Public Goods and Regime Support in Urban China

AbstractWhy do authoritarian regimes try to improve the quality of their governance? In the absence of democratic institutions to monitor, reward and punish their performance, authoritarian politicians are normally expected to seek their self-interest through corruption and rewards to cronies, rather than providing for the public welfare. However, the Chinese state has actively promoted improved governance in recent years, with greater attention to quality of life issues to balance the primary focus on sustaining rapid economic growth. This paper analyses intra-national variation in the provision of public goods in urban China and the impact of public goods on regime support. Does better governance lead to higher levels of public support for the regime, even in the absence of democratic elections? Our evidence suggests that it does, with a greater impact for the local level than for the centre.

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Evaluation of a novel approach to community health care delivery in Ifanadiana District, Madagascar

10.1101/2020.12.11.20232611 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bénédicte Razafinjato ◽

Luc Rakotonirina ◽

Jafeta Benony Andriantahina ◽

Laura F. Cordier ◽

Randrianambinina Andriamihaja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Community Health ◽

Access To Health Care ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Local Level ◽

Scale Up ◽

P Value ◽

The Impact

AbstractDespite the widespread global adoption of community health (CH) systems, there are evidence gaps in how to best deliver community-based care aligned with global best practice in remote settings where access to health care is limited and community health workers (CHWs) may be the only available providers. PIVOT partnered with the Ministry of Public Health to pilot a new two-pronged approach for care delivery in rural Madagascar: one CHW provided care at a stationary CH site while 2-5 additional CHWs provided care via proactive household visits. The pilot included professionalization of the CHW workforce (i.e. recruitment, training, financial incentive) and twice monthly supervision of CHWs. We evaluated the impact of the CH pilot on utilization and quality of integrated community case management (iCCM) in the first six months of implementation (October 2019-March 2020).We compared utilization and proxy measures of quality of care (defined as adherence to the iCCM protocol for diagnosis, classification of disease severity, treatment) in the intervention commune and five comparison communes, using a quasi-experimental study design and relying on routinely collected programmatic data. Average per capita monthly under-five visits were 0.28 in the intervention commune and 0.22 in the comparison communes. In the intervention commune, 40.0% of visits were completed at the household via proactive care. CHWs completed all steps of the iCCM protocol in 77.8% of observed visits in the intervention commune (vs 49.5% in the comparison communes, p-value=<0.001). A two-pronged approach to CH delivery and professionalization of the CHW workforce increased utilization and demonstrated satisfactory quality of care. National stakeholders and program managers should evaluate program re-design at a local level prior to national or district-wide scale-up.

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124 Creating Greater Public Understanding of Dementia: Findings on the Impact of a Coalition-led National Awareness Programme

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afz103.72 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. iii17-iii65

Author(s):

Fiona Foley ◽

Roisin Guiry

Keyword(s):

Risk Reduction ◽

General Public ◽

Local Level ◽

Public Support ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Campaign Evaluation ◽

News Stories ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Tv Commercials ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Dementia Understand Together is a public support, awareness and stigma reduction campaign aimed at inspiring people from all sections of society to stand together with the 55,000 Irish people living with dementia. Led by the HSE working with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Genio it is supported by over 40 partner organisations and 230+ community champions, who are creating communities that actively embrace and include those living with dementia and their families. Methods The campaign uses personal testimonial TV commercials, radio advertising, social media and national and local news stories to build understanding among the general public about dementia. At a local level the campaign is growing a movement of people who are taking action to creative inclusive communities across Ireland. Extensive research using national biennial public surveys (2016 and 2018) (N=1003) and campaign evaluation tools has and continues to inform the development and progression of the campaign. Results 33% of respondents described themselves as knowing a lot about dementia, up from 24% in January 2016. There was a significant difference in attitudes between those who were aware of the campaign and those who were not. Dementia risk reduction is a key message of the national campaign and 52% of respondents were aware that there are things they can do to potentially reduce their risk – up from 46% in 2016. 59% who saw the TV campaign said they were impacted in some way as a result of the personal stories featured and stated that they took some action, such as calling into a friend. Conclusion The development and implementation of the campaign is a partnership approach between the leading organisations working in the area of dementia. Findings show that the campaign is creating better understanding of dementia among the general public, increasing awareness of the condition and risk reduction, and is inspiring people to take actions.

