Local Government Workers Research Articles

The mediating role of positive affect on the relationship between psychological empowerment and employee outcomes

PurposeEven though the relationship between psychological empowerment and employee outcomes is well established, less is known about the mechanisms that underlie this relationship. Drawing on affective events theory and broaden-and-build theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine a mediation model in which psychological empowerment influences positive affect which in turn affects job satisfaction and work stress.Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave longitudinal data from a sample of Welsh local government workers (n=362) were used to test the hypothesized relationships by using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results indicate that psychological empowerment has a positive influence on positive affect. Furthermore, positive affect mediates the relationship between psychological empowerment and job satisfaction. However, it does not mediate the relationship between psychological empowerment and stress.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to empirically examine the mediating role of positive affect on the relationship between psychological empowerment and both job satisfaction and work stress.

평생학습도시 정책 집행과정에서의 지자체 실무자와 지역주민이 인지하는 지방자치단체장의 리더십 특성 연구: 광명시와 남양주시를 중심으로

본 연구는 평생학습도시 정책집행 과정에서 지자체 실무담당자와 지역주민이 인식하는 지자체장의 리더십이 어떻게 발현되는지를 알아보는 데 목적이 있다. 연구를 위해 질적 연구방법 중에서 심층면담 방법을 활용하였다. 지자체장의 리더십은 카리스마적, 변혁적, 전략적 리더십으로 파악되었다. 지자체 실무자와 지역주민의 관점에서 각각 인지하는 두 도시, 즉 광명시와 남양주시의 평생학습도시 정책 집행과정에서 지자체장의 전략적 리더십, 변혁적 리더십, 카리스마 리더십 인지정도는 광명시와 남양주시 모두 실무자의 관점에서 전략적 리더십과 변혁적 리더십이 ‘강한인지’로 나타났으며, 지역주민의 관점에서도 ‘강한인지’(광명시의 경우 전략적 리더십은 중간인지)로 나타났지만 반면에 카리스마 리더십은 비교적 ‘약한인지’(남양주시의 경우 실무자의 관점은 강한인지)로 나타났다. 요약하자면, 지역주민들과 지자체 실무자인 공무원들이 평생학습도시 정책 집행과정에서 인지한 지차체장의 리더십 유형은 전략적 리더십과 변혁적 리더십이 작용한 것으로 나타났다. 이것은 평생학습도시 정책에 있어서 지자체장의 비전, 신념과 가치, 즉, 리더의 비전과 확신에 따라 정책 집행과정에서의 효과가 차별적으로 나타남을 알 수 있다.

The effects of increasing the normal retirement age on health care utilization and mortality

This essay estimates the health effects of increasing the normal retirement age using Swedish administrative data on drug prescriptions, hospitalizations, and mortality. To this end, I use a reform that raised the age at which broad categories of Swedish local government workers were entitled to retire with full pension benefits from 63 to 65. Estimating the effect of the reform on individuals’ health within the age range 65–69, the results show no evidence that the reform impacted mortality or health care utilization. Increasing the normal retirement age may thus have positive government income effects without seriously affecting short to medium run government health care expenditures.

Deployment of Open Data Kit for Information Management for Various Engineering Projects In Rural, Indonesia

Abstract—Open data kit was used in an Engineering context as a data collection, storage and management tool for diverse data types from irrigation channels, weirs, saturated rice paddies and ephemeral stream catchments in the Eastern Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. In the islands of West Timor and Flores, information was primarily used to report maintenance issues in the weir, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary channels. In Sumba, data was recorded for flow velocity and elevation in saturated zones and sedimentation in an ephemeral stream. Information regarding physical characteristics from groundwater wells was also collected to assess drinking water quality. Smart phone data input forms were developed progressively using Open data kit Build, according to the specific needs of each research project. It was found to be a very user-friendly and effective tool to use in the Engineering context. The features of Open data kit Build allowed us to modify the various forms in remote locations. Developing multiple choice input focused forms made data collection easier for farmers and local government workers. It virtually eliminated the need for hardcopy data, and allowed for versatility with respect to the nature of the multidisciplinary research.

