The Importance of Oversight and Agency Capacity in Enhancing Performance in Public Service Delivery

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody A Drolc ◽  
Lael R Keiser
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Central Component ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Public Programs ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects Regression ◽  
Social Security Disability

Abstract Government agencies often encounter problems in service delivery when implementing public programs. This undermines effectiveness and raise questions about accountability. A central component of responsiveness and performance management is that agencies correct course when problems are identified. However, public agencies have an uneven record in responding to problems. In this paper we investigate whether, and to what extent, capacity both within the agency and within institutions performing oversight, improves agency responsiveness to poor performance indicators. Using panel data on eligibility determinations in the Social Security Disability program from U.S. state agencies from 1991-2015 and fixed effects regression, we find that indicators of agency and oversight capacity moderate the relationship between poor performance and improvement. Our results suggest that investments in building capacity not only within agencies, but also within elected institutions, are important for successful policy implementation. However, we find evidence that while agency capacity alone can improve responsiveness to poor performance, the effect of oversight capacity on improving performance requires high agency capacity.

Ridership Ramp-Up? Initial Ridership Variation on New Rail Transit Projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (10) ◽  
pp. 82-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Elizabeth Shinn ◽  
Carole Turley Voulgaris
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Short Term ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects Regression

Conventional wisdom within the transit industry suggests that measuring the performance of a transit project immediately after project opening may not capture all the project’s benefits, since it takes time for a project to realize its short-term ridership potential, a process commonly referred to as ridership ramp-up. Though this idea is both intuitive and appealing, especially for projects that seem to be underperforming in their initial years, there is a need for empirical analysis to determine the typical magnitude and extent of ridership ramp-up to better account for ramp-up in ridership forecasting and transit project evaluation. The purpose of this study was to meet this need by evaluating variations in ridership in the initial years after project opening for 55 rail transit projects in the United States. We applied a fixed-effects regression model to predict 1-year increases in ridership in each of the first 5 years after project opening, controlling for variation in gas prices, population, income, and unemployment. We found highly variable and statistically significant increases in ridership in the first 2 years after project opening that may be attributable to ridership ramp-up. These findings could support decisions about how to account for ridership ramp-up in forecasting and performance evaluation for rail transit projects.

scholarly journals Navigation of Innovative Management in the Local Spheres of Government in South Africa – An Issue for Consideration

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 1071-1079
Author(s):  
KKL Pilusa ◽  
ML Shipalana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Performance Management Systems ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Current State ◽  
Innovative Management ◽  
And Performance ◽  
State Of Affairs

It is a global concern that most local spheres of government are usually faced with a major challenge of meeting the basic needs of citizens, particularly in the developing countries such as South Africa, where majority of people depending entirely on public services. It is observed that the local spheres of government are unable to carry out their constitutional mandate to provide public goods and services such as education, housing health, water and sanitation. This situation, among others, is mainly exacerbated by ineffective innovative management practices. This article sought to navigate innovative management practices in the local spheres of government in South Africa and suggests strategies that can be applied for service delivery improvement. The article used conceptual framework to analyse innovative management practices in the context of the local spheres of government. In the process, literature has revealed that most of local spheres of government are mainly characterised with ineffective innovative management practices. These management practices include, strategic planning, operational plans and performance management systems. It is evident that the current state of affairs, drastically affects service delivery improvement. This article suggests collaborative approach as mechanism to enhance service delivery in the local spheres of government.

Performance Measurement using Balance Score Card and its Applications: A Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shradha Gawankar ◽  
Sachin S. Kamble ◽  
Rakesh Raut
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Balance Score Card ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Score Card ◽  
And Performance

This paper aims to propose the idea of briefly explaining the balance scorecard by highlighting its use, application in depth. A critical enabler in achieving desired performance goals is the ability to measure performance. Despite the importance of accurately measuring organizational performance in most areas of academic research, there have been very few studies that have directly addressed the question of how overall organizational performance is or should be measured. Perhaps more importantly, none of these studies seems to have significantly influenced how overall organizational performance is actually measured in most of the empirical research that uses this construct as a dependent measure. The most popular of the performance measurement framework has been the balanced scorecard abbreviated as BSC. The BSC is widely acknowledged to have moved beyond the original ideology. It has now become a strategic change management and performance management process. The approach used in this paper is the combination of literature review on evolution of balance score card and its applications in various sectors/organizations/ areas. This paper identify that the balanced scorecard is a powerful but simple strategic tool and the simplicity of the scorecard is in its design. By encompassing four primary perspectives, the tool allows an organization to turn its attention to external concerns, such as the financial outcomes and its customers expectations, and internal areas, which include its internal processes to meet external requirements and its integration of learning and growth, to successfully meet its strategic expectations. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the balanced scorecard combined with application and strategy, which are now in a better position to begin to recognize managements expectations and to discover new ways to build value for workplace learning and performance within organization.

