scholarly journals The Distortionary Effects of Incentives in Government: Evidence from China's “Death Ceiling” Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Fisman ◽  
Yongxiang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Government Officials ◽  
Sharp Discontinuity ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Ratchet Effects

We study a 2004 program designed to motivate Chinese bureaucrats to reduce accidental deaths. Each province received a set of “death ceilings” that, if exceeded, would impede government officials' promotions. For each category of accidental deaths, we observe a sharp discontinuity in reported deaths at the ceiling, suggestive of manipulation. Provinces with safety incentives for municipal officials experienced larger declines in accidental deaths, suggesting complementarities between incentives at different levels of government. While realized accidental deaths predict the following year's ceiling, we observe no evidence that provinces manipulate deaths upward to avoid ratchet effects in the setting of death ceilings. (JEL D73, J28, J45, J81, O15, P26, P36)

scholarly journals Towards the Construction of Productive Interactions for Social Impact

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Blanca L. Díaz Mariño ◽  
Frida Carmina Caballero-Rico ◽  
Ramón Ventura Roque Hernández ◽  
José Alberto Ramírez de León ◽  
Daniel Alejandro González-Bandala
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
Different Levels

Understanding the value of research for society has become a priority, and several methodologies have been developed to assess the social impact of research. This study aimed to determine how productive interactions are developed during the execution of research projects. A retrospective study was conducted on 33 projects from 1999 to 2020. Semi-structured interviews with the technical managers were conducted to analyze how different actors of the project—researchers, government officials, and civil society and private sector stakeholders—were involved, illustrating how productive interactions occur in specific biodiversity contexts. The results revealed different levels and intensities of productive interactions; on the one hand, three projects involved all actors; eight involved researchers outside the institution; and 25 involved community members. The number of participants ranged from 2 to 37. All research evaluated had a disciplinary orientation. The type and time of interactions with other interested parties depended on the amount of funding, project type, project duration, and, significantly, on the profile of the technical manager. The importance of assessing and valuing productive interactions was identified as a fundamental element in promoting the social impact of research, as well as integrating inter- or multidisciplinary projects that impact the conservation of socio-ecological systems.

The policy implementation costs and occurring mechanisms of bargaining among different levels of the Chinese governmental hierarchy: A case analysis of the prohibition of grazing in Sidong County

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-373
Author(s):  
Meng Feng
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
County Level ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
Bargaining Behavior ◽  
Different Levels

Bargaining is a significant form of interaction between different levels of the Chinese government. Therefore, the mechanism of bargaining is suggested as a representative operational model for understanding the behaviors of local governments in the hierarchical system of government. This paper describes in detail several rounds of bargaining between superior and subordinate government officials in the process of implementing a policy prohibiting grazing in Sidong County. The policy was made at the county level. Township-level governments chose to bargain with their superior due to the difficulty of implementation in the early stages but failed. Strict implementation then led to frequent conflicts between local government and farmers. The township level of government instantly turned to bargaining with the county level and used a confrontational strategy to successfully obtain more freedom for implementation. This paper uses the theoretical framework of implementation costs analysis to illustrate the functioning mechanism of bargaining behavior. The different combinations of implementation costs cause township-level governments to choose or adjust to different methods. The high cost of implementation processes allows the township-level government to use bargaining as the only reasonable method of implementation. The process of bargaining indicates that township-level governments improve bargaining ability relative to strict requirements for implementation of policy and intensifying social conflicts. The essential features of bargaining in policy implementation among different levels of the Chinese governmental hierarchy are: no deadlock implementation; agreement point swings from side to side; and alternating occurrences between short-run equilibrium and bargaining.

Using Excavated Slips to Look at Effective Governance of the Northern Frontier during the Han Dynasty—The Lelang Commandery in Han Slips

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-364
Author(s):  
Defang Zhang (張德芳)
Keyword(s):  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Content Area ◽  
County Level ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Effective Governance ◽  
Eastern Han ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Northern Frontier

Abstract By analyzing “The Record of the Increase and Decrease in the Number of Households in Lelang Commandery by County in Year Four of Chuyuan” 樂浪郡初元四年縣别户口多少[集] 簿 from Han tomb #364, located in Jeongbaekdong 정백동 (貞柏洞), Pyeongyang, this paper shows how population and territory were fundamental to the exercise of power. Complete population figures for Lelang Commandery 樂浪郡 are evidence of the existence of a governing mechanism of commanderies and counties in this region during the Western Han. Furthermore, an assortment of excavated seals in the area are symbols of different levels of official authority. The discovery of impressions on clay from seals of government officials from commandery level to county level, essentially covering every county in Lelang Commandery, indicates the effectiveness of various administrative bodies and officials of all levels in exercising their functions and powers. Wooden slips that refer to Lelang, which were excavated in the Juyan 居延 area, show that Lelang commandery and all other border commanderies were effectively governed during the Western Han down through Wang Mang to the Eastern Han.

