scholarly journals An analysis of the effects of equalisation funds on service delivery in selected local authorities in Zambia

Author(s):  
Hanson Chishimba ◽  
Eustarckio Kazonga ◽  
Evaristo Nsenduluka

Background: The government of the Republic of Zambia established the Local Government Equalisation Fund, to which each year parliament appropriates not less than 5% of the total amount of projected income taxes collected for the republic for that financial year. The purpose of the fund is to provide a source of financing for service delivery.Aim: The goal of this study was to analyse the effects of equalisation funds on service delivery in selected local authorities in Zambia.Setting: The study focused on Lusaka City Council, Luanshya Municipal Council and Chisamba and Luangwa town councils in Zambia.Methods: A concurrent mixed-methods approach was used. The population comprised registered property owners and council officials in the selected districts. The sample was drawn using stratified sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and analysed by using descriptive statistics and regression analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Qualitative data were analysed using a narrative approach.Results: The expenditure composition of the equalisation funds shows that expenditure on personal emoluments accounts for a greater proportion than capital and service expenditure. There were similarities and differences in the methods of service delivery among local authorities: the use of local government enterprise, contracting out, franchises, volunteers, self-help groups and in-house provision.Conclusion: There is lack of satisfactory adherence to the guidelines on utilisation of equalisation funds for service delivery as espoused by the central government. The local authorities studied do not adhere to the prescribed guidelines on the utilisation of equalisation funds.

Author(s):  
Galina Morozova ◽  
◽  
Diana Fatikhova ◽  
Elmira Ziiatdinova ◽  
◽  
...  

Introduction. The article presents the results of a study of communication in the system of local self-government of the Republic of Tatarstan as a subject of the Russian Federation conducted by the authors in November – December 2019. The study included a survey of representatives of regional media and press services of local authorities of the Republic of Tatarstan in order to determine the model of communication in the local government system and the role of PR-activities in the regulation of social interaction in the region. Methods and materials. The main method of studying was the method of expert survey. The authors developed a questionnaire, which was used during an interview with experts. When choosing an expert – a media representative for the interview – the authors took into account three factors: the rating of the represented media, the experience of the respondent in the regional media (at least five years) and the authority to make a key decision on the publication of the material. In order to identify the experts who are representatives of local self-government bodies, the authors of the article determined the following criteria: implementation of information and analytical activities in the structure of local self-government bodies, at least 5 years of experience as a head of a structural unit (public relations / media relations department) of local self-government bodies. Analysis. The analysis showed that the development of social media accelerates the process of establishing a two-way model of communication between the government and the public. Social media have become a full-fledged source of information both for the journalistic community and for the press services of local governments. Moreover, with the help of the content posted in posts on official accounts on social networks, local governments can attract residents of the municipal territory to participate in solving local issues. Constant monitoring, responding to comments, tracking negative content on social media are becoming everyday practices in the work of press services. Results. The results of the study indicate that over the past decade in the Russian Federation the necessary prerequisites have been formed for the formation of a bilateral symmetrical model of communication between local authorities and the population. This model is aimed at providing effective feedback that allows the local government to quickly respond to the aspirations and needs of the population, monitor their dynamics, constantly monitor the attitude and assessments of citizens of decisions made on the development of the city or region.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-101
Author(s):  
Daisy Luyun ◽  
Angelica Mamauag ◽  
Eladio Martin Gumabay ◽  
Darin Jan Tindowen

The current administration of the Republic of the Philippines is seen as an ardent advocate of federalism. This research study purports to explore the appreciation and understanding of the youth – specifically the Liberal Arts students in higher educational institutions who have the knowledge on the government forms, laws, and history of our system of government as regards a possible shift in the system of government. This study utilized descriptive qualitative design through Collaizi’s method of data analysis. Findings show that informants having perceived the possible shift on the system of government of the Philippines, have led to three clustered themes namely: (1) federalism defined, (2) benefits of federalism, and, (3) possible challenges during the transition period. Moreover, it is concluded that informants defined federalism as a system of government where powers are being decentralized to the local government and the latter being independent from the national / central government. Standardized local legislation, increased economic status, and responsive local government were identified as the benefits of federalism. Lack of proper knowledge, constitutional proceedings and amendments, and, costly and time-consuming were cited as the possible challenges during the transition period on the shift in our system of government. We suggest that, in order to actualize federalism, there is a need to enhance governance capabilities through transparency and accountability and a clearer definition of local autonomy should be observed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
R Aditya Yudhanegara

