Evaluating Inclusive Transparency in Spanish Local Government

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-871
Author(s):  
Gema Pastor Albaladejo ◽  
Gema SAnchez Medero
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Political Citizenship ◽  
European Regulations ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Of Access

This article defines and analyzes a new concept: inclusive transparency.  Specifically, it conducts a comparative study of transparency portals in twenty-five Spanish local councils, all of which occupy prime positions in Transparency International’s Index of Municipalities. The evaluation aims to establish their degree of compliance with Spanish and European regulations, ensuring website accessibility for people with disabilities. To this end, an evaluation model (composed of 4 criteria, 11 variables and 45 indicators) has been generated, taking inspiration from electronic accessibility guidelines, which have been applied using automatic techniques and transparency portal revision manuals. The results of the research allow verification of a positive correlation between the levels of active and inclusive transparency. In other words, whether in terms of active advertising benchmark municipalities design and manage their portals in ways which also guarantee, alongside all other citizens, the right of access for people with limited capacities (hearing, visual, mobile and cognitive) thereby enahancing the exercise of their political citizenship and their social integration.

scholarly journals Categories and activities in the area of inclusion of people with disabilities found within commune strategies – selected examples based on the communes of the counties of Żywiec and Cieszyn districts

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
SEBASTIAN MRÓZEK
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Development Strategies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
The Right ◽  
Adam Mickiewicz

Sebastian Mrózek, Categories and activities in the area of inclusion of people with disabilities found within commune strategies – selected examples based on the communes of the counties of Żywiec and Cieszyn districts. Interdisciplinary Contexts of Special Pedagogy, no. 27, Poznań 2019. Pp. 29–52. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. ISSN 2300-391X. e-ISSN 2658-283X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/ikps.2019.27.02The issue of strategies of activities aimed at people with disabilities living in the relevant communes is a topic rarely undertaken in discourse of special pedagogy. These issues are found among the other activities that local government entities are contemporary obligated to implement, and span solutions and activities in the area of inclusion for people with disabilities. It is hence important to know and overcome problems and barriers that hinder or block the right functioning of people with disabilities. Some of solutions and activities are contained in the two types of communal strategic documents, these are: Commune Development Strategies and Strategies for solving social problems. The article consists of three parts. The first covers the characteristics of communal strategies and social policy towards people with disabilities. The second part presents the assumptions and results of research based on a qualitative analysis of strategic documents of 27 communes (about 3900 pages of documents) in terms of categories and activities regarding the inclusion of people with disabilities. The whole is summarised in the final conclusions. The aim of the study is preliminary recognition of exemplary activities found in the strategies of communes from the counties of Żywiec and Cieszyn. Text notes the “good practices” and noteworthy solutions for inclusion applied by local government entities with respect to people with disabilities.

scholarly journals Legislative and other measures taken by government to realise the right of children to shelter

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
I Mc Murray ◽  
L Jansen Van Rensburg
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Vulnerable Group ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
Socioeconomic Rights ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Effective Development ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Of Access ◽  
Legislative Measures

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa , 1996 entrenches numerous socioeconomic rights. One of these socio-economic rights is contained in section 26 that grants everyone the right to have access to adequate housing and section 28 that grants every child the additional right to basic shelter among others. This article aims to examine the legislative and other measures taken by the state to realise the right to shelter of children. Firstly, the legislative measures taken specifically for the realisation of children's right to basic shelter as envisaged by section 28(1)(c) will be discussed. Thereafter attention will be drawn to those measures taken to ensure the progressive realisation of section 26. Section 26 provides everyone, including children, the right of access to adequate housing. Therefore, every measure taken to realise section 26 is indirectly applicable to the realisation of section 28(1)(c) and children's right to basic shelter. The conclusion may be drawn that most of the discussed legislative and other measures are aimed at realising everyone's right of access to adequate housing, this includes children. However, most of these measures make little mention of the specific right of children to basic shelter. It is regarded as inclusive in the overall application of the legislation. Once again, it must be stressed that these legislative and other measures, in order to comply with the standard of reasonableness, must regard the interest of children to be paramount. If such legislation does not provide for the interest of children as a vulnerable group, it can be argued that the relevant legislative measure is not constitutionally valid. It is submitted that national government must recognise the importance of the role of local government, and local government should increasingly assume policy-making and implementation powers in their area. This will go a long way to building local capacity to function as effective development facilitators. As far as the resource problem is concerned, corruption in municipalities should be eradicated, while municipal capacity to manage and mobilise resources must be enhanced.  The importance of co-operative government cannot be over emphasised. Without an effective integrated plan of action, which includes cooperation between all three spheres of government, as well as the participation of civil society, especially people who are directly affected by the implementation of socio-economic rights, realising the right of children to shelter will only exist on paper.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF ACCESS TO PUBLIC SERVICE ON THE SAME TERMS AND THE ISSUE OF EMPLOYING A LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE FOR THE PERIOD OF REPLACEMENT – REFLECTIONS ON THE TOPIC

