Refusing relocation: Urban street vendors and the problem of the neoliberal device

In 2010, the City of Dakar published its new master plan for a clean, competitive, modern city. This plan entailed the relocation of thousands of walking street vendors to free up traffic circulation and reduce the economic costs of congestion. Unlike previous relocations, this program required the political participation of vendor associations in the planning and design of a new commercial center. It also required the vendors to pay user charges: monthly payments for the use of the center and its utilities. Yet most Dakar's street vendors unequivocally refused to relocate, citing the building's poor location, bad design, and high price. Such user charges have become a contentious device with which governments across the world are financing the provision of public services. In this article, I analyze the politics of this device by tracing the linkages from Dakar's relocation program back to the political philosophies of prominent intellectuals commonly associated with “neoliberalism.” In doing so, I reveal how popular refusal is not beyond or opposed to a depoliticizing neoliberalism, but instead forms an integral part of neoliberal reflections on popular politics. I conclude by analyzing the political effects of this neoliberal device in Dakar: it introduced a new style of political engagement—consumption—through which individual vendors could dispute their relocation. And this individualized refusal to consume incited their representative associations to extend a popular mode of valuation—negotiation—into the calculation of the building's price.

Transformation Of Lithuanian Road Charging

The current road user charge in Lithuania is based on a temporary system and is not connected to the actually covered mileage. The time-based charge is not considered to be socially fair; therefore, the principles 'user pays' and 'polluter pays' shall be employed. The charge to be introduced will take into account the interests of local road infrastructure users who are currently paying unreasonably high charge for a short distance covered. If the current system is retained and e-tolling system is not established, heavy vehicle drivers would continue paying aroad user charge by purchasing e-vignette. It would mean that road user charges paid by vehicle owners/holders would not cover the damages directly made by the user and the current road charging system would not guarantee sufficient financing for the maintenance and development of the road infrastructure. Legal decisions on electronic road charging system have not been taken yet; however, the project implementation preparation is underway. The latest Parliamentary approvals were received in September 2020, and it is believed that all necessary legal acts will be amended by the end of 2020. The road charging technology has not been selected yet. However, the conducted project's implementation analysis, the assessment of necessary investments and road charging system maintenance costs revealed that a GPS-based technology would be the most economical one. It is planned to implement the electronic road charging system by the beginning of 2023. Upon the project's implementation, additional financing to ensure high quality and safe main roads should be allocated.

A Review of the User Fees Policy for Primary Healthcare Consultations in Botswana: Problems With Effective Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

Background: The Government of Botswana introduced user-fees for primary health care consultations in 1975. The policy has remained in place since then, although the fee has remained largely unaltered despite rising inflation. Early reviews of the policy pointed to problems in its implementation, but there has been no evaluation in the past 20 years. The aim of this study was to review the policy to assess whether documented issues with its implementation have been addressed. Methods: This qualitative study involved interviews with 32 key informants: 18 policy makers and 14 front-line revenue collectors. Data were analysed thematically using a template approach with constructs from an established organizational capacity assessment framework used as predetermined categories to guide data collection and analysis. Results: Limited administrative and management capacity has been a major hindrance to effective implementation of the policy. The lack of infrastructure for effective revenue collection led to misappropriation of funds. Lack of clear guidelines for health facilities on how to implement the policy generated interdepartmental conflicts. Study participants believed the current policy was unlikely to be cost-effective since the cost of collecting fees probably exceeded the revenue it generated. Conclusion: If the Botswana Government persists with the policy then it needs to improve organizational capacity to collect and manage revenues efficiently. However, policy thinking since the turn of the century has turned away from user-charges in health care as they impede the move towards universal access. It is timely therefore to consider alternative financing approaches that are more effective and a more equitable means of paying for healthcare.

Algunas reflexiones sobre las distintas alternativas existentes para financiar el mantenimiento y conservación de las carreteras españolas

