scholarly journals An interrupted transmission? Processes of CCTV implementation and the impact of human agency

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete Fussey
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the processes that bring about the creation of new public-space CCTV schemes. Through an appraisal of the grounded activities of the practitioners who make decisions over CCTV, the role of agency is identified as a particularly strong, yet relatively neglected, influence on its implementation. Moreover, beyond dichotomised notions of central structures and local agency, an understanding is developed of the complex interaction between the individual actors involved in CCTV dissemination and the political context in which they operate. In doing so, public policy is identified as the vehicle through which camera surveillance systems become installed and disseminated throughout public space. Moreover, these various forces of structure and agency become filtered through identifiable networks of policy-makers, comprising 'responsibilised' actors who oversee the deployment of CCTV. This analysis is used to revisit a range of administrative and theoretical understandings of surveillance, including: citations of CCTV as an evaluated response to crime; the attribution of power- and interest-based agendas to its implementation; and accounts which locate CCTV expansion within various evolving societal processes. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork data gathered during doctoral research, the paper considers the activities of practitioners at a local level and identifies crucial contexts, drivers and negotiations on which expanding surveillance is contingent. Ultimately, it is argued that the process of CCTV installation – from conception to material implementation – is disrupted and mediated by a range of micro-level operations, obligations, processes, managerial concerns (particularly conflict resolution and resource issues), structures and agency, and the indirect influence of central government. These not only arbitrate over whether the CCTV becomes installed, but also generate a range of additional uses for the cameras, many of which are performed before they are even switched on. This emphasises the need to consider the processes that enable and constrain the actions of those making decisions over CCTV and demonstrates how no single interest becomes solely participant in the deployment of surveillance. Finally, because of the centrality and contingency of both human agency and the structural contexts in which it operates in determining the installation of CCTV, questions arise concerning the importance of integrative sociological theories in understanding the deployment of surveillance.

scholarly journals New Labour and New Surveillance: Theoretical and Political Ramifications of CCTV Implementation in the UK

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (2/3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pete Fussey
Keyword(s):  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Disciplinary Power ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
Surveillance Society ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Criminological Theories ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the implications of New Labour's approaches to crime and disorder on CCTV implementation. It concentrates on the usage of CCTV as one of the government's many initiatives, which are intended to address crime and disorder, including the fear of crime. In particular, the impact of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act (CDA) - the cornerstone of this government's approach to crime reduction - on the generation of such strategies is examined. The paper revisits neo-Marxist and Foucauldian analyses of the so-called surveillance society through an appraisal of the complex relationship between structure and agency in the formulation and implementation of anti-crime and disorder strategies. Drawing on fieldwork data the paper considers the activities of practitioners at a local level by focusing on the influence of central government, local communities and 'common sense' thinking based on certain criminological theories. It is argued that a myriad of micro-level operations, obligations, processes, managerial concerns (particularly conflict resolution and resource issues), structures and agency - as well as the indirect influence of central government - shape CCTV policy. Ultimately, the creation of new local policy contexts under the CDA emphasise the need to consider incremental and malleable processes concerning the formulation of CCTV policy. In turn, this allows a re-examination of theoretical accounts of surveillance, and their attendant assumptions of sovereign or disciplinary power.

Work-based learning through negotiated projects – exploring learning at the boundary

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Algers ◽  
Berner Lindström ◽  
Lars Svensson
Keyword(s):  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Boundary Crossing ◽  
Open Learning ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – More collaborative and open learning models are suggested as part of the paradigm shift in the way knowledge is produced, distributed, and used. The purpose of this paper is to explore a work-based learning (WBL) model, based on systemic negotiations between actors from the three parties: the academy, the industry, and the students. The purpose is to investigate how teachers, supervisors, and students value negotiated WBL as a boundary activity and to enhance the understanding of the learning potential at the boundary. Design/methodology/approach – Activity theory is used as a lens to analyse the results from a survey to the three stakeholder groups and interviews of students. The four learning mechanisms are used to explore learning at the boundary between the two activity systems. Findings – Diversity and mobility in education and work addressed by the notion of boundary crossing are associated with both challenges and a learning potential. There is a constant dynamic between structure and agency, where structure, the negotiated model, influence the individual agency. When gradually removing scaffolding students can as boundary crossers engage behaviourally, emotionally, and cognitively and have agency to handle contradictions at a local level. However, they did not seem to prioritise both systems equally but instead they were gradually socialised into the activity system of the industry. Originality/value – When WBL is framed by a negotiated partnership it can manage and customise inherent conflicts of interest and enhance individual learning opportunities at the boundary and can be conceptualised as an open learning practice.

scholarly journals National-Local Networks and Immigration Governance

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-376
Author(s):  
Jill L. Tao
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Local Autonomy ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
The Impact