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The ‘elected’ and the ‘excluded’: sociological perspectives on the experience of place and community in old age

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x06005629 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 321-342 ◽

Cited By ~ 129

Author(s):

CHRIS PHILLIPSON

Keyword(s):

Old Age ◽

Life Histories ◽

Local Level ◽

Later Life ◽

Community Change ◽

Economic Changes ◽

Social Divisions ◽

The Impact ◽

Community Attachments

This article explores various issues concerned with belonging and identity in the context of community change and residential location. It examines the changing nature of community attachments in later life, and their impacts on the quality of old age lives. It also notes the increased importance of environmental perspectives within gerontology, not least because environments are being transformed through the diverse social, cultural and economic changes associated with globalisation. The argument is developed that globalisation offers a new approach to thinking about community and environmental relationships in later life, and that the impact of global change at a local level has become an important dimension of sociological aspects of community change. It is argued that it is especially important to apply these perspectives to older people, given that many have resided in the same locality for long periods. At the same time, globalisation also gives rise to new types of movement in old age, and is constructing an expanding mix of spaces, communities and lifestyle settings. A key argument of the article, however, is that global processes are generating new social divisions, as between those able to choose residential locations consistent with their biographies and life histories, and those who experience rejection or marginalisation from their locality.

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ELECTORAL LOYALTY AND QUALITY OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN RUSSIAN MUNICIPALITIES

Вестник Пермского университета Политология ◽

10.17072/2218-1067-2020-4-62-75 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 62-75

Author(s):

Margarita Zavadskaya ◽

◽

Keyword(s):

Public Goods ◽

Political Competition ◽

Local Level ◽

Administrative Practices ◽

The Russian Federation ◽

Quality Of Governance ◽

The Relationship ◽

Election Commission ◽

Analysis Point

Local self-government in Russia has undergone a number of transformations - from spontaneous decentralization in the 1990s until the stage-by-stage integration into the state vertical system from 2003-2006. Despite the de facto loss of political and, partly, administrative autonomy, we see a huge diversity in the quality of governance and provision of public goods at the local level. Based on the Database of Municipalities' Characteristics (DMC) of Rosstat from 2008 to 2017 and data from the Central Election Commission (CEC of the Russian Federation), the article presents indices of the quality of the provision of public goods and analyzes the relationship with the Duma voting in 2016 and the budgetary autonomy of the municipality. Despite the continuing centralization of government, researchers still observe an impressive variation in both the formats of political competition and administrative practices in the regions, especially at the local level. The results of the analysis point to a number of patterns: 1. There is no strong link between budget independence and the quality of management; 2. Securing votes does not lead to the attraction of additional resources to the field and may even divert scarce funds and the human resources to technically support this loyalty.

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The Politics of Service Delivery in Pakistan: Political Parties and the Incentives for Patronage, 1988-1999

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v47i2pp.129-151 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 129-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Zahid Hasnan

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Service ◽

Political Parties ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Public Goods ◽

Political Party ◽

Party Systems ◽

The Political ◽

The Impact

This paper examines the impact of the political party structure on the incentives for politicians to focus on patronage versus service delivery improvements in Pakistan. By analysing inter-provincial variations in the quality of service delivery in Pakistan, the paper argues that the more fragmented, factionalised, and polarised the party systems, the greater are the incentives for patronage, weakening service delivery improvements. Fragmentation and factionalism both exacerbate the information problems that voters have in assigning credit (blame) for service delivery improvements (deterioration), thereby creating the incentives for politicians to focus on targeted benefits. Polarisation, particularly ethnic polarisation, reduces the ability of groups to agree on the provision of public goods, again causing politicians to favour the delivery of targeted benefits.

