Local Government Representatives Research Articles

Teoría del cambio aplicada al programa de promoción de la actividad física «La Ribera Camina»

ObjectiveTo develop a theory of change of a program to promote physical activity in eleven health districts, in order to improve its design and plan its evaluation. MethodFour focus groups were carried out, to develop a participatory theory of change, to identify the expected changes (long, medium and short term) of “La Ribera Camina” program, according to the following stakeholders: primary healthcare professionals, local government representatives and community members. A thematic analysis was used to identify the actions to be taken to achieve these changes, as well as the difficulties and facilitators to enhance the sustainability of the program. ResultsThe identified changes were classified into four themes: 1) changes in physical and social health (improved physical condition, healthy habits, self-esteem and perceived well-being); 2) organizational and relational changes (better coordination between institutions); 3) specific changes to the program (incorporation of more “assets” and local associations, especially male participants, more trails and schedules); and 4) changes in the environment (improved trails’ infrastructures and safety). ConclusionsThe theory of change allows to identify and classify the changes that are expected, the actions to be carried out and the links between elements of the program. This will serve as the basis for its evaluation. This methodology could be applied to other programs interested in incorporating intersectorality and community engagement in their design and evaluation.

Measuring social tourism sustainability in Porto municipality: the views of residents

In the previous decade, tourism planning and destination management efforts have focused on sustainability, particularly in its environmental pillar. In the last years though (and especially in destinations with high growth rates and risks of over-tourism) the social dimension has gained importance, also as a consequence of increasing awareness about the need and relevance of governance for the sector.
 The aim of this paper is thus to address the phenomenon of (over)tourism in the Porto area, and more recently, the zero tourism: how is tourism affecting residents´ life from their own perspective? ETIS -European toolkit for sustainable destination management was the indicator system used to develop this exercise, once it has already been adapted to the country's reality by the national tourism authority (Turismo de Portugal).
 Results concerning residents´ and local authority representatives’ feelings about tourism and implications to the local community, both from an economic and cultural environment perspective, how these affect the quality of life in the historical centers, are described. The study exposes different perspectives both with regard to advantages and disadvantages, but overall there is evidence that tourist development is widely accepted, considering it does not penalize the well-being of the resident population. Finally, results are discussed considering existing literature focusing on tourism sustainability in Porto, from a pre-covid and post-covid perspective.

Transdisciplinary, Co-Designed and Adaptive Management for the Sustainable Development of Rongcheng, a Coastal City in China in the Context of Human Activities and Climate Change

Half the population of China live in coastal zones where 70% of large cities are also located. Intensive human activities pose significant environmental and ecological hazards to these cities that are already vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change. The sustainable development of coastal cities is thus both a national and international issue. Rongcheng is a typical coastal city in east China. It is a national marine ranch demonstration area that is subjected to multi-stressors from human activities and climate change. The dominant economic sectors include aquaculture and fisheries, agriculture, shipping and tourism. A multitude of resulting pressures come mainly from intensified human activities, such as intensive aquaculture, overfishing, industrial pollutants, agricultural runoff, land reclamation and port expansion. In addition, Rongcheng is also facing exogenic pressures from extreme climate events such as intensified storms, storm surges, droughts and sea ice. A growing awareness of these problems brought together a trans-disciplinary group from local government, research institutions, local practitioners and coastal representatives to jointly explore and co-design adaptive coastal management options. In this transdisciplinary study, a social-ecological analysis based on a combination of the Systems Approach Framework and the Drivers-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses framework was used to analyze and formulate an adaptive management plan for the sustainability of Rongcheng. More than 40 stakeholders including government, companies, civil society and institutions participated in the study through questionnaires and on-site meetings. A statistical analysis of the results identified urgent issues impeding the sustainable development of Rongcheng. The issues identified were poorly regulated aquaculture, loss of shoreline, and the decline of seagrass and cultural heritage. The study identified management options and measures, some of which were adopted by the local government in a co-designed management plan. The measures included upgrading of aquaculture industry, habitat conservation and restoration, and the development of cultural tourism. Another outcome was the increased knowledge exchange between stakeholders to inform management, policy, and decision making, as well as raised awareness of vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. The success of this case study provides a reference for the adaptive management of other coastal cities and their sustainable development in a changing climate.

