State Government Funding Research Articles

Building the plane in the air: Articulating neo-endogenous rural development from the ground up

Neo-endogenous rural development is driven by local people from the ground up but enabled and steered by policy actors from the top down; the balance of driving and steering, or where the power in the relationship lies, is thus a key point of enquiry. This paper interrogates contemporary theorisations of rural development using recent empirical evidence from Australia. We analyse a recent development process in the rural region of North West Tasmania, Australia: the “Regional Futures Plan”, conducted over the period 2019–2021. The Regional Futures Plan was a locally led development initiative that brought together regional actors across sectors in a structured process to address employment, population, and sustainability challenges. It received limited State government funding or support. In this paper we ask: to what extent is this locally led rural development process an empirical example of neo-endogenous rural development, classic endogenous rural development, or something else? Analysis through an anthropology of development lens deepens current theorisations of neo-endogenous rural development by revealing the logics and strategies local actors use as they work together for change in dialogue with external actors and the State. The analysis concludes that the Regional Futures Plan experience can be understood as a form of disarticulated neo-endogenous rural development whereby local actors seek to drive local development outcomes in dialogue with, but in the absence of formal relationships with more powerful governing institutions and the state. The existence of locally led but disarticulated rural development suggests both opportunities and challenges for future rural development policy.

The value of lived expertise in navigating the challenge of eating disorders in young people: Commentary on Wilksch 2023.

Eating Disorders Victoria is funded by a combination of state government funding, donations and philanthropic grants. Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC STATUS ON THE OPINION OF BENEFICIARY CANDIDATES OF THE SCHEME OF DEVELOPING HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH ABOUT THE SCHEME BENEFITS

Continuous improvement and evolution in various fields are crucial to ensure a better living environment for everyone. To achieve this,researchers have a significant responsibility to produce valuable research in concerned areas.However, dedicated researchers often face various obstacles, such as financial stress, which can hinder their ability to conduct research. To support Ph.D. scholars, many central and state government funding agencies offer financial assistance schemes.In this regard,the Government of Gujarat has initiated a scheme called SHODH – ScHeme Of Developing High quality research to provide financial support to Ph.D. scholars from recognized universities/institutes of the state to produce quality research in various disciplines. However,it is essential to understand the impact of the scheme's benefits from the perspective of the beneficiary candidates, especially those belonging to different economic statuses. Therefore, a study has been conducted to explore the opinions of beneficiary candidates of the SHODH scheme about the scheme's selected aspects and whether their opinions differ based on their economic status. The study adopts a causal-comparative research method to gain insight into the requirements of research scholars belonging to different economic statuses. This information will enable better facilitation of scholars to produce meaningful research in their respective fields

A Wrench in the Machine

Problem, research strategy, and findings Federal, state, and local government funding helps stimulate urban development, with growth machine politics playing an important role in determining where subsidies are allocated. The U.S. Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) was enacted to curb the role of federal subsidies in fostering development along hazardous coastal barriers, providing an opportunity to explore how local growth politics are influenced by the removal of one source of government funding. In this study, we used a series of interview-based case studies to investigate why certain areas in the CBRA developed while most did not. In most cases, the CBRA obstructed local growth coalitions, isolating landowners from the resources necessary to improve the growth potential of their land interests. However, in cases where development occurred within the CBRA, we often found evidence that powerful growth machines were able to acquire replacement subsidies from state and local governments, suggesting these actions are a key driver in overcoming the financial barriers posed by the CBRA. Takeaway for practice This study revealed how growth machines could be hampered by removing access to the financial resources of one level of government, despite the potential to be undermined by intervention at other levels. In an era of increasing coastal risks, subsidy removal can be an effective tool for managing coastal growth, even when authority over land use decisions is limited.