Policy analysis in Colombia: an introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Nadia Rubaii ◽  
Pablo Sanabria-Pulido
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Critical Juncture ◽  
Government Institutions ◽  
Institutional Challenges ◽  
Different Levels

This chapter introduces the policy analysis in Colombia at a critical juncture in the country's history when having government officials capable of making evidence-based policy decisions is as important as ever. It evaluates the role of different levels of government, institutions of government, and actors outside of government in the development, implementation, and evaluation of public policy. It also highlights the degree to which analysis informs key substantive policy areas. The chapter details how governmental and nongovernmental institutions and actors have historically contributed to the analysis of policy options and outcomes. It describes Colombia as a country that exemplifies a particular path of development and has been able to configure a relatively developed public administration apparatus even with the presence of key institutional challenges.

Macao's gaming credit practices: 15 years after the gaming credit law

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Siu Lam
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Credit Law ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Experienced Difficulty

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of Macao's gaming credit practices with reference to its promulgation of the gaming credit law after its gaming liberalization.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews with casino executives, government officials and gamblers to probe their perspectives on Macao's gaming credit practices was adopted due to its underresearched nature. Documentary analysis of annual reports and court files was also used.FindingsDespite the potential of increased revenue with more credit, the credit risk for gaming concessionaires remained under control, while VIP-rooms and junket operators have adopted more prudent policy and faced substantial challenge in credit collection. All these would lead to greater alignment with law-based credit practices.Research limitations/implicationsSince gaming credit information was considered confidential, the author experienced difficulty in arranging the interviews, and the nonprobability sampling characterized by the selection bias might affect the findings.Practical implicationsThe findings have demonstrated some major credit practices such as credit charges on credit balances and terms and conditions for repayment for different credit providers in Macao.Originality/valueThe different credit practices by credit providers at different levels of gaming credit have been presented in the same paper.

scholarly journals THE METHODICAL PRINCIPLES OF CREATION OF ECONOMICALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT COMMUNITIES OF THE BASIC LEVEL

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1(66)) ◽  
pp. 53-61
Author(s):  
V.F GORIACHYK ◽  
G.M. MURZANOVSKIY
Keyword(s):  
Baseline Level ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Executive Power ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
The Status ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Different Levels

Topicality. This is due to the deterioration of the quality and accessibility of public services as a result of resource insecurity of communities, aging of the population and rural departures, reducing the level of professionalism of local self-government officials, excessive centralization of powers of executive power bodies and lack of financial and material resources. Purpose and tasks. Development of methodical foundations for the formation of economically viable communities at the baseline level. Results. An analysis of the methodology for the formation self-sufficiency of united territorial communities (UTC), approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from April 8, 2015, No. 214, showed that it can not be considered as a methodology for the formation of self-sufficiency communities. It does not contain provisions on the economic assessment of the compliance of community incomes with the costs that are necessary to ensure the provision of public services assigned to the community. The main focus of this methodology is to identify the potential administrative centers of the communities (in the first place, these are the cities of regional importance and settlements with the status of district centers) and their accessibility zones. The concept of self-sufficiency of a separate U�C is replaced by the notion of matching its per capita income to the average level among all U�Cs. The article formulated a scenario for the formation of economically self-sufficiency of communities of the baseline level, which involves a certain sequence of stages from the definition of the size of communities, the division of powers between different levels of administrative-territorial units on the principle of subsidiarity, the development of standards (norms) of public services, estimates of the costs required for the community exercising its powers and ending with legislative consolidation of the sources and volumes of community financing and its staffing. The project of distribution of powers between different levels of administrative-territorial units based on the principle of subsidiarity is proposed, which defines the level of provision of each service (community, district, region) and it is determined who has the authority to provide the service, has the opportunity and can most effectively perform the service. Conclusions. The proposed scenario for the formation of economically viable communities at the baseline level and the project of division of powers between different levels of administrative-territorial units provide the basis for developing a methodology for economically viable communities.

scholarly journals Stereotype of crafty statistics: content, causes and consequences

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-10
Author(s):  
Mikhail V. Karmanov
Keyword(s):  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Statistical Literacy ◽  
Social Stereotypes ◽  
The Government ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Different Levels