Tackling barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake in London: a mixed-methods evaluation.

BackgroundIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first vaccine was administered in December 2020 in England. However, vaccination uptake has historically been lower in London than in other English regions.MethodsMixed-methods: This comprised an analysis of cumulative percentage uptake across London between 8 December 2020 and 6 June 2021 by vaccine priority cohorts and ethnicity. We also undertook thematic analyses of uptake barriers, interventions to tackle these and key learning from a qualitative survey of 27 London local authority representatives, vaccine plans from London’s five Integrated Care Systems and interviews with 38 London system representatives.ResultsVaccine uptake was lower in Black ethnic (57–65% uptake) compared with the White British group (90% uptake). Trust was a critical issue, including mistrust in the vaccine itself and in authorities administering or promoting it. The balance between putative costs and benefits of vaccination created uptake barriers for zero-hour and shift workers. Intensive, targeted and ‘hyper-local’ initiatives, which sustained community relationships and were not constrained by administrative boundaries, helped tackle these barriers.ConclusionsThe success of the national vaccination programme depended on conceding local autonomy, investing in responsive and long-term partnerships to engender trust through in-depth understanding of communities’ beliefs.

Local Festivals - the Visible and Invisible Benefits for Local Communities: an Empirical View

The article presents the results of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions held in Sadovo, Elin Pelin, Gabrovo, Bolyartsi, Novi Han and Pozharevo within a project “Local festivals: A resource of local communities for coping with crises”, funded by National Science Fund – Ministry of Education and Science of Republic of Bulgaria (KP-06-H45/5 from 30.11.2020). The aim of the text is, based on the main essential features and characteristics of local festivals, to prove and derive empirically the importance of “visible” and “invisible” benefits of these events for the preservation of local communities. The various points of view of representatives of local authorities, organizers of local festivals, and representatives of the Roma ethnic community will be presented without claiming to be exhaustive. Numerous studies are available in the literature, focusing on the benefits of holding these events and the various effects they produce on the cultural, social and economic life of local communities. Local festivals in the Bulgarian context, regardless of their thematic focus, in most cases combine the festivities of traditional society, combined with new forms of collective gatherings. In most cases, these events can also be seen as part of the process of building local identities, which draw their resources from what is imagined, reconstructed and argued as local heritage.

Galvanising and fostering sub-national government leadership for area-wide sanitation programming

Abstract Government leadership at both the national and sub-national levels is an essential step towards ensuring safely managed sanitation services for all. Though the importance of sub-national government leadership for water, sanitation and hygiene is widely acknowledged, to date much of the focus has been on the delivery of water services. This article sets out to start to address this imbalance by focusing on practical ways to galvanise and foster sub-national government leadership for sanitation programming. By focusing on the experiences across three sub-national areas in East Africa where positive changes in the prioritisation of sanitation by local governments have been witnessed, we (a group of researchers, local government representatives and development partner staff) cross-examine and identify lessons learnt. The results presented in this paper and subsequent discussion provide practical recommendations for those wishing to trigger a change in political will at the local level and create the foundation to strengthen sanitation governance and the wider system needed to ensure service delivery for all.

Współpraca samorządu terytorialnego z organami administracji rządowej w zakresie realizacji inwestycji drogowych

With Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, the visible institutional and legal differences between our country and Western Europe began to blur. The establishment of the European Administrative Space, as a general model of public administration aiming at similar or common administrative solutions, influenced the development of public administration and its organisational structures. In Poland, as in most European countries, the system of local government is based on the principle of dualism, i.e.: some local tasks are performed directly by the government administration subordinated to the relevant ministers, while the remaining tasks are performed by the local government representing the interests of a particular local community. The aim of the article is to discuss the issue of mutual cooperation between the government administration with representatives of local governments on the example of realization of investments. The aim of the article is to discuss the issue of mutual cooperation of the government administration with the representatives of local self-governments, on the example of implementation of investments of international and national importance, such as key linear road investments planned to be carried out, which run through the territory of Poland and to present the conflicts of interests of the local society with the global benefits of the state, which are often fundamentally different and not always properly understood. The intensive development of road transport infrastructure currently taking place in Poland, with the participation of EU policy, has a significant impact on the economic development of micro-regions managed by local self-governments.

