Publicness and local public service delivery choices: the role of place-based institutions

Regulations prohibiting retaliatory killing of wildlife are widespread, but their efficacy depends on individuals' perceptions of, adherence to, and willingness to cooperate with these rules. We investigated the willingness of rural communities in China to cooperate with measures to reduce human-wildfowl conflict by examining the potential influence of individual attitudes and social factors on this willingness. Through a public survey and choice experiments with 1381 participants (344 rural residents in the Sanjiang Plain conflict areas and 1037 urban residents in Harbin and Beijing), we identified 5 distinct attitudes toward retaliatory killing of wildfowl in rural areas. Among these, the deterrence-driven (compliance motivated by fear of legal punishment), law-as-principle (adherence to law as a formal obligation), and law-morality-consensus (alignment between legal rules and personal moral values) attitudes predominated. Only respondents with a law-morality-consensus attitude had a significantly higher willingness to cooperate with wildfowl conservation efforts. Regarding wildfowl management policies, rural residents preferred population reduction, whereas urban residents favored population increases. Compounded by, for example, imbalanced economic development and the unilateral burden of wildlife-related losses, this urban-rural divergence may foster a sense of conservation-related inequity in rural residents. Such perceived inequity, exacerbated by limited participation in decision-making, could diminish rural residents' voluntary cooperation and create a cycle in which high economic losses by rural residents lead to differences between urban and rural conservation values that lead to shifts in local attitudes and result in retaliatory killing by rural residents. Management should prioritize ensuring that conservation benefits accrue to local communities. Such a shift could involve implementing scientifically assessed, quota-based hunting in high-conflict areas and channeling resulting revenues into community conservation efforts.

Investing in a diverse public health workforce has implications for strengthening cultural humility and addressing health inequities within minoritized populations. First-generation (FG) students pursuing graduate level degrees are an important population with the potential to strengthen such efforts in their transition into the public health workforce. However, research on the factors influencing job satisfaction and job decisions is limited. The main objective of this study was to examine how personal, social, and economic resources influence job satisfaction among public health master's and doctoral level graduates, and to explore differences across education generation and racial/ethnic background. Drawing on Conservation of Resource and Intersectionality theories, we conducted secondary analysis using a recent national survey investigating factors that are associated with public health career choices (n = 751). Adjusted and weighted linear regression models, both with and without interaction terms, were analyzed to examine the associations between resource domains and job satisfaction. Our findings revealed significant moderating effects of FG status across personal, social, and economic resource domains in shaping job satisfaction, both within the full sample and among specific racial and ethnic subgroups. Further analysis revealed stronger influence of these resources among Black FG, White FG and total FG groups compared to non-FG groups, suggesting these resources may play a role in influencing job satisfaction among first-generation individuals. Therefore, public health graduate level academic programs and employers should consider strategies that improve access to resources to better support first-generation individuals' completion of degrees and transition into the workforce.

This paper addresses the central research question: to what extent do local government theories contemplate the fundamental essence of local governance and its accountability? Drawing on an extensive review of secondary literature, including books, academic journals, and policy documents, the study explores key theories, including governance theory, deliberative democracy, public choice theory, and accountability approaches. The analysis is thematically structured, beginning with conceptual clarifications and progressing toward theoretical and policy-oriented insights. The findings reveal that the philosophical foundation of local government is rooted in liberal democratic values, public choice theory, and the principles of decentralization. The paper highlights that decentralized governance systems require proximity-based engagement between service providers and citizens, with social accountability serving as a key mechanism. In Nepal, the trajectory of local governance reflects a gradual shift from centralized control toward a more participatory and decentralized model, marked by legislative and constitutional milestones, including the Local Government Operational Act 2017 and the 2015 Constitution. Overall, the study offers a comprehensive synthesis of the theoretical underpinnings and conceptual frameworks surrounding local government and its accountability. It emphasizes the evolving ideology of local governance, emphasizing responsiveness, ethics, effectiveness, and citizen-centric service delivery.

Abstract Research Summary Firms' and executives' stances on controversial issues affect consumer behavior. This “political consumerism” might be motivated by ideology and a desire to signal to peers, and thus vary for private and public purchases. We conduct an experiment with 1198 consumers to study how purchase visibility affects responses to CEO activism. Participants are randomly shown either generic product information or that plus a CEO statement supporting gun rights. They then choose between receiving the product or receiving cash, with half assigned to a condition where their choice is visible to someone they know. We find that CEO activism reduces demand among people who disagree with the CEO regardless of purchase visibility, indicating minimal signaling motives. Our results have implications for firms using politics to differentiate products. Managerial Summary Business leaders who speak out on controversial social and political issues may attract or repel consumers who agree or disagree with their stance. Consumers may react more intensely when others can observe their purchases or boycotts, allowing them to “signal” their beliefs. We experimentally manipulate whether the decision to purchase a product from a firm whose CEO vocally supports gun rights is observable and whether consumers are aware of the CEO's stance. We find that consumers change their behavior in response to CEO political activism regardless of whether their choices are visible to others. This suggests that CEO activism can impel boycotts and that firms can differentiate themselves by taking political positions even when their products are less known or consumed privately.