LABURPENA: Zenbait finantzaketa-eredu daude Espainiako errepideak mantentzeko eta zaintzeko, eta horiek oinarrituta daude bideen erabiltzaileentzat doakoak izatean edo azpiegitura horiek erabiltzearen truke ordaintzean. Zer aukera hautatzen dugun, finantzaketa-sistema orok funtsezko ezaugarri berak bete behar ditu, nahitaezkoa baita irizpide egonkorrak, aurresangarriak eta proportzionalak betetzea. Ildo horretatik, dauden finantzaketa-formula guztiak aztertzen ditu lan honek, eta ahalegintzen da bakoitzaren zailtasunak eta bertuteak agerian uzten; egiaztatutako arazoak arintzeko tresna juridikoak eskaintzen ditu, halaber. Bereziki, errepideak aurrekontu orokorren kontura finantzatzea edo tasak (bideen erabileraren iraupenaren arabera) edo bidesariak (erabiltzaileek ibilitako zatia) erabiltzea aztertuko da. ABSTRACT: There are different financing models for the maintenance of Spanish roads, which are based either on gratuity for road users or on payment for the use of such infrastructures. Regardless of the alternative chosen, the essential characteristic which any financing system must meet are identical, requiring submission to stable, predictable and proportional criteria. In this sense, the paper addresses the different financing formula, trying to highlight their difficulties and virtues, as well as offering legal tools in order to mitigate any problems that may arise. In particular, the work will analyse the financing of roads from general budgets, the implementation of user charges - linked to the duration of road use - or the use of tolls - which are levied on the distance travelled by road users. RESUMEN: Existen distintos modelos de financiación para el mantenimiento y conservación de las carreteras españolas, que se sustentan bien en la gratuidad para los usuarios de las vías o bien en el pago por el uso de dichas infraestructuras. Con independencia de la alternativa escogida, las características esenciales con las que ha de cumplir todo sistema de financiación son idénticas, exigiéndose el sometimiento a criterios estables, predecibles y proporcionales. En este sentido, el presente trabajo aborda las distintas fórmulas de financiación posibles, tratando de poner de manifiesto las dificultades y virtudes de las mismas, así como ofreciendo herramientas jurídicas para mitigar los problemas que pudieran constatarse. En particular, se analizará la financiación de carreteras con cargo a presupuestos generales o el recurso a tasas –vinculadas a la duración del uso de las vías– o a peajes –que gravan la distancia recorrida por los usuarios.

IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN PERATURAN BUPATI NO 20 TAHUN 2019 TENTANG SISTEM ONLINE PAJAK DAN RETRIBUSI DAERAH DI KECAMATAN MARITENGNGAE KABUPATEN SIDENRENG RAPPANG

This study aims to determine the Implementation of Regulations Policy No. 20 Regent about the online system of taxes and local levies in Sidenreng Rappang Regency. The population in this study amounted to 213 while the samples taken were 21 respondents. The sampling technique used is using the Yount formula. Data collection techniques used through observation, questionnaires, documentation. The data analysis technique used is descriptive analysis with a frequency table. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of Bupati regulation regulation no 20 2019 on the online system of regional taxes and user charges in the Maritengngae District of Sidenreng Rappang Regency is in the effective category, as the result of data processing shows the category of "Good / effective" with a percentage of 57.82%. The most influential factor is the policy disposition of 63.70%, and the lowest yield is the resource factor of 53.55%.

The long-term effects of free care on birth outcomes: Evidence from a national policy reform in Zambia

As women in many countries still fail to give birth in facilities due to financial barriers, many see the abolition of user fees as a key step on the path towards universal coverage. We exploited the staggered removal of user charges in Zambia from 2006 to estimate the effect of user fee removal over up to five years after the policy change. We used data from the birth histories of two nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys to implement a difference-in-differences analysis and identify the causal impact of removing user charges on institutional and assisted deliveries, caesarean sections and neonatal deaths. We also used the rich survey data to explore heterogeneous effects of the policy. Removing fees had little effect in the short term but large positive effects appeared about two years after the policy change. Institutional deliveries in treated areas increased by 25 to 35%, driven entirely by a reduction in home births. However, there was no evidence that the reform changed the behaviours of women with lower education, the proportion of caesarean sections or reduced neonatal mortality. Institutional deliveries increased where care quality was high, but not where it was low. While abolishing user charges may reduce financial hardship from healthcare payments, it does not necessarily improve equitable access to care or health outcomes. Shifting away from user fees is a necessary but insufficient step towards universal health coverage, and concurrent reforms are needed to target vulnerable populations and improve quality of care.

Financing infrastructure using floating-interest-rate infrastructure bond

This paper proposes a floating-interest-rate infrastructure bond, where the interest of a government bond is paid to investors during the period of construction and the early period of operation. Unlike the usual government bond, which provides a fixed interest rate, the proposed floating-interest-rate infrastructure bond pays a floating interest, the rate of which depends on spillover tax revenues. Effective infrastructure projects have a positive effect on the economic growth of a region, known as the spillover effect. When user charges and the return from spillover tax revenues are below the fixed rate of the government bond, the interest rate will equal to the fixed rate of the government bond. In this case, investors in the infrastructure will receive interest on the government bond at the minimum rate. As the spillover effect of the infrastructure increases, the rate of return for infrastructure investment will become greater than the fixed rate of the government bond. The success of the floating-interest-rate infrastructure bond depends on the spillover effect and on transparency and accountability. Policy recommendations are provided in this paper on how to increase the spillover effect and improve transparency and accountability.

