Union Government Research Articles

Empowering the Relationship Between the Government Functional Departments and Local Government Integration: An Integrated Study Based on Urban Digital Governance Platforms

Within the context of modernising government governance, the "platform" in the construction of digital government has become key in driving the efficiency of government services and management. This paper, based on the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework and combined with theories of holistic governance and collaborative governance, delves into the crucial role of information technology and emerging governance models in eliminating barriers between government departments, optimising departmental structures, and fostering mechanisms for inter-departmental collaboration and sharing. Throughout the research, emphasis is placed on the importance of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence in promoting efficient collaboration and resource sharing between government departments. By integrating and optimising governmental internal and inter-departmental data resources and service processes, it is possible to effectively advance the enhancement and integration of the relationship between the government functional departments and local government relations, adapt to the rapid changes in societal demands, and provide more precise and convenient public services. The core objective of this study is to establish a unified government big data platform, promoting the optimisation and integration of departmental structures, constructing an efficient mechanism for departmental collaboration and sharing, achieving data sharing and flow, and establishing a tight governance network. This aims to comprehensively enhance government governance capabilities and service quality, provide assurance for achieving more efficient and equitable governance objectives.

Reinforcing Institutional Power: The Discourse of Normalcy in European Union Governance

This paper examines the notion of normalcy within the discourse of the European Union (EU), with a focus on its response to transformative dynamics and challenges, especially post-2008. I analyse how the EU, facing diminishing ideological supremacy, has reinforced its institutional power through the framework of normalcy. By emphasizing constitutionalisation and integration through legal means, bodies such as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) have expanded their roles, promoting "integration through law" to counter alternative political projects invariably labelled as populist, thereby giving rise to anti-populism as a discursive tool. Drawing on crisis discourse and diagnostic practice, this paper explores how normalcy legitimises and perpetuates existing power structures within EU governance, subtly coercing member states and citizens into accepting its norms and values, thus shaping perceptions of normalcy and also inevitability. At the core of this framework lies the rule of law (RoL), which establishes legal boundaries in the first place, but in the same move shapes political contexts.My paper argues that the exclusive focus on legalistic interpretations obscures the underlying structural factors perpetuating power dynamics and economic disparities among member states, constraining adaptive responses. I examine the narrative of "growing up to democracy" and its impact on the European project discourse, particularly in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. I then scrutinise the roles of experts and the “juristocracy” in reinforcing this narrative while simultaneously masking underlying inequalities and power differentials. Furthermore, the paper explores the strategic deployment of language and discourse by EU institutions during crises, highlighting their implications for public understanding, political action, and outcomes. Finally, it investigates the EU's strategic use of crisis discourse and diagnostic practices, focusing particularly on the ascendancy of the judiciary, but also highlighting how this trajectory may also have negative influence of legislative and executive bodies as their role diminishes in the process.

Presidential attentiveness to international crises

AbstractWhy, and under what conditions, do international crises make the president's national security agenda? I argue that international crises are opportunities for presidents to seek domestic political gains, but that presidents are likely to weigh anticipated political benefits against anticipated risk of political opposition. I analyze presidential National Security Council (NSC) meeting agendas from 1947 to 1993 to find that the War Powers Resolution (WPR) of 1973 reduced the likelihood of presidential crisis attentiveness, that low approval ratings are associated with increased crisis attentiveness, and that post‐WPR presidents under unified government are likely to be more crisis attentive. This article provides fresh analysis of the WPR by connecting presidential national security behavior with American domestic politics.

Political Mobilization of Farmers in India: A Case Study of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) in Punjab

Growing agrarian contradictions and peasant protests globally are seen as outcomes of the commercialization of agricultural production systems. The Indian Punjab is one such site that has also witnessed a high degree of agricultural commercialization, and farmers’ movements and protests are attributed to growing discontentment among peasantry due to the emergence of agrarian crises. This has led to massive farmers’ movements and protests through their unionization over time. These protests received global limelight during the introduction of three farm laws by the union government of India in 2020, which were repealed in 2021. This necessitates understanding the organizational structure and functioning of unions; their social composition, mobilization strategies and role of gender. This article examines the evolution and strategies of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan, ekta meaning united), which is the largest farmers’ union in Punjab and one of the largest in India. Using a mixed-method approach of research, which included interviewing union member farmers and agricultural workers through a semi-structured schedule and conducting focused group discussions with block presidents and executive committee members, the study finds that the unionization of farmers has accelerated the process of rural democratization. However, active persuasion of social reforms along with other agrarian issues in rural society by the unions is needed to bring social inclusiveness to make rural development process pro-poor and inclusive.

