scholarly journals When the impossible becomes possible: COVID-19’s impact on work and travel patterns in Swedish public agencies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Winslott Hiselius ◽  
Peter Arnfalk
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
Travel Patterns ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Liberal Approach ◽  
Scale Experiment

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly led to some of the most revolutionary changes in private and professional life around the world. While the extent and duration of these changes are not certain, they have already had a great impact on travel patterns. This is also the case in Sweden, despite its relatively liberal approach to restrictions, which relies on voluntary measures such as social distancing and self-monitoring for symptoms. Methodology Due to the pandemic, a shift to telework and virtual meetings is being tested in what can be seen as a large-scale experiment, and the knowledge and experience from that experiment may have lasting effects on everyday life. This study seeks to analyse the effects of government and public agencies’ recommendations on meeting and travel behaviour on employees at five public agencies in Sweden. Results The results indicate that the public authorities surveyed were well prepared and had a ‘backup collaboration solution’, at least technically, to make a rapid behavioural shift when travel was not an option. Though the Swedish government’s and Public Health Authority’s strong recommendations have led to the most dramatic reductions in work-related travel in modern times, the operations in Swedish agencies continue to function, along with the employees’ communications and collaborations. These results indicate that there is great potential for digital tools to influence if and how we commute and make business trips. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that such tools can make the impossible possible.

Extending the Information-Processing View of Coordination in Public Sector Crisis Response

2012 ◽  
pp. 326-345
Author(s):  
Rafael A. Gonzalez ◽  
Alexander Verbraeck ◽  
Ajantha Dahanayake
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Emergent Coordination

Coordinating the response of multiple public agencies to a large-scale crisis is a challenge that has been studied predominantly according to the information-processing view. In this paper, the authors extend this view with the notion of emergence giving special attention to information and communication technology (ICT). The extended framework is applied in a case study of crisis response exercises in the public sector. The findings suggest that current practices concentrate on standards and hierarchy, but mutual adjustment and emergent coordination also occur and are susceptible to analysis and equally relevant to understand coordination practices. In addition, ICT can provide information processing capabilities needed for coordination but may also create information processing needs by increasing the volume of data and the interconnectedness of responders. Applying the extended framework improves the understanding of coordination and forms the basis for its future use in designing ICT to support coordination in crisis response and e-government.

Extending the Information-Processing View of Coordination in Public Sector Crisis Response

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael A. Gonzalez ◽  
Alexander Verbraeck ◽  
Ajantha Dahanayake
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Emergent Coordination

Coordinating the response of multiple public agencies to a large-scale crisis is a challenge that has been studied predominantly according to the information-processing view. In this paper, the authors extend this view with the notion of emergence giving special attention to information and communication technology (ICT). The extended framework is applied in a case study of crisis response exercises in the public sector. The findings suggest that current practices concentrate on standards and hierarchy, but mutual adjustment and emergent coordination also occur and are susceptible to analysis and equally relevant to understand coordination practices. In addition, ICT can provide information processing capabilities needed for coordination but may also create information processing needs by increasing the volume of data and the interconnectedness of responders. Applying the extended framework improves the understanding of coordination and forms the basis for its future use in designing ICT to support coordination in crisis response and e-government.

scholarly journals Improving the Mechanisms of Public-Private Partnership

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 242
Author(s):  
Aliya Zyalilevna Minnibaeva ◽  
Irina Yurievna Vaslavskaya ◽  
Irina Alexandrovna Koshkina ◽  
Artur Faridovich Ziyatdinov
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Public Private Partnership ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Private Partnership ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
The Public ◽  
Activity State

Development of the Russian economy causes the growth of public requirements and structural changes connected with it directed to an increase in the efficiency of social and economic tasks solution. Need of partnership of the state and private business development for the solution of problems in the social and economic sphere predetermines by the insufficiency of opportunities of the public (budgetary) financing of investment projects, large-scale and significant for society. The public-private partnership (PPP) acts as one of the modern economic mechanisms allowing realizing the interaction of the state and business. The PPP, on the one side, represents a special form of influence of state authorities and management for the purpose of stimulation of business activity, and with another, acts as the economic mechanism of the solution of social and economic tasks. The article is devoted to the consideration of the public-private partnership mechanism as one of the most modern methods of economic activity state regulation which basis the basic coordination principle of the parties interests and allowing to combine interests and technologies of business. Need and the prospects of further development of mechanisms of state-private partnership on the basis of the state strategic planning are proved. Special attention is paid to the interrelation of development of public-private partnership and need of theoretical scientific research in the field of improvement of institutional, ensuring its realization. It is shown that the role of the mechanism of public-private partnership in the economy is defined, first of all, by its elements as subjects and objects of public-private partnership, priority spheres of realization. Authors allocate and describe a number of aspects of the mechanism of functioning of public-private partnership, namely: organizational and legal, financial and investment, technical and organizational, regional. In the article, the main problems connected with the development of the mechanism of PPP, including with lack of the description of concrete mechanisms of use of the majority of forms of PPP and lack of regulation of questions of division of powers between public authorities and business are allocated and proved.

