Urban Local Government Research Articles

An analysis of urban residents’ efficiency in paying for water services delivered by municipalities: A case of Chinhoyi Town, Zimbabwe

Chinhoyi urban local authority is failing to deliver obligated services such as water provision to residents, citing unavailability of funds due to non-payment by the residents as the main cause. This research aims at establishing whether or not this deterioration in water provision is indeed due to non-payment by citizens. Ten households were randomly selected from each of the sixteen residential areas in Chinhoyi. Each of the households was given a questionnaire to complete and the responses were analysed using Limdep and SPSS. The efficiency of residents in paying for water services was estimated using the Stochastic Frontier method. The factors that were used in the model were either quantitative or ordinal-qualitative. A likert-scale with ratings 1 to 5 was used for the ordinal factors. Results show that residents are paying for the water services provided by the municipality, suggesting that the poor supply of water by the Chinhoyi municipality is not due to non-payment by citizens. These results imply that revenue being collected from residents is either not sufficient for the provision of water or has a part that is being directed elsewhere. It was also established that water quantity, amount charged, household income, opportunism and inability significantly affect the amount of revenue paid to the municipality by the residents. The effect of opportunism and inability was, however, negative. Implying that an increase in each of the two factors reduces both the amount that a household will pay and the efficiency of the individual household.

Forging a Local Social Economy: On the Institutional Work of Local Governments in South Korea

This study investigates the strategies local governments can employ to stimulate the growth of the local social economy sector—a sector associated with improving residents’ subjective well-being. Acknowledging the under-explored but potentially pivotal role of local government as a catalyst, our research uses an institutionalist lens—focusing on institutional work, support, and public-sector entrepreneurship—to examine how local governments can encourage the establishment of social economy organizations. We adopt a Partial Least Squares Model-Structural Equation Modeling approach to analyze data from 69 South Korean urban metropolitan local governments between 2018 and 2020. Our findings reveal a significant positive relationship between the regulatory, administrative, and intermediary support mechanisms implemented by local governments and the scale of the local social economy. By integrating public-sector entrepreneurship with institutional perspectives, our findings enrich existing literature and provide insight into the strategic initiatives local governments can adopt to foster social entrepreneurship.

Biologic quality of households' drinking-water in an urban local government area of Oyo State, Southwest, Nigeria

Background: Inadequate access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities is a global public health issue with several associated illnesses, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. It is imperative to understand the availabilities of these facilities, to provide baseline data for policy design and implementation. This study assessed access to WASH facilities. It also examined the factors associated with drinking-water contamination by coliform organisms in households within Ogbomoso North Local Government Area, Oyo-State, Nigeria.
 Methods: Cross-sectional design was employed and a two-stage cluster-sampling method was used to recruit eligible respondents from 100 households. Interviewer-administer, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used for inferential statistics.
 Results: Mean age of respondents was 40.5±16.7years, 81.0% of the households practiced open defecation, and 78.9% of those with toilet facilities used pit latrines. The most common water source was borehole (71.6%); available within 5 minutes walking distance to residence of 68.0% of study participants. Sixty-three percent of the households had high drinking water coliform counts. High drinking-water coliform counts were influenced by the presence or absence of toilets facilities (OR=4.61, CI=1.22-1.68), types of toilets (OR=2.63, CI=3.22-5.34), and water sources (OR=0.12, CI=0.47-0.68).
 Conclusion: Access to good quality water and basic sanitation facilities is sub-optimal in the study setting despite being an urban community. Authors advocate for more vibrant and intentional government efforts at ensuring equitable access to WASH facilities in the Nigerian communities. This is to fast-track the nation's journey towards the actualization of the sustainable development goal (SDG)-6.

