scholarly journals The new trajectory of social policy in Greece: An ambulance service or a sustainable pathway to social policy improvement at the local level?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Kyrillos Spyridopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Material Deprivation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Local Approach ◽  
Policy Improvement ◽  
Social Pharmacy ◽  
The Eu

This paper examines whether the EU cofinanced project “structures for the provision of essential goods: social grocery, common meals, social pharmacy” that is implemented horizontally in Greece since 2014, can navigate its beneficiaries out of the risk of poverty and social exclusion (AROPE). To this end, the paper surveys, through in-depth semi-structured interviews, beneficaries of the project in the municipality of Pavlos Melas. The findings of the case study suggest that the project constitutes an important safety net, helping beneficiaries experiencing severe material deprivation address manifold needs, including social and psychological. However, at the same time, the project is limited in scope, fails to meet demand and rarely addresses the root causes of poverty. While the project is suggestive of the advantages that a local approach to social policy has to offer, its implications are not far-reaching

scholarly journals Different Stakeholder’s Perspectives on Cultural Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of the Anzali Wetland, Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Sakineh Ghorbanzadeh ◽  
Kaj Björkqvist
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Environmental Conflict ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Anzali Wetland ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Northern Iran

The study investigates local level environmental conflict between two groups of stakeholders, by analysing their opinions about the importance and use of the cultural ecosystem services of the Anzali Wetland in northern Iran. Data were analysed statistically on the basis of semi-structured interviews with 193 respondents from (a) administrators within the areas of forestry, agriculture, environment, and harbour, and (b) non-administrators, i.e. local people such as fishermen, hunters, and visitors. The results showed that there was a difference between the two groups of stakeholders regarding use of, and attitudes towards cultural services in the wetland. The sense of belonging to the place, and the importance of the cultural heritage were cited as more important among the non-administrators. They also used the wetland more for activities such as sports, social activities, fishing and hunting, while the administrators appreciated the wetland more for the enjoyment of its beautiful natural scenery. The locals used the wetland practically, while the administrators saw the importance of the wetland in more abstract terms. The study highlights the importance of assessing viewpoints of a variety of stakeholders, and including also cultural values in decision-making about ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Leadership Communication during Organizational Change: Internal Communication Strategy: A Case Study in Multinational Company Operating in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Agnetha Ophilia ◽  
Z. Hidayat
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Multinational Company ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Literature Study

This research discusses the phenomenon of organizational change or restructuring in a multinational company (PT. X) and how leaders in these organizations carry out communication strategies when conveying changes and messages to their employees regarding the rearrangement of organizational structures. What is the leader's role as a liaison or messenger for effective communication at the local level? This research is a qualitative case study research with descriptive research type, and data were obtained through in-depth interviews, researcher observation, and literature study. This case study's primary focus is to understand and describe the production and reception of messages towards organizational change and know the management and employee's perspective during changes communication through leaders. The semi-structured interviews were conducted to find out how communication deploys, and then the message of change can be accepted by employees.   Received: 21 October 2020 / Accepted: 23 December 2020 / Published: 5 March 2021

scholarly journals Hollowing out national agreements in the NHS? The case of “Improving Working Lives” under a “Turnaround” plan

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-159
Author(s):  
Ian Roper ◽  
David Etherington ◽  
Suzan Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
The Face

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the resilience of a national-level initiative (Improving Working Lives (IWL)) in the face of local-level initiative (Turnaround) in an NHS hospital and compare to Bach and Kessler’s (2012) model of public service employment relations. Design/methodology/approach Case study research consisting of 23 in-depth semi-structured interviews from a range of participants. Findings The principles behind IWL were almost entirely sacrificed in order to meet the financial objectives of Turnaround. This indicates the primacy of localised upstream performance management initiatives over the national-level downstream employee relations initiatives that form the basis of the NHS’ claim to model employer aspiration. Research limitations/implications The case study was conducted between 2007 and 2009. While the case study falls under previous government regime, the dualised system of national-level agreements combined with localised performance management – and the continued existence of both Turnaround and IWL – makes the results relevant at the time of writing. Originality/value Some studies (e.g. Skinner et al., 2004) indicated a perception that IWL was not trusted by NHS staff. The present study offers reasons as to why this may be the case.