This paper studies the interaction between the private and the public sector in determining the supply and segmentation of education in modern economies. We develop a theoretical model in which the private and the public sector offer education as a relatively homogeneous good. In our model, the distribution of preferences for the private and public choices determines the stratification of the choice of education. Our analysis shows that increases in income taxation reduce the demand for private and public education but increases tax revenue and the supply of the public sector, showing a tradeoff between access to education and welfare changes associated to the net incidence of taxation and the supply of a public good. In our model, the private sector helps to improve the efficiency in the supply of education while the government intervention improves access leading to a more equitable allocation of resources in education. In our analysis income tax rates are associated to the proportion of households choosing both education in the private and public sector, which might help to evaluate the efficacy of government intervention in education.

ABSTRACT Environmental challenges require collaboration across jurisdictions, often through forums or intermediary spaces for repeated interaction. A persistent forum design question concerns inclusion criteria, or which actors should be included. Ecology of Games, public choice, and collaborative governance detail various costs and benefits of expanding inclusion, but less attention has been paid to specific variations in inclusion criteria. To address this, we conduct a comparative case study of four water user associations in Arizona, U.S. that either restrict participation to a certain sector and/or to those holding specific water rights. We assess how inclusion criteria impact participants' perceptions of various dimensions of forum functionality, considering management concerns that may confound the relationship. Drawing on a survey and semi‐structured interviews of forum participants, we find that more restrictive forums benefit from an internal spillover of high coordination to other capacities that require increased buy‐in (e.g., lobbying) while more inclusive forums can create an external spillover of broader regional cooperation as participants interact with more diverse users. Management concerns, particularly the relative concern for groundwater versus surface water and financial resources, confound this relationship. Our findings provide new theoretical and practical insight into how inclusion rules affect forum functionality in complex governance systems.

Purpose This study aims to investigate how colonial fiscal legacies shape contemporary public financial management (PFM) performance across Anglophone and Francophone ECOWAS member states. It assesses the influence of British and French administrative traditions on budget reliability, fiscal transparency, policy-based budgeting and audit performance using the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) 2016 Framework. Design/methodology/approach A comparative cross-sectional design is employed, drawing on PEFA 2016 assessments for 12 ECOWAS countries. Letter grades were converted to numerical scores, aggregated into seven pillars and used to construct a composite PFM index. A weighted recency adjustment normalised scores across assessments conducted between 2017 and 2024. Heat maps visualised intra- and inter-bloc differences, supported by theoretical insights from public choice theory, new institutional economics and historical institutionalism. Findings Both blocs demonstrate moderate PFM performance, but with apparent structural variations. Francophone countries exhibit greater budgetary reliability and policy-based fiscal management, reflecting the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)’s harmonised directives and CFA Zone discipline. Anglophone countries perform better on transparency but show weaknesses in execution control and external audit. Practical implications The study highlights the need for ECOWAS to strengthen budget credibility, audit independence and regional fiscal coordination. It proposes establishing a regional audit peer support network, adopting commitment control systems, publishing budget credibility statements and creating a regional fiscal risk register. These measures can support fiscal convergence, enhance accountability and improve the overall effectiveness of PFM reforms across the region. Originality/value This study provides the first comparative analysis of Anglophone and Francophone ECOWAS countries using normalised PEFA 2016 data. It integrates historical, institutional and political-economy perspectives to explain why similar reforms produce divergent outcomes across linguistic blocs. The study contributes a methodological innovation, the weighted recency adjustment, to improve the comparability of PEFA assessments conducted in different years.

Revenue collection is fundamental to the financial sustainability and service delivery of county governments. Despite Kenya’s devolution framework, many counties continue to experience significant disparities in revenue performance, underscoring governance challenges that limit optimal fiscal outcomes. Guided by agency theory and supported by public choice theory and institutional theory, this study examines the effect of governance structures—fiscal autonomy, transparency, accountability, and human resource capacity—on revenue collection across Kenya’s 47 county governments. A descriptive research design was applied, integrating both primary and secondary data. Primary data were gathered through structured questionnaires administered to county revenue officers, while secondary data on annual revenue collection and population size were obtained from official county financial reports. Using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression, the study found that governance structures collectively explain 93.3% of the variation in revenue collection (R² = 0.933). Accountability emerged as the most influential factor (β = 0.675, p = 0.000), followed by human resource capacity (β = 0.428, p = 0.001), fiscal autonomy (β = 0.393, p = 0.005), and transparency (β = 0.278, p = 0.018). Population size showed no significant effect (β = 0.005, p = 0.917), indicating that demographic factors are less critical than governance mechanisms in determining revenue outcomes. These findings demonstrate that strong governance structures—particularly accountability frameworks, skilled personnel, and robust fiscal independence—are key to enhancing revenue collection among county governments.

