Designing for participatory governance: assessing capabilities and toolkits in public service delivery

Info ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 74-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shenja van der Graaf ◽  
Carina Veeckman
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Participatory Governance ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Living Lab ◽  
The City

Purpose – The purpose of this study is yield insight into how cities can optimize citizen involvement in the co-development of citizen services by providing the rights tools, knowledge and resources. Design/methodology/approach – By conducting a case study analysis of the city of Ghent, this study investigates how users are engaged in the development of mobile applications on a city-hosted platform. Findings – Findings show that public service delivery, related to the urban space, can be co-designed between the city and its citizens, if different toolkits aligned with the specific capacities and skills of the citizens are provided. Research limitations/implications – Data were collected between August 2012 and December 2013. Some preliminary findings are presented on the (design of the) dynamic co-creation ecosystem and the citizens’ capacities to participate on the city-hosted platform. In addition, while the examination is still ongoing some insights can be offered in the learning dynamics underpinning how the cities are setting up such a bottom-up process and how local participation for different citizen groups can be optimized in the context of design capabilities and the design space. Originality/value – This study yields relevant insights for policymakers, city administrations, as well as Living Lab practitioners into how public service delivery, supported by an inclusive participatory governance by design framework at the local level, can be co-designed between the city and citizens, if different toolkits aligned with the specific capacities and skills of the users are provided. By providing tailored tools, even ordinary citizens can take a much more active role in the development and appropriation of their urban space and generate solutions from which both the city and citizens’ everyday life can possibly benefit.

A review of Zimbabwe’s macro-fiscal forecasts

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chathebert Mudhunguyo
Keyword(s):  
Root Mean Square Error ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Mean Square Error ◽  
Root Mean Square ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Mean Square ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forecasting Errors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate accuracy of macro fiscal forecasts done by Government of Zimbabwe and the spillover effects of forecasting errors over the period 2010-2015. Design/methodology/approach In line with the study objectives, the study employed the root mean square error methodology to measure the accuracy of macro fiscal forecasts, borrowing from the work of Calitz et al. (2013). The spillover effects were assessed through running simple regression in Eviews programme. The data used in the analysis are based on annual national budget forecasts presented to the Parliament by the Minister of Finance. Actual data come from the Ministry of Finance budget outturns and Zimbabwe Statistical Agency published national accounts. Findings The results of the root mean square error revealed relatively high levels of macro-fiscal forecasting errors, with revenue recording the highest. The forecasting errors display a tendency of under predicting the strength of economic recovery during boom and over predicting its strength during periods of weakness. The study although found significant evidence of GDP forecasting errors translating into revenue forecasting inaccuracies, the GDP forecasting errors fail to fully account for the revenue errors. Revenue errors were, however, found to be positive and significant in explaining the budget balance errors. Originality/value In other jurisdictions, particularly developed countries, they undertake regular evaluation of their forecasts in order to improve their forecasting procedures, which translate into quality public service delivery. The situation is lagging in Zimbabwe. Given the poor performance in public service delivery in Zimbabwe, this study contributes in dissecting the sources of the challenge by providing a comprehensive review of macro fiscal forecasts.

scholarly journals Contracting out parks and roads maintenance in England

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 441-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Dempsey ◽  
Mel Burton ◽  
Johanna Selin
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Contracting Out ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Constraints

Purpose – Different models have been adopted in England over time to organise public service delivery. The purpose of this paper is to explore contracting-out, a prevalent model of public service delivery in England, in relation to parks and roads maintenance delivery by examining private contractors’ performance according to local authority stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – Since the Conservative Government was in power during the 1980s, local authorities have been an arena for experimentation of contracting-out to private and other sectors. This paper provides a review of the academic and grey literature, and findings are presented from a large-scale online questionnaire survey (n=103) which was distributed to the relevant public realm managers in English local authorities. Findings – The paper shows that contracting-out of parks and roads maintenance happens across the country in different ways. By and large, local authorities are satisfied with the performance of contractors, particularly as a response to economic constraints. Responsibilities, particularly for parks, are increasingly shared with non-governmental organisations, including community groups, although this is not reflected in budget distribution. Research limitations/implications – Despite the efforts, the response rate was relatively low (32 per cent), potentially due to the e-mail communication and online nature of the questionnaire. Originality/value – The research provides empirical evidence about how contracting-out is currently delivering public services and how it has changed in recent years. The findings suggest that responsibilities (and to a lesser extent, budgets) are increasingly shared in England between different combinations of public, private, third and community sector stakeholders. This marks a shift away from in-house public sector delivery of parks and roads services.

Professionalizing public service delivery

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 22-24
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ideological Tensions ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – To consider the concepts of amateurism and professionalism, distinguishing these from professional or amateur status. Design/methodology/approach – Outlines the drive for the professionalization of public service delivery in Europe. Explains how the divide between professional and amateur status has developed and considers its implications. Findings – You are about to have an operation: would you prefer a professionally qualified surgeon or an enthusiastic amateur? Professional status provides reassurance about competence, qualifications and standards. The professionalization of service delivery – particularly in the areas of education, health and social care – has been an issue for some time, especially in the UK. But more attention is also now being given to the contribution made by non-professionals such as teaching assistants, family carers and volunteers. Practical implications – Draws attention to the way new technologies are blurring the distinction between amateur and professional in many areas and providing new opportunities for them to work productively together. Social implications – Highlights the ideological tensions underlying the debate about professionalization, qualifications and how public services are delivered. Originality/value – Presents a wide-ranging discussion of the amateur–professional divide, the contributions made by each and the opportunities for further research in this area.