The purpose of the study: to consider comprehensively the stereotype of crafty statistics, a phenomenon widely spread in Russia in recent years. It implies that any officially published data supplied by ROSSTAT (Federal State Statistics Service) are not only inadequate and unrealistic, but also deliberately distorted. The paper scrutinizes the content, reasons and possible consequences of crafty statistics.Materials and methods. The paper attempts to unveil the genesis of the stereotype of crafty statistics as a response of civil society to sluggish efforts of government officials and politicians of different levels and ranks to stop declaring slogans and get down to real actions directed at improving living conditions and standards of the broad sectors of the populations. The paper suggests multiple reasons to explore the genesis of the stereotype of crafty statistics, which include complexity of methodology of statistical calculations, overwhelming average indicators, subjectivism in selecting indicators to describe socio-economic situation, data interpretation problems and others.Results. The conducted analysis revealed that it is due to overlay of the above factors that predetermines not only the mass character but also the resilience of this stereotype. Also, low statistical literacy of representatives of various segments of ordinary Russians, representatives of mass media, administration bodies of different level and political beau monde contribute to this phenomenon. The study describes possible negative consequences of the further development of this stereotype leading to serious damage to the government image, which the broad sectors of the population consider the initiator of this statistics, reflecting the improvement of the situation or actions in this direction.Conclusion. The paper reveals risks of any social stereotypes and stereotype of crafty statistics in particular thriving on the lack of trust from the population to any statistics data and turning it into an established negative trend of total distrust to any actions, projects and programs of the current government.

scholarly journals Verbal Expression of Preparedness in Retirement Planning Interviews

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Mahdysiuk ◽  
Halyna Tryhub ◽  
Tamara Duchiminska ◽  
Anna Kulchytska ◽  
Larysa Zasiekina
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Assessment Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Retirement Preparedness ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
High Level ◽  
Different Levels

Conceptualization of retirement requires interdisciplinary research, which is represented by psycholinguistic approach in the present paper. The study takes a first step to explore conceptualization of retirement by individuals with different levels of retirement preparedness. The study applies questionnaire Psychological Preparedness for Retirement (Zasiekina & Mahdysiuk, 2018) to assess levels of preparedness; semi-structured interviews to focus primarily on concerns related to planning postretirement period; Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) (Tausczik & Pennebaker, 2010) to reveal psychological categories and explore conceptualization of retirement.  By the end of the assessment, data had been collected from 117 workers who were at preretirement period. The sample was weighted by age and occupation in order to improve its representative of the total population 22 (18.8%) – university staff, teachers at colleges, 18 (15.4%), nurses in kindergartens, 8 (6.6%), healthcare staff, 18 (15.4%), government officials, 28 (23.9%), workers from private sector, 23 (19.7%). The final weighted sample includes 65.8% females, average age 54.52, (SD=6.21). The results indicate that 8.5% respondents have a low level of preparedness, 61.5% - a medium level of preparedness and 30% - a high level of preparedness. Interestingly, the highest percentage of categories of affect and positive emotions were observed in the group with a medium level of preparedness, whereas the highest percentage of categories cause, focus on present, and family were captured in the group with a high level of preparedness. Taken together, these results suggest that the high level of retirement preparedness is associated with active cognitive reappraisal of retirement as a period of family activities.

scholarly journals Corruption as a Source of Government Project Failure in Developing Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Sakyi Damoah ◽  
Cynthia A. Akwei ◽  
Isaac Oduro Amoako ◽  
David Botchie
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Failure Criteria ◽  
Product Phase ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Project Failure ◽  
Management Level ◽  
Government Project ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Different Levels

This study explores how corruption impacts the failure of government projects in developing countries with evidence from the Ghanaian context. This study solicits the perceptions of project management practitioners (14), contractors (6), government officials (clients; 5), and the general public (5) on the subject. The findings indicate that corruption influences government project failure on all the failure criteria that were used for the evaluation. However, corruption influences failure at two different levels: project management and product phase. At the project management level, corruption has direct influence, while at the product phase level, the influence is indirect.

Dependence of Intergranular Fracture on Boundary Topography and Cohesion

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 150-151
Author(s):  
J. E. Doherty ◽  
A. F. Giamei ◽  
B. H. Kear ◽  
C. W. Steinke
Keyword(s):  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Nickel Base Superalloy ◽  
Boundary Shear ◽  
Room Temperature Ductility ◽  
Solid Solution Matrix ◽  
Nickel Base ◽  
Solution Matrix ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Base Superalloy

Recently we have been investigating a class of nickel-base superalloys which possess substantial room temperature ductility. This improvement in ductility is directly related to improvements in grain boundary strength due to increased boundary cohesion through control of detrimental impurities and improved boundary shear strength by controlled grain boundary micros true tures.For these investigations an experimental nickel-base superalloy was doped with different levels of sulphur impurity. The micros tructure after a heat treatment of 1360°C for 2 hr, 1200°C for 16 hr consists of coherent precipitates of γ’ Ni3(Al,X) in a nickel solid solution matrix.

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