Managerial perceptions of leadership and management in an African public service organization

This article describes and analyses data on perceptions of leadership and management, generated by a study of managerial behaviour, organizational functioning and performance in the Ministry of Local Government, Lands and Housing (MLGLH) in Botswana. The study was commissioned by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The findings indicate that the managers in the investigation did not generally recognize the distinction between organizational leadership and management that is postulated in the predominant current western view. The perceived ideal leader who emerges from the investigation is kindly and supportive and provides clear directions; the western ideal of the ‘corporate hero’ did not emerge from the findings. Further, the Tswana managers emphasize the reaction of the boss as a major factor in judging their own performance. This finding of the acceptance of hierarchical authority and accompanying dependency supports evidence from the few empirical studies undertaken previously in Africa, and has implications for the current plan to implant elements of the ‘Singaporean model’ in Botswana.     

Comparing the efficiency of different scheme's under “Bharat NirmanYojana”: A Malmquist DEA analysis

The development of rural infrastructure is an important component in improving the standard of living in developing countries. In India, the government has taken up numerous measures to contribute toward the development of rural infrastructure, thereby initiating the Bharat Nirman Yojana (BNY). In this research study, the Malmquist model of input‐oriented DEA has been conducted to determine the efficiency of six schemes of the BNY for the time period of 2013–2015. The input variables selected were; designated investment and total amount released by the central government against the output variable of number of villages covered or achieved. The analysis of the data observed that only the telecommunication scheme has constant efficiency of 1.000 for all the years. On the other hand, the least efficiency from the Constant Return to Scale model was found for Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) (0.014 for 2013; 0.026 for 2014 and 0.007 for 2015). Again, the Variable Return to Scale model indicated technical efficiency for the electrification scheme and telecommunication for all the years. Further, in terms of technical efficiency, all the schemes had decreasing change where Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) showed the highest change with 99.98% and the telecommunication scheme reflected the least change. Furthermore, the productivity index was found to be highest for Telecommunications (1.443) followed by AIBP (1.312), and the lowest productivity index was found for Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) (0.353). Thus, it was interpreted that among all the schemes, telecommunications scheme was the most efficient.     

Mental health weapons prohibition: demographic and psychiatric factors in petitions for relief

Federal law and most states prohibit possession of firearms by individuals with a history of certain psychiatric diagnoses and/or treatment. In California, an involuntary 72-h hold can trigger a 5-year ban on firearm possession. Individuals so prohibited may petition for early termination of the ban. We report on the demographic and psychiatric characteristics of a sample of individuals petitioning for early relief in Los Angeles County, and on the results of their petitions. The majority of petitioners were Caucasian men over age 40. Sixteen percent of petitioners were employed in law enforcement or armed security, and all of their petitions were granted. Individuals for whom there was greater evidence of mental disorder were significantly less likely to petition successfully. The results are discussed in terms of the benefits of involving a forensic expert in the petition process, which is not presently required under California law.     

Mapping the linkage between corporate social responsibility and organizational performance along with examining the moderating effect of ownership

Environmental and social initiatives taken by organizations under corporate social responsibility (CSR) have attracted stakeholder's attention and global resonance in the recent times. Alike Western countries, the concept of corporate social responsibility is not new in India rather it has been imbibed in the tradition of Indian society to donate voluntarily for social causes. As a result, a paradigm shift has been noticed where “voluntarism” in CSR has got replaced with a mandatory obligation. This has been made mandatory through an amendment of new Companies Act, 2013. The current study through empirical observations emphases on examining the impact of CSR related activities on the organizational performance with the moderating effect of organizational ownership. A model is proposed and tested using SEM through AMOS. Data were collected from 265 respondents including senior CSR managers and other working professionals of select organizations. The results show a significant and positive relationship between CSR activities and organizational performance. It is also found that organizational ownership has no moderating effect on the relationship between activities conducted under CSR and the performance of the organizations. The analytical finding of the study has a practical implication for the managers of various organizations in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, India.     

The global governance of water,energy, and food nexus: allocation and access for competing demands

International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics - Globally, 3 billion people are without access to modern fuels or technologies for cooking/heating, 900 million people lack...     

Climate Change and its impacts on Indian agriculture: An Econometric analysis

This study assessed the climate change impacts on land productivity for major food and nonfood grain crops in India. We compiled data for 50 years (1967–2016) using 15 crops across India to estimate the variation of agriculture production for each crop by different variables such as temperature and rainfall estimation. Our results indicate that land productivity decreases with an increase in annual average temperature in most of the crops. The adverse impact of climate change on agricultural production indicates food security threat to small and marginal farming households and adversely affected due to climatic fluctuations. Results show that a rise in temperature would reduce agricultural productivity and assessed sensitivity of Indian agriculture to climate change.     

Climate variability and its impacts on agriculture production and future prediction using autoregressive integrated moving average method (ARIMA)

This study assesses the impacts of climate variation on land productivity for major Indian food and non‐food grain crops. We collected data for 50 years from (1967–2016) with 15 crops across India. To estimate the variation of agriculture production for each crop by different variables, for instance, rainfall and temperature estimation and future prediction for 20 years, that is, until 2036. Our results specify that land productivity drops with a rise in annual mean temperature in most of the crops. The adverse impact of climate variation on agricultural production recommends food security risk to minor and marginal agricultural families, badly affected by climatic variations. Results show that a rise in temperature would reduce agricultural productivity and assessed sensitivity of Indian agriculture to climate change. We did forecasting using the autoregressive integrated moving average model for 20 years. It shows that as temperature and rainfall upturns in the future, production of some crops, such as gram, sesamum (til), jowar, groundnut, sugarcane, and bajra, will also increase. Some crops are climate sensitive, such as arhar, wheat, rice, cotton, and tea. As temperature increases, the production of these crops slightly increase or decrease.     

India after the 2014 general elections: BJP dominance and the crisis of the third party system

ABSTRACT

This article critically assesses claims that India has entered a new party system after the 2014 general elections, marked by renationalisation with the BJP as the new ‘dominant’ party.’ To assess these claims, we examine the electoral rise of the BJP in the build-up to and since the 2014 general elections until the state assembly elections in December 2018. Overall, we argue that despite the emerging dominance of the BJP, a core feature of the third party system -a system of binodal interactions- has remained largely intact albeit in a somewhat weaker form. Furthermore, by comparing the post 2014 Indian party system with key electoral features of the first three party systems, we conclude that the rise of the BJP has thrown the third-party system into crisis, but does not yet define the consolidation of a new party system.     

A study on loan approval and non‐performing asset—Segment identification

Nonperforming assets (NPAs) are a huge challenge infront of the Indian economy. Accumulating NPA is forming a burden and obstacle for economic growth. Financial institutions are struggling with nonperforming loans, and their efficiency is getting tremendously impacted. The aims of this study are to find out the critical factors for granting mortgage loan and to develop a formula that can help financial institutions in identifying and differentiating a possible loan defaulter from a non‐defaulter. The formula developed and the identification of defaulters could help in reducing NPA of financial institutions. Managers and loan approvers can use this model to grant loans to verified borrowers and can also keep an eye on their existing customers.