High-performance HR practices, positive affect and employee outcomes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the affective or emotional mechanisms that underlie the relationship between high-performance HR practices (HPHRP) and employee attitudes and behaviours. Drawing on affective events theory, this paper examines a mediation model in which HPHRP influence positive affect which in turn affects job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs).Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave data were collected from a sample of local government workers in Wales (n=362). HPHRP were measured together with job satisfaction and OCBs at Time 1 and six months later, job satisfaction and OCBs were measured again together with positive affect. Structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses.FindingsThe results revealed that HPHRP induced positive affect which, in turn, led to increased job satisfaction and OCBs. Furthermore, positive affect fully mediated the relationships between HPHRP and both job satisfaction and OCBs.Research limitations/implicationsAll data were collected from public sector employees in the Government of Wales, which makes the generalizability of the findings unknown. More work is needed using different samples to determine whether the study results are replicable.Practical implicationsManagers should endeavour to ensure that enough resources are assigned to the implementation of HPHRP and other work features that help evoke affective reactions, as these reactions are an important determinant of employees’ attitudes and behaviours.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to empirically examine the mediating role of positive affect on the relationship between HPHRP and employee attitudes and behaviours.

Effects of Volunteering by Local Government Workers on Willingness to Volunteer and Coproduction with Citizens

Effects of Volunteering by Local Government Workers on Willingness to Volunteer and Coproduction with Citizens

Prevalence of HBsAg Among Prospective Blood Donors and Pregnant Women in Kebbi State, Nigeria

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among prospective blood donors and pregnant women in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Three hundred and sixty one (361) apparently healthy prospective blood donors were recruited and screened for HBsAg using HBsAg rapid test kit. Those that tested positive for HBsAg (16.6%) were further assessed for liver function. The prevalence by gender was 23.4% and 13.1% for male and female subjects respectively. Prevalence by the three senatorial zones of the state is in the order Kebbi South (21.8%) > Kebbi North (15.1%) > Kebbi Central (13.6%). Subjects within the age group 26-30 years had the highest HBsAg prevalence of 20.9% compared to the other age groups. Single males have higher prevalence (26.1%) of HBV infection than their married counterparts (16.7%). Local government workers had highest prevalence (29.2%) followed by self-employed (27.6%) and then state government employees (14.3%). In females, occupational exposure (healthcare worker) and polygamy are risk factors with highest prevalence of 40.0% and 23.2% respectively. The levels of serum liver enzymes and bilirubin were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in HBsAg positive subjects compared to the HBsAg negative subjects. The reverse was, however, the case for albumin. Our result suggests that Kebbi State is one of the HBsAg hyper-endemic areas in Nigeria.Keywords: Hepatitis B, Prevalence, Liver function test, Kebbi State.

The Usefulness of Assessing and Identifying Workers' Temperaments and Their Effects on Occupational Stress in the Workplace.

The relationship between temperaments and mental disorders has been reported in previous studies, but there has been little attention to temperaments in the occupational safety and health research. The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of temperaments on occupational stress among local government employees. The subjects were 145 Japanese daytime workers in local government. Temperaments were assessed by the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Auto questionnaire (TEMPS-A). Occupational stress was assessed using the Generic Job Stress Questionnaire (GJSQ). Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used. Hyperthymic temperament predicted a higher level of job control, and a lower level of role ambiguity and job future ambiguity. Irritable temperament predicted a lower level of social support from supervisors and a higher level of role conflict, variance in workload and intragroup conflict. Anxious temperament predicted a lower level of social support from coworkers and a higher level of job future ambiguity. The sample size was small. Only Japanese local government employees were surveyed. Hyperthymic temperament played a protective role, and irritable, anxious temperament played a vulnerable role against one’s own occupational stress and recognizing the roles they play in work life would lead to self-insight. Additionally, recognition of the temperaments and temperament-related stressors by one’s supervisors or coworkers would facilitate provision of social support.

Workers' Memorial Day - April 28, 2016.

Workers' Memorial Day, observed annually on April 28, recognizes workers who suffered or died because of exposures to hazards at work. In 2014, 4,679 U.S. workers died from work-related injuries. Although deaths from work-related injuries are captured by surveillance systems, most deaths from work-related illness are not. In 2007, an estimated 53,445 deaths from work-related illness occurred. In 2014, employers reported approximately 3 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses to private industry workers and 722,000 to state and local government workers; an estimated 2.7 million work-related injuries were treated in emergency departments, resulting in 113,000 hospitalizations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC-NIOSH), unpublished data, 2016).

Risky behaviours and attitudes of healthy Nigerians towards kidney failure: a case study of Ede north local government workers.

