Rural Public Services Research Articles

The Strategic Thinking on Promoting the Specialized Towns’ New-Style Urbanization Construction in Guangdong Province

Based on the effectiveness and problems of specialized town urbanization construction in Guangdong in the past, this paper analyzes the top-level design perspective and the implementation of specialized towns’ new-style urbanization. The inclusions show that good relationship between the government and the market, excellent combination between local urbanization and remote urbanization can effectively promote the specialized towns’ new-style urbanization. At the same time, this paper also resolves some cognitive misunderstandings, such as the “urban-rural integration”, “equalization of urban and rural public services”.

Australian Rural Accountants’ Views on How Locally Provided CPD Compares with City-based Provision

This paper analyses Australian rural accountants’ attitudes and levels of satisfaction with continuing professional development (CPD), based on whether the CPD was delivered by a professional accounting body in a rural or metropolitan area. The paper responds to prior research that finds rural accountants are dissatisfied with professional accounting bodies [Rural and regional Australian public accounting firm services: Service provision, concerns and tensions. Australian Accounting Review, 23(23), 163–176]. Findings of a survey to which 156 rural accountants responded were that when CPD is delivered into the rural areas, there are greater levels of CPD satisfaction. The study also found that cost was significantly better for rural-delivered CPD and that when more rural-based CPD was attended differences became more significant across a number of satisfaction measures. The findings have important implications for both rural accountants and professional accounting bodies.

A New Fuzzy Neural Network Algorithm for Rural Public Service Performance Evaluation

A New Fuzzy Neural Network Algorithm for Rural Public Service Performance Evaluation

Research on Government Responsibility in Rural Sports Fundamental Public Service Development

In sports public services system construction, rural sports fundamental public service construction and devel- opment are the most import parts; rural development restricts whole system's construction. And government as one of ru- ral leaders, its functions among them cannot be ignored. The paper takes government responsibility in rural sports funda- mental public service as main research direction, analyzes rural sports fundamental public service construction. Firstly, it researches on sports fundamental public service proportions of rural public cultural facilities, investigates government re- sponsibility in rural sports fundamental public service, and carries out reliability analysis. Secondly, it utilizes goal pro- gramming and maximal principle, establishes government functions analytical model on the basis of rural fundamental sports public service, by quantitative analysis, it gets conclusions that in rural sports fundamental public service research, government most important function is perfecting sports public facilities, secondly is implementing legal protection to peasants sports public service rights, and providing sufficient sports activities funds support.

Chinese Rural Sports Public Service Funds Input Current Status Analysis and Prediction

In the background of Chinese sports rapidly development, it still has lots of problems and many factors that re- strict Chinese sports development. Among them, rural sports are one of the main factors. The paper starts from Chinese rural sports public service funding input prediction and current status analysis two aspects, and goes ahead with compre- hensive researches through trend extrapolation prediction model and statistical analysis method. Firstly, it utilizes trend extrapolation prediction's modified exponential curve approach to make quantitative analysis of Chinese rural sports pub- lic service funds input from 2007 to 2012, and then predict Chinese rural sports funds input changes in five years. Sec- ondly, it makes use of statistical analysis to study Chinese rural sports public service funds input current status, and gets conclusions that the amplification of Chinese rural sports funds input occupied percentage in overall fiscal expenditure is not big, sports consciousness is not strong, sports facilities utilization is incomplete, sports activities places construction is imperfect, sports personnel management system is unsound, sports field and equipment maintenance is not formal, all of these are key problems that Chinese rural sports public service development should consider at present stage.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON DESIGNING & IMPLEMENTING OF GRIDDED MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR URBAN & RURAL PUBLIC SERVICE

Purpose: This paper constructs a Gridded Management Model drawing upon the theory of Gridded Management, for Public Service Provision in Urban and Rural Areas on the basis of an analysis of the plight of the Traditional Model of Public Service Provision. Methodology: Under the guidance of policies, we can build a Resource Integration Platform using modern information technology and leverage the powerful functions of the platform enabled by Complex Computing Methods and Matching Mechanisms to mobilize all resources to provide effective and refined Public Service to the Public with quick response to the accountability Finding: With the help of this Mechanism, we can improve Public Service without increasing the overall supply of Public Service Provision. Through the study of Gridded Management Mechanism of Public Service Provision, we can improve the status quo of the research on the supply of Public Service in China which offers real help to the development of Public Service. Practical Implication: There is an urgent need to Redesign the Model of Urban & Rural Public Service Provision and exploit unused Resources in the Current Service Provision System, with the aim of promoting equalization of Public Service in both Urban and Rural areas. It delivers the same standard of Public Service for both Urban and Rural Areas through optimization of Resource Allocation without requiring more supply and fundamental change to the content of service.

