Cross-sectoral comparison of concessions in transport

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Vanelslander ◽  
Gilles Chomat ◽  
Athena Roumboutsos ◽  
Géraldine Bonnet
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Road Development ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Approach ◽  
Full Analysis ◽  
Logic Approach ◽  
Mode Of Transport ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology of comparing concession projects developed in different transport sub-sectors. The methodology is tested in the comparison of three different cases, each of which represent a particular mode of transport: a road development project, a city tramway project and a port lock construction initiative. Design/methodology/approach – A fuzzy logic approach methodology is applied in carrying out the comparison between cases. Granulation is achieved by employing a Contextual (Ws) Risk Analysis Framework, as risks constitute the basis to public private partnership (PPP) structure. Linguistic variables are then used to describe the comparative findings. Findings – The methodology presented allows for the comparison of three cases from different transport sub-sectors. Identification of similarities provides the potential to transfer experience from one sector to the other. With respect to the three cases studied, it was identified that traffic risk seems to be passed on to the private operators in relation to the level of exclusivity. Finally, PPP projects initiated by central government (as opposed to those initiated by local governments) seem to be more finance-driven than service-driven. Research limitations/implications – As the number of cases to be compared increases, quantitative comparative analysis fuzzy set values can be included in order to carry out a full analysis. The present approach should be considered introductory, as fuzzy sets are not generated due to the limited number of surveys (cases) compared (hence the term “pre-fuzzy”). Practical implications – The methodology presented and the cases tested indicate the possibility for knowledge/experience transfer and the transferability of best practices. Originality/value – Cross-sub-sectoral comparisons for transport PPP projects have not been identified in literature.

Why local governments rarely use PPPs in their road development projects

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Janssen ◽  
Robin de Graaf ◽  
Marnix Smit ◽  
Hans Voordijk
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Government Employees ◽  
Relative Significance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infrastructure Provision ◽  
Road Development ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Local Road

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers that prevent local governments from applying PPPs in their road development projects. Design/methodology/approach – Based on insights from a literature review, interviews were held with relevant staff to identify barriers. These were verified and their relative significance was determined through the use of a questionnaire, before being reflected upon and compared with literature findings. Findings – The research identified 37 barriers to local governments using PPPs in road development projects and showed that four barriers consistently stand out. First, the application of PPPs requires local governments to adapt their current working methods, which amounts to a large impediment to local governments applying PPPs. Second, local government employees believe that applying PPPs might effectively exclude local contractors from involvement in projects. Finally, local governments experience the whole PPP approach (the third barrier) and the PPP contract (the fourth) as overly complicated. Practical implications – To increase the use of PPPs for infrastructure provision at the local level, one has to focus on removing dominant local barriers as identified in this research. Originality/value – Although local-level PPPs have seen increasing interest, this is one of the first studies paying attention to the barriers to using PPPs for local road development projects.

Benchmarking agility assessment approaches: a case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Vinodh ◽  
S Aravindraj
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agility Assessment ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Approach ◽  
Logic Approach ◽  
Manufacturing Organization ◽  
Case Organization ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the assessment approaches of agility in a manufacturing organization. Design/methodology/approach – The criteria for agility assessment were identified comprehensively based on literature review. The agility assessment was done using Multi Grade Fuzzy and Fuzzy logic approaches, and the results were benchmarked. Findings – Based on Multi Grade Fuzzy approach, the agility index was found to be 6.6; Fuzzy logic approach reveals the agility index as (5.37, 6.91, 8.45) which indicated the case organization is agile. The gaps were identified from both the approaches and the results were corroborated. Research limitations/implications – In the present study, Multi Grade Fuzzy and Fuzzy logic approaches were only benchmarked. Also, the benchmarking exercise was done only in one manufacturing organization. Practical implications – The benchmarking study was conducted in a manufacturing organization. The practitioners’ views were gathered and they were involved in the study to substantiate the practical validity. Originality/value – The benchmarking study between two approaches for agility assessment was found to be original and adds value to the agility assessment field.

General Budget Support in Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-491
Author(s):  
Mitsuaki Furukawa ◽  
Junichiro Takahata
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Intergovernmental Transfers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Budget Support ◽  
Money Flows ◽  
Local Government Expenditures ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze late disbursements for service delivery by focusing on donors’ General Budget Support disbursement to Tanzania and on the intergovernmental money flows in Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined empirical analysis using statistics of intergovernmental transfers in Tanzania. Findings This paper shows that such center-local transfers are significantly correlated with the timing of local government expenditures in general and health expenditures in particular. It also shows that development expenditures are more affected than recurrent expenditures by delays in the transfer. Practical implications In order to improve service delivery on the ground, the transfers from donors to the central government and from the central government to local governments need to be timely. Originality/value The authors examined empirical analysis using statistics of intergovernmental transfers in Tanzania so as to see whether timing of transfers matters or not, which has not been considered thus far.

