A Future for Public Sector Appeal Systems Under New Managerialism?

This article examines the fate of public sector appeal systems under the managerialist reform agenda. Is new managerialism wedded to a particular shape of appeal system? Is it wedded to the dismantling of this traditionally distinctive feature of public sector employment in Australia? To explore these questions, this article examines the roles which public sector appeal systems play in human resource management and their implications for public sector reform. It then compares traditional appeal rights and processes with those currently operating in the state, Commonwealth and Northern Territory public services. The article also discusses the implications of the dramatic changes in some jurisdictions, including Victoria and Western Australia, for the effectiveness of appeal processes, and human resource management in the public sector.     

Two Models of Contemporary Public Service Wage Determination in Australia

There has been substantial change in industrial relations systems at federal and state level in Australia and this has had dramatic implications for public sector wage-fixing arrangements. This article outlines the main features of current systems for wage determination in the Australian public service and the public services of each state. While a complex and diverse set of regulations and wage-fixing mechanisms are in place in these seven jurisdictions, two models are emerging: one a collectivist two-tiered model and the other a de-collectivist model which includes provision for individual agreements. The authors discuss the implications of the current wage-fixing systems and the two emerging models.     

Accessibility of municipal services for ethnocultural populations in Toronto and Montreal

Abstract: The inmasing density and residential concentration of some ethnocultural groups in some Canadian cities raises challenges for the planning and delivery of municipal services. This study examines the accessibility and receptivity of municipal services for ethnocultural populations in Toronto and Montreal. The analysis centres principally on a comparison of the Toronto Multicultural Access Program (map) and the Bureau interculturel de Montréal (bim) and their relationships with selected municipal departments and political bodies. Results show that, as expected, Toronto, with a higher proportion of different ethnocultural populations, had greater accessibility and receptivity of municipal services than Montreal did: map was found to have a narrow mandate focused on improving accessibility of services, wheas bim was found to be responsible for a wider range of services affecting ethnocultural populations. Public relations work occupied a large proportion of bim resources. While map addressed the improvement of accessibility in a systematic and structured way that involved all departments in the administration, bim tended to intervene in a more varied manner based on the needs of particular groups, districts or departments. A discussion of the possible reasons for the different approaches and their implications for urban development and planning is presented along with suggestions for future study in this area. Sommaire: La densité missante et la concentration résidentielle de certains groupes ethnoculturels dam certaines villes canadiennes posent des défis à la planification et à la distribution des services municipaux. Cette étude se penche sur l'accessibilité et la réceptivité des services municipaux pour les populations ethnoculturelles de Toronto et de Montréal. L'analyse pork essentiellement sur une comparaison enhe le Programme d'accès multiculbrel (pam) de Toronto et le Bureau interculturel de Montréal (bim), ainsi que sur leurs rapports avec certains départements municipaux et organismes politiques. Tel que prévu, les résultats montrent que Toronto, ayant une proportion plus élevée de groupes ethnoculturels différents, a plus d'accessibilité et de réceptivité des services municipaux que Montréal. On a constaté que le pam avait un mandat restreint visant l'amélioration de l'accessibilité des services, tandis que le bim était chargé d'une plus vaste gamme de services concernant les populations ethnoculturelles. Une forte proportion des ressources du bim était consacrée au travail de relations publiques. Le pam procédait de manierr systematique et structurée à améliorer l'accessibilité, faisant participer tous les secteurs de 1'administration, tandis que le bim avait tendance à intervenir de façon plus variée, en fonction des besoins des groupes, districts ou services particuliers. L'article présente une discussion sur les raisons possibles qui justifient ces approches différentes ainsi que leurs répercussions sur le développement et la planification urbaine. Des suggestions d'études futures dans le domaine sont également proposées.     

Natural Mentors in the Lives of African American Adolescent Mothers: Tracking Relationships Over Time

In this study, we focused on the academic attainment of African American adolescents as they made the transition from pregnancy or recent delivery to 2 years postpartum. We examined the duration, characteristics, and effects of relationships that endured over 2 years postpartum, and the role of adolescents' mentor versus maternal support. Compared to participants who did not identify mentors at either time point, participants whose mentor relationships endured over the course of the 2-year study were more likely to have remained in school or graduated. Subsequent analyses revealed that long-term mentor relationships were characterized by weekly and, in many instances, daily interactions. Additionally, participants in long-term mentor relationships reported deriving more emotional support from their mentors than from their mothers, were more satisfied with mentor support, and indicated that this support was more important to them than maternal support.     

Lesbian and Gay Immigrants' Post-Migration Experiences: An Integrative Literature Review

This integrative literature review synthesizes recent empirical knowledge about lesbian and gay immigrants' post-migration experiences. Twenty-four studies with various designs are included. The literature shows that those immigrants encounter some opportunities but also many challenges on economical, social and identity levels, thus soliciting coping strategies. Results are synthesized under five topics: the delicate situation in which they find themselves for revealing their lesbian or gay sexual orientation; the racist and homophobic discrimination they can experience; their renegotiation of socioeconomic status; the identity and affiliation challenges they have to overcome; and the hardships that can impact their health.     

Responsive regulation in public‐private partnerships: Between deterrence and persuasion

Design‐Build‐Finance‐Maintain‐Operate (DBFMO) contracts are a particular type of public‐private partnership whereby governments transfer the responsibility for the design, construction, financing, maintenance, and operation of a public infrastructure or utility service building to a multi‐headed private consortium through a long‐term performance contract. These arrangements present a typical principal‐agent problem because they incorporate a “carrot and stick” approach in which the agent (consortium) has to fulfill the expectations of the principal (procurer). This article deals with a neglected aspect in the literature related to the actual use of “the sticks or sanctions” in DBFMOs and assesses to what extent and under which conditions contract managers adopt a deterrence‐based enforcement approach or switch to a persuasion‐based approach, specifically when the contract clauses require the use of (automatic) deterrence. An empirical analysis of four DBFMOs in the Netherlands shows that the continuation of service delivery, the need to build trust, and the lack of agreement on output specifications play a role in the willingness of the procurer to apply a more responsive behavior that uses persuasion, even when deterrence should be automatically applied. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd     

Celebrity-led development organisations: the legitimating function of elite engagement

The past decade has seen a frontier open up in international development engagement with the entrance of new actors such as celebrity-led organisations. We explore how such organisations earn legitimacy with a focus on Madonna’s Raising Malawi and Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative. The study draws from organisational materials, interviews, mainstream news coverage, and the texts of the celebrities themselves to investigate the construction of authenticity, credibility, and accountability. We find these organisations earn legitimacy and flourish rapidly amid supportive elite networks for funding, endorsements, and expertise. We argue that the ways in which celebrity-led organisations establish themselves as legitimate development actors illustrate broader dynamics of the machinery of development.