E-Governance vs. E-Readiness in Urban Municipal Governments in Tamil Nadu, India

Author(s):  
Abdul Razak Mohamed

The fast growing information and communication technology (ICT) sector brought in the use of computers, internet and mobile phones not only by the technocrats but also by the general public to receive and send communication faster, cheaper and easier. This situation brought out visible changes in people life, government function and cities spatial form and structure. Globally, the e-Governance system approach attempts to change the government-centered planning and delivery of civic services to people-centered planning and execution of development. It is also evident that the transformation is prominent not only in the planning and production of services but also in terms of urban local government system. This is to state that there are two noticeable visible changes in the government system such as (a) Government to Governance, and (b) Governance to e-Governance. These changes make the central, state and local governments more responsible, transparent, and participatory in terms of planning, development and management of towns and cities. But due to the urgency and cope with the World order the central, state and local governments in India introduce e-Governance without looking into the concept of e-Readiness. This chapter attempts to explore the basic question such as how the application of e-Governance system to be considered as an important means towards improvement in the service delivery systems of urban local governments within the perspective of e-Readiness.

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Jain

A federal set up creates a multiple polity based on divided functions and powers among central, state and local governments. This paper explains the principal theoretical issues involved in financial relations between different layers of the government in a federal set up. It looks at the distribution of taxation powers between the Centre and state governments. It also outlines the special provisions with respect to Goods and Services Tax and sharing of Central taxes. The distribution of taxation powers between the Centre and the States is meant to minimise tax problems in a federal set up such as double taxation, tax rivalry among States, duplicate tax administration, and tax evasion. Constitutional division of taxation powers between the Union and the States in India rests on economic and administrative considerations, which are examined in this paper.


Government increasingly relies on nonprofit organizations to deliver public services, especially for human services. As such, human service nonprofits receive a substantial amount of revenue from government agencies via grants and contracts. Yet, times of crises result in greater demand for services, but often with fewer financial resources. As governments and nonprofits are tasked to do more with less, how does diversification within the government funding stream influence government-nonprofit funding relationships? More specifically, we ask: How do the number of different government partners and the type of government funder—federal, state, or local—influence whether nonprofits face alterations to government funding agreements? Drawing upon data from over 2,000 human service nonprofits in the United States, following the Great Recession, we find nonprofit organizations that only received funds from the federal government were less likely to experience funding alterations. This helps to illustrate the economic impact of the recession on state and local governments as well as the nonprofit organizations that partner with them.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Kozlowski ◽  
Rahinah Ibrahim ◽  
Khairul Hazmi Zaini

PurposeThis study aims to examine the trajectory of the urban growth of Borneo by portraying its resilient settlements in the pre-colonial times, tropical sensitive colonial architecture, the built environment of the post–independence period and finally the contemporary city image. This is followed by a comparative study of its major urban centres and determining how globalisation and neoliberalism impact the traditional urban settlements of this island and poses a threat to its rich biodiversity.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses case study research methodology involving selected cities on the Island of Borneo including Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Miri and Kuching (Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), and major cities of the state of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Data collection includes a literature review, content analysis, field assessment and observations. The major research objectives would address past and current issues in the selected urban environment of Borneo. They address the historical evolution of major cities of Borneo, current urban development trends, the deterioration of the traditional urban fabric as a result of post–independence development and later globalisation.FindingsThis study found that the rich cultural tradition and climate-responsive architecture from the past have been discontinued to pave way for fast track and often speculative development. The results contribute in the convergence of existing shortcomings of cities from three nations on Borneo Island in guiding future sustainable urban planning agenda for achieving a resilient city status while reinstating the character and the sense of place. The study expects the recommendations to become prerequisites for future urban planning in sensitive tropical regions.Originality/valueThis research identified a new “Borneo approach” to urban development. The study strongly recommends top priorities for the central, state and local governments of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia allowing the planners and decision-makers to establish a new tropical urban planning initiative with the ample design practice for this unique region in Southeast Asia. The results of this study can serve as the guiding principles for other urban environments in fragile and sensitive tropical regions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 303-328
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Sutton