Objective: This research work is aimed at determining the kidney failure risk behaviours and attitudes of healthy populace of workers of Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. Methods:We adopted a descriptive survey research method. The study population consisted of both male and female local government workers in Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State. A self developed questionnaire, Kidney Failure Risk Behaviours (KFRB) research instrument, with nine items and two point response scale of 'Yes' and 'No' was administered and completed questionnaire was collated, coded and analysed using descriptive statistic of frequent count and percentages to describe the demographic characteristics of the respondents. Bar and pie charts were used to analyze the data relating to risk behaviours and attitude of the respondents to kidney failure. Results: The study showed that the common kidney failure risk behaviors exhibited by workers in Ede North Local Government Area of Osun State are the use of herbal remedies 284 (85.8%), use of alcohol 239 (72.2%) and cigarette smoking 134 (40.1%). The study also showed that 183 (55.3%) were indifferent, 44 (13.3%) had positive attitude while 104 (31.4%) had negative attitude towards kidney failure. Thus majority of the respondents were indifferent towards kidney failure. Conclusion: The reflections of their attitude about their knowledge of kidney failure in their exhibitions of risk behaviours for kidney failure are strong indications of the need for health advocacy on kidney failure of these groups of workers and the healthy populace. Keywords: Kidney failure, risk behaviours, attitude, healthy populace

Social Security Coverage for State and Local Government Workers: A Reconsideration

This article examines whether state and local government workers (SLGWs) who are not currently covered by social security should be brought into the system. In the past, the arguments for expanded coverage focused on the effects on social security finances, the enhanced equity from requiring those workers to pay legacy costs, and improvements in retirement security. Recent developments concerning the underfunding of state and local government pensions have raised the issue of mandatory coverage in a new light. The authors find that states with greater underfunding in governmental pension plans tend also to have a smaller proportion of SLGW workers who are covered by Social Security. This raises concerns about retirement security that are only partially offset by the fact that states with lower rates of Social Security coverage for SLGWs tend to have somewhat higher pension benefit levels. However, the same pension funding problems imply that any policy that adds newly hired workers to Social Security, and thus requires the state to pay its share of those contributions, would create added overall costs for state and local governments at a time when pension promises are already hard to meet.

Social Security Coverage for State and Local Government Workers:A Reconsideration

Since it was created in 1935, Social Security has grown from covering about half of the work force to covering nearly all workers. The largest remaining exempted group is a subset of state and local government workers (SLGWs). As of 2008, Social Security did not cover about 27 percent of the 23.8 million SLGWs (Congressional Research Service 2011). Non-coverage of SLGWs is concentrated in certain states scattered around the country and includes workers in a diverse set of jobs, ranging from administrators to custodial staff. Some police and fire department employees are not covered. About 40 percent of public school teachers are not covered by Social Security (Kan and Alderman 2014). Under current law, state and local governments that do not offer their own retirement plan must enroll their employees in Social Security. But if it does offer a retirement plan, the state or local government can choose whether to enroll its workers in Social Security. This paper reviews and extends discussion on whether state and local government workers should face mandatory coverage in Social Security. Relative to earlier work, we focus on links between this issue and recent developments in state and local pensions. Although some of the issues apply equally to both existing and newly hired SLGWs, it is most natural to focus on whether newly hired employees should be brought into Social Security.

Local government, the Standard Employment Relationship, and the making of Ontario’s public sector, 1945–1963

This article examines the unionization of local government workers in Ontario during the 1940s and 1950s. While these workers played a central role in consolidating a standard employment relationship across the public sector, the advancement of collective bargaining rights, regular hours of work, and wages and benefits was fractured and spatially uneven. Bringing together theories of state formation with recent debates in labour geography, this article explores the politics of scale in the unionization of local government workers. Through the 1950s, it is argued that local government workers were able to effectively mount campaigns for recognition, develop shared bargaining capacities and establish federated labour organizations across the province, building from their embeddedness in a rapidly expanding metropolitan environment. Moreover, it is shown that the ‘scaling up’ of collective bargaining in this way provoked civic officials to establish new governance structures with the aim of containing the explosive growth of public sector unions. This entailed both the professionalization of labour relations practices and the development of more centralized administrative capacities. In this sense, it is argued that state formation through the 1950s and 1960s advanced through the efforts to normalize the demands of local government workers within a wider economy of service.

Attitudinal Impact of Institutional Mechanisms of Public Accountability and Performance among Local Government Workers in Nigeria: A Study of Enugu State Local Governments

Our conviction that there is need for improved services in the local government system provided an impetus for assessing the attitude of local government workers towards the application of institutional mechanisms of public accountability and the effect on performance. 205 local government functionaries completed a questionnaire. The mean age, qualification and length of service of the respondent were 2.5, 2.60 and 2.58 respectively. The hypothesis was tested at 0.5 significant levels using contingency coefficient. The study established that attitude of local government functionaries towards the application of these mechanisms significantly correlate with performance. Implications of these findings are discussed. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5p403

Exploring fluctuations in citizen engagement on a local government Facebook page in Japan

The Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber-Square is a Facebook page managed by a local government in Japan that has over 2000 followers including various civil society organizations and individuals that are oriented towards civic activities. This study explored how various functions of government elevate the civil society Facebook page engagement and how latent dysfunctions of government operations inadvertently depress engagement. This study analyzed the results of two field experiments to promote this online community page from 2012 through 2013 and also conducted three interviews among local government workers involved in online community management of the page. This study determined that the different stages of growth can be attributed to a blend of periodic social gatherings and paid advertisements. Social gatherings were found to be more beneficial for “engagement” that affected the initial and continuous growth and promotion of online engagement in the early and later stages of this community.