The Nigerian public sector has long been characterized by weak governance structures, poor accountability mechanisms, and ineffective service delivery systems. Despite numerous reform initiatives aimed at addressing inefficiencies, corruption, and weak institutional capacity, service delivery outcomes remain poor, undermining Nigeria’s sustainable development aspirations. This paper critically examines the nexus between governance, accountability, and public sector reforms in Nigeria, highlighting how institutional weaknesses have continued to constrain developmental outcomes. Adopting a qualitative research design complemented with secondary data sources, the study engages empirical literature, theoretical frameworks, and policy analysis to interrogate the persistent service delivery gaps within Nigeria’s public institutions. The findings reveal that reforms in Nigeria have largely been policy-driven but weakly implemented, often undermined by corruption, political interference, lack of continuity, and inadequate monitoring mechanisms. Furthermore, the study identifies gaps in transparency, leadership accountability, and institutional synergy as major bottlenecks limiting reform effectiveness. Drawing on theoretical perspectives such as public choice theory, new public management (NPM), and institutional theory, the paper situates Nigeria’s reform trajectory within broader global governance debates. The study concludes that without embedding accountability, citizen participation, and technology-driven governance in Nigeria’s public sector, reform efforts will remain cosmetic and unsustainable. It recommends the strengthening of anti-corruption institutions, depoliticization of the bureaucracy, digital transformation of public service processes, and enhanced civil society oversight. These reforms are imperative if Nigeria is to reposition its governance architecture for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

This paper addresses the contemporary political backlash among the political new Right against economic freedom. They assert that while economic freedom makes us materially rich, it erodes traditional family life by inducing women to work outside the home. Their claims that family life and structure has changed are true, but I argue but that economic freedom is not a zero-sum game and that families have more choices today, giving them greater autonomy. Rather than trying to protect the family with government stipends, which I call familial protectionism, economic freedom provides better choices for women inside and outside the home. Keywords: economic freedom, public choice, family, women, welfare policy

ABSTRACT The proposed work aimed to briefly study the levels of toxic elements, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni), in betel nut (BN) and chewing gum (ChG) samples from Hyderabad, Pakistan. Moreover, the artificial saliva extracts of these two products were also studied to evaluate the impact of toxic elements on local consumers of different age groups. The total and the artificial saliva extractable toxic elements in the products were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) using the conventional acid digestion procedure. The possible impact on the addicted and non-addicted consumers of different age groups was studied, followed by the risk assessment strategy based on the daily intake estimation and toxic and carcinogenic risk assessment. The decreasing order of the hazardous total toxic elements in products was determined as Pb > Ni > Cd > As. The highest levels of As in BN-7 and ChG-1 are 134.0 and 126.0 µg/kg, respectively. The level of Cd was found to be highest (155 µg/kg) in BN-12. The ChG-8 (358.0 µg/kg) contained the highest Pb content. Ni contents were observed to be maximum in BN-8 (213.3 µg/kg) and ChG-5 (109.0 µg/kg). All the studied samples of betel nut and chewing gum were observed within the recommended permissible limit for Cd (50 µg/kg), except betel nut samples BN-5, BN-7, and BN-12, as well as chewing gum sample ChG-10. The estimated level of extracted elements in artificial saliva resulted in maximum content of As in BN-13 (14.6 µg/kg), and ChG-1. Pb levels were maximum in BN-5 and ChG-10. Ni contents in the artificial saliva extracted samples were maximum in BN-6 and ChG-9. Carcinogenic risk assessment data showed that As, Cd, Ni, and Pb in betel nuts and chewing gum may not constitute a hazardous risk in betel nuts except for As in chewing gum for female children. While many confectionery and Nut Products are harmless, others include harmful ingredients that could endanger customers, particularly kids. It is recommended to ensure by governmental agencies for healthier and safer productsin the market for, public choice.

