Suchergebnisse

AbstractA voluminous empirical literature has focused on organizational characteristics and their relationship to organizational performance in the public sector, including municipal efficiency. However, as yet no effort has been made to examine the impact of administrative intensity on the effectiveness of local authorities, as measured by local resident satisfaction surveys. To address this gap in the literature, this article investigates the effect of administrative intensity on local resident satisfaction in the local government system of the Australian state of Victoria over the period 2014/2015 to 2018/2019. Using regression analysis, we find that there is a significant association between administrative intensity and the effectiveness of municipalities. However, the impact of administrative intensity on municipal effectiveness differs between urban local authorities and rural local authorities. This has significant public policy implications given that a uniform policy prescription may not achieve its intended aims due to the differential effects of the determinants of municipal effectiveness.

In the last decade, the natural gas industry has grown rapidly, and North Texas has become a major shale gas-producing area. This paper studies the power struggle of two rival groups (Frack Free Denton and Denton Tax Payers for a Strong Economy) over fracking in Denton. How did each of these groups challenge the claims-making activities and goals of their adversaries?" We conducted data from ten in-depth interviews from each side to compare concerns about fracking. This study focuses on the campaign of the two groups on each side of the debate. We developed the model of merging the theoretical frameworks of value-conflict and social construction of social problems by examining the stages of awareness, policy determination, and reform in the battle over fracking. This project finds that the new theoretical framework model is germane to many features of claims," "claims-makers," and "claims-making activities.

Accepted manuscript version, licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Published version available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.03.017. ; Aquaculture (i.e., farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic plants) is playing an increasingly important role in the global food supply. The contribution of aquaculture to total fish production has risen steadily, reaching 44% in 2014 (Moffitt and Cajas-Cano, 2014). The future growth of aquaculture is expected to help accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by reducing environmental consequences associated with livestock while simultaneously increasing food security and promoting the nutritional benefits of marine food products (Thilsted et al., 2016). An increase in aquaculture is, however, dependent on its expansion to new sites outside the traditional aquaculture areas. Sweden, especially its southwest region, is one potential new area for mariculture development. The Swedish government has adopted a national strategy to develop the mariculture industry to become a profitable and sustainable industry with ethical production standards.1 While Swedish aquaculture produces moderate quantities today, its year-on-year growth target between the present and 2020 is an average increase of 8% annually (corresponding to a 71% increase from 2013 to 2020). This goal corresponds to an annual production in 2020 of fish for consumption and crayfish and mussels of approximately 23,000 tonnes as well as a total annual production of 25,000 tonnes of fish and crustaceans. While the biological and geographical conditions in the area seem promising, Bailey et al. (1996) showed that mariculture development is influenced not only by natural and physical conditions but also by conditions that are inherently economic and social in nature. Research has proven that there may be positive effects (Ceballos et al., 2018; Toufique and Belton, 2014) or no impact (Nguyen et al., 2016) on the economy. Little research, however, has examined the perceived contribution in social and economic terms. The increasing importance of mariculture as an industry and its development in coastal areas outside traditional mariculture areas (Oyinlola et al., 2018) has prompted a need to integrate an understanding of the social and economic conditions as a prerequisite for sustainable development (Barrington et al., 2010; Bucklin and Howell, 1998). Consideration of the local population within communities is a fundamental precept of new mariculture development to understand the views and perspectives of the local residents and to ensure local acceptance (Memery and Birch, 2016; Salgado et al., 2015). Despite the increased attention paid to mariculture development, research on social conditions is limited (Mazur and Curtis, 2008; Nash, 2004), and no studies have included local residents' perspectives on social and economic conditions. The expansion of mariculture of most species requires access and use of coastal areas. This requirement is also anticipated for mariculture development in the archipelago in the southwest of Sweden, a coastal region suitable for mariculture development. Because the development initiatives may potentially affect archipelago communities, local residents and second-home owners, who have invested in their properties and proximity to the sea as valuable assets, will be affected. Their attitudes and reaction towards mariculture will therefore be important in the future development. However, researchers are still struggling to answer the most basic question: How will local residents react to new mariculture development in their region? The aim of the present study is to investigate the attitudes and resistance intention of residents in southwest Sweden regarding the development of new mariculture. Understanding the perceived social consequences will assist policy makers, mariculturists, mariculture advocates and other professionals seeking to further develop a sustainable mariculture industry.

