Estimating the Performance of Local Authorities as a Measure to Overpass the Financial Crisis: The Greek Case Study

Nowadays, local authorities face a number of problems that are related to the global economic crisis. For every government, the idea of measuring authorities’ performances and transferring funds based on this estimation seems to be a solution for their sustainable development. In this article, we introduce a methodological framework for measuring the performance of local authorities based on the (a) quality of services offered, (b) complexity of operational procedures, and (c) cooperation with the central governance. Finally, we propose a model for improving local authorities’ effectiveness.     

Fiscal Distress in Local Authorities in Israel: the Convened Committee as a Method and a Solution

This study addresses fiscal distress in local authorities in Israel and around the world, and provides an in-depth analysis of the city of Bnei Brak from 1994 to 2003. When the city of Bnei Brak grappled unsuccessfully with fiscal distress, the Ministry of the Interior appointed a Convened Committee (CC; Va'adah Kruah) to handle the crisis. This study explores the methods and solution used by the government to extricate the authority from bankruptcy, while examining the sources and repercussions of this decision. The findings show that the CC solution was borne of necessity, due to the gravity of the financial crisis and the fact that the government had no other way of bailing out the city. However, the situation in Bnei Brak did not improve even after the CC was appointed, which challenges the very efficacy of the solution. This forms the basis for a discussion of the complexities of resolving the fiscal distress of localities in Israel.     

Financial Discrepancies in Political Party Funding by Indonesian Local Government Authorities

Through different forms of decentralization variables, this study investigates Indonesian local government authorities' 2006 financial accountability reports in terms of local government authorities' contributing funds to political parties. Audit results by the Supreme Audit Body reveal that many articles were violated by these authorities in regard to the distributing, administrating, and reporting of assistance funds from them to political parties. Each rupiah committed by the 221 local government authorities involved in this study violated, on average, 1.8 articles, indicating a low level of compliance.

Critically, the study finds that administrative, fiscal, and political decentralization decreases discrepancies. The less administratively decentralized provincial authorities, where decision making is a level of government farther from the people, are more likely than non-provincial local government authorities to make discrepancies with political party legislation and regulations. Fiscally decentralized local government authorities, who earn a higher fraction of their revenue from local sources, also tend to have fewer discrepanciesFinally, politically decentralized authorities with a higher percentage of elected officials from the decentralized supporting ruling coalition, also have fewer discrepancies.     

金融危机的政治学分析

金融危机实质是美国霸权的过度透支和过度消费,而阿富汗战争和伊拉克战争是金融危机的中介和催化剂,美国的自由民主与自由市场的政治经济是金融危机的制度原因。金融危机使美国在短期内再次发动战争可能性降低,同时也削弱了美国模式的国际影响力。但危机对中国和其他发展中国家也造成了伤害,国际经济政治格局其实没有实质变化,美国霸权受到的影响有限。金融危机反衬了中国发展模式的某些优势,但中国要居安思危,在处理中美关系方面保持审慎的态度,同时也要充分地利用这一契机转变经济发展模式。     

An Evaluation Analysis of E-government Development by Local Authorities in Australia

Local governments play an important role in moving forward towards the vision of a connected and responsive e-government. This research develops a set of evaluation criteria for evaluating local council's websites. By examining the current status of the local government websites, this research provides an overview of the level of sophistication of the e-local government development in Australia. The local governments in Australia have not developed truly sophisticated e-government services. The majority of the local government websites are primarily informational and they provide one way communication of information from government to citizens.

To identify the factors affecting the level of sophistication of local council's websites, a single case study approach is employed in this research. Top leadership support and management capacity and organisational and technical challenges are considered important for e-government development. User-centric website design and bridging the digital divide also play a role in the successful implementation of e-government.     

Performance Reporting: Assessing the Annual Reports of Malaysian Local Authorities

There have been calls for Malaysian local authorities to be more transparent and accountable in the discharge of their functional responsibilities. This study empirically evaluates the extent and quality of current performance reporting by local authorities. The disclosure of relevant information for discharging accountability obligations, as defined by a broad range of stakeholders, falls short of best practice. Therefore, the performance of Malaysian local authorities lacks transparency. The findings could assist in the development of more comprehensive guidelines for local authority reporting and raise awareness of information stakeholders expect to be reported in the context of accountability.     