2021 ◽  
Vol specjalny (XXI) ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Bogusław Przywora
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Service ◽  
General Rule ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Government Employee ◽  
Constitutional Right ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Of Access

The study attempts to analyse the legal regulation concerning the employment of a local government employee for a replacement period from the point of view of the constitutional right of access to public service on equal terms. The study refers jurisprudence (in particular to the decisions of the Constitutional Tribunal). This solution is an exception to the general rule of competitive and open recruitment. It should be emphasised that the right resulting from Article 60 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland is not absolute. Hence the introduction of „exceptions” is permissible. However, this should be supported by another constitutional value. The analysed statutory regulation is only temporary (for the period of excused absence of an employee). It is based on the principle of efficiency and reliability of public institutions resulting from the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. The purpose of this solution is to ensure the effective performance of tasks by the local government.

Eliminating Invisible Barriers: Health Web Site Accessibility

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-86
Author(s):  
Christine Rzepka
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Accessibility Guidelines ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Simple Evaluation ◽  
The Web

One of the top reasons given for use of the internet is the ability to search for health information. However, much of the planning for web-based health information often fails to consider accessibility issues. If health care organizations and community agencies’ web sites have the latest, most wellresearched information on the health topics of the day, it is useless to those who cannot access it because of invisible technological barriers. Many flashy, high-tech sites were designed only to appeal to the needs of the mainstream population, with no consideration given to how people with disabilities must adapt their use of the web in order to access information. This article addresses issues of access specific to web site development, and will explore barriers to accessibility frequently experienced by web users with disabilities, requirements for ADA compliance, and how people with disabilities use the web. Web site accessibility guidelines, as well as simple evaluation tools, will be discussed. A thorough review of the article will enable even the least tech-savvy of health educators to enhance their skills in planning and evaluating web sites to promote access for people with disabilities.

Proposing a Way to Develop the Substantive Content of the Right of Access to Adequate Housing: An Alternative to the Reasonableness Review Model

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-93
Author(s):  
Gustav Muller
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
International Convention ◽  
Cultural Rights ◽  
Substantive Content ◽  
Convincing Case ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Review Model ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Of Access

In this article an attempt is made to put forward a convincing case for giving substantive content to the right of access to adequate housing and looks towards relevant international law elaborations on the meaning of this right as contained in the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). It does so while being aware of the Constitutional Court’s prior rejection of an international law-based minimum core interpretation of the right and opting, instead, for the so-called model of reasonableness breview. Given that the court has so expressly taken and stuck to this stance, it is argued in the article that an international law-based substantive interpretation of the right is possible – given that South Africa has recently ratified the ICESCR – and that it is preferable given the shortfalls of the model of reasonableness review. The article further highlights what difference the preferred reading of section 26(1) would make as to how courts ‘interpret’ reasonableness, that is, how courts review compliance with section 26 at present if ‘adequate’ housing is understood as having security of tenure and access to basic municipal services; is affordable, habitable and accessible; is located in close proximity to social facilities; and is culturally adequate.

The Obligation to Afford Reparation to Injured Individuals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Ferstman
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
International Law ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Human Rights Treaties ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Of Access ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter considers the consequences of breaches of human rights and international humanitarian law for the responsible international organizations. It concentrates on the obligations owed to injured individuals. The obligation to make reparation arises automatically from a finding of responsibility and is an obligation of result. I analyse who has this obligation, to whom it is owed, and what it entails. I also consider the right of individuals to procedures by which they may vindicate their right to a remedy and the right of access to a court that may be implied from certain human rights treaties. In tandem, I consider the relationship between those obligations and individuals’ rights under international law. An overarching issue is how the law of responsibility intersects with the specialized regimes of human rights and international humanitarian law and particularly, their application to individuals.

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