Die sozialen Sicherungssysteme in Japan haben sich seit der Jahrtausendwende mit zunehmender Geschwindigkeit verändert. Kennzeichnend dafür ist die Förderung von Wahlmöglichkeiten und der Einbeziehung der Bürger als Reaktion auf die rasche Alterung der japanischen Bevölkerung und die damit verbundenen finanziellen Belastungen des Staates. Aktuell findet die Schaffung eines "integrierten gemeinschaftsbasierten Fürsorgesystems" besondere Aufmerksamkeit in Japan. Der Beitrag beleuchtet diese Entwicklung aus rechtlicher Perspektive, wobei das Augenmerk auf der Einbindung lokaler Gemeinschaften liegt. Der Autor gibt zunächst einen Überblick über die historische Entwicklung des japanischen Wohlfahrtsregimes in Richtung des genannten integrierten Fürsorgesystems und setzt sich sodann mit der Beziehung zwischen dieser Entwicklung und den Theorien über das Verhältnis von Staat und Zivilgesellschaft auseinander. Anschließend zeigt er Möglichkeiten auf, wie sich das System der sozialen Wohlfahrt als öffentliche Verpflichtung auf eine soziale Teilhabe stärken lässt. Das Recht sollte dabei die Interaktion zwischen den wesentlichen Beteiligten an der sozialen Gemeinschaft fördern. Dabei geht es nicht notwendig um einen substitutiven Wechsel von hoheitlichem über vertragsbasiertes hin zu individuellem Handeln, sondern vielmehr darum, dass alle drei Elemente gleichermaßen im Rahmen der sozialen Wohlfahrt eine Rolle spielen. (Die Redaktion) ; Japan's social welfare systems have been changing since the early 2000s and accelerating in recent years by promoting choice and the participation of indi-viduals in response to the country's ageing population and increasing financial burden. Presently much attention is being paid to the establishment of an 'inte-grated community care system'. The article explores the issue of community care normatively by focusing on the inclusion of local residents. It first reviews the history of the Japanese social welfare systems towards the integrated community care system, second, points out its affinity for the theories of the relationship between the state and civil society, and third, suggest avenues for reinforcement of the social welfare systems as a public responsibility of support for social participation. The changing role of law with regard to social welfare in Japan today reflects a shift from regulation to support. Law should indeed support the dynamics of and interaction between the main stakeholders of the communities. The transition is therefore not necessary from government to contract to the individuals, but at all times a pallet of these three elements can be found in the social welfare system. (The Editors)

Digital transformation in the public sector has been the focus of academic studies for the last two decades. According to the literature, countries' efforts towards digitalization vary both across countries and within regions of each country. Although the starting points may differ, this process has yet to be completed in any country. It is evident that various obstacles and problems are still being encountered. Along with major obstacles such as inadequate infrastructure and limited financial and human resources, the willingness of residents to adopt e-government services is also a significant factor to consider. In this context, the main purpose of this paper is to evaluate residents' perceptions towards e-government services in Kyrgyzstan. Primary data was collected by administering a structured questionnaire to 325 residents. The results indicate that perceived functional benefits, perceived service response, and availability of resources significantly impact (p<0.05) residents' adoption of e-government services. Significant differences have been observed in residents' perceptions towards the dependent and independent variables of the study, based on demographic characteristics such as marital status, income, experience using e-government services, and area of residence. This study can provide valuable insights for public policy related to digital transformation. A deeper understanding of users' behavior can provide a reliable foundation for making managerial and marketing decisions that can help overcome this problem as a barrier to digital transformation.

OBJECTIVES: Promoting medical tourism has been discussed by various stakeholders of its destination. High-quality medical products and services is addressed, especially in the Asia Pacific region. This study aims to (1) explore major criteria to establish medical tourism in Hong Kong from the local residents' perspective and (2) examine the benefits and limitations in developing medical tourism in Hong Kong by the local residents' age groups. DESIGN: Target samples were local residents with different age groups who had experienced receiving medical treatment or service in Hong Kong. The self-administered survey with 38 questions was created to explore the local residents' perceptions on various issues of medical tourism development in Hong Kong. Data was collected in April 2021 with the total response rate of 153 respondents. A descriptive analysis and ANOVA test were applied for objective testing. RESULTS: To answer the objectives, the important criteria for medical tourism development in Hong Kong were physician expertise, infrastructure of hospitals, and healthcare quality. The least important criteria were the political and economic condition of that destination and language. The ANOVA results have shown significant differences on the benefits and limitations of developing medical tourism by age groups of local residents. Younger respondents perceived a benefit of medical tourism, rather than elderly respondents in terms of gaining more medical experience. Elderly respondents perceived the limitations of medical tourism development compared to younger respondents in the areas with lacking private sector interest and high cost. CONCLUSION: There are numerous factors for consideration on establishing medical tourism destination in Hong Kong. Local residents perceive an opportunity for Hong Kong as a medical tourism destination. Although some limitations should be closely monitored, local residents would be confident with medical tourism development. (*The paper was presented at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) Conference "Post-pandemic health and long-term care: A new paradigm". September 2021)

Abstract Background Ecological migrants has a special background compared with other types of migrant. However, the mental health status of ecological migrants who were expected to benefit from a massive "ecological migration project" initiated by the Chinese government is unknown. This study aims to explore the influence of environmental change on individuals' mental health and to improve current understanding of the mechanisms that mental disorders occurred. Methods The data were extracted from a cross-sectional study. Anxiety disorders, mood disorders and substance use disorders were assessed using the Chinese version WHO-CIDI. The prevalence of mental disorders was stratified by migration status into ecological migrant, local resident and original resident groups. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to calculate the risk of prevalence among these three groups. Results After controlling for gender, ethnicity, age, marriage, and education, the migrants had lower risk of mental disorders than original residents [OR = 0.70 (95 % CI: 0.57–0.86)], p < 0.001), but had a higher risk of mental disorders than local residents [OR = 1.29 (95 % CI: 1.06–1.55)], p = 0.007). Conclusion The ecological migration project may be beneficial to people's mental health by improving their living environment and social economy.