当前土以外交危机的原因及其影响分析

土以关系是中东地区重要的双边关系之一。作为中东地区比较另类的两个国家,双方长期保持着良好的双边关系,甚至还缔结了军事同盟协议。但是,马尔马拉事件引发了两国之间的外交危机。2011年9月,联合国有关马尔马拉事件的报告出炉,进一步恶化了双边关系。土以危机的背后隐含了双方对巴以冲突不同态度的深层次矛盾,彰显出两国之间战略合作基础的不牢固。同时体现出以色列在中东地区追求绝对安全和土耳其东进政策之间存在着战略分歧。土以外交危机不仅给两国关系带来负面影响,同时在阿拉伯之春的背景下,土以外交危机对美国的中东战略造成不利影响,对中东地区的力量格局产生一定的冲击。     

日本应对金融危机冲击对策评析

金融危机对日本经济的冲击2007年爆发的美国次贷危机对世界经济造成了巨大的冲击,尤其是2008年9月15日四大投资银行之一的雷曼兄弟控股公司申请破产保护以来,极端惶恐情绪在国际市场迅速蔓延,次贷危机正在向信贷危机转化,对日本的     

Turnaround Management Strategies in Local Authorities: Not Only for Poor Performers

In the past four decades, UK government policymakers have sought to improve the performance of local government by trying to achieve organisational turnaround and bring laggards up to the standards achieved by the leaders. Both the Conservative Party and New Labour led new public management reforms aimed at modernizing and improving local government authorities by adopting standards from the private sector. Given the pressure to improve, failing local authorities have been pushed to adopt a unique set of strategies known as turnaround management strategies (TMS). However, this paper, based on qualitative data and a survey of 126 senior local leaders, shows that TMS have been implemented to a high extent among both poor and excellent performers. The paper concludes that regardless of their objective performance ranking, English local authorities are characterised by a self-perception of underachievement. As a result, high performers continuously implement radical changes.     

Digital Communication between Local Authorities and Citizens in Denmark

Today options for digital communication exist in all Danish municipalities. But are local councils aware of the democratic potentials of the new forms of political communication? This article focuses on the democratic dimensions of web design. To what extent do the websites improve access to information on public affairs and stimulate participation of citizens in local politics? To answer these questions, a screening of all 275 Danish municipal websites was carried out on two dimensions: information/transparency and contact/dialogue. The findings show great variation between best and worst practice in terms of democracy. Furthermore, the findings show that size and income per inhabitant explain some of the variation, whereas the political colour of the party in office has no significance.     

Testing The Limits of Incrementalism: An Empirical Analysis of Expenditure Decisions by English Local Authorities, 1981–1996

Studies of budgetary outputs in public organizations are dominated by the theory of incrementalism. This perspective suggests that expenditure decisions are based on simple rules of thumb. We evaluate the validity of incrementalism by examining the annual spending decisions of 403 English local authorities over 15 budgetary cycles. Two budgetary norms are tested empirically: protect the real level of service provision, and follow central expenditure guidelines. Each of these norms is translated into two decision rules: marginality, or the size of deviations from the norm, and regularity, which refers to the consistency of such deviations over time. Few of the statistical results support the hypothesis that local expenditure decisions are dominated by general budgetary norms or specific decision rules. Our evidence therefore casts doubt on the validity of incrementalism as a theory of local budgetary outputs, and as an explanation of spending decisions in the public sector as a whole.     

Knowledge Management and Open Innovation in United Kingdom Local Authorities

The article examines the performance of UK local authorities in relation to knowledge management and open innovation. Data were acquired using a mail survey of non-metropolitan local authorities in England and Wales. The results indicate that certain factors influence the effectiveness of the knowledge management process. Authorities engaged in open innovation have developed more effective knowledge management processes. Hence, of instead of implementing a strategy solely based upon cutting services and reducing staffing levels, local authorities seeking to survive in the face of government spending cuts might also consider the benefit from optimizing the effectiveness of their knowledge management processes and participation in open innovation.     

金融危机中的蒙古国经济

近5年来,蒙古国的GDP年均增速约为9％。2008年蒙国民经济的基础即农牧业喜获丰收,其他各项经济指标亦均好。但是,席卷全球的金融危机并没有绕过这个内陆小国,使其照样遭受了严重的负面影响。面对金融危机和经济危机,蒙古国政府正在积极采取应对危机的各种措施,并寻求国际社会的广泛合作和援助,特别是仰赖与中国的合作。     

关于全球金融经济危机的若干思考

由美国次贷危机引发的世界金融危机和经济危机表明了美国金融霸权的衰落。这是美国经济霸权的危机,也是美国大力推行的市场原教旨主义即新自由主义的危机。这场经济危机显示出当代资本主义的最新特点,即金融产业脱离实体经济片面畸形发展,全球经济过分金融化,因而被称作“全球金融市场资本主义”。目前经济危机还在持续,与此同时,世界政治也开始进入一个动荡不安的高风险的历史阶段。