The ongoing narrative of Ivory‐billed Woodpecker rediscovery and support for declaring the species extinct

The Ivory‐billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis was considered extinct by many until, in 2005, researchers announced its rediscovery in continental North America and released video evidence obtained from the state of Arkansas. This claim garnered worldwide media attention and sparked renewed interest in searching for and conserving the bird. Audio recordings from the same region, including sounds closely resembling the territorial double raps of Campephilus woodpeckers, were also released. Both the video and audio evidence, however, were challenged in several journal articles, though these critiques did not receive as much attention. We estimated that over 578 000 h were collectively spent searching for the species across the southeastern USA from 2004 to 2021, but these efforts failed to yield indisputable proof of the species' persistence. More than US$ 20.3 million in federal and state government funding was spent on the bird from 2005 to 2013, a sharp increase in expenditures from the years before the rediscovery announcement. Regardless of whether or not it was a reallocation of funds from other taxa, this money, along with other associated resources (e.g. time and human effort), would have undoubtedly benefited other underfunded threatened and endangered taxa had it not been spent on the woodpecker. Given the published criticisms and counterevidence, as well as the lack of definitive proof that the species still exists, it appears that this endeavour was driven largely by the narrative of rediscovery advanced by prominent researchers in ornithology, rather than the actual evidence, and that this probably helped to perpetuate the use of poor‐quality evidence in subsequent claims of the species' persistence. In 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed an extinction declaration for the Ivory‐billed Woodpecker. Based on available information, this decision seems logical, and would close this chapter on one of the biggest losses to North American avifauna in modern history.

The Progress and Future of US Newborn Screening.

Progress in newborn screening (NBS) has been driven for 60 years by developments in science and technology, growing consumer advocacy, the actions of providers involved in the care of rare disease patients, and by federal and State government funding and policies. With the current explosion of clinical trials of treatments for rare diseases, the pressure for expansion has grown, and concerns about the capacity for improvement and growth are being expressed. Genome and exome sequencing (GS/ES) have now opened more opportunities for early identification and disease prevention at all points in the lifespan. The greatest challenge facing NBS stems from the conditions most amenable to screening, and new treatment development is that we are screening for rare genetic diseases. In addition, understanding the spectrum of severity requires vast amounts of population and genomic data. We propose recommendations on improving the NBS system and addressing specific demands to grow its capacity by: better defining the criteria by which screening targets are established; financing the NBS system’s responsiveness to opportunities for expansion, including engagement and funding from stakeholders; creating a national quality assurance, data, IT, and communications infrastructure; and improving intra-governmental communications. While our recommendations may be specific to the United States, the underlying issues should be considered when working to improve NBS programs globally.

Navigating the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme: federal versus state government funding for high-cost medicines – a problem for public hospitals.

The funding of medication supply in Australian public hospitals is divided between the federal government's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and thestate or territory government who pay for the remaining medications not covered under the PBS. For some high-cost medications, such as the monoclonal antibody blinatumomab, the current criteria for PBS funding in public hospitals are challenging. The strict requirement for inpatient admission, due to the risk of potentially serious adverse effects, alongside a lack of PBS reimbursement, while a hospital inpatient, may result in the state bearing the cost. A retrospective review of five patients receiving blinatumomab at our hospital found that, on average, patients remained inpatients for longer than that stipulated to meet PBS funding criteria, predominantly due to adverse effects associated with the medication. This resulted in the state government paying for the medication in full. The upcoming National Medicines Policy review should address the increasing complexity of new medications and their access and funding.

Introspecting the Role of Gram Panchayat in Structuring Rural Economy: An Experience from Bhograi Block in Odisha during COVID-19

PRIs were established with a hope to strengthen the rural India. But during Covid-19, it was experienced that they were not even able to support for livelihood to the rural people. Even in the midst of pandemic, though there was life threat situation, people migrated to cities in search of their livelihood. In this backdrop, this paper highlights the available livelihood supportive infrastructure, livelihood generating base and livelihood supporting mechanisms and schemes and unutilized natural resources in the Gram Panchayats. Particularly, this paper focuses on the strength of Gram Panchayat’s self fund, schemes and activities excluding central and state government funding and schemes. The work is produced by the data from both primary and secondary sources. And to make it more scientific, both quantitative and qualitative methods are applied. For this work, Bhograi block of the district of Balasore in Odisha has been taken as area of study. From the study, it is experienced that there is available resources lying unutilised but due to lack of interest, attitude, commitment of the local representatives and officials of Gram Panchayat resources can’t be utilized to harness benefits for people creating jobs and engagements. Finally, some remedial measures like behavioural and attitudinal autonomy of the officials, political neutrality, constitution of Panchayat Development Council (PDC) etc. are suggested to over the problem. Keywords: Gram Panchayat, Rural Economy, Bhograi Block, Odisha, COVID-19