The US Constitution never mentions “city,” “county,” or “township,” not even “local” or “municipal” governments. It concerns itself only with sovereign entities. Because local governments “cannot claim to be sovereigns” and because whatever power a local government has tends to flow from its state, that sounds like the end of the matter. But local governments still exercise sovereign powers, including law enforcement, eminent domain, education, taxing, zoning, and other indispensable “attributes of sovereignty.” Even if the US Constitution does not mention cities by name and even if cities cannot claim sovereign status, the federal charter still has ample consequences for municipal governments. This chapter takes vertical separation of powers one step further, to federalism within federalism. It explains the division of powers between state and local governments and chronicles disputes that have arisen between them. If, in modern America, like-minded people increasingly gravitate to similar states, the same is true within states, whether in cities, suburbs, or rural areas. Home rule and other local allocations of power sometimes allow people in these communities to express their distinct political preferences and live under them, too.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-212
Author(s):  
Qiang Yi ◽  
Xiaohong Zhu ◽  
Xianghui Liu

In the Guidelines of the State Council General Office on Government Procurement of Services from the Private and Non-governmental Sectors, “public service provider for the government” is broadly defined; it is stated that npos, businesses, and industry organizations have equal opportunity to be public service providers. A comparison of local eligibility requirements on npos serving as public service providers shows that the eligibility requirements focus on such aspects as service provider qualifications, time of establishment, organizational management, human resources, financial management, professional qualifications, annual inspection, evaluation, and honors. On the whole, the requirements are not demanding; the quality of public services is also secured through institutional design and innovation. The lax eligibility requirements imposed by local governments on npos as public service providers indicate that the social governance system will feature diversity, and reflect the government’s intention to support and develop npos. However, there are also some problems in local policies, such as 1) too much is at the discretion of the government; 2) the eligibility requirements are not good for the development of grassroots organizations; 3) no standards have been defined on eligibility for public service provider; and 4) related laws and regulations lack authority. Therefore, it is necessary to make government procurement of public services law-based and provide continued theoretical and institutional support for the implementation of the most authoritative policy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153851322110475
Author(s):  
Carlton Basmajian ◽  
Nina David

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan issued Executive Order 12372, revoking a relatively obscure publication issued by the Office of Management and Budget in 1969, Circular No. A-95. One of many policy changes that were part of a broad effort to rebalance how power was shared between the federal government, the states, and municipalities, Reagan’s pen stroke ended what for many planners had been a critical piece of urban policy during the 1970s. Part of President Lyndon Johnson’s 1960s Great Society programs, an era when federal assistance to state and local governments in support of domestic policy increased significantly, A-95 had established a coordination and review process that local governments receiving federal funding for planning development projects would be required to follow. The program was designed to force local governments to engage in more comprehensive regional coordination. For the next 12 years, almost every planner across the country, at some point or another, worked within the A-95 process. But researchers who examined A-95 during its short life struggled to produce solid evidence of its effectiveness. Absent a clear metric of the program’s success or failure, the history and legacy of the A-95 program has since been largely neglected. This paper explores the history of Circular A-95, a booklet issued by the US Office of Management and Budget to guide the implementation of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968. We argue that the rules contained in the A-95 circular should be understood as an effort to create a framework for regional planning. Using primary documents and secondary literature, we conclude that the program deserves to be re-read as an important attempt to use federal power to establish a pragmatic national planning policy in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy F. Page ◽  
Mark L. Williams ◽  
Graziana Cassella ◽  
Jessica L. Adler ◽  
Benjamin C. Amick, III

Purpose In June 2016, the first cases of Zika were reported in the USA in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a survey of Wynwood businesses about their perceptions of their financial well-being and the government and media’s responses to the Zika outbreak. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument was developed, and 44 owners/managers of Wynwood businesses were interviewed by telephone or in-person during the period when the outbreak was being managed. Findings Businesses reported downturns in revenues, profits, and customer traffic following the Zika outbreak. Believing that the downturn would be temporary, few businesses laid off workers or reduced prices. All businesses reported dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the outbreak. Originality/value This is the first study to document the impact of Zika on businesses located in outbreak areas. The findings highlight the business impact of Zika outbreaks and suggest a need for improved communication and response from state and local governments to business concerns when future outbreaks occur.