O QUE É MAIS VANTAJOSO PARA O MUNICÍPIO DE PATOS DE MINAS: MANTER PRÓPRIO OU TERCEIRIZAR O TRANSPORTE PÚBLICO ESCOLAR RURAL? UM ESTUDO DE CASO

O objetivo principal deste artigo é verificar a modalidade mais vantajosa para a Prefeitura Municipal de Patos de Minas: manter próprio ou terceirizar o serviço de transporte público rural. Justifica-se por gerar conhecimento sobre custos com transporte escolar rural; aumentar o número de trabalhos empíricos publicados sobre o setor público e apresentar à população como os recursos arrecadados estão sendo empregados. O estudo tem abordagem quantitativa, quanto aos objetivos é uma pesquisa descritiva e por estudar a prefeitura patense é caracterizado como um estudo de caso. Os valores utilizados até o dia 30 de junho de 2013 são reais e a partir do dia 01 de julho de 2013 são estimados. Na análise foram utilizadas quatro rotas de transportes; duas próprias e duas terceirizadas, sendo em cada uma delas dois veículos, uma kombi e um ônibus. Os valores referentes aos veículos terceirizados foram disponibilizados pelo setor de compras e licitação da prefeitura. Quanto aos valores referentes aos transportes próprios estes foram apurados mediante cálculos realizados utilizando dados repassados pelo setor de transporte daquele ente público. A apuração foi separada em: custos fixos e custos variáveis. Os resultados encontrados demonstram que o transporte escolar rural terceirizado para o veículo ônibus é mais vantajoso para o município, e manter próprio o transporte com o veículo kombi é melhor, considerando o fator quilômetro unitário rodado.

Research on Dynamic Mechanism for Integrative Development of Urban and Rural Sports Public Service

Based on the literature and logic analysis, this article aims to analyze the dynamic system for the integrative development of urban and rural sports public service from the perspective of system dynamics. On the basis of the analysis, the connotation and the formation of dynamics for the integrative development of the urban and rural sports public service is summarized. Accordingly, the dynamic effect mechanism is also explored.

Collaboration between rural school and public youth services librarians

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to determine the types of collaborative activities public youth services and school librarians in rural locations engage in and to ascertain whether there are methods that youth service librarians believe can be employed to improve collaborative activities with public school librarians. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method design was implemented with an online self-administered survey. The survey contained open and closed-ended questions. Findings – The findings indicate that many public librarians serving youth in rural locations find it important to collaborate with school librarians. Yet, they struggle to build strong collaborative relationships. Factors such as time, a lack of school librarian administrative support, and a lack of understanding about the roles of school librarians and public librarians, are collaborative barriers. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to a purposive sample of 80 public librarians serving youth in rural areas in the United States. Practical implications – Librarianship training programs can help school librarians and youth services librarians learn how to form collaborative partnerships through mentorship programs, requiring pre-service school and youth services librarians to collaborate on projects, and educating them about the similarities in their goals. School and public librarians can also benefit from training to teach them how to build community partnerships. Originality/value – The results provide evidence that public librarians serving youth in rural areas favor building stronger collaborative relationships with school librarians. Building these relationships can improve the quality of education for youth in these locations. This article also includes proposed strategies for improving these relationships.

China's Rural Public Health System Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundIn the past three years, the Government of China initiated health reform with rural public health system construction to achieve equal access to public health services for rural residents. The study assessed trends of public health services accessibility in rural China from 2008 to 2010, as well as the current situation about the China's rural public health system performance.MethodsThe data were collected from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2011, which used a multistage stratified random sampling method to select 12 counties and 118 villages from China. Three sets of indicators were chosen to measure the trends in access to coverage, equality and effectiveness of rural public health services. Data were disaggregated by provinces and by participants: hypertension patients, children, elderly and women. We examined the changes in equality across and within region.ResultsChina's rural public health system did well in safe drinking water, children vaccinations and women hospital delivery. But more hypertension patients with low income could not receive regular healthcare from primary health institutions than those with middle and high income. In 2010, hypertension treatment rate of Qinghai in Western China was just 53.22% which was much lower than that of Zhejiang in Eastern China (97.27%). Meanwhile, low performance was showed in effectiveness of rural public health services. The rate of effective treatment for controlling their blood pressure within normal range was just 39.7%.ConclusionsThe implementation of health reform since 2009 has led the public health development towards the right direction. Physical access to public health services had increased from 2008 to 2010. But, inter- and intra-regional inequalities in public health system coverage still exist. Strategies to improve the quality and equality of public health services in rural China need to be considered.