Knowledge Regarding Ayushman Bharat Yojana among Nursing Personnel at Health Care Centers

The Ayushman Bharat Yojana was recently introduced by the Union government. Ayushman Bharat, the national health safety strategy, aims to develop ground-breaking policies to address health systemically throughout both the primary and secondary care systems, encompassing both prevention and health promotion strategies. The main of the study was to assess the knowledge regarding Ayushman Bharat Yojana among Nursing Personnel at health care center of Moradabad with a view to develop information booklet. Sample size consists of 100 nursing personnel working in different health care centres of Moradabad District. For this investigation, Non-Probability purposive sampling was utilised to choose the samples. Data highlights that 19(19%) Nursing Personnel have poor knowledge, followed by 65(65%) Nursing Personnel have average knowledge and 16(16%) Nursing Personnel have good knowledge regarding Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The degree of knowledge on the use of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana was significantly correlated with years of experience, place of residency, and prior awareness of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Unbalanced Industrialisation and Geographic Peculiarities: A Study of India?

The inter-regional disparity in economic indicators in India has increased by a considerable amount over the years. The current study is an attempt to highlight the inter-state industrialisation disparities in India. The study, based on the theoretic exposition of new economic geography, argues that the initial geographical (historical) advantage to the southern part of India has locked in industrial activities in that region (core), depriving the northern (periphery) regions of the similar benefits. Based on the Annual Survey of Industries data, the study validates that the southern regions are geographically advantageous in India and are better industrialised than the geographically disadvantaged northern regions. The study points towards the negligence of the union government in acknowledging and intervening into the industrialisation and developmental divides rampant in the latter regions. The study concludes by laying grounds open for the furtherance in the recognition of economic geography as one of the fundamental determinants of inter-regional inequalities across India, demanding immediate policy attention. JEL Codes: J61, O14

Formation of the Legal Basis for Social Security of Disabled People
 of the Great Patriotic War in the BSSR (1940−1950s)

The article is devoted to the formation of the main provisions of the legislative framework for social security of disabled people of the Great Patriotic War in the first post-war years in the BSSR. The directions in which the Union and Republican governments adopted the most important laws and regulations that determined the further development of social support for war invalids are considered. The results obtained allow us to conclude that the adoption of the Law «On the demobilization
 of senior members of the active army» on June 23, 1945 served as the basis for the further construction of the social security system for disabled people of the Great Patriotic War and determined the most important areas of activity of social security
 bodies to provide assistance to them. Particular attention was paid to the legal regulation of payments to disabled people of the Great Patriotic War, pensions and other types of material support. One of the significant documents in this area, the “Law on State Pensions,” became a new stage in the pension business and
 contributed to the streamlining of their accruals and payments.

Republican governor, unified government, and the U.S. states’ death penalty executions

ABSTRACT Currently, 24 states in the U.S. still permit the death penalty, along with three states temporarily suspending it. Nevertheless, there exists substantial variation in the extent to which each state actually carries out the executions. While studies have explored factors influencing this variation, little attention has been paid to the political role of state governors’ and legislatures’ support in the different tendencies toward death penalty executions across states. To fill this gap, we empirically tested how governors’ party affiliation and unified political support from the legislature affect death penalty executions in the U.S. We demonstrated that states with a Republican governor are more likely to execute the death penalty. Additionally, we found that this tendency is significantly stronger when both chambers of the state legislature are dominated by Republicans (i.e. Republican-unified government), which is consistent with the theoretical expectation of unified government discourse in the policy making and implementation contexts.