Fiscal decentralization, preference for government innovation and city innovation

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siying Yang ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
Jian Li
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Fiscal Decentralization ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effect Model ◽  
Fiscal Expenditure ◽  
Government Innovation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether fiscal decentralization has impacts on city innovation level and to examine the moderating effects of the preference for government innovation in China. Design/methodology/approach Using a panel data of China’s 278 cities from 2003 to 2016, the authors first use fixed-effect model and quantile regression to analyze the impact of fiscal decentralization on city innovation level and the variations of impacts conditional on different innovation levels, followed by a mediating effect model to test the moderating effects of the preference for government innovation and its temporal and spatial heterogeneity. Findings The paper finds that fiscal decentralization significantly inhibited city innovation, and with the improvement of city innovation level, the inhibition demonstrated characteristics of “V” type variation. When the degree of fiscal decentralization is between 0.377 and 0.600, the inhibition of fiscal decentralization on city innovation level is the weakest. We further show that fiscal decentralization also inhibits the government's preference for innovation, reduces the proportion of fiscal expenditure on innovation and has a negative impact on city innovation. In addition, the influence of fiscal decentralization on city innovation present clear heterogeneity in space and in time. On one hand, the inhibition of fiscal decentralization on city innovation level in eastern China is significantly weaker than that in central and Western China; on the other hand, after the implementation of China’s innovation-driven development strategy in 2013, the negative impact of fiscal decentralization on city innovation disappeared. Research limitations/implications The research findings have certain policy implications. That is, in the process of decentralization reform, on the one hand, the central government should strengthen the supervision over the fiscal expenditure of local governments and ensure that the central government can play a leading role in the local development strategy, on the other hand, the central government should guard against the distortion of fiscal decentralization on local governments' fiscal expenditure behavior. In addition, the central government should also focus on the heterogeneity of the impacts of fiscal decentralization on cities under different strategic backgrounds and different levels of innovation. Originality/value This paper extends prior research by bringing the decentralization system reform into the study of city innovation system and analyzing its mechanism and its temporal and spatial heterogeneity.

scholarly journals Age and sustainable labour participation: studying moderating effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 503-521
Author(s):  
Josine van den Elsen ◽  
Brenda Vermeeren
Keyword(s):  
Central Government ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Employees ◽  
Labour Participation ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Research findings are ambiguous regarding the effects of age on sustainable labour participation (SLP), defined as the extent to which people are able and willing to conduct their current and future work. The purpose of this paper is to contribute by examining age effects on SLP by focusing on the moderating role of workload. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method study was conducted in 2018. First, a survey was distributed among a sample of 2,149 employees of the Dutch central government. Second, 12 interviews with public sector employees took place to gain greater insight into the quantitative data collected. Findings Three components that reflect an employee’s SLP were studied: vitality, work ability and employability. The quantitative results, in general, showed that SLP decreased with ageing. However, in contrast to the hypothesis, the results showed a significant positive relationship between age and energy. Moreover, relationships between an employee’s age and certain aspects of their SLP were moderated by workload. The interviews helped to interpret these results. Practical implications The findings demonstrate that some of the older worker stereotypes are unfounded, and the important practical implications of these are discussed. Originality/value Earlier research has produced conflicting findings regarding the relationship between age and (aspects of) SLP. By investigating several aspects of SLP in separate regressions within this research, the specific influences of age have become clearer. Furthermore, the research provides fresh insights into the relationship between age and SLP by including moderating effects of workload.

Popular reporting: learning from the US experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Natalia Aversano ◽  
Paolo Tartaglia Polcini
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The City ◽  
Qualitative Characteristics ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore a citizen-centered tool for public accountability, the popular report (PR). Elaborating on previous studies and on content analysis of a sample of municipalities in the USA, this paper aims to identify the qualitative characteristics and content elements that PR should have to serve as a legitimation tool. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a mixed methodology. After the analysis of previous studies on PR and best practices in US municipalities, a list of content elements and qualitative characteristics of PR is compared with results emerging from the content analysis of PR published by of a sample of municipalities in the USA. Findings The analysis reveals that the PR should embed information about the government’s sources of revenues and taxes, expenditures, cost of government services, liveability and governance of the city. Research limitations/implications The paper offers new knowledge on reporting centered on citizens, framing the analysis in the legitimacy theory. Even though the research relates only to the US context, the results may assist standard setters in preparing guidelines for local governments to communicate financial data to citizens and stimulate further research in other contexts. Practical implications The results may encourage local governments to prepare a PR suitable to discharge accountability and gain legitimation. Originality/value This study is the first to discuss the PR within a theoretical framework, in this case, legitimacy theory. Moreover, a further novelty lays in the analysis carried out on the PRs published by US municipalities in order to derive qualitative characteristics and content elements with which the PR should comply.

