Influence of Governance Practices on Performance of County Governments in Kenya

The Kenyan government acknowledges that there has been poor performance in the public sector over the years, especially in the management of public resources, which has hindered the realization of sustainable economic growth. Governance presents the single biggest opportunity for operational efficiency in any organization; therefore, its adoption is paramount in public sector management. The study examined the influence of governance practices on the performance of county governments in Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to establish how internal controls, stakeholder participation, internal audit standards, and transparency influence the performance of county governments in Kenya. The study employed a descriptive research design. The target population was Heads of Departments in all Ministries, Chief Officers of all Ministries, and Members of the County Assembly. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data gathered from the questionnaires administered was analyzed with the help of SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The study used multiple linear regression and correlation analysis to show the relationship between the variables. The study findings indicated that internal controls, stakeholder participation, internal audit standards and transparency have a positive and significant relationship with on performance of county governments' in Kenya. The entire null hypotheses was rejected. The study recommends that the County Government should encourage stakeholders to participate by incorporating their views in governance processes. A feedback mechanism should also be delivered where stakeholders are informed of the process of their participation and the key decisions that result from the participation. Further, the study recommends that there is need for the county government to come up with its calendar of events on its activities. Keywords: Internal Controls, Stakeholder Participation, Internal Audit Standards, Transparency, Performance & County Government.

Relationship Between Budgetary Monitoring and Financial Performance of County Government of Kericho, Kenya

Budgeting has become a fundamental issue for many organizations and business entities across the globe. Despite the availability of a legal framework on budgetary processes in the public sector, County Governments are still facing challenges such as delays in payment to suppliers, budget deficit, stalled projects, and poor development records. It is on this basis that this study sought to investigate the relationship between monitoring and financial performance of the County Government of Kericho. The study was guided by expenditure theory. The study adopted a correlation survey research design. The target population for the study was 3,848 employees from 12 departments of the County Government of Kericho. A stratified sampling technique method and simple random sampling technique were used to ascertain the sample size for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were presented by frequency tables, charts, and graphs, while inferential statistics were presented by correlation and regression models. The findings established that there was a significant statistical relationship between budgetary monitoring and financial performance (β = 0.901, p < 0.05). The study concludes that the budgetary monitoring had significant impact on financial performance of County Government of Kericho. The study recommends that for an efficient budgetary process, the county government should set realistic revenue targets to ensure that expected expenditure matches expected incomes and also acquire and train staff involved in budget planning for an efficient planning process. Participation from other stakeholders was also recommended to enhance the implementation process. The study recommends that further research on determinants of budget implementation in county governments should be carried out.

Influence of Corporate Governance on Performance in Public Hospitals in Embu County, Kenya

Corporate governance is important to the performance of Public Hospitals (PHs) all over the world. This study investigated the Influence of Corporate Governance on Performance in PHs in Embu County, Kenya. The objective of the study was to assess how board characteristics influence performance in PHs in Embu County. The study’s main problem was to assess the performance in PHs using level of customer satisfaction, level of employees’ satisfaction and efficiency. Given that there is minimal research in corporate governance on management of PHs especially in Embu County, the study addressed challenges faced by management, thus helping formulate policies and strategic guidance for County Governments (CGs). The Stewardship Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership Style were used to develop the theoretical framework on corporate governance. The information was gathered from 140 respondents using questionnaires. Quantitative data was analyzed using Descriptive Statistics whereas Qualitative data was analyzed using Content Analysis Method. The findings were then recapitulated to ascertain whether PHs have put in place policies and guidelines that conduct best practices of corporate governance. Some of the outcome were; PHs complied with the application of corporate governance but failed to implement it fully; the PHs adhered to most of the regulations and government policies but failed to fully adhere to corporate governance guidelines on board characteristics. Finally, the summary and recommendations were then prepared for policy formulation and future use in research on corporate governance on performance in PHs in Embu County, Kenya and globally.

Effects of Sales Tax Competition on Local Revenue Capacity: Empirical Analysis of California County Governments

This study empirically examines the effects of tax competition in both horizontal and vertical ways on the revenue capacity of counties in California from 2003 to 2015. Spatial Durbin model (SDM) identifies the effects of two-way tax competition on a county’s revenue capacity. The findings provide evidence that local sales tax helps a county expand its total revenue, but the two-way tax competition brings about a decrease in local revenue capacity as a result of spillovers. Furthermore, a lower-taxing area can have more benefits because the expansions in the neighbors are much greater than the higher-taxing one. In spite of the extant research of tax competition, this study adds another contribution to this research arena that the empirical approach of the SDM rules out the geospatial effects of the other explanatory variables that might have some unobserved effects in the extant literature.