ПОСТАТІ АПОСТОЛІВ-КИГИЧІВ В ІСТОРІЇ СЛОБІДСЬКОЇ УКРАЇНИ XVIII СТ.

The article is devoted to the study of the history of the Apostol-Kygych dynasty and their role in the life of Slobidska Ukraine of the XVIII century. The ancestor of the dynasty Philip Petrovich Apostol-Kygych, who belonged to the Wallachian nobility, enlisted in the army of Peter I. In 1718 he received Russian citizenship and was awarded estates in the settlements of Pina, Zlodiyivka, and Ugroidy Sumy Sloboda Cossack Regiment. Having received lands with the population living there, he began to pursue an anti-people policy. He ruthlessly exploited not only dependent peasants but also began to seize land plots of registered Cossacks. At the same time, representatives of local authorities were on the side of Philip Apostol-Kygych and other emigrants of Wallachian origin, who were on military service in the Russian Empire and were in a privileged position. This is evidenced by the resolution of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna of August 25, 1740, which allowed the Wallachians, Greek Serbs, and other foreigners who entered the civil service to buy land, but with the condition of preventing conflicts with the local population. This document legalized the possibility for such persons as members of the Apostol-Kygych family not only to freely buy land, to shade the local peasant and Cossack population, despite the reservations set out in the above-mentioned resolution. The next Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna issued personal decrees of May 21 and July 3, 1742, which forbade the enslavement of immigrants from Ukraine. The latter could only voluntarily become citizens of the Russian landlords. The above-mentioned decrees could not stop the confrontation between the Cossack population of Pina and the family of the Apostol-Kygych. Such conflicts were investigated by the Sumy Regiment Chancellery, which later pleaded not guilty to one of the members of Captain Peter's family. Later, the descendants of the Apostol-Kygych family continued to oppress the local population by indulging the local authorities, which in some cases used troops to suppress peasant-Cossack demonstrations in Sloboda Ukraine.

Муниципальные стратегии управления и факторы их формирования

The subject of discussion is the phenomenological typology of practically implemented municipal management strategies, as well as the influence of external factors on the preference of a certain type of strategy. The research hypothesis assumes that the choice and preference of a certain management strategy depends on external non-political factors. Using a qualitative methodology (direct observation and in-deep interviews) the materials of several hundred field studies of the practice of municipal government in provincial local communities in 2006-2021 were summarized. We have previously described four extreme cases of management strategies: (1) real local self-government; (2) "landlord" management; (3) "Soviet-type” governance; (4) "politicized" governance. The used management strategies remain unchanged in municipalities for a long time. The preference for a certain strategy is mainly due to several factors. Those are (1) spatial isolation of the local society, (2) the duration of community’s live, (3) possibilities for the population to use local natural resources and ownerless property, (4) the ability to resources’ control by representatives of local authorities, (5) dependence of the municipality on external state financial and economic support. The revealed non-political factors have predictive value for the governmental administration from the point of view of the local level of public authority.

The Problem of Acceptance of Farming by Local Authorities in 1989–1991 (Based on the Materials of the Central Chernozem Region)

The article examines how the process of adoption of the idea of farming by representatives of local authorities in the regions of the Central Chernozem Region took place during the birth of the farmer movement, in 1989–1991. An analysis of the transcript of the Second (extraordinary) Congress of People’s Deputies of the RSFSR, and of protocols of the plenums of regional and district committees of the CPSU from January-February 1991 (RGASPI), reveal the first reaction of the leaders of party organizations and heads of collective agricultural enterprises to the emergence of farming. The most acute aspects of the problem of the formation and development of the farmer movement are revealed, namely: the fear of a possible “repetition of capitalism”, diversity in agriculture, the fear that excessive support of farmers from the state will result in damage to collective agricultural enterprises, protection of collective forms of management in the face of collective farms and state farms, private ownership of land, attitude to farming, prevention of forcing the pace of farming. The article concludes about the psychological unwillingness in 1989–1991 of the party leaders of the regional and district levels, heads of collective farms and state farms to calmly accept the idea of farming and put up with its existence. The position of distrust of the new form of management, in turn, was reinforced by the institutional and economic difficulties that objectively arose during the formation of farming (natural for the initial stage of any transformation).