Is There a Link between User Charges and Expenditures on Public Kindergartens in Poland?

<p>The aim of this article is to assess the link between user charges and expenditures on the service on the example of public kindergartens in Poland. The rationale behind the paper is that implementation of user charges for public service results in effiient use of resources and leads to the passing-on of expenditure increase to consumers. To achieve the aim, three methods were used, namely weighed-least-squares, fixed effect and random effect method. The empirical analysis based on a panel data set for 65 large Polish cities in the years 2012–2018 showed that about 10–25% of an expenditure increase is passed on to consumers in terms of higher user charge. Moreover, user charge financing has a significant negative effect on the unit cost. An increase in the share of user charges in expenditures by 10 pp causes a decrease in expenditure at the level of 2.5–5.0%.</p>

Implementasi Kebijakan dan Strategi dalam Pengelolaan Sampah di Kabupaten Blora

Latar belakang : Tingginya timbulan sampah merupakan permasalahan global yang berdampak pada kesehatan, oleh karena itu diperlukan strategi dalam pengelolaannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran implementasi kebijakan pengelolaan sampah dan mendeskripsikan tingkat kepuasaan masyarakat terhadap pengelolaan sampah yang ada di Kabupaten Blora.Metode : desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif untuk mengeksplorasi dan mendeskripsikan implementasi dan menilai tingkat kepuasaan dalam pengelolaan sampah. Penentuan sampel secara Stratified Proporsional Random Sampling pada penduduk yang bertempat tinggal dilokasi penelitian meliputi kecamatan Jepon, kecamatan Banjarejo, kecamatan Ngawen dan kecamatan kota Blora berjumlah 100 orang. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah lembar kuesioner untuk bahan wawancara dan observasi lapangan. Model analisis menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif kualitatif dengan paramater kebijakan untuk mengetahui implementasinya dan Indeks Kepuasan Masyarakat untuk menilai tingkat kepuasaan pelanggan terhadap pengelolaan sampah.Hasil : Implementasi pengelolaan sampah di Kabupaten Blora dapat berjalan dengan baik yang berpedoman pada dengan Peraturan Daerah Kabupaten Blora Nomor 1 Tahun 2011 tentang pengelolaan sampah, yang dilaksanakan mulai dari pengutipan retribusi, sumber timbulan sampah, pewadahan, pengumpulan (TPS), pengangkutan dan tempat pemrosesan akhir (TPS). Tingkat kepuasan masyarakat terhadap pelayanan pengelolaan sampah berdasarkan Indeks kepuasan mencapai angka 86,858 dengan grade B atau memuaskan.Simpulan : peraturan daerah tentang pengelolaan sampah memberikan kepastian hukum dalam implementasi pengelolaan sampah sehingga mampu memberikan kepuasaan terhadap pelanggan ABSTRACTTitle : Implementation and Strategy on Waste Management: Study Case at Blora RegencyBackground: The high level of waste generation is a global problem that impacts on health, therefore a strategy is needed in its management. This study aims to determine the description of the implementation of waste management policies and describe the level of community satisfaction with waste management in Blora Regency.Method: the research design used is descriptive qualitative to explore and describe the implementation and assess the level of satisfaction in waste management. Determination of the sample by Stratified Proportional Random Sampling of the population residing in the study site included Jepon sub-district, Banjarejo sub-district, Ngawen sub-district and Blora sub-district totaling 100 people. The instrument used was a questionnaire sheet for interview material and field observations. The analysis model uses a qualitative descriptive analysis method with policy parameters to determine its implementation and the Community Satisfaction Index to assess the level of customer satisfaction with waste management.Result: The implementation of waste management in Blora Regency can run well which is guided by the Regional Regulation of Blora Regency Number 1 of 2011 concerning waste management, which is carried out starting from the quotation of user charges, sources of waste generation, storage, collection (TPS), transportation and processing. end (TPS). The level of community satisfaction with waste management services based on the satisfaction index reaches 86.885 with grade B or satisfactory.Conclusion: Local regulations on waste management provide legal certainty in the implementation of waste management so that they are able to provide satisfaction to customers