scholarly journals A Framework for Open Civic Design: Integrating Public Participation, Crowdsourcing, and Design Thinking

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Brandon Reynante ◽  
Steven P. Dow ◽  
Narges Mahyar
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Future Work

Civic problems are often too complex to solve through traditional top-down strategies. Various governments and civic initiatives have explored more community-driven strategies where citizens get involved with defining problems and innovating solutions. While certain people may feel more empowered, the public at large often does not have accessible, flexible, and meaningful ways to engage. Prior theoretical frameworks for public participation typically offer a one-size-fits-all model based on face-to-face engagement and fail to recognize the barriers faced by even the most engaged citizens. In this article, we explore a vision for open civic design where we integrate theoretical frameworks from public engagement, crowdsourcing, and design thinking to consider the role technology can play in lowering barriers to large-scale participation, scaffolding problem-solving activities, and providing flexible options that cater to individuals’ skills, availability, and interests. We describe our novel theoretical framework and analyze the key goals associated with this vision: (1) to promote inclusive and sustained participation in civics; (2) to facilitate effective management of large-scale participation; and (3) to provide a structured process for achieving effective solutions. We present case studies of existing civic design initiatives and discuss challenges, limitations, and future work related to operationalizing, implementing, and testing this framework.

The Development of Three Image Quality Evaluation Metrics Based on a Comprehensive Dataset

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (29) ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Dalin Tian ◽  
Muhammad Usman Khan ◽  
Ming Ronnier Luo
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Quality Evaluation ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Color Contrast ◽  
Quality Estimation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Color Science ◽  
Scale Experiment

In this study, a large scale experiment was carried out to assess the image quality of 2266 images using categorical judgement method by 20 observers. These images were rendered in color contrast, chroma, colorfulness, lightness, and vividness directions. The results were used to derive three No-Reference (NR) Image Quality Estimation Models (IQEMs). The first model was based on color science, (different scales in CIELAB). The second model was a Neural Network model while the third model was a statistics model based on color appearance attributes. Their performances were evaluated using two databases, those developed at Zhejiang University and those available from the public databases in terms of correlation coefficients between the objective and predicted image quality scores.

scholarly journals Evaluating Innovative Financing Mechanisms for the California High-Speed Rail Project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailesh Chandra ◽  
Timothy Thai ◽  
Vivek Mishra ◽  
Princeton Wong
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
The Public ◽  
Construction Operation ◽  
Economic Vitality

Millions of dollars are involved in high-speed rail (HSR) infrastructure construction and maintenance. Large-scale projects like HSR require funding from a variety of avenues beyond those available through public monies. Although HSR serves the general public’s mobility needs, any funds (whether State or Federal) flowing from the public exchequer usually undergo strict review and scrutiny. Funds from public agencies are always limited, making such traditional financing mechanisms unsustainable for fulfilling HSR’s long-term operational and maintenance cost needs—on top of initial costs involved in construction. Therefore, any sustainable means of financing HSR projects would always be welcome. This research presents an alternate revenue generation mechanism that could be sustainable for financing HSR’s construction, operation, and maintenance. The methodology involves determining key HSR stations, which, after development and improvement, could significantly add value to businesses and real estate growth. Any form of real estate taxes levied on properties surrounding such stations could substantially support the HSR project’s funding needs. In this research, a bi-objective optimization problem is posed in conjunction with a Pareto-optimal front framework to identify those key stations. With 28 California HSR stations used as an example, it was observed that the four proposed HSR stations in Fullerton, Millbrae-SFO, San Francisco Transbay Terminal, and San Diego would be excellent candidates for development. Their development could increase the economic vitality of surrounding businesses. The findings could serve as valuable information for California HSR authorities to focus on developing key stations that would generate an alternate funding source for an HSR project facing funding challenges.