Drones Usage Opportunities For Entrepreneurs Contributing Towards Aatmanirbar Bharat

The year 2020 witnessed a significant turning point for the world economy with the discovery of a dreadfulvirus named ‘CORONA VIRUS’ originating from the world’s largest manufacturing hub – China, and stillthe world is fighting with it. Within a few days it covered almost all the nations across the globe. To put acheck on the speedy spread of the virus and break the chain, the GOI announced nationwide lockdown on24th March 2020.As a result all the manufacturing units, service sectors and other industries stopped theirproduction except medical related emergencies. The whole nation went into full lockdown. The financialhealth of the nation was badly affected by the virus. After about 2.5 months, country’s growth engine wasrestarted with unlock -01. The union government at that juncture gave a big push to the economy with 20lakh crores of rupees to help the nation to survive and become AatmaNirbhar / self-reliant. It is the newversion of “Make in India” campaign declared by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi on25thSeptember 2014. The drone market reflects advanced technology. As a result, new opportunities for theusage of drones in numerous industries are arising. Therefore, as new possibilities arise, so do fresh dangersto people's lives and the safety of enterprises. Different organizations have already incorporated drones intotheir operations, providing a source to study and learn. As a result, authors has attempt to addressfundamental inquiries including the benefits that the usage of drones can offer to businesses, potential risks,practical restrictions, and entrepreneurial opportunities for drone industries.

European administrative networks during times of crisis: Exploring the temporal development of the internal market network SOLVIT

AbstractEuropean administrative networks (EANs) are an increasingly prominent form of European Union (EU) governance. Although these networks are typically portrayed as important and flexible forms of organization, we lack knowledge of their temporal dimension, including their development in times of crisis. This paper provides a first analysis of network interaction as it unfolds before and during times of severe crisis for the EU internal market. Specifically, we examine interactions in the EU internal market network SOLVIT. This network offers member states both a formalized procedure for the bilateral resolution of cases of alleged misapplication of EU law, and an informal network for general discussions on internal market topics and SOLVIT‐related matters beyond specific case‐resolution. Based on unique three‐wave survey data, we develop a continuous‐time model (stochastic actor‐oriented model) to analyze the evolution of SOLVIT's informal interactions over time. In explaining these developments, we reflect on the importance of two crises: the exit of a central SOLVIT member (the United Kingdom), which drove informal interactions to a great extent, and COVID‐19, which led to great sudden uncertainty and challenges for the implementation of internal market law. Our results show that the network is remarkably stable and despite, or rather because of, these crises, has become denser over time.

Jammu and Kashmir on the Path of Empowering Grassroots Democracy

The de-operationalisation of Article 370 has given a new lease of life to grassroots democracy in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Union government has made it clear that the main priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy there. At present, the erstwhile State which was once battered by militancy, insurgency as well economic and political instability has embarked on the path of democracy. Though there have been criticisms that the eagerness and interest taken by the Union government to foster local democracy in Kashmir is an attempt to whitewash the absence of democratically elected State government, the recent developments in the erstwhile State including the completion of delimitation exercise at a quick pace to form democratically elected governments in the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir implies that there is some hope at end of the tunnel.

Analysis of the Collaborative Governance Mecharnism of public Emergency Events —— Take the Rainstorm in Henan and Beijing as an Example

In the context of climate change, the increase in extreme weather events and natural disasters has caused a certain degree of damage to economic development, social life, and the physical and mental health of the people. Therefore, further research, promotion, and optimization of the collaboration mechanism between various emergency departments and relevant departments have become particularly important. The research topic of this article is how to establish and optimize the collaboration mechanism of various emergency departments in emergency events, and propose some specific measures and suggestions. The research methods of this paper are as follows: using the case analysis method, through combing and comparing the emergency measures taken in the two cases of extremely heavy rainstorm in Henan Province in 2021 and rainstorm in Beijing in 2023, this paper focuses on the analysis of the shortcomings of the specific emergency cooperation measures taken in the two events, and points out the links that can be improved; Using the comparative analysis method, this paper conducts a comparative study on the collaborative governance mechanism of rainstorm disasters in Beijing and Henan from the three stages of preparation, response and recovery. Finally, this article proposes specific suggestions for the allocation of emergency coordination materials, the implementation of extensive and effective public publicity, the improvement of communication equipment establishment, the promotion of emergency management information sharing, the strengthening of the rights and responsibilities of the emergency management department, and the establishment of a unified governance center to establish emergency cooperation mechanisms.