Application of QMRA to prioritise water supplies for Cryptosporidium risk in New South Wales, Australia

A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) framework was applied to assess 312 drinking water supply systems across regional New South Wales (NSW). The framework was needed to support the implementation of a recommendation in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) for appropriate treatment barriers to be operating in systems ‘at risk’ for Cryptosporidium. The objective was to prioritise systems so that those with the highest risk could be identified and addressed first. The framework was developed in a pilot study of 30 systems, selected to represent the range of water supplies across regional NSW. From these, source water categories were defined to represent local conditions with reference to the literature and Cryptosporidium risk factors. Values for Cryptosporidium oocyst concentration were assigned to the categories to allow quantification of the health risk from those water sources. The framework was then used to assess the risks in all 312 regional drinking water supply systems. Combining the disciplined approach of QMRA with simple catchment and treatment information and categorical risk outputs provided a useful and transparent method for prioritising systems for further investigation and potential risk management intervention. The risk rankings for drinking water supplies from this QMRA process have been used to set priorities for a large State Government funding program.

Integrating spatial development with infrastructure provision along an envisioned transport corridor: A conceptual framework and its application to India

In recent years, scholars of urban studies have advocated strategic spatial planning as a way to better integrate infrastructure provision with spatial development in the Global South, especially given escalation in large-scale development projects under neoliberalism. This paper outlines a conceptual framework that applies a multi-method approach to policy evaluation so as to identify gaps in policy integration. In particular, content analysis is used to analyze consistency between policy documents, while GIS analysis and regression analysis are employed to identify and describe the current status as well as the potential future impacts on spatial development. Applying the framework to the case of an envisioned transport corridor in India, the study shows how spatial planning instruments remain detached from infrastructure funding policies, the national government’s spatial development initiative is isolated from that of state governments, and the expansion of built-up area outside municipal boundaries is escalated by state government funding for urban development and decentralization planning. The findings lend support for specific institutional reforms of national- and state-level planning to ensure the integration of spatial development with infrastructure provision.

Geographies of local government

Geographies of local government

The Effectiveness of State False Claims Acts in Protecting State Transportation Funding

For more than 150 years, the Federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) has served to prevent false claims for federal government funds. In recent years, a number of state legislatures have enacted state false claims acts (“State FCAs”) modeled after the Federal FCA, to prevent false claims for state government funds. This paper provides practical legal guidance for state transportation officials as well as state attorneys general regarding the use of false claims acts to protect public funds for transportation and highway contracting, and to recover funds paid to false claimants by transportation agencies such as state departments of transportation (“State DOTs”). Because State DOTs often contract for work using federal grant funds, it is not always a straightforward matter to determine whether a false claim on a State DOT project is a violation of the Federal FCA, a State FCA, or both. A series of appellate decisions in the mid-2000s called into question whether the Federal FCA was applicable to federal transportation funds in the hands of State DOTs. If the Federal FCA did not apply to federally funded State DOT projects, then there could have been substantially less protection against false claims made to State DOTs in states without a State FCA. Although some State FCAs existed dating back to 1987, the number of State FCAs increased significantly after Congress acted in 2006 to encourage state legislatures to enact State FCAs. In 2009, Congress amended the Federal FCA to clarify that the Federal FCA is applicable to federal transportation funds in the hands of State DOTs or other federal grant recipients. As a result, there are now often at least two statutes (the Federal FCA and a State FCA or local government false claims ordinance) that can be used to protect or recover transportation funds that are the object of a false claim. This paper discusses the considerations involved in using one or more FCAs to protect or recover State DOT funds.