Factors influencing perceptions on corruption in public service delivery via e-government platform

foresight ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 628-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Demographic Variable ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Services ◽  
The Impact

Purpose With an increasing thrust upon transparency and accountability in government, e-government platforms are being scaled in many countries to bolster trust of the citizens and to bring about efficiency in public service delivery. Recently, India launched its “Digital India” initiative as an e-government measure. This study aims to gauge respondents’ perceptions regarding corruption in public services post-launch of the “Digital India” initiative. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted via email, soliciting inputs from 217 respondents following a convenience sampling technique in selected districts of India. Using an institutional theory lens, this study uses a quantitative approach where correlations and hierarchical regression analysis inform the overall analysis. Findings The results showed that low transparency, high cost incurred in availing public services, inefficiency in government and favoritism in government are the key determinants that influenced the perception of users about corruption in e-government services. Also, one demographic variable, namely, gender, showed a statistically significant relationship with the perception of corruption in e-government services. Originality/value Hitherto, extant literature is replete with conceptual and theoretical studies on the impact of e-government initiatives on curbing corruption, and there is negligible empirical research in developing countries vis-à-vis this dimension – the present study seeks to fill this gap. Second, previous research has not used the institutional theory to investigate the efficacy of e-government initiatives; this study uses the framework of the institutional theory framework to substantiate the arguments.

Passenger rail SOEs as domestic institutional market actors

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lene Tolstrup Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Passenger Rail ◽  
New Public ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to make an empirical-based conceptualization of the contemporary domestic state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as domestic institutional market actors (IMAs) in the marketization of public service delivery. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a qualitative comparative case study of the SOEs in passenger rail in Denmark and Sweden from 1990 to 2015. Findings The paper shows how marketization results in a layered institutional set-up of public service delivery based on both competition and monopoly where the SOE becomes what we call an IMA bridging sectorial challenges. In Sweden, this role has a new public governance form as the monopoly over time is fully dismantled. In Denmark, over time marketization is put on hold due to problems with the SOE as a market actor, but the SOE is nevertheless safeguarded in a new Weberian model as a sector coordinator. Originality/value The paper contributes to the recent literature on SOEs and marketization with an original and novel conceptualization of contemporary SOEs in public governance.

scholarly journals Toward an understanding of strategic control at a distance in public service delivery

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Ahmad ◽  
Ciaran Connolly ◽  
Istemi Demirag
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Private Finance Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analytics Of Government ◽  
The Government ◽  
Accounting Control

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how localized (organization-level) actors of policy initiatives that are inspired by neoliberal ideologies use management accounting and control practices. Specifically, it addresses the operational stages of a case study Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract within the United Kingdom's (UK's) transport sector of roads for embedding government objectives in the underlying project road.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts Dean's (2010) analytics of government to unpack the accounting-based control practices within the case study contract in order to articulate how, at the micro level, the government's objective of improving road-users' safety is enacted, modified and maintained through such regimes.FindingsDrawing on a content-based analysis of UK government PFI policy and extensive case study-specific documents, together with interviews and observations, this research provides theoretical insights about how control practices, at a distance without direct intervention, function as forms of power for government for shaping the performance of the PFI contractor. The authors find that the public sector's accounting control regimes in the case study project have a constraining effect on “real partnership working” between the government and private contractors and on the private sector's incentive to innovate.Research limitations/implicationsBy analyzing a single road case study PFI contract, the findings may not be generalizable.Originality/valueThis paper provides significant theoretically informed insights about how public service delivery that is outsourced to private contractors is controlled by government at a distance within complex organizational arrangements (e.g. PFI).

Marketization revisited

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 398-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Balle Hansen ◽  
Andrej Christian Lindholst
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Public Service Delivery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Service Delivery Systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the IJPSM special issue on marketization to clarify the conceptual foundations of marketization as a phenomenon within the public sector and gauge current marketization trends based on the special issue’s seven papers. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual clarification and cross-cutting review of seven papers analysing marketization in six countries in three policy areas at the level of local government. Findings – Four ideal-types models are deduced: quasi-markets involving both provider competition and free choice for users; classical contracting out; benchmarking and yardstick competition; and public-private collaboration. Based on the review of the seven papers, it is found that all elements in all marketization models are firmly embedded but also under dynamic change within public service delivery systems. The review also identifies limitations and modifications of the four ideal-type models. A key trend is a move towards public-private collaboration and cross-sectorial and inter-organizational governance arrangements. Research limitations/implications – Continued research on marketization would benefit from development of more fine-tuned theoretical models which are sensitive to the realm of the dynamics within particular policy and institutional contexts. Practical implications – Policy-makers should balance normative objectives against the experiences gained at the level of implementation. Originality/value – The special issue shows that marketization still is a concurrent phenomenon which is driving substantial change in public service delivery systems as well as is under dynamic change itself.

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