Metamorphosis ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay K. Singh

Deaths and injuries resulting from road traffic crashes are a major and growing public health problem in India. Every week nearly 2,500 people get killed and 9,000 get injured due to traffic accidents. Traffic accidents have now earned India a dubious distinction; with nearly 127,000 deaths annually, the country has overtaken China to top the world in road fatalities. While in many developed and developing countries including China, the situation is generally improving, India faces a worsening situation. Road traffic collisions on the nation's roads claim five times more lives now than they did three decades ago. Without increased efforts and new initiatives, the total number of road traffic deaths in India is likely to cross the mark of 250,000 by 2025. There is thus an urgent need to recognize the worsening situation in road deaths and injuries and to take appropriate action. Certain interventions such as enforcement of legislation to control vehicle speed and alcohol consumption, mandating the use of seat-belts and helmets, and safer design and use of roads and vehicles have huge potential to reduce the incidence and impact of road traffic crashes. The time has come for the central, state, and local governments to act now. Acting now will save thousands of lives.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Viktor Ladychenko ◽  
Olena Chomakhashvili ◽  
Olena Uliutina ◽  
Julia Kanaryk

The UN E-Government Survey 2016 on «E-Government in Support of Sustainable Development» offers a brief overview of e-government trends in the world. According to the survey, more and more governments are using information technology to provide services and engage people in decision-making processes in rural areas in their countries. Talking about the emerging economies in East Europe, the Ukrainian economy is growing faster with 50% of population living in rural areas, which develops incredible pressure on the government to give more focus on many ways of environmental safety of Ukraine. Ukraine is predominantly rural country and in order to improve the environmental conditions it is important that both central and local governments carried out national environment information activity. Modern information technology helps to disseminate environmental information in rural areas and is a major provider of information opportunities for the rural population. By 2020 Ukrainian government has a goal to achieve interaction at all levels by electronic mode. There are various electronic databases that are already functioning at the national level such as the Real Estate Register, Public Cadastral Map, etc. that can help the Ukrainian government to achieve greater transparency and successful governance. However, access to such registers is currently not possible for regional communities. Therefore, disposing of environmental information, avoiding environmental threats to the local population and enhancing the effectiveness of local governance is a goal for local governments. This paper offers a modern vision of information technologies in the field of natural resources management. E-government projects and ways to solve problems in the sphere of dissemination of information in rural areas in order to improve e-governance in contemporary Ukraine were explored. Keywords: Environmental information, information human rights, sustainable development, EU environmental policy


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (189) ◽  
pp. 27-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeleke Salami

Taxation is one of the most important and easy sources of revenue to any government, as the government possesses inherent power to impose taxes and levies. Nigeria tax system has been weak due largely to inadequate data of the tax base and heavy reliance on oil revenue. With the volatility in oil prices and excruciating impacts of the recent global financial crisis, taxation deserves more attention now than ever before in Nigeria. One issue that is critical to domestic resource mobilization and utilization is the issue of fiscal federalism. Nigeria operates three tiers of government; Federal, State and Local Governments with separate revenue, expenditure, and assigned responsibilities each. However, all decisions including resources are controlled from the centre and the vertical revenue allocations tilt more towards the direction of federal government, contrary to the tenets of federalism the country is practicing. Both vertical and horizontal revenue in Nigeria is engulfed in controversy. The paper presents key issues, trend and challenges of taxation and fiscal federalism in Nigeria. In addition, the paper highlights a number of suggestions that would stimulate increase in tax revenue and guarantee fiscal assignment acceptable to the federal and sub-national government.


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