Rule of Law Through the ‘Urban Turn’ in South African Constitutionalism

The 1996 South African Constitution transformed municipalities from creatures of statute into an interdependent sphere of government, thereby enabling South African cities to carve out a space for autonomous urban governance, which is closely associated with the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights. This article considers how South African courts have deployed, reconfigured and channelled the rule of law in intergovernmental relations disputes, disputes concerning the developmental obligations of local government and socio-economic rights disputes, in order to fortify urban autonomy, to substantively guide its exercise and to ensure dynamic accountability for urban local governments’ role in ensuring the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights.

Analysis of Police Personnel to Population Growth in Five Urban Local Government Areas in Ibadan Metropolis: A Panacea for Crime Free Environment

Adequate policing to the society enhances free crime and sustainable environment. This study analyses the Availability of Police Personnel to Population Growth of Persons in Five Urban Local Government Areas of Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria with the purpose of determining the ratio of police personnel’s 2023 to 2023 population of persons’ for the study areas using Malthus Population Growth Model (Exponential Growth Equation). Police personnel’s data were acquire from the Police Divisional Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, Nigeria. The geographic coordinates used to depict the distribution of police stations in each of the five urban local government areas was obtained from Grid3 Nigeria and processed using ArcGIS 10.4. The results revealed an accelerated increase in population in the study area. The results from this study however showed that the ratio of police personnel to population of persons does not meet up with the United Nation’s recommended ratio of 1:450. Generally, from the results, it showed that with the 2023 estimated population growth of 2,014,279 from 1,343,147 in 2006, and the required number of police personnel compared to the number obtained in 2023 from the police headquarters, as well as the number of police stations available, there is a need for the federal government in collaboration with the state government to take necessary actions and preventive control in the study areas so as to avoid constant criminal activities.

Domestic water quality and the discriminatory influence of socio-economic stratification on accessibility to safe water in a part of Osun State, Nigeria

The status of the water supplied to households in an urban local government area in southwest Nigeria was examined. Specific objectives were to characterize household water sources, assess the per capita usage of potable water sources and examine quality of the household water in the area. The purposively selected study area, Olorunda local government area in Osun State, Nigeria (being an urban local government area) was stratified into ‘urban core’ (central business district, CBD or high population density area), ‘transition’ (medium population density area but with less social infrastructure) and ‘sub-urban’ (typically government reserved area and low population density area) based on household density and associative socio-economic status. The methods were a mix of questionnaire administration to heads of 120 households (40 per stratum) and collection of the drinking water samples from the supply sources at four randomly selected households in each stratum. The water samples were analysed for the concentrations of nitrite (NO2-), nitrate (NO3-), fluoride (F-), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) as well as E-coli bacteria contents based on their importance in determining water quality in urban areas. The results showed that domestic water sources are mainly hand dug well (55.8%), borehole (37.5%) and pipe borne (6.7%). Residents averagely consumed at most 4L of water per day. Furthermore, the investigated chemical parameters varied as NO2 (0.37-0.94 mg/l), NO3 (0.29-0.70 mg/l), and F- (0.003-0.97 mg/l). As and Pb occurred in trace quantities, and there were no pollution threats to consumers. The amount of E coli and total coliform contents were however outside the safe limits for residents, suggesting contamination of household water by the bacteria sources. The study concluded communities with low socio-economic status which do not have access to state-provided tap water source are more likely to consume polluted water than those with high socio-economic status or that are supplied with state-provided tap water. The study advocates improve urban water management for the urban fringe dwellers.

Relation of Social Media Literacy, Trust, and Information Quality on Public Communication Behaviour in Urban Local Government Social Media in Indonesia

The previous study and theory showed that social media literacy, trust, and quality of information influence public communication behaviour towards local government social media. Hence, this article analyses the relation among those three elements in the context of urban areas in Indonesia. This research uses a mixed method on sequential explanatory strategy, a collaboration of quantitative and qualitative methods conducted subsequently with dominancy on the quantitative methods. The authors selected 100 persons randomly and proportionally as the research sample. In addition, 12 persons from selected followers, social media specialists, academicians, and civil society. Research shows that social media literacy, trust, and quality information on local government social media are good, yet the issue is in the public communication behaviour towards governments' social media. Furthermore, 41.2% of those three elements simultaneously influence the communication behaviour. The most dominant variable influencing communication behaviour is media social literacy and people's trust, while the quality of information has no significant impact. This research is based on social media data in 2022 in three urban cities in Indonesia, namely Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya. They were chosen based on the categories that the local government uses social media for at least 10 years and has a high number of social media users. Keywords: Social media literacy, trust, quality of information, communication behaviour, local government.