Analysis of life plans and emigration intentions of pupils and students of border regions of the South of Ukraine (experience of empirical sociological research)

Educational emigration of young people is today one of the most pressing topics, taking into account the place and role of this socio-demographic group in the processes of economic and socio-cultural reproduction of society. In order to clarify the scale and nature of migration sentiments in the field of education, the life plans of young people, the authors of the article within the framework of the grant project “Common Language: public dialogue on the Law of Ukraine “On Education” in the Odessa region” conducted two empirical sociological research: 1) a formalized interview of students, students and their parents; 2) in-depth interviews with representatives of local authorities and self-government bodies, heads of schools and other educational institutions, school teachers, pupils, their parents, students, representatives of public organizations, ethnic communities, employers and representatives of local political parties. Despite the prevailing migration sentiments among some of the respondents, most of them associate their future with Ukraine. The mood for educational emigration is most pronounced among student youth, this is due to the fact that getting an education in foreign countries facilitates the possibility of their employment, including on the international labor market. The authors emphasize the importance of further scientific understanding of topical problems associated with the implementation of educational reform in Ukraine, which has hidden the development of transnational curricula.

Activist Surfing-based Groups in the Tourism Transition: Localism and Universalism in the French Basque Country

The concept of tourism transition was developed in the 1990s and 2000s by scholars working on winter sports in Alpine resorts. It refers to the economic and social changes taking place in relatively small resort towns as the result of tourism development. While mountain tourism causes conflicts between stakeholder groups, this paper demonstrates that tourism in seaside resort towns can also be a source of controversy. In coastal cities of the French Basque Country, tourism development is primarily managed by local government representatives, yet contested by pressure groups. This paper analyzes the two activist groups Save Marbella (SMG) and Paddle-out For Your Planet (POFYP), founded by surfers in Biarritz, France. It is based on observation of and interviews with SMG and POFYP members. Whilst acknowledging the difference between these two groups, this work indicates that surfers’ environmental activism often comes from their subjective and intimate relationship with the ocean. This paper argues that participants’ emotional bond with nature fosters environmental awareness and that their intimate relationship with the ocean is the primary cause of political activism. As surfers report facing fear, disgust and anxiety when they encounter ocean pollution and environmental degradation resulting from mass tourism, research has also shown that they feel compelled to protest and demand that policymakers include their considerations in democratic decision-making processes.

Implementing Programme Related to Gender Inclusion on Local Government in Nepal

This article focuses on practice of the gender inclusion in local government based in Lalitpur and Jhapa districts of some local level. It is find out practices of gender inclusion police of local level and to explore the practices on the different development paradigm. This article used indifferent type’s of methods and data collection procedure. Basically, information needs to answer the research queries are collected from primary and secondary sources of information. The construction questionnaire for information is collected through the literature review and several qualitative and quantitative approaches. At last SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science is used to compute the data. Among the total respondents, 35.3 percent are participation for plans formulation related to income generation progarammes, 31.4 percent plans are related to empowerment and leadership programmes, 21 percent plans are related to gender awareness and violence and only 2 percent plans are related to save cyber-crime. More than 6 percent respondents said that only ward representatives are involved in planning of program activities, 31.4 percent respondents said that only municipality authorities and ward representatives are involved and 59.3 percent respondents said that the local government representatives and all social activist are involved in planning of different program activities. Empirical evidence shows that gender inequality, including from legal gender-related restrictions, leads to the loss of growth opportunities, particularly in countries at earlier stages of development. The adverse effect of legal barriers to women’s participation in economic activities remains significant for countries at different stages of development.

