Public sector benchmarking: a survey of scientific articles, 1990—2005

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Okke Braadbaart ◽  
Benni Yusnandarshah
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Reference List ◽  
Managed Competition ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Closing The Gap ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Extensive Reference ◽  
Do So

This article assesses the past 15 years' evolution of Public Sector Benchmarking (PSB) research. We do so with a database of 147 peer-reviewed articles published between 1990 and 2005. Over this period PSB evolved into a mature and strongly international field of research. A theoretical and conceptual rift runs through the literature, with those advocating PSB as a tool for managed competition on one side, and those promoting benchmarking as a voluntary and collaborative learning process on the other. A first challenge facing future PSB researchers is that of closing the gap between the managed and voluntary benchmarking perspectives; a second challenge concerns empirical tests that capture the effects of different benchmarking regimes on the performance of public sector providers. Points for practitioners Benchmarking is widely advocated as a tool for enhancing the performance of public sector providers. This article reviews the academic literature on benchmarking. This literature suggests that public sector benchmarking can fulfill its promise if only policy-makers pay sufficient attention to benchmarking design, particularly the development of appropriate accounting systems and the balancing of collaborative and competitive elements. Dos and don'ts for PSB innovators are discussed in the concluding section. An extensive reference list is appended to the article.

The erosion of public sector vaccine production: the case of the Netherlands

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Blume
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Vaccine Production ◽  
World War ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Vaccination Programme ◽  
Do So

A century ago, state institutes of public health played an important role in the production of sera and vaccines. In The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries they continued to do so until after World War II. Focusing in particular on The Netherlands, this chapter examines their withdrawal from vaccine production in the past 20 years. In the 1980s the Dutch government was still committed to maintaining the state’s ability to produce the vaccines needed by the national vaccination programme. A series of legal and institutional changes sought to protect the public sector vaccine producer against the threat of privatisation. These changes ultimately proved inadequate. Not only was the Institute’s ability to meet demand for new vaccines being eroded by global developments, but policy makers were increasingly convinced that vaccination practices should be harmonised with those of other European countries. The decision to sell off the Dutch state’s vaccine production facilities, taken in 2009, has to be understood in historical context. It was the outcome of globalisation processes that for two decades had worked simultaneously on both the supply and the demand sides

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 pandemic-induced PPE and single-use plastic waste generation scenario

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2098082
Author(s):  
Md. Sazzadul Haque ◽  
Shafkat Sharif ◽  
Aseer Masnoon ◽  
Ebne Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Polyethylene Bags ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Disposable Plastic ◽  
Do So

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has demonstrated both positive and negative effects on the environment. Major concerns over personal hygiene, mandated and ease in lockdown actions and slackening of some policy measures have led to a massive surge in the use of disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) and other single-use plastic items. This generated an enormous amount of plastic waste from both healthcare and household units, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Apart from the healthcare workers, the general public have become accustomed to using PPE. These habits are threatening the land and marine environment with immense loads of plastic waste, due to improper disposal practices across the world, especially in developing nations. Contaminated PPE has already made its way to the oceans which will inevitably produce plastic particles alongside other pathogen-driven diseases. This study provided an estimation-based approach in quantifying the amount of contaminated plastic waste that can be expected daily from the massive usage of PPE (e.g. facemasks) because of the countrywide mandated regulations on PPE usage. The situation of Bangladesh has been analysed and projections revealed that a total of 3.4 billion pieces of single-use facemask, hand sanitizer bottles, hand gloves and disposable polyethylene bags will be produced monthly, which will give rise to 472.30 t of disposable plastic waste per day. The equations provided for the quantification of waste from used single-use plastic and PPE can be used for other countries for rough estimations. Then, the discussed recommendations will help concerned authorities and policy makers to design effective response plans. Sustainable plastic waste management for the current and post-pandemic period can be imagined and acted upon.