UK public sector weak on security

New research by security firm Sophos into the state of IT security in the UK's public sector found that nearly half of workers in local government and police forces were doubtful of their organisations' ability to defend against today's cyber-threats. And most of the rest had no idea.

Defined-Contribution Pension Plans for State and Local Government Employees in the Financial Accounts of the United States

This note provides some background information on the DC pension plans available to state and local (S&L) government workers, briefly discusses the methodology used to construct the estimates of assets held by S&L DC pension plans, and presents the estimates currently reported in the Financial Accounts.

English

The essence of government and administration at local levels is to ensure effective service delivery to the people at the grassroots. By constitutional designs and norms, governance at this level draws more closely to the needs of the people. Effective dispensation of this responsibility depends largely on the capability, knowledge and expertise of the existing institutional actors and structures. Nevertheless, service delivery at this level of government in Nigeria is highly deficient because of the low capacity of staff. Studies have shown that there is a close link between staff development, capacity building and efficient service delivery. Capacity building through training, seminars and workshops usually helps to ensure that local government workers possess the right knowledge and skills that equip them to take on new responsibilities, and adapt to changing conditions. Data for this paper were obtained from the primary and secondary sources. For the primary data, quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A total of one hundred and ten (110) respondents were selected for the quantitative data, while other seven (7) respondents were interviewed. Data from secondary sources like books, journals, newspapers/magazine and internet complement the primary data. Chi square (X2) was adopted to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance, while content analysis was adopted for test of qualitative data. The result accepted the null hypothesis and rejected the alternate hypothesis. The acceptance revealed that staff training or their capacity building does not at all times translate to efficient service delivery in Ife-East Local Government Area. It was found that in spite of reforms in the training curriculum for manpower development and huge funding of local governments in this dispensation, majority of their staff are rarely trained and their performance in efficient service delivery is abysmal failure. The paper concluded that local governments should commit their efforts to building institutional and system capacity that produces the human capital that is committed to efficient service delivery and the principles of good governance. Key words: Manpower, Capacity building, service delivery, local government, development.

Socio ecological analysis of the artisanal fishing system on Easter Island

This paper introduces a socio-ecological analysis of the artisanal fisheries system on Easter Island (27o07′S, 109o22′W) through the identification and interaction of stakeholders. It also comprises a structural analysis of the system aiming to identify any key issues and then propose research and development programs for multiple fisheries that will contribute to their sustainable development. The methodology is divided into four stages: i) identification of issues with stakeholder (fishers, government workers and expert scientists) participation, ii) analysis of a structural matrix consisting of a direct causality study of the symmetric, structural and binary matrix based on socio-ecological issues allowing the calculation of the level of influence and dependence of each issue, iii) identification of key issues with an influence/dependency diagram, and iv) proposal of research and development programs according to the needs and opportunities identified in the previous stages. The Easter Island artisanal fishing system is used as a case study for this methodological approach. Thus, the fishers identified 108 issues, which were then grouped by similarity, reducing the number to 27 global issues, of which seven were identified as key. Surveyed local and central government workers and expert scientists identified 7, 2 and 5 issues, respectively. Finally, research and development programs are proposed that will encourage a series of changes to the fisheries situation on the island, in order to resolve issues and promote their sustainable development.

How “Collective” Is Union Citizenship Behavior? Assessing Individual and Coworker Antecedents

Contributing to an emerging literature on solidarity or group-norm effects on union participation, the authors examine the extent to which union citizenship behavior (UCB) can be characterized as a collective phenomenon. Findings from studies of UK local government workers and teachers suggest that, for organization-focused behaviors, it is meaningful to think of collective or group-level UCB. Furthermore, group-level UCB had a significant positive association with individual-level UCB. There was no evidence that a greater consistency of citizenship within a unit was associated with a stronger relationship between collective and individual citizenship behaviors. These findings suggest that it is worthwhile to analyze UCB as a collective phenomenon, and the authors call for more work on the contextual antecedents of union citizenship and participation.