Характеристика стосунків органів місцевого самоврядування із закладами первинної медичної допомоги

At the current stage of the development of health care systems, it is believed that local governments should be included in any reform plans. The World Health Organisation emphasizes the important role of local governments in reforming primary care while maintaining the primary responsibility for building national central government health systems. The purpose of the study is to characterize the relations of primary health care facilities with local governments by the heads in the context of reforming the health care system in Ukraine and identifying problem areas in them that require improvement. Materials and methods. The study was carried out in two stages: focusing interviewing heads of primary health care facilities with a high level of competence to determine the set of characteristics that form the relationship between of the local governments and primary health care facilities; a survey of 100 heads of primary care facilities using a questionnaire drawn up based on the results of the first stage of the study. Statistical analysis was carried out using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results and discussion. Comprehensive reform of local self-government and primary health care in Ukraine faces certain difficulties and requires coordination of relations between the local governments and primary health care facilities. Twelve main characteristics of the relationship between local governments and primary health care system of the community were identified. Of the total number of respondents, 72% did not give a satisfactory assessment of the competence of the representatives of local governments in the organization of medical services; 36% – the attitude of local governments to primary care facilities; 32% – response of local governments to the needs of primary health care facilities; 78% – understanding by the owner of the contribution of the primary health care to the prosperity of the community; 52% – priority of health development for community; 12% of the respondents noted that their facilities did not receive additional funding from local budgets for the development of the institution and improvement of the quality of medical care. In general, 68% of the surveyed primary health care managers assessed positively the relationship with the owner; 19% – negatively. Conclusion. The study identified problems in the relationship between the local governments and primary care facilities during the reform of the health care system, which need to be addressed. It was revealed that the main problem is the lack of awareness of the local governments of the importance of primary health care for the community, which is primarily due to the low competence of representatives of local authorities on health issues

Икономически предизвикателства: криза, възстановяване, устойчивост

On November 12, 2021 at the University of National and World Economy under the patronage of the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov was held an annual scientific conference on "Economic challenges: crisis, recovery, sustainability". The special guest of the event was Mr. Atanas Pekanov, Deputy Prime Minister for the Management of EU Funds. The forum was attended by representatives of employers, trade unions, central and local government and NGOs. Guests were also Prof. Dr. Mihail Musov, Deputy Rector for Research and International Cooperation, and Prof. Dr. Rosen Kirilov, Deputy Rector for Digitalization and Cyber Security. As the organizer of the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivaylo Beev, Head of the Economics Department of the UNWE, noted his satisfaction with the wide attendance at this traditional forum. He drew attention to the fact that despite its regular holding for the Department of Economics this is the most important event of the year. "This is the time when we check our watches with the college, with the practice, with the students and their views. The responsibility of this forum is to maintain the leading position of the department and the university in the development of economic science."

Barriers related to the implementation of intelligent transport systems in cities - the Polish local government’s perspective

Abstract Intelligent transport systems (ITS) are undoubtedly an opportunity for the sustainable development of smart cities today. ITS is based on advanced transport technologies that help minimise the emission of harmful substances to the environment. Smart mobility and ITS are related to the use of ICT. The implementation of technologically advanced ITS is associated with several benefits, barriers and difficulties. However, transport, ITS and smart mobility (as a component of a smart city) are indicated as the most desirable option for sustainable urban transport systems. The article aims to identify barriers related to the implementation of ITS in cities from the point of view of people responsible for the organisation of urban transport representing the local government of selected voivodship cities in Poland. The goal formulated in this way allowed to identify the following research question: what are the problems and barriers of implementing ITS in the city from the local government’s perspective? To achieve the paper’s aim, the author based their analysis on a qualitative technique of collecting empirical data. Ten individual in-depth interviews were conducted with representatives of local governments (vice-mayors and members of urban transport organisers) in voivodship cities, which represented six Polish macro-regions. Research results and findings indicate the main categories and subcategories of barriers related to the ITS implementation. The identified barriers are grouped into the following categories: economic, social, organisational, technological and legal. The contribution is twofold: first, in the presentation of the theoretical and practical barriers to ITS in juxtaposition; and second, in identifying the intelligent transportation impact, which affects the provision of being a smarter city. The findings can positively influence as important factors for local governments to focus on intelligent transport.