Integrated reporting and integrated thinking in Italian public sector organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Guthrie ◽  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Rebecca Levy Orelli
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Reporting Framework ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to explore the linkages between integrated reporting (IR) and organisations’ internal processes, specifically focusing on investigating the internal mechanisms of change that can lead organisations to adopt IR disclosure and how this impacts on integrated thinking internally. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws upon previous analysis and insights provided in the IR academic literature, as well as analysing several directives, policy and framework pronouncements. The study also draws on the management accounting change literature, using it as a lens to observe early adopters’ practice. In addition, it provides detailed case studies considering the internal processes of change in five early adopters of the integrated reporting framework (<IRF>) and whether the adoption leads to internal “integrated thinking”. Five Italian public sector organisations are analysed, and the authors make use of official documents, press releases and in-depth semi-structured interviews with the major internal actors. Findings The research highlights that the processes of change in organisations adopting IR is their adoption of a way of thinking, that is, integrated thinking, as a result of the process of internalisation. Research limitations/implications Given the short history of IR, this sample is small due to the small number of early adopters. Originality/value The paper provides academics and policymakers with insights into the process of change to be considered while adopting the <IRF> and responds to calls in the IR literature for further field-based studies on IR’s impact on internal processes. Also, the paper highlights that the European Directive on the disclosure of non-financial and diversity information (2014/95/EU) has the potential to increase environmental, social and governance disclosures amongst European companies.

scholarly journals Challenges and Vulnerabilities on Public Finance Sustainability. A Romanian Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ionel Bostan ◽  
Carmen Toderașcu ◽  
Anca Gavriluţă (Vatamanu)
Keyword(s):  
Public Finance ◽  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Scenario Analysis ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Formal Proof ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
The Way

Given the contradiction between the current demands for sustainability and the way that the financial system works, this paper explored in a retrospective and a prospective view, Romanian Public Finance Sustainability, highlighting the major challenges and vulnerabilities. Relating to the retrospective part, we concentrated mainly on empirical tests on Romanian government solvency between the period 1990–2020, by applying un it root and co-integration tests. To gain a better, general understanding of the behavior of policy-makers, in the second part we used a scenario analysis of budgetary adjustment in the short and medium run under alternative hypotheses. The results provided formal proof that policy makers decisions face critical and complex questions, and the way in which they manage fiscal stimuli has a direct implication on the sustainability of the country and on the lax implementation of fiscal policy.

scholarly journals A capability framework for financial market regulation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rutger Claassen
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Martha Nussbaum ◽  
Market Regulation ◽  
Financial Market Regulation ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Regulation Of Financial Markets ◽  
Do So ◽  
The Capability Approach

This chapter is about normative justifications for regulating markets. In leading handbooks as well as in the academic literature, a split is often made between economic justifications (based on the theory of market failure) and social justifications (mainly around considerations of paternalism and distributive justice). The chapter questions this dichotomy and calls for the development of an ethically coherent framework for market regulation. To do so, the chapter proposes to build on the capability approach, first developed by economist Amartya Sen and philosopher Martha Nussbaum. A capability approach to regulation would hold that markets should be regulated to the extent necessary for realizing a set of basic capabilities. The chapter discusses existing applications to property law and contract law and extends them into the outlines of a general theory of regulation. The final part illustrates the promises of such an approach with respect to the regulation of financial markets.

scholarly journals Empirical Assessment of Good Governance in the Public Sector of Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maizatul Akmar Khalid ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Jamaliah Said
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
The Status ◽  
Questionnaire Respondent ◽  
Service Groups

To improve the trust of citizens and delivery of services, employing good governance principles in the public sector is very crucial. Despite efforts to improve service delivery, criticisms and complains toward public services remain evident. This study aims to assess the status of good governance practices in the public sector of Malaysia. Primary data were collected from the responses of 109 department heads under 24 federal ministries to a survey questionnaire. Respondent perception of good governance practices was measured using a seven-point Likert scale and analyzed by descriptive statistics and path measurement modeling. Standard diagnostic tests were also conducted to check the reliability of the data and model. Results indicated that nine factors were significant in the measurement of good governance practices. However, very few people in the public sector of Malaysia practice fraud control, which is at the lowest intensity. Among the service groups, the engineer group practiced good governance at the highest level, whereas the health service group practiced good governance at the lowest level. Therefore, still there are scopes available to improve good governance systems to become more reliable and efficient public sector in Malaysia. Findings of the study will help policy makers improve the efficiency of the public sector of Malaysia and other countries.

scholarly journals Assessment of Accountability Practices in the Public Sector of Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamaliah Said ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Razana Juhaida Johari
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Employees ◽  
General Average ◽  
Data Validity ◽  
Accountability Practices ◽  
Survey Approach