Harnessing the Power of Positive Parenting to Promote Wellbeing of Children, Parents and Communities Over a Lifetime

Evidence-based parenting support (EBPS) programs derived from social learning theory, cognitive behavioural principles, and developmental theory are among the most successful innovations in the entire field of psychological intervention. EBPS programs have been at the cutting edge of global dissemination efforts to increase community access to evidence-based parenting programs. Despite the widely recognised success of these efforts, existing models of parenting intervention are not a panacea, and much can be done to improved outcomes. Efforts to improve outcomes have included the emergence of a population-based approach to increase reach of intervention. This has included the development of flexible delivery modalities, including online parenting interventions, the incorporation of strategies to enhance cultural relevance and acceptability of programs, and more recently, applications with parents in very low resource settings. Further enhancements of outcomes are likely to be forthcoming as we gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that explain positive intervention effects and non-response to interventions. More cost-effective online professional training models are needed to disseminate and promote the sustained use of EBPS programs. New interventions are required for the most vulnerable parents when parenting concerns are complicated by other problems such as trauma, addictions, relationship conflict, family violence, mental health problems and intergenerational poverty. However, to scale effective programs, Commonwealth and state government policies and funding priorities need to respond to evidence about what works and make sustained investments in the implementation of parenting programs. Possible strategies to enhance the policy impact of intervention research are discussed.

Fully Funded Pensions: State and Local Governments Should Immediately Budget for the Pension Costs of Pay Raises

State and local governments fund their pensions with future installment payments. The authors think this is perilous. They recommend that governments increase pension funding right away when giving pay raises.

The housing crisis, foreclosures, and local tax revenues

The housing crisis that began with the “Great Recession” led to a dramatic increase in home foreclosures, and these foreclosures likely had subsequent impacts on local government tax revenues. We investigate the impacts of foreclosures on local government tax revenues, using a reduced form estimation approach that relates changes in foreclosures to changes in local government tax revenues. Unlike most previous work, we focus mainly on the nationwide revenue impacts of new foreclosures, using data across all local governments in the entire United States during the worst years of the Great Recession. We also use an instrumental variable approach that controls for possible endogeneity of foreclosures and housing prices. Overall, we find evidence that the new foreclosures had a direct, negative, but small effect on total tax revenues at the local level, although there is only weak evidence that this impact can be attributed to declines in local property taxes. However, we also find that foreclosures had an indirect and negative impact on local governments via declines in state government funding. We suggest that foreclosures may have affected the real economy, thereby reducing the state government revenues dependent on real economic activity that were used to finance transfers to local governments.

Weathering the storm: Accountability implications for flood relief and recovery from a local government perspective

AbstractThis paper investigates the role of accounting and the nature of accountability from the perspective of local government managers in the context of multiple flood events. The flood events occurred in the State of Victoria, Australia during 2010‐11, and rural regions were the most severely affected by this natural disaster. The findings demonstrate that convoluted governance and extensive State and Federal Government funding arrangements resulted in some confusion among local councils and communities as to their eligibility for, and the timing of, financial support. Within this context, the study findings revealed how, as the first point of contact for local residents, small rural shires with limited financial and human capacity used accounting to address the impact of a natural disaster on a personal level.

Trends in Revenues at US Colleges and Universities, 1987-2013

This Economic Commentary studies trends in inflated-adjusted revenues per student at US colleges and universities in broad revenue categories between 1987 and 2013. The findings show that, as is widely perceived, tuition revenue has risen over time at both public and private institutions. In recent years, tuition revenue at public institutions has been nearly as large a source of revenue as state and local government funding has been. Revenue from state and local governments has fluctuated at public institutions but has generally fallen over time, whereas funding from the federal government has risen. Investment returns are a large and highly variable source of revenue, especially for private institutions.