FOR A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE “MUNICIPAL FILTER”

The model for elections of top officials of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which was restored by amendments to the federal legislation in 2012, differs significantly from the previous regional election campaigns and establishes special conditions for the participation of candidates. These include support for the nomination of a candidate for the post of head of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation by representatives of local authorities elected by the population - municipal deputies and heads of municipal formations, which very quickly received the informal name “municipal filter” among lawyers, political scientists and publicists. Among other novelties of electoral legislation, it is this requirement that has been the subject of sharp criticism for ten years. Materials and methods. In preparing the article, the authors analyzed federal legislation, by-laws, election campaign materials, and judicial practice of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. The main methods used are technical-legal, formal-legal, comparative-legal. Results. The requirement to support the nomination of a candidate for the post of the highest official of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation can be assessed as a complex and contradictory procedure. It performs important functions in controlling the electoral process, ensuring the unity of the Russian public power system, developing local self-government, and strengthening the political and party systems. However, in modern Russian political conditions, the prevalence of a certain political force in local self-government bodies, the “municipal filter” is being transformed from a legal procedure into an instrument of unfair political struggle. Conclusions. The study substantiates the need to preserve and reform the “municipal filter” in terms of reducing the minimum and maximum levels of support for candidates and reducing the territorial coverage of municipalities in the region.

Towards a typology of social protection for migrants and refugees in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 health crisis has put to the test Latin America’s already precarious social protection systems. This paper comparatively examines what type of social protection has been provided, by whom, and to what extent migrant and refugee populations have been included in these programmes in seven countries of the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and December 2020. We develop a typology of models of social protection highlighting the assemblages of actors, different modes of protection and the emerging migrants’ subjectification in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay in relation to Non-Contributory Social Transfer (NCST) programmes and other actions undertaken by state and non-state actors. The analysis is based on 85 semi-structured interviews with representatives of national and local governments, International Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, and migrant-led organisations across 16 cities, and a systematic review of regulatory frameworks in the country-case studies. The proposed typology shows broad heterogeneity and complexity regarding different degrees of inclusion of migrant and refugee populations, particularly in pre-existing and new NCST programmes. These actions are furthering notions of migrant protection that are contingent and crisis-driven, imposing temporal limitations that often selectively exclude migrants based on legal status. It also brings to the fore the path-dependent nature of policies and practices of exclusion/inclusion in the region, which impact on migrants’ effective access to social and economic rights, while shaping the broader dynamics of migration governance in the region.

Political Parties and Decentralization in Pakistan

AbstractWhy do politicians vote to decentralize power and resources? Drawing on structuralist and voluntarist approaches, we investigate why national party elites in Pakistan voted to devolve power to the provinces under the 18th Amendment to the 1973 Constitution but are hesitant to devolve meaningful fiscal and administrative power to the local level. We argue that the explanation for this disjuncture lies in Pakistan’s history of military experiments with local government, its candidate-centered party system, and the re-election incentives of politicians at the national, provincial and local levels. Using interviews with local government representatives, politicians, and bureaucrats, and archival research through National Assembly, Senate debates and newspapers, we show that devolution to the provinces was a means of holding a fragile federation together. However, Pakistan’s political parties, unable to elicit credible commitment from their legislators, feared that devolving power further could result in party defections, the rise of regional leaders, and inevitably, party fragmentation.

Service Evaluation of the English Refugee Health Information System: Considerations and Recommendations for Effective Resettlement.

Since 2015, the UK has resettled over 25,000 refugees. To support resettlement and integration, refugees undergo a pre-arrival medical health assessment (MHA), which is used for healthcare planning by local government in England. This study aimed to understand the utility and effectiveness of the MHA and flow of data to support resettlement planning. Seven local government representatives were interviewed regarding their experiences and perceptions of the refugee health information system (HIS) and the MHA for resettlement in England. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The three themes indicated that the HIS was perceived to be effective, however, issues on governance, timeliness of information and access were identified. Findings showed that for the MHA to be more useful for planning, assessments for mental health issues and child special educational needs (SEN) are needed. Findings also indicated resettlement promoted joint working and acceptability of refugee resettlement. In areas where data sharing and governance processes are well defined, the HIS is effective and the MHA supports resettlement. National agencies should put structures in place to support timely health information flow.