The European Union's governance of teachers and the evolution of a bridging issue field since the mid-2000s.

Concerned with European Union (EU) governance of teachers since the mid-2000s, this paper makes an empirical as well as theoretical contribution to education policy studies in the context of EU governance. Drawing on neo-institutional field theory and an empirical material of policy documents and interviews, the paper analyses the consolidation and evolution of a field at the EU level that is focused on the governance of the teaching profession. We argue that this field constitutes a bridging issue field, spanning several policy domains, including education, employment and economy, and characterised by non-linear and relatively slow change. We demonstrate how the field since the mid-2000s has become elaborated via the strategic framing of teacher skills and careers as policy issues, the mobilisation of actors and networks, and an expanding institutional infrastructure of mechanisms and policy instruments. Theoretically, the paper advances the debate on EU governance by highlighting the epistemic gains of neo-institutional field theory in making sense of soft governance contexts and their trajectories as an outcome of the interplay between issue framings, different types of actors, and institutional infrastructure.

Empathy of Bank Employees and Its Influence on Service Quality of Banks: Evidence from the Knowledge Economy of Kerala in Digital India

ICT is being aggressively promoted by the Govt. of India (GOI) as part of its ‘Digital India’ and such other policies like JAM. In this ICT-thrust era in Digital India, ‘Empathy’ aspect of service quality of banks is studied in this paper, focusing on housing finance segment-a national priority. ‘Housing for All’ is a national goal of the GOI and topmost priority is being accorded to housing sector by the State and Union Governments and also by the regulatory bodies like National Housing Bank (NHB) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This study is based on the feedback from 600 housing loan customers of banks in Kerala – a State that strives to turn into a ‘Knowledge Economy’ or ‘Digital Kerala’ in the context of ‘Digital India’. This paper makes an empirical study of the service quality in respect of the housing finance business of banks with a focus on the empathy of staff. It observes that even in this ICT era, a real ‘Willingness to help’ and other empathy values for the bank staff and also a ‘Human touch’ in their deals are vital for success.

Capitalist Contaminations of Childhood and Pedagogical Dilutions of Literature during Chile's Popular Unity Government (1970–1973)

This article explores the relationship between literature, childhoods, and youth in the educational sphere during the Popular Unity administration (UP) in Chile (1970–1973). The Chilean revolutionary process had curricular and pedagogical repercussions, exposing discomfort towards educational curricula and the hegemony of pedagogical methodologies employed for teaching literature in Chile. Rather than a concrete step-by-step programme for curricular and pedagogical reforms, this research will shed light on the array of institutional interventions and proposals that sought to redefine the relationships among childhoods, youths, and literature during the UP, aimed at dissolving idealised and elitist notions of literature into more ample categories of artistic works. I argue that such proposals illuminate perceptions of childhood and adolescence imbued with ideas of purity and contamination, in which cultural actors in the ecosystems of literature and education regard themselves as impervious to the risks of manipulation and, from the certainty of their positions, test various strategies to shape future citizens that meet the needs of Chile's socialist project.

Screening trauma and violence: Representation of insurgency in select films from Assam

ABSTRACT The paper examines two films, Haanduk (2016) and Jwlwi: The Seed (2019), which explore the issues of identity and insurgency in Assam. Insurgency began in Assam during the 1980s when the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), an organisation that emerged along with the Assam Movement (1979–1985), started an armed uprising for an independent Assam. Meanwhile, the Bodos also engaged in violent insurrection, seeking to establish an independent state. As a response to these uprisings, the Union Government implemented several measures, such as the enactment of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA), that transformed Assam and the Northeast region into a heavily militarized area. The military executed multiple counter-insurgency operations to quell the armed rebellions. However, in the middle of these occurrences, accounts of violence promoted by the state, violations of human rights, and instances of torture emerged in both local and international media outlets. This engendered a feeling of apprehension and psychological distress among numerous people throughout Assam. The paper aims to critically examine the ideological dimensions of how the concerns related to insurgency are depicted in the select films. Additionally, it will also examine the portrayal of trauma and breaches of human rights in the select films.