The Effects of Traditional Medical Practices on Health Care Delivery System in Nigeria. Quantitative Case Study of Ibiaku Issiet Community of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This research investigates the factors influencing the persistent use of traditional medicine and its implications for the acceptance and utilization of modern healthcare in the urban local government area of Ibiaku Issiet, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Sociologists and medical sociologists have expressed concerns about the continued reliance on traditional healers, which often disregards modern scientific methods and facilities. A sample of 150 respondents was randomly selected, and data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The study reveals that the high cost of modern healthcare is a significant challenge rural dwellers face, leading them to seek more affordable traditional medicine. Traditional remedies have effectively catered to the sociocultural preferences and aspirations associated with modern medical care. Nigeria's socio-economic and sociocultural context, characterized by beliefs in witchcraft, spirits, and gods as causes of diseases, make eradicating this deeply rooted cultural heritage futile. Consequently, individuals are more likely to prefer modern medicine to traditional treatment methods. Based on the findings, it is recommended that traditional medicine be granted legal recognition and co-recognition as an official healthcare system in Nigeria. There is a pressing need to enhance the status, funding, and facilities of traditional medical clinics and practitioners and develop comprehensive training programs.

Strengthening local government policies to address health inequities: perspectives from Australian local government stakeholders

BackgroundWith their close connection to community and increasing preventive health remit, local governments are well positioned to implement policies and programs to address health inequities. Nevertheless, there is a lack of evidence of equity-focused policy action in this sector. We aimed to understand how local government representatives approach equity in the development and implementation of health and wellbeing policies and programs, and to identify potential enablers for strengthening an equity focus.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews (June 2022-January 2023) with 29 health directorate representatives from 21 local governments in Victoria, Australia. Representatives were recruited from urban, regional and rural local government areas, with varying levels of socioeconomic position. Data was analysed inductively using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, informed by social determinants of health theory and a public policy decision making framework.ResultsLocal governments approach health equity in different ways including focusing on priority populations, disadvantaged geographic areas, or by targeting the upstream determinants of health, such as housing and employment. Enabling factors for more equity-oriented local government policy action included those internal to local governments: (i) having a clear conceptualisation of equity, (ii) fostering a strong equity-centric culture, and (iii) developing organisational-wide competency in health equity. External factors related to key stakeholder groups that support and/or influence local governments included: (iv) strong support from community, (v) state government leadership and legislation, and (vi) supportive local partners, networks and NGO’s.ConclusionsLocal governments have a responsibility to implement policies and programs that improve health and reduce health inequities. Local government’s capacity to leverage resources, structures, processes and relationships, internally and across sectors and community, will be key to strengthening equity-oriented local government health policies and programs.

Social justice implications of smart urban technologies: an intersectional approach

