Participatory Budgeting in Australian Local Government: An Initial Assessment and Critical Issues

Participatory budgeting (PB), a process whereby governments seek direct input from citizens into financial decisions, is gaining a foothold in the community engagement practices of Australian local governments. Following questions of definition, we survey the theoretical terrain, locating PB within several components of local democracy. We then provide details of six PB processes in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. We identify several questions for the future of PB in Australian local governments, including the role of deliberative practices as part of the broader work of councils, the issue of the adaptability of councils and leaders, the impacts upon state and local governments, and the role of third parties. The article concludes by reflecting on how PB sits with democratic practices at the local level if it continues to be implemented.     

County Service Delivery: Does Government Structure Matter?

Very little systematic research has been conducted to determine the policy effects of changing the form of county government. The findings of this study suggest that efforts to modernize county government structure may enable county officials to respond successfully to increasing citizen demands for a higher level of current services as well as expand the menu of services. Specifically, there is a strong association between the type of county government (non-charter commission, non-charter commission/appointed administrator or elected executive, or charter commission/appointed administrator or elected executive) and county spending for all types of services. In addition, there is a strong linkage between type of county government and three categories of county services representative of the service roles of the modern American county—that is, traditional, local, and regional services.     

Key Issues for Implementation of Chinese Open Government Information Regulations

The Chinese context is in many ways fundamentally different from other countries where freedom of information laws and regulations are currently implemented. The authors, Suzanne Piotrowski, Yahong Zhang, and Weiwei Lin of Rutgers University – Newark, and Wenxuan Yu of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, identify the primary issues surrounding implementation of China's new Open Government Information (OGI) regulations and compare the key concerns with those that have emerged in other contexts. The research included a survey of mid- and upper-level Chinese government bureaucrats. The authors compare their findings to an established international framework of freedom of information implementation. The essay concludes that while the Chinese context is unique, the key issues surrounding implementation of the OGI regulations mirror in many ways what is found in other countries.     

Nonprofits as Local Government Service Contractors

Despite the growing role that contracts with nonprofits play in local service delivery, only limited attention has been directed to why some cities rely more on nonprofit organizations to produce services or how political institutions influence the role nonprofits play in service delivery. To investigate these issues, the authors present a transaction cost explanation that focuses on how political system characteristics and structures of service markets shape the costs of negotiating, monitoring, and enforcing contracts for local governments. The findings indicate that forms of government, mayoral turnover, racial segregation, and the market of nonprofit producers influence the role of nonprofits in delivering elder services, but decisions to contract exclusively with nonprofits are subject to different influences than decisions to jointly produce service with a nonprofit organization.     

Explaining Levels of Local Government Involvement in Service Delivery: The Dynamics of Cross‐Sector Partnerships in Malawi

This study explores how local governments and their development partners—that is, donors, non‐governmental organisations and private companies—structure their partnerships as they work together to provide services to communities. Cases of collaboration between four organisations working in the rural water supply sector and six local governments in Malawi are studied. Using a cross‐case qualitative methodology, we illustrate how power and control translate into practices, leading to different levels of local government involvement in service delivery. This study contributes to the literature on cross‐sector partnerships in particular by developing empirically‐based propositions that help explain the dynamic trajectories that partnerships between local governments and their development partners can take. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地方政府公共服务供给侧改革研究

地方政府作为国家重要组成机构,承载着公共服务的重要职能,是国家公共服务的核心体现和基础。伴随着公共需求的发展与变化,公共服务需求与供给之间矛盾突出,对地方政府公共服务提出了新的挑战。将供给侧改革引入地方政府公共服务领域,通过供给端改革发力向需求端传导,是实现公共服务供需均衡,提升公共服务效率的创新途径。地方政府公共服务供给侧改革的关键是明确公共服务供给侧改革的价值取向与供给主体定位,以良性协作、达成行动为归依,利用社会与市场机制完善资源配置,调整供给结构,提高供给主体的供给能力,构建政府、市场与社会间多元供给机制,完善供给侧改革的配套机制,以供给侧改革促进供需平衡,实现供需"双到位"。     

Balanced Scorecard Implementation in a Local Government Authority: Issues and Challenges

Over the last decade the balanced scorecard (BSC) has emerged as a popular strategic performance measurement and control system within various public sector organisations as it assists in effectively implementing strategy and in measuring performance. This article investigates whether the implementation of a BSC has been of value to a large Local Government Authority (LGA) within Australia. The research takes a thematic approach to identify the issues, challenges and lessons learnt in relation to the design and implementation of the BSC, which is accomplished through a review of annual reports, published relevant documents and semi‐structured interviews with 13 senior managers of various programs and divisions within the LGA. Future research opportunities are also identified in this area.     

服务型政府建设过程中的互动关系探讨

服务型政府建设是一项比经济体制改革更为艰巨的任务,政府在这项系统而复杂的工程中无可争议地处于"主角"的地位,但"主角"绝非"独角".服务型政府建设事业只有在党和政府、中央政府和地方政府、行政机关和立法机关、行政机关和司法机关、政府和社会的双向互动中,通过循序渐进的方式才能实现.     