Linked in Life and Death: A Note on the Effect of Parental Death on Sibling Relations in Young and Middle Adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2098556
Author(s):  
Karsten Hank
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Family System ◽  
Parental Death ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Sibling Relations ◽  
Fixed Effects Regression ◽  
Parent Child

Despite the important role of adult parent–child and sibling relations in the family system, only few studies have investigated yet, how the common adult experience of parental death impacts sibling relations. Estimating fixed-effects regression models using four waves of data from the German Family Panel (pairfam; n = 4,123 respondents), the present note focused on changes in three dimensions of adult siblings’ relationship qualities following the first parent’s death. Our analysis revealed a short-term positive effect of parental death on sibling contacts as well as longer-lasting increases in emotional closeness and conflicts. Next to an intensification of sibling relations following the first parent’s death, we also detected significant spillover effects from respondents’ relationship with the surviving parent to their sibling relations. Our analysis thus provided evidence for adult parent–child and sibling relations to be “linked in life and death,” underlining the benefits of jointly analyzing intra- and intergenerational family relationships.

scholarly journals Bayesian inference of genetic parameters for reproductive and performance traits in White Leghorn hens

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 230-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.O. Rosa ◽  
G.C. Venturini ◽  
T.C.S. Chud ◽  
B.C. Pires ◽  
M.E. Buzanskas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Inference ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Genetic Parameters ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
A Posteriori ◽  
White Leghorn ◽  
Performance Traits ◽  
And Performance

This study estimated the genetic parameters for reproductive and performance traits and determined which ones can be used as selection criteria for egg production in laying hens using the Bayesian inference. The data of 1894 animals from three generations of White Leghorn laying hens were analyzed for fertility (FERT), hatchability (HATC), and birth rate measurements at 60 weeks of age (BIRTH), body weight at 16 and 60 weeks of age (BW16 and BW60), age at sexual maturity (ASM), egg height/width ratio, weight, and density at 28, 36, and 40 weeks of age (RHW28, RHW36, RHW40, WEGG28, WEGG36, WEGG40, DENS28, DENS36, and DENS40, respectively) traits. The genetic parameters were estimated by the Bayesian inference method of multi-trait animal model. The model included the additive and residual genetic random effects and the fixed effects of generation. The a posteriori mean distributions of the heritability estimates for reproductive traits ranged from 0.14 ± 0.003 (HATC) to 0.22 ± 0.005 (FERT) and performance from 0.07 ± 0.001 (RHW28) to 0.42 ± 0.001 (WEGG40). The a posteriori mean distributions of the genetic correlation between reproductive traits ranged from 0.18 ± 0.026 (FERT and HACT) to 0.79 ± 0.007 (FERT and BIRTH) and those related to performance ranged from –0.49 ± 0.001 (WEGG36 and DENS36) to 0.75 ± 0.003 (DENS28 and DENS36). Reproductive and performance traits showed enough additive genetic variability to respond to selection, except for RHW28. This trait alone would have little impact on the genetic gain because environmental factors would have a higher impact compared to those from the additive genetic factors. Based on the results of this study, the selection applied on the BIRTH trait can be indicated to improve FERT and HATC of eggs. Furthermore, the use of the WEGG40 could improve egg quality in this population.

Board demographic diversity, firm performance and strategic change

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 1110-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kipkirong Tarus ◽  
Federico Aime
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Demographic Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fixed Effects Regression ◽  
High Level

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of boards’ demographic diversity on firms’ strategic change and the interaction effect of firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – This paper used secondary data derived from publicly listed firms in Kenya during 2002-2010 and analyzed the data using fixed effects regression model to test the effect of board demographic and strategic change, while moderated regression analysis was used to test the moderating effect of firm performance. Findings – The results partially supported board demographic diversity–strategic change hypothesis. In particular, results indicate that age diversity produces less strategic change, while functional diversity is associated with greater levels of strategic change. The moderated regression results do not support our general logic that high firm performance enhances board demographic diversity–strategic change relationship. In effect, the results reveal that at high level of firm performance, board demographic diversity produces less strategic change. Originality/value – Despite few studies that have examined board demographic diversity and firm performance, this paper introduces strategic change as an outcome variable. This paper also explores the moderating role of firm performance in board demographic diversity–strategic change relationship, and finally, the study uses Kenyan dataset which in itself is unique because most governance and strategy research uses data from developed countries.

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