scholarly journals Why Political Parties don’t and do Matter in Local Government Elections in Indonesia: A Manado Case

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (77) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanus Sampe
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Computer Application ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Local Elections ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews

ABSTRACT Introduction: Despite decentralization devolving increasing decision-making powers to subnational governments across Asia, the subject of local-level elections has not received anywhere near the academic attention afforded to national elections. This article aims to make a contribution to filling this gap in the literature on the dynamics of local election by examining the political parties’ activities in the 2010 local executive election in Indonesia through the detailed case study of Manado City. Materials and Methods: This article used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies for a case study of the Manado local government election in 2010. These methods include direct observation which had been done during the election in 2010, review of relevant media articles and books, collection of statistics from relevant government organizations and interviews. The latter comprised the most important and novel aspect of the research. The interviews were of two types: First, there was a quantitative survey of 100 selected voter respondents using questionnaire with 22 closed-ended questions. Second, there were semi-structured interviews with the local leaders of political parties, the heads of campaign teams, the candidates, the members of the local electoral organization, the representatives of NGOs, mass media personnel and the survey organisations who monitored the election. The quantitative data was explored with the aid of a computer application program (SPSS) while the qualitative data was analysed through a thematic approach. Although the qualitative data collection and analysis was dominant, the quantitative methodology was still important in this article. Results: This article found a paradoxical situation in that political parties did not and did matter. They did not matter case was supported by evidence showing that voters chose candidates based on their personalities, behaviours and programs rather than on party loyalty. On the contrary, they did matter case derived from the superior organisational abilities of parties in running successful election campaigns and in aligning themselves with the candidates most likely to win. Discussion: This article had made a valuable addition to explaining the activities of political parties at local level in the context of decentralization. The implication of this research is that although voters did not choose political parties, the latter were nonetheless highly significant in determining the outcome of the local government election in Manado City. So, it is useful for future research to consider more closely the role of parties in local elections.

scholarly journals Portuguese Artisanal Fishers’ Knowledge About Elasmobranchs—A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila M. Silva ◽  
Célia M. Teixeira ◽  
Cristina Pita ◽  
Henrique N. Cabral ◽  
Susana França
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Reproduction Season ◽  
Minimum Landing Size ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Closed Season

The high economic value of fisheries was historically associated to commercial teleost fishes. Since the 1970s, despite some elasmobranchs becoming an important target or a bycatch, relatively little research has been carried out on this group because of their low economic value. Due to their specific life history characteristics, sharks and rays are particularly vulnerable to overexploitation, taking several decades to recover after reaching an overexploitation status. In Portugal elasmobranch fishery results mainly from targeted longlining and bycatch from different fishing gears. During the last decade, the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) of rays have been decreasing, the European Union (EU) banned the capture of some ray species, the Portuguese government implemented both a closed season and a minimum landing size for some rays, and the EU prohibited target fishing for sharks. All these measures may have been highly responsible for the national and local landings reduction. Official landings from the last decade were analyzed, the landed species conservation status was consulted, and structured interviews using a questionnaire were conducted in the most important fishing port in the Portuguese mainland, the port of Sesimbra. Results led us to conclude that fishers’ answers and landings data did not match. It also revealed a lack of awareness by fishers about the state of shark and ray populations, and about some aspects of their biology and ecology, like reproduction season and method. The present study highlights the need to fill in this existing gap in knowledge through the transfer of scientific knowledge and sharing of management responsibilities. Also, we aimed to demonstrate the necessity for awareness and education activities within fishing communities, an essential step to elasmobranch conservation.

scholarly journals Public libraries in Switzerland: RDA and the FRBRization watershed

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 98-112
Author(s):  
Elisa Banfi ◽  
Arnaud Gaudinat
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Face ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how Swiss public libraries are experiencing a normative revolution connected to new cataloging standards, such as RDA and the FRBRization of catalogs.Design/methodology/approachThanks to semi-structured interviews, the paper analyzes the current positioning of Swiss public libraries on the “bibliographic transition” issue by using a case study of the network of municipal libraries in Geneva.FindingsIn Switzerland, the federal and multi-linguistic structure of the library networks increases the organizational obstacles to the adoption of new cataloging principles and formats. At the local level, the Swiss municipal libraries have to cope with this complexity to transform their structures and continue to offer competitive and effective services to their users.Practical implicationsThe paper proposes six scenarios of technology watershed for the analyzed case study and their consequences for cataloging standards and rules.Social implicationsThe paper shows how the adoption of technological and conceptual innovations has to be done in the face of real organizational and administrative constraints, especially in the case of public lending libraries.Originality/valueThe paper analyzes at the empirical and theoretical levels how, especially in Switzerland, the variety of governance levels and linguistic areas have made strategizing more complex for public lending libraries.