The rural Big Society and (changing) public service delivery: A case study of Jubilee Park

This article takes up some interesting developments on public services reform in a rural context in England. It considers: (1) current issues in public service delivery in rural areas; (2) the opportunities and barriers around changing delivery models, using the example of community-led asset transfer – Jubilee Park in Lincolnshire; and (3) whether other communities are capable of filling gaps in provision left by public sector service deliverers.

A Study on the Value of Integration Development of Urban and Rural Public Sports Service

The integration development of urban and rural public sports service is the momentous content of building a harmonious socialist society. On the basis of the public service theories of management science, sociology and other related areas, the concept and connotation of the integration development of urban and rural public sports service were defined，the significance and value of which were discussed in details.

New Rural Community Planning in the Process of Urbanization

China has entered a stage of rapid urbanization, which brings rapid development to the economy and society. It also produces many social problems:a large number of migrant workers influx into cities; “a ticket hard to buy”in Spring Festival; education problems of “Children lefe behind”; later life problems of “Empty nesters”,and so on. Sixteenth Congress of Communist Party of China puts forward the urbanization with Chinese characteristic—New Urbanization. It lies in not at the expense of agriculture and food, ecology and environment, and it focuses on the peasants, coveres rural, and realizes urban and rural infrastructure integration and public service equalization to promote economic and social development and realize common prosperity. In the process of the new urbanization, the new rural community planning and construction is an effective grasper of the new urbanization. At present, the new rural community planning is still in the exploratory stage, researching the new rural community planning is of great significance. From the new urbanization perspective, the paper studies the new rural community planning level and main contents: Spatial Development Planning; Regulatory Detailed Planning; Construction of Detailed Planning and Stage Construction Planning. These have certain guidance on the new rural community planning and construction, and advance the urbanization to develope healthy and orderly.

A systematic review of the experiences of videoconference telepsychiatry for health professionals and adult mental health care users in public mental health services.

Review objective The objective of this review is to synthesise the best available evidence on the experiences of videoconference telepsychiatry for health professionals and adult mental health care users in public mental health services. Inclusion criteria Types of participants This review will consider studies that include health professionals (doctors and nurses) involved in mental health care in public sector health services and mental health care users of public health services participating in telepsychiatry services. For this systematic review we will use the following definitions: Health professionals : Nurses and doctors involved in telepsychiatry services provided in rural and remote public sector health psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services where there are no psychiatrists. Mental health care users (MHCUs) : Adult and child psychiatric patients participating in telepsychiatry services. Phenomena of interest This review will consider studies that investigate health professionals and MHCUs experiences of videoconference-based telepsychiatry services. For this systematic review the term telepsychiatry services refers to videoconference-based clinical consultation services provided by psychiatrists to health professionals in public hospitals and psychiatric outpatient clinics in remote and rural sites where there are no psychiatrists.

Equitability in Access to Rural Public Services in Vietnam: An Outlook from the Red River Delta

In the transition to a market oriented economy, rural public services in Vietnam are moving towards decentralization. public service users now have to pay for service fees, instead of an existing provision where the services were provided at no cost. This paper attempts to answer the questions of how people in rural areas in Vietnam receive services provided by government institutions with respect to their contributions to the government budget, and, how equitability in benefiting rural public services in different groups of people is explored. This will be done by looking closer at basic public services (i.e., education and healthcare) in the Red River Delta, a dynamic and prioritized economic region in Northern Vietnam. It is considered an area with well-equipped public services compared to other rural areas in Vietnam. The empirical findings from the public services in the Red River Delta are good policy implications for those in other rural areas in Vietnam.Key words: Rural public services; Accessibility; Equity; Red River Delta; Vietnam

Rural Emergency System Based on WebGIS

With the frequent natural disasters in recent years, rural emergency problem has been more and more attention and study. A new rural emergency public service system is proposed based on WebGIS under network environment. Using the J2EE open source framework, existing data of public emergency can be integrated in our rural emergency. Moreover, rural emergency management and emergency resources schedule can be realized. Firstly, design ideas of rural emergency public services system were discussed and proposed. Then, emergency system architecture was designed. Third, the main function of rural emergency system and technical characteristics were summarized. Finally, the system was implemented and tested. After system running test online, it is concluded that our emergency system in rural areas with high real value.

Perceived unfairness in working conditions: the case of public health services in Tanzania.