On May 20, 2011, the government of the Republic of Indonesia enacted Presidential Instruction (Inpres) number 10 of 2011 as the start of the forest moratorium policy. This policy aimed to reduce the rate of deforestation and forest degradation through a moratorium on the issuance of new permits. However, the effectiveness of this policy in achieving these goals is still being debated. This study shows that the forest moratorium policy has successfully reduced the extent of the concession area, as well as the average deforestation and forest degradation rate in Papua Province. However, the concession extent was not directly proportional to the rate of deforestation and forest degradation in the concession area, and the decline of the average rate of deforestation and forest degradation was not accompanied by a steady rate during the enactment of the policy. This study also reveals that policy implementation at the provincial level was hampered by the communication factor, the resources factor, and the disposition factor. We recommend that, besides limiting the concession area, the government should improve the licensing governance by strengthening the monitoring and evaluation, as well as the mechanism of business-work-plan approval. Also, the central government should improve coordination with the local government to overcome factors hampering the implementation of the moratorium policy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiwin Dwi Ratna

Abstract Amendments to the laws on local government undnagan impact on local government authority in running the affairs of government. For 10 years Indonesian running the regional autonomy system using Law No. 32 of 2004 on local government, and amendments thereto, for the moment the law declared invalid by the enactment of Law No. 23 Year 2014 on Regional Government, the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia Year 2014 No. 244, on October 2, 2014. in the Act governing the affairs of government that must be done by the central government, provincial government and local government district / city. Some affairs are regulated in more detail in the Government Regulation No. 18 Year 2016 concerning the Region, which regulates the scope of authority in dealing with government affairs. PP No. 1/2016 outlining the areas that must be held in an area with indicator, scale of values that can be found local work load. Environmental Management itself in Law number 23/2014 and Government Regulation No. 1/2016 is a category / classified in the Mandatory government affairs unrelated to basic services.Keywords: Local authorities, Environment, government affairs


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Asri Lasatu

The purpose of the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia is to protect and realize the welfare of citizens. Therefore, the main responsibility of the government is to provide protection and guarantee to every citizen to get a job and a decent living for humanity. Limitations of domestic employment, as well as the public's desire to work overseas, should be responded positively by the government, by formulating regulations both at the central and regional levels. This study will examine the roles and responsibilities of local governments as an effort the law protection against Indonesian Migrant Worker working abroad.This research is a normative legal research with approach of legislation and concept approach and analyzed qualitatively to give perspective on legal issue to the object of this research study. The results show that the responsibility of local government, especially in the pre-placement, post-placement, and empowerment phase of placement of migrant workers, while the placement of migrant workers is the responsibility of the central government. Implementation of local government responsibilities should be supported by regulations established by local governments.


Author(s):  
Hoolo Nyane

In Lesotho the adoption of the new constitution in 1993 made provision for local development. These constitutional provisions were only operationalised in 1997 through an Act of parliament (Local Government Act 1997). The question of how functions are assigned between the central and local governments has always been an area of dispute. The Act attempted to demarcate the assignments through the Schedules to the Act which embody the functions of local authorities at various levels – community councils, urban councils and district councils. However, local development and service delivery continue by and large to be undertaken by central government despite the demarcation. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to critically analyse the challenges of assignment of functions to local authorities in Lesotho. The paper contends that as the assignment of functions is integral to decentralisation in Lesotho, intergovernmental relations and assignment of functions should be incorporated into the country’s constitution.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alois Madhekeni ◽  
Gideon Zhou

Centre-local relations have been an area of controversy in Zimbabwean local governance both as a discipline and as a practice. Local authorities have traded blows with central government particularly accusing the responsible Ministry of reducing them to spectators in their own field through excessive ministerial intervention. Meanwhile the ministry of local government has cracked the whip on local authorities accusing them of mismanagement and compromised service delivery. The independent media has described the scenario as a “Bloodbath” in local authorities. What appears to be misconstrued by many however is the fact that the governing legal and institutional framework of local governance in Zimbabwe provides room for the responsible Minister to legally enable or disable local authority administration. This governing framework has been and is still the “Achilles heel” of local authorities and the raison d’être of ministerial intervention in Zimbabwe.


