Gendering and Spatializing the New Urban Space: A Study on Working Women in the City of Dhaka, Bangladesh

This paper will explain the gendering and spatializing of Dhaka city that unearths the interaction between the new urban public space and women’s spatial practices. These women are working in different shopping malls, fashion houses and beauty parlours of the city which was impossible for them few decades ago. This study has replicated the theoretical position of Lefebvre (1991) on production of space and Harvey (1989) on spatial practices. Tonkiss’s (2005) ‘Geography of gender’ has been used to describe the gendering and spatializing the new urban space of Dhaka. In short, the study has collected data using survey method and supplemented the quantitative findings with qualitative data by some unique and informative case studies. It reveals that the new urban space of Dhaka has been produced by increasing consumerism and the rise of private service sectors where huge numbers of women are working nowadays. It further exposes that the empowerment of women and simultaneously the unemployment of men is contributing to unleashing traditional patriarchy from being confined to domestic spheres. Men are now harassing women in public place more than ever before to hold up their masculinity symbolically. Consequently, women’s free movement in the public space is being restricted by their perception and experience of harassment by certain male population of the city and by women’s protective negotiation of the space. The paper thus argues that harassment against women in the public space in Dhaka has recently been connected to increasing participation of women in private service sectors during the recent neoliberal transformations. Social Science Review, Vol. 37(2), Dec 2020 Page 125-144

SERVICE AND PATIENTS PARTICIPATION ON SATISFACTION AND TRUST

In addition to being provided by private service providers, satisfactory services are also important for a government-owned service provider to build customer trust. The purpose of this research is to identify whether satisfaction from service and participation affects customer trust in government-owned hospitals. The research was conducted at RSUD Arifin Ahmad Pekanbaru using a survey method on a sample of outpatient service recipients. The sample consisted of 100 people who were selected using accidental sampling. The data were collected using a questionnaire and the analysis tools, namely SEM and WarpPLS software. The results showed that service and patient participation in services has a significant effect on patient satisfaction. In addition, patient satisfaction also has a significant effect on patient trust in government-owned hospitals.

Private Contracting and Citizen Attitudes Toward Local Government

Lawmakers use privatized service delivery to simultaneously maintain low taxes while also satisfying citizen demands for high-quality public goods and services. However, what effect does private contracting have on people’s attitudes toward local government? I design a survey experiment that tests how public–private collaborations alter how people attribute responsibility to government for the successes and failures of the delivery of goods and services. I show that private contracting makes it less likely that people will connect public services to government, which erodes their evaluations of government performance and the feeling that local government represents their interests. Moreover, I show that citizens are also more likely to blame local government for private service delivery failures than they are to praise it for private service delivery successes. This asymmetry in responsibility attribution makes it difficult for local governments to build support among its citizens when it relies on private contracting.

Understanding quality systems in the South African prehospital emergency medical services: a multiple exploratory case study

IntroductionIn South Africa (SA), prehospital emergency care is delivered by emergency medical services (EMS) across the country. Within these services, quality systems are in their infancy, and issues regarding transparency, reliability and contextual relevance have been cited as common concerns, exacerbated by poor communication, and ineffective leadership. As a result, we undertook a study to assess the current state of quality systems in EMS in SA, so as to determine priorities for initial focus regarding their development.MethodsA multiple exploratory case study design was used that employed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 18-point Quality Program Assessment Tool as both a formative assessment and semistructured interview guide using four provincial government EMS and one national private service.ResultsServices generally scored higher for structure and planning. Measurement and improvement were found to be more dependent on utilisation and perceived mandate. There was a relatively strong focus on clinical quality assessment within the private service, whereas in the provincial systems, measures were exclusively restricted to call times with little focus on clinical care. Staff engagement and programme evaluation were generally among the lowest scores. A multitude of contextual factors were identified that affected the effectiveness of quality systems, centred around leadership, vision and mission, and quality system infrastructure and capacity, guided by the need for comprehensive yet pragmatic strategic policies and standards.ConclusionUnderstanding and accounting for these factors will be key to ensuring both successful implementation and ongoing utilisation of healthcare quality systems in emergency care. The result will not only provide a more efficient and effective service, but also positively impact patient safety and quality of care of the services delivered.