The Impact of Deregulation on the Quality of IDD Services

2001 ◽  
pp. 149-168
Author(s):  
Xu Yan ◽  
James Y.L. Thong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Specific Region ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Public ◽  
Telecommunications Infrastructure ◽  
Scale Experiment ◽  
Fierce Competition ◽  
The Impact

The introduction of deregulation in IDD service with effect from January 1999 triggered a round of extremely fierce competition in Hong Kong’s IDD market. In response, both the incumbent operator and the new entrants had to adopt aggressive strategies to defend or gain market share. This chapter reports on an intensive experiment of the quality of IDD services provided by the major IDD operators in Hong Kong. An innovative research methodology was designed and 240 members of the public participated in the controlled experiment. Based on 1,790 successful IDD calls to the 10 most popular destinations from Hong Kong, the IDD quality of the major operators was benchmarked. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first large-scale experiment of its kind that had ever been conducted. The experiment revealed some interesting findings. First, the monopoly control of the international gateway by the incumbent operator puts pressure on the other IDD operators to devise an appropriate strategy balancing tariffs against the quality of the IDD line. Second, when competition becomes mature, all IDD operators must place more emphasis on quality. Finally, the full benefits of quality improvement in telecommunications service in a specific region are also subject to the level of development of telecommunications infrastructure in its counterpart economies.

Antipol 97-Totem 97: A Large-Scale Exercise in the Mediterranean Sea

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-147
Author(s):  
Eric Calonne ◽  
Christophe Rousseau
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Major Operation ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Oil Company

ABSTRACT To implement the national POLMAR Plan, the French maritime and terrestrial authorities organise yearly large oil spill exercises called “Antipol.” Antipol 97 was of a greater scale than any other operation conducted in the past 10 years in the Mediterranean sea. During the 2 days of the exercise, major spill response capabilities were deployed on the sea with ten ships, including French Navy ships, together with the 280,000-tons tanker Iseult, owned by TOTAL. In the air, were five planes, including one of OSRL's C 130s flown in from Southampton and an Italian reconnaissance plane, as well as five helicopters. Various response actions were conducted at sea and on the shoreline: evacuation of injured crew from the tanker, tanker towing, lightering operation, deployment of boom and recovery equipment, shoreline cleanup using FOST co-operative resources and strike team. In parallel a large crisis management exercise called “Totem 97,” supported by TOTAL and prepared and conducted by CEDRE (Centre for Documentation, Research, and Experimentation in the Field of Accidental Water Pollution), mobilised crisis management teams in Toulon, Paris, Marseilles, Nantes, and Brest. This major operation had a triple objective:To test the efficiency of the new POLMAR Plan, the TOTAL Group, and France Shipmanagement emergency plansTo update and improve the procedures laid down in those plansTo demonstrate the collective crisis management performance of the three key players: the public authorities, the ship operator and the oil company For added realism Totem 97 included a unit run by CEDRE, that simulated reactions from the media, lobby groups, and the general public.

Is economic inequality a universal evil?

2019 ◽  
pp. 91-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rostislav I. Kapeliushnikov
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
The State ◽  
Fair Play ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
The Public ◽  
Discursive Power ◽  
A Current

Using published estimates of inequality for two countries (Russia and USA) the paper demonstrates that inequality measuring still remains in the state of “statistical cacophony”. Under this condition, it seems at least untimely to pass categorical normative judgments and offer radical political advice for governments. Moreover, the mere practice to draw normative conclusions from quantitative data is ethically invalid since ordinary people (non-intellectuals) tend to evaluate wealth and incomes as admissible or inadmissible not on the basis of their size but basing on whether they were obtained under observance or violations of the rules of “fair play”. The paper concludes that a current large-scale ideological campaign of “struggle against inequality” has been unleashed by left-wing intellectuals in order to strengthen even more their discursive power over the public.

International Conference "Ecology. Human. Society"

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Benatov
Keyword(s):  
Educational Process ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Market Participants ◽  
New Information ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Process Element

Our conference is the first project of Student Science Association, which was restored in our University in 1998. The main peculiarity of the conference is the student organizing committee. The conference was attended by representatives of Russia, Belarus, Sweden, Poland, Bulgaria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia, Iran, not mentioning hundreds of Ukrainian participants. We’re happy with the fact that our conference allows students to discover new information, which they wouldn’t find in training courses manuals; contrariwise businesses and organizations can get direct access to young and qualified staff. We believe that events like our conference are useful for the young scientists and also for the public authorities and businesses. Conference "Ecology. Human. Society "is a part of feedback between universities and market participants. The conference has overgrown limits of being simple educational process element. Today, it is a serious recruiting resource for state institutions and businesses - an important part of a mutually beneficial dialogue.

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