Nearly half of Black parents have access to public school choice, but choice may not provide equitable and supportive school environments. Qualitative research documents Black parents worries that majority-White schools with more resources and higher test scores may over-discipline, underestimate, and exclude their children. Yet large-scale studies rarely examine what Black families desire in potential schools, including how they navigate potential tradeoffs between high school quality and denigrating school racial climates. This survey experiment examines the extent to which test score gaps and suspension gaps between Black students and their non-Black peers deter Black parents from choosing schools with higher overall test scores and lower overall suspension rates. We randomly assign a large, national sample of Black parents (N = 1,677) to examine a school profile vignette where the school has overall high academic achievement and low suspensions rates but includes either one, both, or neither academic and discipline gaps to assess how test score and suspension disparities affect Black parents’ school preferences and perceptions. We find that racial disparities in student discipline and academic outcomes, on average, diminish Black families’ desires to enroll in high-achievement schools and their perceptions of student belonging. These findings align with qualitative research showing that well-resourced, high-achieving schools are less appealing to Black families when they marginalize Black students and that schools’ unequal punishment of Black students shapes Black parents’ evaluations of potential educational spaces.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11256-025-00797-x.

Mitigating social dilemmas in public transport choice through autonomous vehicles on a homogeneous road link

The sustainability cost of political crises: Do geopolitical risks affect the implementation of environmental policies?

This article develops an integrated decision-making model of engagement in corrupt transactions. Existing utilitarian, institutional, and psychosocial–cultural accounts typically operate in analytic isolation, producing a persistent gap in their integration; this model fills that gap by bringing these perspectives together within a probabilistic specification. Drawing on core contributions from the literature, corrupt engagement is modeled as the probabilistic outcome of crossing a moral hurdle and performing a learning-shaped cost–benefit calculus. By clarifying public agents' choices and providing policymakers with actionable tools to design integrity policies that jointly address ethical, institutional, and behavioral drivers, the model offers a more realistic and policy-relevant perspective than approaches focused solely on utilitarian incentives or legal sanctions.

Bureaucratic science: a public choice analysis of gatekeeping during COVID-19

Most public university students in Bangladesh have career-related issues in the form of either career indecision or making the wrong choice. Hence, the study aims to identify the factors that influence public university students' job choices. The study employed a quantitative approach. Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) was selected purposively, then using simple random sampling to get 100 participants between January - July 2023. The study discovered that social and cultural elements, environmental factors, economic concerns, educational considerations, career aid and counseling, and personality qualities all had an impact on their career choices. However, economic factors, especially, motivate them to choose highly paid and status-oriented jobs. In addition, the students (94%) who were aware of career choice, possessed (60%) to work in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) for respect, social safety, and financial stability. Moreover, only 40 percent of the students showed interest in working in other government jobs, non-government jobs, and a few of them identified business as their next workplace. In a nutshell, having a job in BCS is the priority of students, which reflects the notion of dependency on the government instead of being an entrepreneur and self-employed. However, the findings will be useful to scholars, students, job seekers, and the general public who are worried about career choices, both locally and abroad.

This research investigates the strategic efforts of Madrasah Tsanawiyah Darul Arifin to enhance its branding image through the application of the 7P Marketing Mix framework: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical Evidence. In an increasingly competitive Islamic education sector, effective branding is crucial for establishing institutional credibility, increasing enrollment, and fostering public trust. The study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach using data collected through interviews, observation, and documentation. Key informants include school leaders, administrative staff, academic personnel, students, and community members. The analysis reveals that the leadership of the Kyai, the implementation of flagship programs, consistent promotion strategies, and the quality of physical infrastructure significantly shape the institution’s brand image. These flagship programs serve as key differentiators in the competitive education market, emphasising both academic excellence and religious devotion. The institution’s commitment to producing well-rounded students competent in Islamic knowledge, languages, and leadership has strengthened its positioning as a leading Islamic educational institution. Findings show that the figure of the Kyai serves as a moral and symbolic leader, fostering public trust and social legitimacy. The madrasah’s flagship programs function as academic differentiators that attract both urban and rural communities. Promotional efforts, including social media and alums networks, expand the madrasah’s visibility while maintaining its spiritual values. The registration process reflects administrative professionalism, and the well-maintained facilities support both educational effectiveness and brand positioning. This study concludes that a strong brand image in Islamic education is built not only through visibility but through integrated, value-based institutional management. The 7P framework provides a comprehensive lens to understand how internal consistency, leadership, flagship programs, infrastructure, and strategic communication collectively influence public perception and educational choice.

Abstract This paper explores the justifications for meritocracy, using the assignment of students to classrooms and workers to firms as contexts. I argue that there is fundamental distinction between retrospective meritocracy, in which assignments are rewards for past achievements such as test scores, and prospective meritocracy, in which merit is functionally defined by assignments that best achieve social objectives. I show that these different perspectives can lead to different assignment rules. Prospective meritocratic rules account for interactions between individuals and intertemporal effects of assignments in ways that retrospective rules do not. As such, they break standard distinctions between egalitarian and meritocratic rules that are commonly assumed in policy debates. On the other hand, I show that meritocratic rules require knowledge of the appropriate choice of social objective, which may be contested, and a range of facts about the socioeconomic environment in which the rules are to be implements. As such, these are the discontents experienced by a meritocratic. Links to the public choice literature are developed.