Benchmarking as a Tool for the Modernisation of Local Government

This paper examines benchmarking as a tool of the modernisation process in local government and the contradictory tensions in the Best Value scheme are explored. Benchmarking is shown to encapsulate the dichotomous nature of a modernising philosophy which espouses innovation and local solutions alongside the government's centralising tendencies. One consequence is the advancement of 'compulsory' and 'defensive' modes of benchmarking with local authorities benchmarking for external accountability reasons; issues of tangible improvement are secondary concerns. These tensions are viewed as irreconcilable, the implication is that local government will need to carefully manage and evaluate its benchmarking activities.     

Intervention or Persuasion? Strategies for Turnaround of Poorly-Performing Councils

This article provides early results from a long-term evaluation of the turnaround strategies by poorly-performing local authorities in England. The history and theory behind central government interventions into local government is reviewed, focusing on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The journeys taken by 10 local authorities, after being labelled as 'poor' or 'weak', are described and these responses are located within the literature on theories of turnaround and public sector service improvement. The authors conclude by setting out a research agenda for the future.     

The Use of Budget Reforms to Modernize Governance in German Local Government

This article provides early results from a long-term evaluation of the turnaround strategies by poorly-performing local authorities in England. The history and theory behind central government interventions into local government is reviewed, focusing on the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The journeys taken by 10 local authorities, after being labelled as ‘poor’ or ‘weak’, are described and these responses are located within the literature on theories of turnaround and public sector service improvement. The authors conclude by setting out a research agenda for the future.     

THE MODERNISATION AND FRAGMENTATION OF THE UK'S TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

This paper focuses on the creation of new organisational structures under New Labour's modernisation approach in three related areas: the creation of Network Rail as a replacement for the failed company, Railtrack, in the privatised rail industry; the part privatisation of National Air Traffic Services; and the part privatisation of the London Underground. In each case, the arguments of the Government and its critics will be examined. The analysis demonstrates that for each new structure the key objectives of risk transfer and value for money have not been achieved, and concludes with implications of the modernisation agenda for public policy.     

Best Value and the Control of Local Government: Challenges and Contradictions

This article offers some understanding of the early experience of implementing Best Value in the local authority sector. Implementation is dependent on how local government understands the concept; what local government is able to deliver; and what central government is prepared to accept. For the case study authority described in this article, Best Value is understood to depend on three deliverable 'cornerstones', embedded in a context that emphasises accountability, seeks to develop 'learning' and pursues change in organizational culture, emphasising the tenets of 'business excellence'. The authors conclude that Best Value represents an unusual cocktail of top-down concept and bottom-up realization, providing a new twist in the control of the local government sector.     

Making Management Auditable: The Implementation of Best Value in Local Government

This article examines the implementation of Best Value—an audit tool of the U.K. government's modernization policy—in local government, specifically in Scotland. This is a study of the impact of this key concept, primarily on the management of these public services. The aim of Best Value Audit is to enhance transparency and accountability of management actions in local government. The article draws on Power's (1997 ) Audit Society thesis to inform this research. The Best Value approach has been heavily influenced by audit processes and oversight bodies both in its design and implementation. This article supports the Power thesis of the Audit Society: It reveals the manner in which audit practices are deployed by agencies of central government with the intent to shape the management of local government.     

GOVERNMENT POLICY AND THE CHANGING MARKET IN RESIDENTIAL CARE FOR THE ELDERLY: A FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR

The market in residential care for the elderly is in a state of flux. Key factors are the increasing proportion of elderly (particularly the 85+ age group) and central governments new community care agenda. The mixed economy of public, private and voluntary residential provision will continue but community care policy changes will entail (a) the new role of case managers in the local authorities and (b) an anticipation that the private sector will play a more significant role than hitherto not only in meeting the demand for residential care but also in leading the way by diversifying into new types of care provision. These issues are addressed by (1) examining and commenting on government policy towards the care of the elderly and (2) examining, in detail, the profitability and financial viability of a random sample of private residential homes for the elderly. This financial analysis suggests that, at present, the ability of the private sector to innovate and expand into new forms of service provision is constrained by the number of homes which operate at the margins of viability. The implications of this are that (a) government policy may be founded on an optimistic view of the ability of private sector provision to respond as expected to the new community care agenda and (b) case managers in local authorities may have to exercise considerable financial expertise in identifying financial vulnerability, as well as social work skills, in the deployment of available funds for residential care for the elderly.     