Influence of Income Generating Activities and Resource Accessibility on Empowerment of Women in Makueni County

There is need to establish the role played by NGOs in promoting women empowerment and how this leads to reduction of the socio-economic vulnerability of women. Because of the low participation of women in decision making process, control over ownership and access of resources and wealth, increased poverty levels, increased cases of gender-based violence. This has necessitated the need to establish the role of NGOs in women empowerment in Makueni County. The specific objectives of the study were to establish the effect of income generating activities and the resource availability on women empowerment. The anchor theory for this study is the Women Empowerment Framework by Sara Longwe and the other theory used in the study include Kabeers 3-dimensional model. The study population was 60 women groups in Kalawa ward, Makueni County who have benefited from the NGOs programs. The total number of respondents were 1254 and a sample size of 294 was used. The study found that there was an influence of income generating activities on women empowerment. A unit increase in income generating activities was found to increase women empowerment by 0.323 units. The study also found that there was there was a negative influence of resource accessibility on women empowerment, implying that a unit increase in resource accessibility decreases women empowerment by 0.152 units. The study recommendations are that NGOs, National and County Governments to provide linkage to markets for the products from the income generating activities by women groups. Both Government and NGOs should develop frameworks to engage women in development agenda. Keywords: Women Empowerment, Income Generating Activities, Resource Availability

Whose Need Matters?: The Local Welfare State, Poverty, and Variation in US Counties’ Social Service Provisioning

Sociologists have long studied poverty across localities. Yet, little research focuses on local governments and the social services they directly provide to those in-need. Researchers concerned with the US welfare state note that localized administration of social programs creates geographic variability in provisioning and potential for status-based discrimination, such as racism, to influence policy. This paper addresses two questions: (1) To what extent does local need influence counties’ provision of social services? (2) Does the provision of social services vary according to which social group is most in-need? Conceptually, we break ground by placing spatial inequality research on local disparities into dialogue with sociology’s welfare state tradition. Using novel data for 1,600 county governments across the nation, we find that local need as measured by the poverty rate is related to greater social service provisioning, suggesting governments’ responsiveness. However, provisioning is unequal when the level of need is disaggregated among social groups, race/ethnicity, and gender. Higher poverty among whites is associated with greater provisioning of social services. This study showcases possible means by which unequal patterns of social welfare support emerge and reveals the potential role of local governments in perpetuating inequalities by privileging some groups’ need more than others.

An Empirical Examination of Representational Equity in Consolidated Governments, 1965-2002

Research on the impacts of city-county consolidation often focus on issues relating to efficiency, effectiveness, and economic development; yet, relatively few studies have addressed the issue of racial and ethnic minority representation. While existing research is limited, findings indicate that consolidating city and county governments dilutes minority voting strength and has a disparate impact on minority representation. However, it is not clear if this is a nationwide trend, particularly in preclearance states previously covered by the Voting Rights Act. Thus, the question becomes, does consolidation negatively affect minority representation, and to what extent? This study employs a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series analysis in order to ascertain the overall impact of consolidation on the descriptive representation of African Americans since 1965. Results indicate that while representation has increased in recent decades, there are discernible declines in following consolidation, and noticeable representational disparities in counties previously covered by the Voting Rights Act.

A “Practically American” Canadian Woman Confronts a United States Citizen-Only Hiring Law: Katharine Short and the California Alien Teachers Controversy of 1915

In February 1915, non-citizen teachers throughout California abruptly learned that they would soon lose their jobs when state officials announced that local and county governments were required to enforce a long-forgotten anti-alien public employment law. In response, one Canadian immigrant teacher, Katharine Short, launched a diplomatic, legal, political, and public relations campaign against the policy. Earning the support of powerful (Anglo-)Canadian nationalists in wartime and a favorable depiction in California news coverage as a “practically American” Canadian woman, Short’s efforts culminated in an exemption for most immigrant teachers from the state’s nativist public employment policies. This article recovers, recounts, and contextualizes the California Alien Teachers Controversy of 1915 at the center of transformations in the political development, law, and politics of American citizenship and citizenship rights from the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. It testifies to the growing power and powers of state governments to shape immigrants' lives and livelihoods via alienage law long into the mid-twentieth century, the rhetorical strength and courtroom limits of “right to contract” arguments in the context of anti-alien hiring and licensure disputes, and the disparate impact of these nativist laws on immigrants owing to inequalities of race, gender, and class and how those inequalities shaped the less-than-inclusive aims and strategies of Katharine Short in her campaign to alter the state's nativist public employment policies.