Ensuring accountability in the public sector is a very crucial issue as it could lead to failures in governance, fraud, inefficacy, corruption as well as weak financial management. This study evaluated the state of present accountability practices among public sector employees from various Malaysian service schemes. Primary data were collected, using a questionnaire survey approach with 194 heads of departments in the Malaysian federal ministries. Data was collected in accordance with the perspective of 12 factors in accountability practices, using a five-point Likert scale. Factor analysis and descriptive statistics were utilized for data analysis. In addition, data reliability was checked by Cronbach’s alpha test; data normality was examined by Skewness and Kurtosis tests, and data validity was tested by using Kaiser-Meyer Olkin test and Barlett’s test. The findings show that 94.9% of the participants reported that they practised accountability within their departments. Nevertheless, the priority for these accountability factors varied according to the service schemes. In general, the perceived accountability practice was the highest within the group of the administrative scheme and the lowest among the employees under the accounting scheme. Moreover, the perceived accountability practice of the audit scheme was below the general average level. This findings of the study would help policy makers to take necessary steps to improve the practices of accountability in the public sector for creating a more dependable and efficient public sector in Malaysia.

scholarly journals Estonia’s Digital Transformation

2019 ◽  
pp. 143-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Kattel ◽  
Ines Mergel
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Invisible Hand ◽  
Economic Success ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Free Market Capitalism ◽  
Distinct Features ◽  
Market Capitalism

Estonia’s transition to free-market capitalism and liberal democracy is marked by three distinct features: economic success, digital transformation of its public sector, and a rapid increase and persistence of social inequality in Estonia. Indeed, Estonia has become one of the most unequal societies in Europe. Economic success and increasing social inequality can be explained as different sides of the same coin: a neoliberal policy mix opened markets and allowed globalization to play out its drama on a domestic stage, creating winners and losers. Yet Estonia has been highly successful in its digital agenda. Particularly interesting is how the country’s public sector led the digital transformation within this highly neoliberal policy landscape. While within economic policy, Estonia did indeed follow the famed invisible hand in rapidly liberalizing markets, in ICT, Estonia seems to have followed an entirely different principle of policymaking. In this domain, policy has followed the principle of the hiding hand, coined by Albert Hirschman: policy-makers sometimes take on tasks they think they can solve without realizing all the challenges and risks involved— and this may result in unexpected learning and creativity. The success of Estonia’s e-government has much to do with the principle of the hiding hand: naïvety and optimism propelled initial ‘crazy ideas’ in the early 1990s to become ingrained in ICT policy, enabling the creation of multiple highly cooperative and overlapping networks that span public–private boundaries.

scholarly journals Doing Well By Doing Good In The Community: Evidence From Some South African Small Businesses

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
D. Y. Dzansi
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Business Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
High Degree ◽  
African Setting ◽  
Do So

<p>Researchers and policy makers worldwide are convinced that only clear empirical evidence of the economic benefits of business social responsibility (BSR), rather than normative assertions, can motivate small businesses enough to accept and adopt it as an integral business practice. Unfortunately, empirical research so far has yielded mixed results, such that smaller businesses are right to be skeptical about adopting BSR. This paper reports the findings of empirical research on patterns of BSR engagement practices and growth in firms’ sales and gross profit among small and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in a South African setting. This is to determine how a small firm’s economic performance varies (if at all) with the degree of its BSR performance and the kind of BSR activity it engages in. The results suggest a high degree of BSR activity among firms with substantial portions of profit dedicated to BSR. However, contrary to expectations, very weak (minor) link was found between BSR performance and economic performance among the sample of small businesses on some but not all dimensions of BSR considered in the study. Nonetheless, it is recommended that managers and owners of small businesses be encouraged to adopt and practice BSR. Even if they do not do so for economic reasons, they would be right to do so to ‘atone’ for the widely acknowledged detrimental impacts of business on society. </p>

Popper's Marxist: Pseudoscience As Policy Problem

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidan Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Contemporary Culture ◽  
The Public ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Policy Problem ◽  
Definition Of

Contemporary culture has seen an increase in the influence of fringe beliefs, chief among them pseudosciences: doctrines that masquerade as sciences. In light of the myriad ways in which the work of the public sector is intertwined with and depends upon that of scientists, it is essential that policymakers be able to recognize these pretender sciences. However, the academic literature has yet to yield a widely accepted and easily applicable definition of “pseudoscience”. This paper proposes that pseudosciences are most adequately characterized by their origin in social contexts in which there is little open, critical discussion of ideas: hence, in contrast with genuine science, there can be no assumption by non-scientist observers that pseudosciences have withstood criticism prior to their promulgation as knowledge. The applicability of this proposal is demonstrated with a case study, where it is used to identify the pseudoscientific features of Andrew Wakefield’s “anti-vaccine” advocacy

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