The ability to regulate the flow of goods, capital and people across borders is one of the defining characteristics of nation-state political power. But there is not always agreement between the central government and local officials as to the desirability of immigration, where local governments may desire greater, or fewer, numbers of immigrants, depending on the local economy and labor needs. In South Korea, a unitary form of government offers an opportunity to examine the policy distance between the national government’s stance on immigration based on the politics of the ruling party, and the attitudes of local officials who work for metropolitan-level governments (those with a population of one million or more). I look at the impact of local economic market needs on local attitudes towards national immigration policy through the lens of intergovernmental relations and Lipsky’s concept of bureaucratic discretion. Comparing two cases drawn from local governments in South Korea with dissimilar economic bases but similar levels of local autonomy, I find that economic needs at the local level are addressed by local approaches to immigration policy. Contrary to expectations, the cases illustrate the relative importance of fiscal autonomy and a new understanding for political autonomy. These cases illustrate the need for caution when applying political and institutional theory within new contexts and offer new variables for future investigations of local autonomy.

Administrative reform in China's central government — how much `learning from the West'?

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Christensen ◽  
Dong Lisheng ◽  
Martin Painter
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
The West ◽  
Public Sector Innovation ◽  
Chinese Characteristics ◽  
New Public ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The Impact

The prevailing interpretation in the scholarly literature is that public sector reform in China during the period of marketization has been driven primarily by internal, contextual factors rather than being under the sway of particular global reform models or theories such as New Public Management. The aim of this article is to move beyond arguing from inference that `Chinese characteristics' continue to be dominant and to inquire into the manner and extent of external influences on central government reform actors. We assume a `multi-causal' model in which both internal and external factors are present. From a survey of the literature on the reforms, we conclude that, while there are some `unique' features, most of the themes (and even the results) of modern Chinese reforms are not unique and have parallels in Western countries. Moreover, aside from the similarities in the content and substance of administrative reforms, the patterns and styles of reform in China and in the West in the past 20 years show marked similarities and parallels. Thus, external reform ideas and influences are being diffused through reform processes. Further empirical and theoretical analysis is required to establish the more specific nature of scanning and dissemination, or other forms of diffusion; the kind of learning that is taking place; and the impact that any imported models or templates actually have on reform proposals and outcomes in particular reform episodes. Points for practitioners • Whereas many scholars tend to believe the lip service the Chinese leaders pay to the `uniqueness' of China's public sector reforms and their `Chinese characteristics', their leaders have been very eager to `learn from the West'. • Emulation and learning at a global level are key aspects of contemporary public sector innovation and reform, even between jurisdictions that are seemingly very different from each other. • The development of sophisticated mechanisms for scanning and selective learning are key requirements for a rapidly developing public sector such as China's.

scholarly journals New Public Management, Public Service Bargains and the challenges of interdepartmental coordination: a comparative analysis of top civil servants in state administration

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Balle Hansen ◽  
Trui Steen ◽  
Marsha de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Close Link ◽  
New Public ◽  
State Administration ◽  
The Impact

In this article we are interested in how the coordinating role of top civil servants is related to the argument that country-level differences in the adoption of New Public Management significantly alter the Public Service Bargains of top civil servants and consequently their capacity to accomplish interdepartmental coordination. A managerial PSB limits top civil servants’ role in interdepartmental coordination, as their focus will be on achieving goals set for their specific departments, rather than for the central government as a collective. We test our argument with empirical insights from a comparative analysis of five countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. We find that our argument is only partly valid and discuss the theoretical and empirical implications of the analysis. Points for practitioners Alongside the introduction of New Public Management, the relationships between ministers and their top civil servants in state administration have evolved. At the same time, societal issues are getting more complex and demand a holistic, cross-sector approach. The concept of a managerial Public Service Bargain is used to analyze changes in top civil servants’ role and the impact of reforms on the capacity of top civil servants to accomplish interdepartmental coordination. Practitioners can learn more about the close link between challenges for interdepartmental coordination and changes in the role and functioning of top civil servants.

scholarly journals THE NPFM IN EMERGING ECONOMIES: THE MODIFIED BUDGETING SYSTEM (MBS) IN MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Muslim Har Sani Mohamad ◽  
Yusuf Karbhari
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

<p class="Style12">This study examines the impact of the MBS on overall financial management in the Malaysian central government organisations. This study adopted cross sectional survey with two main stages of data collection - questionnaire and interview surveys. Providing evidence on the applicability of NPFM in developing countries, generally the respondents agreed that the MBS had improved financial management processes of their organisations by virtue of Expenditure Target, greater autonomy to operational managers and result based performance measures. However, structural weaknesses related to annuality and resistance to change by managers might undermine the reforms. Problems including shortfall of allocations and delays in receiving funds at responsibility centres should be addressed by the government. More importantly, this study provides evidence about the effectiveness of the NPFM mechanisms, which has its western origin, to civil service organisations in emerging economies.</p><p class="Style1"><strong>Keywords : New Public Financial Management (NPFM), Modified Budgeting </strong><strong>System (MBS), Evaluation, Emerging Economies, Malaysia, </strong><strong>Financial Management</strong></p>

scholarly journals Jednomandatowe okręgi wyborcze a jakość reprezentacji. Przykład zastosowania jakościowej analizy porównawczej