The Motivation and Research Competencies among Educators in Government Higher Education Institutions in Northern Samar: A Cornerstone towards Productive, Quality and Efficient Research Community

This research study aimed to investigate the relationship between motivation and the research competencies among educators in Government Higher Education Institutions (GHEIs) to identify factors that contribute to a productive, quality, and efficient research community. The study employed a quantitative research approach particularly the descriptive correlational research design to focus on quantifying the accumulation and assessment of data and descriptive design to provide a snapshot of the current situation and describes the traits of the population or occurrence on the phenomenon from educators in Government higher education institutions. The study worked only with a motivational survey that covers both Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation that focused on motivation, external governance, introduced governance, acknowledged governance, and unified governance, and Intrinsic motivation as well as the research professor's competencies that entail six domains on instruction, values and morality, uniqueness and creativity, research development, and digital readiness. The data analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, including path analysis, to examine the direct and indirect relationships between the variables. The findings showed that motivation and research competencies have a significant relationship in building productive, quality, and efficient research communities. Therefore, all three indicated hypotheses were found rejected when evaluated using the data gathered from the respondents. This finding is expected to contribute to the development of effective strategies and interventions for enhancing motivation and research competencies among educators in Government higher education institutions, which would ultimately lead to a productive, quality, and efficient research community.

Impact Of Public Expenditure on Health Outcomes in Tamil Nadu

The level of public spending has emerged as one of the most significant measures of development for the priorities of the elected government. Public expenditure is essential to achieving the government's development objectives. Government of India committed to spend minimum 3 percent of GDP for public health. However, until now the goal has not been realized which forces the sizable number of poor people to spend from their pockets. Both union and state governments together spend just about 1 percent of GDP for health. Analyzing the impact of public spending on health outcomes in Tamil Nadu is the study's main objective. Nonetheless, the concerning disparity in our health care is evident from health indices such as the rate of malnourishment, life expectancy at birth, sex ratio, maternal mortality rate, and infant mortality rate. Health spending by the Government in India accounts for less than 1 percent of GDP and this also brought down the basic health indicators and poor health infrastructure such as reductions in dispensaries, number of beds, doctors per patient and number of primary health centres followed by sub-centres. The study examined the impacts of public spending on health outcomes and its results in Tamil Nadu with relevant indicators using the Vector Error Correction model. The result revealed that public expenditure has positive association with dispensaries, number of doctors and number of nurses, meaning that increase in public expenditure. The study concludes that the most of the health indicators respond positively for improved public spending on health infrastructure like primary health centres, preventive health, maternity care, nutrition and so on. Hence, both efficiency level of public spending as well as inadequacy of public spending have empirically analysed. Additionally, it is noted that a number of health indicators are positively impacted by public spending on health.

Human Rights in Africa and Challenges of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)

In this paper we surmise that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has since creation done a lot to promote human rights in Africa but has faced challenges which have impeded its success. Several human rights have been violated in African countries but efforts have also been made to improve on the situation. The persistence of human rights violations and non-implementation calls for an improvement in the future so that the African Union and national governments would gain the approval and support of Africans from all works of life. We have relied on a content analysis of available literature to be able to appreciate first, the state of human and peoples’ rights in Africa, role of the ACHPR, challenges and reform to better the situation in the future.

The End of a Cultural Desert? The Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) and the Northern Irish Artistic Scene (1943-1963)

The article focuses on the development of a dynamic local artistic scene in Northern Ireland in the 1950s. The creation of the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts of Northern Ireland (CEMA NI) led to increasing financial support to local artists and to an open-hand policy to parts of the population not yet acquainted with the arts. The Council tried to change the perception of the arts as a highbrow activity by taking them out of arts-dedicated buildings and promoting tours of small-scale events. It laid the foundation for a decentralised system based on local art committees and local authorities. This led to a growth in regionalist arts in Northern Ireland. However, the strong influence of the unionist government over the CEMA limited the scope of the Council’s action to artists and companies who did not object to Northern Ireland’s political status. If Northern Ireland saw a rebirth of its artistic scene in the 1940s-1950s, authorities were reluctant to grant the CEMA more autonomy or more financial means.