Pandemic Influenza Planning: An Extraordinary Ethical Dilemma for Local Government Officials

The possibility of an influenza pandemic occurring within the next two decades is very real; the role of local governments in comprehensive preparation for this global threat is crucial. The federal government has provided broad guidelines for state and local officials who are ultimately responsible for emergency response and lifesaving services, vaccination and antiviral use, and the provision of other critical support. Much of this influenza pandemic preparedness has occurred under conditions of uncertainty, and these government actions may have unprecedented legal and ethical implications. This study evaluates the pandemic influenza policies of eight large U.S. cities to determine how Department of Health and Human Services recommendations with ethical and legal implications have been addressed. The authors find that several important aspects of these guidelines are vague in many plans, and input from key stakeholders is inadequate.     

构建长株潭“两型产业群”探析

构建长株潭"两型产业群",是建设资源节约型和环境友好型社会的必然要求和现实选择。我们应充分利用构建长株潭"两型产业群"的现有条件和基础,以资源节约和环境友好的"两型产业"为定位,大力构建长株潭"两型产业群"。     

New Geographies of Disadvantage: Implications for Service Delivery

Shifts are apparent in the spatial distribution of disadvantage in Australia since the 1970s. Not only are new sites of disadvantage emerging (small rural towns, manufacturing centres, coastal welfare regions, some outer suburbs), but research suggests a possible spatial cleavage between best-accessed Melbourne and Sydney, and 'the rest' of the country. At the same time, examples of provision and delivery of services continue to occur locally andregionally that demonstrate lack of attention to the characteristics of the places in which those services are received. The paper calls for spatially conscious public policy in service delivery, and considers the possibilities of this occurring if governments form partnerships with other organisations to provide services for communities.     

The Changing Agenda of Race Issues in Local Government: the Case of a London Borough

The paper argues that race issues in local government are not composed of a single uniform agenda. Instead, the agenda varies between locality and over time. These agendas are the product of the interaction between the level of organizational coherence and the degree of racial explicitness of local politics and policy-making. The case of Ealing Borough demonstrates the extent to which the language and substance of race policy debate- the agenda of race -was transformed over the period analysed (1965–86). The traditional liberal framework for public policy discussion of racerelated issues has served to shape - and constrain - the local politics of race in Britain. Despite a number of important setbacks and failures, the framework continues to exert considerable influence in the way in which it devolves race policy to local arenas, places heavy and unmanageable burdens on the voluntary sector, gives priority to racial harmony over racial equality goals, and denies legitimacy to those groups committed to racially explicit political strategies.     

对加快农村集体土地流转几个关键问题的探讨

<中共中央关于推进农村改革发展若干重大问题的决定>(以下简称<决定>),对农村集体土地流转做出了明确的要求.在现有的土地制度框架下,我国广大农村集体土地流转已普遍存在,流转方式多样,但这些流转多是农民一种自发的、无序的行为,存在着流转主体混乱,流转收益分配不合理,农民权益得不到保障等现象.<决定>的出台为今后农村集体土地的流转指明了方向,为农民追求土地承包经营权益提供了制度性的保障,将有力地推动农村规模经济发展,加快农村集体土地流转速度.     

An Analysis of Introducing Program Budgeting in Local Government

Program budgeting has been in use for 30 years. It has had a checkered history, being considered alternately a great advancement or an unworkable system. Little has been written about the consequences for the organization that has adopted it. This study was undertaken concerning local government across the State of Victoria, Australia. A questionnaire was sent to all municipalities. There was a 60 percent response rate. Results show that information generated by planning programming budgeting (PPB) is used for decision making but in a limited way. The proposition that PPB will have an impact on the operations of councils is only partially supported.     

地方政府创新的驱动模式——地方政府干部视角的考察

由地方政府推动的创新是一个国家政治体制改革的风向标,地方政府创新的发展特征可以展现出这个国家的政治文化和政治发展活力.以"中国地方政府创新奖2007-2008"年度20个地方政府创新获奖项目为研究单位,通过问卷调查收集和分析地方政府干部对本地政府创新项目的认知和态度,从创新动因、创新动力和阻力、创新价值取向、创新的参与性和可持续性五个方面出发,得出研究结论:由地方政府推动的改革创新具有突出的"低风险取向",创新过程中公共参与不足,地方领导的"精英作用"和基层政策空间是推动地方政府创新的主体力量,创新的可持续性也主要取决于能否获得体制内的认可和支持.本文的研究方法和研究结论为观察和判断中国政府改革和政治发展提供了新的视角和信息.     

An Evaluation of Local Government Websites in New Zealand

Abstract

The study assesses the effectiveness of New Zealand local government Websites in providing equitable and appropriate access to government information. All local government Websites that could be identified were evaluated using 37 criteria, and visitors to approximately half of these sites were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the effectiveness of the sites. Results show that although there is a good range of information provided on the better sites, some smaller regional or district councils sites provide little in the way of basic information to their citizens. The study also found a limited range of transactional services available on New Zealand local government Websites, and a widespread lack of disabled-enabled access to sites, along with poor provision for user privacy and security. User comments focused on the need for more information and more up-to-date information to be provided, and better search facilities on sites. Although over 90% of users approached a particular site seeking specific information, less than half were able to find the information they sought. Significant indigenous and ethnic minority groups were underrepresented among users. The study concludes that there is room for considerable improvement in the use of the Web as a primary communication and transaction channel within the context of the government's vision for extending e-government in New Zealand to local government and Other agencies.