Techno-optimistic visions around smart buildings, homes, cities, grids, healthcare, etc. have become ubiquitous over the past decade. Using variations of machine learning and artificial intelligence, smart urbanism (SU) envisions an efficient, digital society. However, research shows that smart technologies reinscribe inequalities by prioritising the interests of the free market, technology-centric governance and data monetisation. Although there has been a growing concern over the injustices SU perpetuates, there is a lack of systematic engagement with power systems such as capitalism or heterosexism that underpin SU visions. A novel framework is presented that situates intersectional justice at the heart of SU. A mapping of 70 cases of ‘trouble’ with the promises of SU is used to address three core research questions: What are the ‘troubles’ with SU? To what extent are they intersectional? What can intersectionality add to the development of a just SU? The analysis shows how SU politics play out in relation to how users are understood and engaged, how different actors institutionalise SU and how dominant power systems are challenged. The presented strategy contributes to understanding not just the data politics in urban spaces, but also how they can be renegotiated and re-evaluated to solve multiple and interconnected urban crises without compromising on social justice. Practice relevance Citizen-led initiatives against SU should commit to intersectionality’s radical core to dismantle power structures to ensure local smart urban projects do not entrench global business-as-usual neoliberal agendas. Intersectional thinking can create spaces for deliberative dialogues between civil society groups and build alliances across groups that seek to challenge the hegemony of exclusionary urban policies. Urban planners and local governments, which are at the forefront of SU applications, should decentre technologies and rather focus efforts on working out how smart technologies can work in conjunction with other kinds of urban interventions, such as social, economic and environmental policy changes, collaborative planning, community development, etc. to herald more just urban futures. Designers of smart urban technologies should apply intersectional approaches to further challenge ‘Homo economicus’ (rational, White, technophilic, able-bodied) as the primary user type and to replace it with diverse user archetypes that express humanity, justice and generosity.

Validation of the Adolescent Health Quality of Care (AHQOC) index for mystery client studies.

The Adolescent Health Quality of Care (AHQOC) index is a tool designed to evaluate the quality of facility-based adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) services. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to validate the AHQOC index in 27 primary and secondary public health facilities located in a rural and an urban local government area (LGA) of Ogun State, Nigeria. To conduct the study, 12 mystery clients (MCs) were recruited and performed 144 visits to the health facilities. The MCs were young males and females who were seeking information on premarital sex, pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and contraception. The validity, and reliability of the AHQOC index were evaluated using exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's Alpha, and intra-class correlation coefficient tests. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test result for the initial 37-item pool was 0.7169, and the final tool retained 27 items with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.80. Two subscales of the index had Cronbach's Alpha of 0.76 and 0.85. The intra-rater consistency assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.66 (0.10-0.92) p = 0.001 for the urban LGA and 0.72 (0.37-0.91) p = 0.001 for the rural LGA. Positive and statistically significant relationships were observed between the full scales and subscales and the validity item (MC ranking of health worker on proficiency from 1 to 10). The results of this study demonstrate that the validated AHQOC index is a valuable tool for assessing the quality of ASRH services in public health facilities.

Physical, mental and healthcare issues of children on the street of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Most street children studied in lower- and middle-income African countries are without family links. However, the majority of street children are children on the street, living with families during the night and spending their day-time on the streets. The health of this majority group is poorly captured in the literature despite the growing epidemic of child streetism. To explore the health of children on the street of Ibadan using multiple qualitative studies. A street in each of the five urban local government areas of Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria. Participants comprising of children on the street, parental figures, street shop owners and child-welfare officers were purposively selected and interviewed. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. Using triangulated data from 53 interviews, the study found that the children on the streets of Ibadan experienced many health challenges. Outstanding are poor carbohydrate-based diet, open defaecation with consequent infections, physical injuries and few deaths from road traffic accidents. Sexual, verbal and substance abuse were common although few children acquired resilience to adversity. The children had poor health-seeking behaviour and resorted to patent medicine dealers or tradomedical practitioners on the streets. This study bridged some gaps in the literature regarding the health of children on the streets in Nigeria. The straddling of children between the family and street has cumulative health consequences as depicted in this study.Contribution: This research can inform family-level intervention and primary health care plans to forestall the health challenges of children on the streets.