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Edward Hutagalung

The fi nancial relationship between central and local government can be defi ned as a system that regulates how some funds were divided among various levels of government as well as how to fi ndsources of local empowerment to support the activities of the public sector.Fiscal decentralization is the delegation of authority granted by the central government to theregions to make policy in the area of   fi nancial management.One of the main pillars of regional autonomy is a regional authority to independently manage thefi nancial area. State of Indonesia as a unitary state of Indonesia adheres to a combination of elementsof recognition for local authorities to independently manage fi nances combined with the element oftransferring fi scal authority and supervision of the fi scal policy area.General Allocation Fund an area allocated on the basis of the fi scal gap and basic allocation whilethe fi scal gap is reduced by the fi scal needs of local fi scal capacity. Fiscal capacity of local sources offunding that comes from the area of   regional revenue and Tax Sharing Funds outside the ReforestationFund.The results showed that the strengthening of local fi scal capacity is in line with regional autonomy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 9-53
Author(s):  
Krystyna Wojtczak

The article considers the legal status of the voivode during the interwar period, the time of the difficult restoration of the Polish identity and the creation of the Polish state in the post-Partition lands with three separate systems of territorial division and local administration. The legal situation of the office of the voivode is closely related to the establishment of the systemic foundations of the highest Polish authorities (legislative and executive) and local administration (initially, on the territory of the former Kingdom of Poland and then on the gradually annexed former Polish territories). The author refers to both spheres of legal activity of the Polish state at that time. She discusses the primary political acts, i.e. the March Constitution (1921), the April Constitution (1935) and the Constitutional Act (1926), as well as regulations concerning county administrative authorities of the first instance, situated in the then two-tier (ministries – county offices) administrative apparatus. Attention is primarily focused on the acts directly concerning the position of the voivode, i.e. the Act of 2 August 1919, the Regulation of the President of the Republic of 19 January 1928, and executive acts issued on the basis of these, and against whose background the importance of the legal institution of the voivode is presented: during the time of attempts to unify the administrative system (1918–1928), and in the period of changes leading to a uniform organisational structure of voivodship administrative authorities (1928–1939). The analysis makes it possible to state that successive legal conditions strengthened the political position of the voivode. In both periods covered by the analysis, the voivode was a representative of the government (with broader competences in 1928–1939), the executor of orders from individual ministers, the head of state and local government authorities and offices (1918–1928), the head of general administrative bodies subordinate to him, and the supervisory body over local government (1928–1939). The position of the voivode in the interwar period was unquestionably very strong.


Author(s):  
Sarunkorn Chotvijit ◽  
Malkiat Thiarai ◽  
Stephen A Jarvis

There is significant national interest in tackling issues surrounding the needs of vulnerable children and adults. At the same time, UK cities are under significant financial strain, as local government financial settlements (the distribution of central government resources) decrease in real terms and yet urban populations, which draw on local government services, continue to grow. This study focusses on the city of Birmingham, the UK’s largest and most populous city outside of London. In a data-led study, using data derived from personal social care records, we analyse the management and delivery of social care services by Birmingham City Council, which itself is the largest local authority in Europe. This research employs state-of-the-art data analytic techniques to analyse six years of Birmingham City Council social care data, to identify: (i) Service cost profiles over time; (ii) Geographic dimensions to service demand and delivery; (iii) Patterns in the provision of services, which may assist with future service planning and provision, and (iv) The extent to which data value and data protection interact. In response to recent fiscal challenges, Birmingham City Council is expected to make savings of £815 million over the 9-year period 2011/12 to 2019/20. Delivering savings of this scale, whilst protecting and safeguarding the most vulnerable citizens within a growing urban population, is one of the biggest challenges facing the UK’s second largest city.


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