BackgroundThe focus on the determinants of the quality of health services in low-income countries is increasing. Health workers' motivation has emerged as a topic of substantial interest in this context. The main objective of this article is to explore health workers' experience of working conditions, linked to motivation to work. Working conditions have been pointed out as a key factor in ensuring a motivated and well performing staff. The empirical focus is on rural public health services in Tanzania. The study aims to situate the results in a broader historical context in order to enhance our understanding of the health worker discourse on working conditions.MethodsThe study has a qualitative study design to elicit detailed information on health workers' experience of their working conditions. The data comprise focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with administrators, clinicians and nursing staff in the public health services in a rural district in Tanzania. The study has an ethnographic backdrop based on earlier long-term fieldwork in the same part of Tanzania.ResultsThe article provides insights into health workers' understanding and assessment of their working conditions. An experience of unsatisfactory working conditions as well as a perceived lack of fundamental fairness dominated the FGDs and IDIs. Informants reported unfairness with reference to factors such as salary, promotion, recognition of work experience, allocation of allowances and access to training as well as to human resource management. The study also revealed that many health workers lack information or knowledge about factors that influence their working conditions.ConclusionsThe article calls for attention to the importance of locating the discourse of unfairness related to working conditions in a broader historical/political context. Tanzanian history has been characterised by an ambiguous and shifting landscape of state regulation, economic reforms, decentralisation and emerging democratic sentiments. Such a historic contextualisation enhances our understanding of the strong sentiments of unfairness revealed in this study and assists us in considering potential ways forward.

Issues of China's rural development and policies

PurposeChina's economic and social structure are changing quickly since the start of the new century and how to balance the urban‐rural development has become a key point of the further development of the whole economy. Based on a brief review of rural policies since the new century, the paper aims to investigate whether these policies are successful and discusses what the government should do next as well as how to improve the reform and development of rural economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the framework of China's rural policy since 2000 in the first section. Then, the impact of the financial crisis on rural development is analyzed. In the third section, this paper discusses the new issues of current rural reform and development.FindingsThe current rural polices are successful and have improved rural economic and social development greatly in the past six years. However, new problems have appeared such as insufficient funds for rural public services, inefficiency of agricultural subsidies, and unfair treatment of rural migrant workers and so on. The impact of the financial crisis on rural development is not as bad as anticipated.Originality/valueThe paper reviews the main policies of China's agriculture and rural development and points out the new issues during the rural reform. The impact of the financial crisis on rural development is discussed also. The paper's findings are very important for future policy making.

On government procurement of primary public health services in rural areas

This article introduces the trial and practice of government procurement of primary public health service in Wushe County, Henan province,making an in-depth analysis for the outcomes of the new model to provide rural public health service, namelyProcurement service+Performance-based contract management. Authors recommend: Enhancing appropriate techniques training for primary public health services at both township and village levels;normalizing service contracts for both levels ; enhancing dual-referrals management; building the information management system for rural public health services,in an effort to provide quality-assured public health services to residents in both rural and urban areas in China. Key words: Government procurement; Rural areas; Primary public health service; Practice

Do High‐Risk Medicines Alerts Influence Practice?

ABSTRACTBackgroundMedicine‐related adverse events are prevalent, costly and mostly preventable. The High Risk Medicines Working Party (Victoria) developed and distributed three high‐risk medicines alerts – wrong route of administration of oral medicines, subcutaneous insulin and unfractionated heparin – and accompanying audit tools in 2008 and 2009.AimsTo determine the impact of the three high‐risk medicines alerts on Victorian health services; to assess the clinical relevance and utility of the audit tools; to identify barriers to implementing recommendations; and to obtain feedback and suggestions for future alert topics.MethodA cross‐sectional survey was undertaken from 6 to 31 July 2009 using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 90 metropolitan, regional and rural public health services in Victoria and approximately 200 members of the Quality Use of Medicines Network (Victoria).ResultsMost of the 90 respondents were pharmacists (53%) and nurses (31%). 53 (59%) respondents reported making changes as a result of receiving the high‐risk medicines alerts – 21 (40%) concerned the wrong route of administration, 12 (23%) subcutaneous insulin and 7 (13%) unfractionated heparin. Barriers to implementation included time constraints, inadequate staff and resources, excessive paperwork and competing priorities. A minority of respondents indicated some alerts were not relevant to small rural services. Suggestions for improving the audit tools included making them less labour intensive, enabling electronic responses and ensuring their distribution is coordinated with other medicine‐related tools.ConclusionHigh‐risk medicines alerts and the accompanying audit tools facilitated change but there were some barriers to their implementation, such as time and resource constraints. Not all alerts and audit tools were relevant to all health services.