A decision model for municipal resources management

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 3015-3034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Suellen Thesari ◽  
Flavio Trojan ◽  
Dayse Regina Batistus
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Public Budget ◽  
City Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Government Management ◽  
The Government ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a model to support governmental local managers in public budget optimization, based on an integration of methods. It was constructed to fill the gap related to weights definition in problematic, commonly performed subjective assessments. This model supports the decision making in budget distribution identifying the importance of sectors in local governments, captured by historical data. Design/methodology/approach The model was developed following three steps: the first step included the exploitation of the characteristics of local sectors represented by city departments and the data collection procedure using time series (TS). In the second one, the weights regarding the importance of each city department were calculated by the UTASTAR method and based on historical data from the first step. Finally, an objective function was formulated using linear programming and constraints based on law specifications, and as a result, an optimized projection for public budget distribution was performed. Findings The results demonstrated that the model can be more efficient to weights definition, considering the behavior of preferences by historical data and supporting local public resources optimization, also to comply with the legislation, being able to predict or project future values available on the budget. Research limitations/implications The theoretical and practical implications are related with a novelty in recognizing the weights for criteria by a historical behavior of preferences. It can be bringing important directions for budget distribution. The main limitation detected in this study was the difficulty to formulate an assessment involving an integrated opinion from local managers and the population. Practical implications First of all, with the correct allocation of resources, the government has a greater advantage to capture investments from the negotiation with development entities and banks. Second, an efficient local government management can promote compliance with legislation and more transparent public policies. Social implications The correct distribution of resources affects the life quality for citizens, since the government acts as a provider of essential services for the population like education, safety, health, particularly for citizens who depend exclusively on the services offered by the local government. Moreover, it can also affect the environment as resources for garbage collection, disposal services and sanitation and, finally, affect the city development such as infrastructure, taxes, etc. Originality/value It might be considered an original contribution mainly by the development of a procedure to capture values for weights by TS and meeting the manager’s requirements, based on analytical, statistical and mathematical tools integrated.

Understanding the forces and critical features of a new reporting and budgeting system adoption by Indonesian local government

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-167
Author(s):  
Harun Harun ◽  
David Carter ◽  
Abu Taher Mollik ◽  
Yi An
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
New Technology ◽  
National Level ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policymaking And Implementation

Purpose This paper aims to critically explore the forces and critical features relating to the adoption of a new reporting and budgeting system (RBS) in Indonesian local governments. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an intensive analysis of document sources and interview scripts around the institutionalization of RBS by the Indonesian government and uses the adaption of Dillard et al. (2004) institutional model in informing its findings. Findings The authors find that at the national level, the key drivers in RBS adoption were a combination of exogenous economic and coercive pressures and the wish to mimic accounting reforms in developed nations. At the local government level, the internalization of RBS is a response to a legal obligation imposed by the central government. Despite the RBS adoption has strengthened the transparency of local authorities reports – it limits the roles of other members of citizens in determining how local government budgets are allocated. Research limitations/implications The results of the study should be understood in the historical and institutional contexts of organizations observed. Practical implications The authors reinforce the notion that accounting as a business language dominates narratives and conversations surrounding the nature of government reporting and budgeting systems and how resource allocation is formulated and practiced. This should remind policymakers in other developing nations that any implementation of a new accounting technology should consider institutional capacities of public sector organizations and how the new technology benefits the public. Social implications The authors argue that the dominant role of international financial authorities in the policymaking and implementation of RBS challenges the aim of autonomy policies, which grant greater roles for local authorities and citizens in determining the nature of the budgets and operation of local authorities. Originality/value This study extends institutional theory by adapting the Dillard et al. (2004) model in explaining the forces, actors and critical features of a new accounting system adoption by local governments.

scholarly journals Supply chain risk assessment approach for process quality risks

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 940-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijeet Ghadge ◽  
Xie Fang ◽  
Samir Dani ◽  
Jiju Antony
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Fuzzy Logic ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Security Risks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Approach ◽  
Logic Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to proactively analyse and mitigate the root causes of the product and security risks. The case study approach examines the effectiveness of the fuzzy logic approach for assessing the product and process-related failure modes within global supply chain context. Design/methodology/approach The case study of a Printed Circuit Board Company in China is used as a platform for conducting the research. Using data triangulation, the data are collected and analyzed through interviews, questionnaires, expert opinions and quantitative modelling for some interesting insights. Findings Fuzzy logic approach for failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) provides a structured approach for understanding complex behaviour of failure modes and their associated risks for products and processes. Today’s managers should conduct robust risk assessment during the design stage to avoid product safety and security risks such as recalls. Research limitations/implications The research is based on the single case study and multiple cases from different industry sectors may provide some additional insights. Originality/value The study attempts to mitigate the root causes of product and processes using fuzzy approach to FMEA in supply chain network.

Colombia vote raises concerns for mining firms

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Mining Activity ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mining Companies ◽  
Legal Costs ◽  
Mining Projects

Subject Local vetoes on mining activities. Significance Local governments opposed to mining projects planned in their districts have been awarded new powers to derail developments through a series of decisions from the Constitutional Court. On July 29, authorities in Tolima became the first to leverage one such decision in order to approve plans for a referendum over a proposed local ban on mining activity. Impacts Even firms with strong central government support will have scant protection from regulatory risk. Mining companies may see legal costs mount as they prepare appeals against court rulings that could undermine the viability of projects. Delays will further undermine government efforts to bolster Colombia's economy via the expansion of this strategic industry.

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