Perspectives of human resource practitioners in two urban local authorities in Zimbabwe

Orientation: This study examines the experiences of human resource (HR) practitioners in two urban local authorities (ULAs) in Zimbabwe.Research purpose: The research aimed to understand the human resource management (HRM)-oriented strategies and the extent to which HR practitioners’ experiences could enable effective implementation.Motivation for the study: There is a need to understand the challenges HR practitioners in ULAs in Zimbabwe face in delivering effective HRM.Research approach/design and method: The study adopted a qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews with 17 purposively selected HR practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to extract themes from the interviews.Main findings: The findings revealed five themes of HRM challenges in Zimbabwean ULAs, including political interference, resource constraints, bureaucracy and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Human resource management delivery is hindered by stakeholder involvement, performance management gaps, technology gaps and limited interaction with line management. Additionally, traditional HRM approaches committee-focused procedures, and inadequate investment in employee education limit HRM capabilities and procedures.Practical/managerial implications: The study suggests that policymakers and HR practitioners in ULAs in Zimbabwe should pay attention to the identified HRM challenges and proposed solutions to enhance HRM delivery and HR performance. The proposed conceptual model can serve as a guide to overcoming HRM challenges.Contribution/value-add: This study adds to the limited research on public sector HRM in Africa, and stakeholders and HR practitioners can benefit from the conceptual model and recommendations for streamlining HRM procedures in ULAs in Zimbabwe.

Equitable Urban Planning: Harnessing the Power of Comprehensive Plans.

Describe the role of comprehensive plans in promoting health equity in urban communities. Specifically, the review aims to identify recent findings related to using comprehensive plans to shape social determinants of health and to discuss the challenges that comprehensive plans face in promoting health equity. The review also presents recommendations for how urban planners, public health practitioners, and policymakers can work together to promote health equity through comprehensive planning efforts. The evidence highlights the importance of comprehensive plans in promoting health equity in communities. These plans can shape the social determinants of health, such as housing, transportation, and green space, which significantly impact health outcomes. However, comprehensive plans face challenges related to the lack of data and understanding of the social determinants of health and the need for collaboration between multiple sectors and community groups. To effectively promote health equity through comprehensive plans, a standardized framework that incorporates health equity considerations is needed. This framework should include common goals and objectives, guidance on assessing potential impacts, performance metrics, and community engagement strategies. Urban planners and local authorities play a critical role in developing clear guidelines for integrating health equity considerations into planning efforts. Harmonizing comprehensive plan requirements across the USA are also essential to ensure equitable access to opportunities for health and well-being.

Challenges and Opportunities for Small Cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Study of Expert Perceptions

Small cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia face the challenges of adequately providing for their citizens and maintaining and growing their population. This study of small cities in Saudi Arabia provides insights into the prevalent challenges faced by small cities from the perspective of a sample of experts in related fields. In this research, a self-completing online questionnaire was designed to gather valuable quantitative data on five critical themes drawn from relevant theoretical considerations, case studies of small cities, and official government documents. This study explores the issues of existing infrastructure, governance processes, relationships with other cities, current economic activity, and potential development opportunities. The findings suggest that the local urban governance and strategic planning of urban growth are among the main components of successful development in small cities, especially by providing local planning authorities with greater autonomy while considering the cities’ regional integration to form links with larger cities. As research in small cities in Saudi Arabia remains unexplored, the findings also highlight areas of further research which may lay the groundwork for future researchers and be utilized by policy makers to devise more effective policies and implementation strategies that render small cities more sustainable.

Origin, development and evolution: the space construction and cultural motivations of Shi Gandang temple in Macau

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationship between folk religious place-making and the development of urban public spaces and summarize its influence on community network construction and daily behavior to discover the authentic practices and role of folk faith culture in social space.Design/methodology/approachTaking Macau's Shi Gandang Temple and its belief culture as an example, on-site research, historical evidence and interviews were used to elaborate and analyze the processes of place-making, social functions, management mechanisms and folk culture to establish a new perception of folk religious place-making in contemporary urban spaces.FindingsThe article argues that the culture of folk beliefs profoundly influences urban spaces and the social management system of Macau and has a positive significance in building the local community and geopolitical relations. In addition, it suggests that the participation of folk religious places in local practices is important as key nodes and emotional hubs of local networks, reconciling conflicts between communities of different backgrounds and driving urban spaces toward diversity while forming a positive interaction and friendly cooperation between regional development and self-contained management mechanisms, governance models and cultural orientations.Originality/valueThis study takes an architectural and anthropological perspective of the impact of faith on urban spaces and local governance, using the Shi Gandang Temple in Macau as an example, to complement related studies.