Corporatism from the Firm Perspective: Employers and Social Policy in Denmark and Britain

2004 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATHIE JO MARTIN
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Growth Opportunity ◽  
Active Labour ◽  
The Impact

This is an evaluation of the impact of corporatist and pluralist employers' associations on firms' programmatic participation in active labour-market and social policies in Denmark and Britain. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with randomly-selected companies, it explores whether employers' associations engage differently with their constituent firms in corporatist and pluralist settings, and whether corporatist countries have an advantage in implementing active social policies. Variations in type of employer organization are found to constitute a determinant of cross-national differences in business attitudes towards the welfare state. Membership in a Danish employers' association confers an entirely different set of effects from membership in a British group and associational membership is a significant positive determinant of firm participation in Denmark but not in Britain. Active social policy has been viewed as a growth opportunity in a new issue area by the Danish ‘peak’ employers' association and its sectoral members. Although this association is losing some control over collective bargaining, its constituent associations have developed other functions, such as creating deliberative forums for managers, especially at the local level. The research also highlights the role of the state in the renegotiation and survival of corporatist institutional arrangements.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Rural Development Plans in Vietnam—How to Build Resilience at the Interface of Policy and Practice

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1926
Author(s):  
Lucia Halbherr ◽  
Harro Maat ◽  
Tiffany Talsma ◽  
Ronald Hutjes
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Capacity Building ◽  
Development Plans

The interconnectedness between climate change and development has generated an increasing interest amongst development organisations to integrate adaptation into government rural development plans in a way that effectively increases resilience at a local level. However, the nature of climate change resilience is widely debated in the literature, and there is a knowledge gap regarding the best way to address adaptation at the interface with development objectives as part of mainstreaming. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap via a case study of a community-based, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) project in Vietnam. A case study approach was applied with fieldwork at one project site, complemented by semi-structured interviews with government stakeholders, key experts, and project leaders of related projects. The analysis identifies five key factors that enhance rural resilience in a smallholder agricultural context: (i) engaging local governments as partners, (ii) considering broader landscape issues such as markets, (iii) providing farmers with support to facilitate adoption of CSA practices, (iv) fostering community capacity building, and (v) promoting adaptive management and scenario planning to deal with uncertainty. The paper concludes that resilience is multidimensional and not solely in line with any one of the approaches dominant in the literature.

scholarly journals Urban planning and climate transition post Covid-19. A case study of Athens, Greece

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Themistoklis Pellas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Climate Transition ◽  
The Eu

This paper deals with the risk of the spread of infec5ous diseases through space, looking at how COVID-19 is becoming a concern in planning. To this end, it employs as a case study the urban development project “The Great Walk” by the Municipality of Athens, Greece. By doing so, it evidences the link between the response to COVID-19 and climate change at the local level in the EU.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the LEADER Program in Slovak Republic - Case Study LAG "Vršatec"

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Dragan Brković ◽  
Marian Hamada
Keyword(s):  
Slovak Republic ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Evaluation Procedure ◽  
Situation Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Results ◽  
European Court ◽  
Local Strategy ◽  
The Eu

This paper analyze and evaluate the implementation of the LEADER program in Slovak Republic. The applied methodology follows the training that the EU evaluators receive when they are requested to analyze the degree of implementation and strategy of LAGs. In a field research in LAG Vršatec, semi-structured interviews are conducted and are following the methodology applied by the European Court of Auditors. The presentation structure of the research results follow the evaluation procedure: at first, the situation analysis is described, and then the local strategy formulated by the LAG is analyzed. In the end, the projects that are submitted and selected by the LAG with all actors involved and their relationship within the partnership are presented. Considering the findings detailed in these previous sections, conclusions and recommendations are formulated to finalize the evaluation of the LAG Vršatec.

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