The impact of kidney foundations in alleviating the burden of CKD in India - an example, Tamilnad Kidney Research Foundation.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem in India. The CKD registry of India has been formed to understand the epidemiology of CKD in India. Due to health economics in India, the majority of CKD-affected patients cannot afford renal replacement therapy (RRT) services. There is an unmet need to improve the awareness of kidney disease in India, and the focus should be on prevention and early detection of CKD by screening high risk populations. The Tamilnad Kidney Research (TANKER) Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1993 with the aim to improve awareness and provide quality affordable treatment to underprivileged patients. TANKER is supported by contributions from well-wishers. It has three arms: i) treatment arm, ii) research arm, and iii) awareness and screening arm. TANKER Foundation offers free and subsidized dialysis twice weekly to 227 underprivileged patients. TANKER dialysis has been supported by state government funding schemes. TANKER actively supports and conducts research in nephrology. More than 100,000 people have benefitted from TANKER's kidney awareness programs. The screening programs have provided for early detection of CKD in both urban and rural areas. TANKER award functions are held annually to recognize research and exemplary service to society. The TANKER Foundation can be used as a model for developing countries to address the unmet needs in CKD management.

Case conference primary-secondary care planning at end of life can reduce the cost of hospitalisations.

BackgroundTo plan integrated care at end of life for people with either heart failure or lung disease, we used a case conference between the patient’s general practitioner (GP), specialist services and a palliative care consultant physician. This intervention significantly reduced hospitalisations and emergency department visits. This paper reports estimates of potential savings of reduced hospitalisation through end of life case conferences in a pilot study.MethodsWe used Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Group codes to obtain data on hospitalisations and costs. The Australian health system is a federation: the national government is responsible for funding community based care, while state and territory governments fund public hospitals. There were 35 case conferences for patients with end stage heart failure or lung disease, who were patients of the public hospital system, involving 30 GPs in a regional health district.ResultsThe annualised total cost per patient was AUD$90,060 before CC and AUD$11,841 after CC. The mean per person cost saving was AUD$41,023 ($25,274 excluding one service utilisation outlier). For every 100 patients with end of life heart failure and lung disease each year, the case conferencing intervention would save AUD$4.1 million (AUD$2.5 million excluding one service utilisation outlier).ConclusionsMultidisciplinary case conferences that promote integrated care among specialists and GPs resulted in substantial cost savings while providing care. Cost shifting between national and state or territory governments may impede implementation of this successful health service intervention. An integrated model such as ours is very relevant to initiatives to reform national health care.Trial registrationAustralian and New Zealand Controlled Trials Register ACTRN12613001377729: Registered 16/12/2013.

P145 The presence of HLA-IgM donor specific antibodies and possible association with antibody mediated rejection

Aim The significance of HLA IgG antibodies in antibody mediated rejection (AMR) is well documented however the effect of HLA IgM donor specific antibodies (DSA) is relatively unknown. HLA IgM antibodies detected in crossmatching are often autoantibodies, however since the availability of beads conjugated with HLA antigens, the detection of HLA IgM antibodies is possible. Our laboratory does not routinely test for HLA IgM antibodies, but we report 4 separate cases which proceeded to transplant with no HLA IgG DSA present, however AMR resulted in graft loss in 3 cases. Method Investigations as a result of reported graft rejection were performed on both pre and post-transplant serum for the presence of HLA IgG and IgM DSA using One Lambda Labscreen Single antigen kits as per request from clinical units. Flow and Complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatches prospective and retrospectively were also reviewed. Results For all 4 recipients tested, we identified HLA IgM DSA pre- and post-transplant none of which were identified prior to transplant. All patients were HLA IgG DSA negative. Graft loss was observed in 3 of 4 patients and CDC and Flow crossmatches (IgG) were negative [Table 1]. Conclusions HLA IgM antibody testing is not routinely performed for patients prior to transplant. As a consequence potential IgM antibodies are not investigated until after graft rejection has already occurred. Note: Australian and state governments fund the Australian Red Cross Blood Service for the provision of blood, blood products and transplantation services to the Australian community.