Implementing Citizen’s Charter in Urban Local Government in Bangladesh: Do Accountability and Public Awareness Matter?

This research looks at the possibilities and challenges of adopting a Citizen’s Charter in Paurashava. In this regard, introducing the Citizen Charter in government offices is a step forward. One Paurashava was selected as the study field to observe the current situation of Citizen’s Charter implementation and to recognize the problems in Citizen’s Charter implementation. This study is primarily qualitative in nature. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used. Besides, official records and other relevant documents were used as secondary sources. According to preliminary observations, the extent of Citizen Charter implementation in Paurashava is extremely poor. All of the services of the Paurashava are not covered by the Citizen’s Charter, and most citizens are unaware of it. A number of other problems also hamper the success of the Paurashava. Therefore, these factors constrain the successful implementation of the Citizens’ Charter at the Paurashava.

Fiscal Federalism: The Interaction between Own Revenues and Intergovernmental Transfers in Local Governments—The Case of Municipalities in Buenos Aires

AbstractWe study the interaction between intergovernmental transfers on the level and the structure of local own revenues. Based on a sample for Argentina’s local governments, specifically the 135 municipalities of the province of Buenos Aires, we find that transfers facilitate local revenues collection. This effect is more pronounced in urban local governments, with higher population density, poverty levels, and demand for public services. In addition, transfers bias own revenues composition. That is, higher transfers lead to higher local tax collection, which is obtained through less distortionary taxation (i.e., property tax). Interestingly, this bias is stronger for local governments with a higher share of divisible public goods (that are likely to be financed according to the “benefit principle”). The results are robust to a battery of different estimation methods and can be rationalized with existing theory from public finance and political economy as well. The findings might have important policy implications for local governments’ public finance.

Citizens’ Satisfaction With Local Government Service Delivery Performance in Bangladesh: Does Citizens’ Confidence Matter?

The purpose of this study is to explain the relationship between perceived quality of local service delivery performance and citizens’ satisfaction through confidence at urban local government level in Bangladesh. A mediation model was framed to test the indirect relationship between perceived quality of service delivery performance and citizens’ satisfaction. Data was collected through a survey during April 2014 – June 2014. The survey included ten Paurashavas (Municipality) while the participants (n = 706) were selected based on gender ratio and Ward of the Paurashavas. Multilevel path analysis was conducted using MPLUS 8 to examine the mediation model. The results showed that citizens’ confidence partially mediates the relationship between perceived quality of service delivery performance and citizens’ satisfaction. Social Science Review, Vol. 38(2), December 2021 Page 117-133

Urban Governance in Bangladesh: A Study on Inter-Organisational Coordination Problems and Its Impact on Service Delivery

In the urban areas of Bangladesh, besides formal urban local governments, special government bodies, some special purpose authorities and special development authorities exist to meet the growing demand for certain urban services and planning. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the inter-organisational coordination problems among these urban bodies and how they impact the service delivery to urban people in Bangladesh. Based on a study performed on the Cumilla City Corporation and Lakshmipur Paurashava area, the available data show that there are huge coordination problems among the urban local government bodies and other governments agencies. This study illustrates that overlapping functions and different accountability patterns of urban bodies, limited autonomy of urban local government, lack of formal framework for coordination, political influences and controlled central–local government relations are affecting inter-organisational coordination. This study is on the basis of embedded case-oriented qualitative research. Both primary and secondary data were considered to carry out this study. The article argues that the lack of coordination among the urban local bodies, government agencies and departments hamper the policy execution, which ultimately affects the service delivery negatively.