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Redistribution and the Quality of Government: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

British Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s0007123419000085 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Bilyana Petrova

Keyword(s):

Welfare State ◽

Public Support ◽

Causal Mechanism ◽

Eastern European ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Rule Of Law ◽

Eastern European Countries ◽

The Impact ◽

The Welfare State

Abstract The welfare state literature has largely ignored the impact of a country's quality of government on its levels of redistribution. Using cross-sectional time-series analysis of twenty-one Central and Eastern European countries, this article shows that environments characterized by higher levels of corruption, rampant bureaucratic inefficiency and ineffective enforcement of the rule of law are associated with lower levels of redistribution. Poor government directly affects the supply side of the redistribution process by hindering countries’ ability to allocate funds to redistribution and deliver them to their beneficiaries. Contrary to existing demand-oriented perspectives, the proposed causal mechanism does not blame lower redistribution on the lack of public support for the welfare state. Rather, it focuses on the capacity of states to adopt and implement inequality-reducing policies. The results are robust to numerous extensions and model specifications.

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Quality of governance and regime support

Asian Journal of Comparative Politics ◽

10.1177/2057891116675769 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 154-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Chong-Min Park

Keyword(s):

East Asia ◽

Rule Of Law ◽

Public Support ◽

National Economic ◽

Regime Types ◽

Quality Of Governance ◽

Modes Of Governance ◽

Regime Support ◽

Weak Rule

In this article I examine public evaluations of quality of governance in East Asia and analyze the effects of perceived governance quality on regime support. I distinguish between two modes of governance, democratic and law-based, and examine which mode of governance matters. It was found that East Asian democracies suffered various governance deficits in the eyes of their publics. It was also revealed that a weak rule of law remained the most notable governance malaise across much of the region. The micro-level analysis shows that perceived quality of governance shaped regime allegiance and institutional confidence but not all aspects of governance mattered. It was shown that law-based governance served as the major source of regime support regardless of regime types. On the whole, public support for the prevailing system of government across much of the region depended on quality of law-based governance as well as national economic performance. Yet, evidence indicates that democratic governance encourages citizen skepticism of the ongoing political order, supporting the thesis of assertive citizenship. Overall, the findings suggest that establishing a strong rule of law constitutes one of the major challenges to regime consolidation across much of East Asia.

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Governance and Territorial Development in Ecuador: The Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir in Zaruma, Piñas and Portovelo

Journal of Latin American Studies ◽

10.1017/s0022216x16001474 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 299-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

JOSÉ PRADA-TRIGO

Keyword(s):

Local Level ◽

Local Administration ◽

Territorial Development ◽

National Plan ◽

Buen Vivir ◽

Real Change ◽

Good Living ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

AbstractThis article analyses the impact at a local level of the changes that have been introduced within the framework of the Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir (National Plan for Good Living, PNBV) in Ecuador since 2007. It assesses the extent to which there has been real change in local administration and governance and, if so, the impact in areas such as economic development, innovation and quality of life. Fieldwork was carried out across three towns and cantons – Zaruma, Piñas and Portovelo – in the province of El Oro. Historically, these have been characterised by their dependence on the primary export model that the government of Rafael Correa has sought to move beyond. The progress and limitations of this process are assessed within the context of the National Plan for Good Living.

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Some Correlates of Regime Support in Canada

British Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s0007123400001307 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 199-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Allan Kornberg ◽

Harold D. Clarke ◽

Lawrence Leduc

Keyword(s):

Political Institutions ◽

Public Support ◽

Political Regime ◽

The Political ◽

Political Actors ◽

Political Analysis ◽

Matters Of Concern ◽

Nation Wide Survey ◽

Regime Support ◽

The Impact

This paper is concerned with the distribution and foundations of public support for the political regime in Canada. Support for the regime historically has been a matter of concern to Canadian elites. The recent provincial electoral victory of the Parti Québécois, a party dedicated to making Quebec an independent nation, has made regime support and maintenance matters of concern to average citizens as well. The analyses that follow are based upon data gathered in a nation-wide survey of the Canadian electorate in 1974. We focus on the following areas: the extent to which socio-demographic and attitudinal variables conventionally employed in studies of political behavior are related to levels of regime support; the relationships between the direction and strength of partisanship and support for the political regime; the relationships between attitudes toward key political institutions and political actors and the level of regime support; and finally, the effects of major structural and cultural factors (i.e. federalism and regionalism) on support for the regime. From the perspective of comparative political analysis, research in these areas allows us an opportunity to comment on and expand the base of the existing empirical research on regime support. From the more particular perspective of Canadian politics, our analysis may help to clarify the impact on regime support of ethnicity, regionalism, federalism and a British-model parliamentary system.

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