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-170
Author(s):  
Igor Lyubashenko ◽  
Marta Żerkowska-Balas
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
City Council ◽  
Quality Of Democracy ◽  
The Impact

This article attempts to make an empirical verification of the impact the electoral law on shaping the expectations of voters towards elected representatives. The analysis was conducted using data collected under the project entitled ‘The impact of electoral rules on the quality of local democracy in Poland’, whose fundamental premise was to take advantage of the situation arising after the amendment to the Electoral Code in 2011, as a result of which different electoral regulations were in force in the 2014 local government elections in various similar cities. Therefore, it was possible to verify a number of statements functioning in public space regarding issues, such as the positive impact of single-mandate constituencies on the quality of democracy (in particular, on the quality of democracy at the local level).The purpose of the analysis was to try to find regularities in changes in perceiving the role of councillors that may have occurred as a result of different electoral regulations. To this end, we used the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) methodology, which allows the study of relationships between sets and the interpretation of these relationships in terms of necessity and sufficiency.The results suggest that the introduction of the majority system in a number of cities in the 2014 local government elections did not lead to the formation of a coherent model of political representation at the city council level, which would be qualitatively different from the representation model characteristic for cities with a proportional electoral system.

scholarly journals The Evolutions, Transformations, and Adaptations in Beirut’s Public Spaces

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Mady
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
New Public ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Right ◽  
Space Production ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Impact

Beirut, Lebanon, has been a nexus for the east and west, has undergone episodes of conflict including the civil war between 1975 and 1989, and still witnesses instability to the present. This status has affected its everyday life practices, particularly as manifested in its public spaces. Over time, Beirut’s population has reflected the ability to adapt to living with different states of public spaces; these include embracing new public space models, adjusting to living in the war-time period with annihilated public spaces, and establishing a reconnaissance with post-war reintroduced, securitized, or temporary public spaces. Lefebvre’s space production triad serves to distinguish among spaces introduced through planning tools, from spaces appropriated through immaterial space-markers, or spaces established through social practices. This article provides an overview of the evolution of Beirut’s public spaces, starting with the medieval city and through into the 19th century, before examining the impact of instability and the conditions leading to the emergence of social spaces in the post-war period. It particularly highlights public spaces after 2005—when civic activism played an important role in raising awareness on the right to inclusive public space—by referring to literature, conducting interviews with public space protagonists, and addressing a questionnaire survey to inhabitants. The cases of Martyrs Square, Damascus Road, and the Pine Forest are presented, among other spaces in and around Beirut. The article reflects on the ability of some public spaces to serve as tools for social integration in a society that was segregated in the bouts of Beirut’s instability.

The Impact of Digitalization on Social Interaction and Public Space

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-99
Author(s):  
Susan J. Drucker ◽  
Gary Gumpert
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Mobile Media ◽  
Transformative Power ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

The tradition of urban public space confronts the reality of a ubiquitous, mobile ‘me media’ filled environments. Paradoxically, the ability to connect globally has the tendency of disconnecting location. The examination of modern public spaces, diversity and spontaneity in those spaces requires recognition of the transformative power of changes in the media landscape. Compartmentalization or segregation of interaction based on choice shapes attitudes toward diversity. In the digital media environment the individual blocks, filters, monitors, scans, deletes and restricts while constructing a controlled media environment. Modern urban life is lived in the interstice between physical and mediated spaces (between physical local and virtual connection) the relationship to public space. Augmented with embedded and mobile media public spaces simultaneously offer those who enter a combination of connection and detachment. This paper utilizes a media ecology model.

Life after public employment retrenchment: evidence from Italian municipalities

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 733-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Auricchio ◽  
Emanuele Ciani ◽  
Alberto Dalmazzo ◽  
Guido de Blasio
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Previous Literature ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Public Employment ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Housing Services ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract We investigate the interaction between public and private employment at the local level. In contrast to previous literature, which has mainly examined public sector expansions, we provide evidence about the impact of downsizing. Using data from Italian municipalities, the IV strategy we adopt here exploits the fact that the contraction in public employment observed between the last two Censuses (2001–2011) was strongly influenced by the decision made by central government, with little reference to local economic conditions. Our results suggest that exogenous reductions in public employment stimulate the growth of private jobs, mostly in tradables. The change in local prices, especially for housing services, represents a relevant channel for the interplay between the tradable and non-tradable sectors.

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