. Through information sharing, this ACG partnership can translate accurate information into effective infection control measures.Conclusion By developing and maintaining the ACG partnership, an environment will be created that allows an immediate response to future public health crises affecting vulnerable communities. This Practice Report describes the process of establishing an ACG partnership.

Moving from coproduction to commonization of digital public goods and services

AbstractThe hybridization of digital commons and public administration institutions led by bureaucratic entrepreneurs is a relatively recent phenomenon that has received limited attention in the literature. The term coined to describe this evolution is the “commonization” of digital public goods and services. I define commonization as the integration of shared property, peer production, and self‐governance into public administration. To explore the democratizing potential of commonization, I conducted a qualitative study comparing two case studies in France and Spain (Barcelona). My approach involves 44 semistructured interviews and online observations analyzed through the analytical framework of institutional work. The findings highlight five factors that enhance, and two that hinder, citizen power in co‐governance arrangements. In conclusion, I identify the theoretical and practical implications of commonizing digital public goods and services, providing valuable insights for practitioners and scholars, particularly in the New Public Governance paradigm.

Online sports betting in universities: Does online sports betting addictions impact the academic achievements and social relations of students?

The debate on the effects of online sports betting addictions on the academic achievements and social relations of many students in higher educational institutions has dominated most public discourse in recent years in Ghana. Ghana and many other African countries have declared online sports betting addictions among students as a national security emergency. Therefore, the researchers grounded this study on gaming theory, to explore the relationship between online sports betting addictions, academic achievements, and social relations among university students (n=245 & aged 18-25). The study adopted stratified random sampling to select 245 level 100 and 200 students, while five universities were purposively sampled. The universities include Ghana Telecommunication University, University of Professional Studies, Accra, University of Ghana, Ghana Communication University, and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. Regression analysis and structural modeling were adopted to test three hypotheses and validate the study model. The testing of <b>H<sub>1</sub></b> and <b>H<sub>2</sub> </b>established a significant negative relationship between online sports betting addictions, academic achievement, and the social relationships of students. <b>H<sub>3</sub>, </b>however, reported some differences between male and female students’ online sports betting addictions and their social relations, as well as academic achievements. Based on the findings, this study concludes that online sports betting addictions among university students have negative academic and social relationship implications.