An Agenda for Re-inventing Local Government

A new government will find a major agenda of issues if trust between local and central government is to be re-built and the place of local government re-established. There will be challenges for both sides, but Ministers will need to take initiative in signing the European Charter for Self-Government, developing a concordat, being clear about roles and doing something about finance. Local political management and democracy and the policy process also need attention.     

政府治债

伴随着欧洲主权债务危机,越来越多的中外投资者开始密切关注中国地方政府的债务问题,更有甚者称之为悬在中国经济命脉上的"达摩克利斯之剑"。于此同时,化解政府债务也已经提上了中国政府的议事日程。     

'New security' risks and public educating: the significance of recent evolutionary brain science

The response to 'new security' risks requires significant changes in public behaviour, and the legitimization of unpopular government policies. Public Educating (public information/public education) is one means to achieve this. The need is reflected in initiatives such as environmental education, development education, health promotion, and the Public Understanding of Science. Current strategies are often based on commercial advertising, but mass communications theory does not directly encompass influencing perception , which is necessary to create awareness of the new 'invisible' risks. Recent evolutionary brain science is providing fresh and relevant insights into our species perception deficits, which can inform a more effective approach to Public Educating. This paper first places risk within the context of the post-Cold War 'global security' agenda. It proposes a theoretical framework - 'brain lag' - to explain perceptual deficits in relation to this agenda, which draws on theories of information, adaptation and denial, and an understanding of the human senses including time-scale-latency. Fundamental areas of evolutionary perception are proposed which are relevant across the agenda: fear and disgust, number perception, and cheating. This leads to a core concept for Public Educating about new security risks, 'enhanced difference', and a set of hypotheses that can be applied to text or image.     

舆论监督、政府监管与企业环境信息披露

本文基于政治学的合法性理论,并借助新闻学的议程设置概念,在企业与社会的关系背景下研究企业披露环境信息的动机。本文以我国重污染行业上市公司为研究样本,分析舆论监督和政府监管对企业环境信息披露的作用,以及政府监管对舆论监督作用的影响。研究发现:(1)媒体有关企业环境表现的报道能显著促进企业环境信息披露水平;(2)地方政府对企业环境信息披露的监管能显著提高企业的环境信息披露水平并增强舆论监督的作用。本文的研究发现为认识企业环境信息披露的合法性动机、以及舆论监督和政府监管对企业环境信息披露的影响提供了新的视角和证据,同时也为信息披露的非经济性动机研究做出了文献上的贡献。     

ACCRUALS ACCOUNTING IN U.K. LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A HISTORICAL CONTEXT FOR CONTINUING CONTROVERSIES

Local authorities only adopt the accruals concept in a very narrow sense. Their financial accounting model can be called 'modified accruals', though it remains fundamentally different from best commercial practice. This paper explores the rationale for this unique model, using historical analysis. Because it has been used since before the First World War, and because the first decade of this century saw the only major public debate on local government accounting, the paper concentrates on this period. It was found that the essence of modified accruals is in the political nature of local government and control of it by central government.     

Complexities of Productivity Policies in the Finnish Public Sector: Knowing How to Do More with Less?

This paper examines public sector productivity policies as complexities between what is ‘known’ in policy principles and what is ‘done’ in everyday policy practice. Such complexities are explored in two productivity policy cases within Finnish local government: municipal amalgamations, and the low‐threshold concept of healthcare service. Utilising quantitative and qualitative data from Finnish local government the paper demonstrates the tensions between productivity policy principles, interpretations for productivity improvement (‘knowing’) and final outcomes for actually applying (‘doing’) productivity policy. The paper argues in favour of a new understanding for the research and practice of public policy and management.     

社会信用、刚兑信仰与地方政府隐性债务

防范化解地方政府隐性债务风险是当前我国亟待解决的重要问题。本文基于2007年至2019年293个地级市面板数据,研究社会信用对地方政府隐性债务的影响。我们发现:(1)社会信用下滑会导致地方政府隐性债务规模提高和融资成本上升。(2)社会信用通过影响市场金融资源供给和政府债务需求进而影响隐性债务规模与融资成本,但上述机制在有无“刚兑信仰”情境下存在差异。(3)对比新《预算法》和“43号文”出台前后社会信用对隐性债务影响的异质性发现,债务管制显著提高了融资平台的市场化程度。虽然政策前期金融市场更多呈现出一种观望态度,但违约事件打破了金融市场对地方政府隐性债务的“刚兑信仰”,隐性债务发行受到的市场约束力度显著增强。本文对更好地认识地方政府隐性债务风险、理解当前债务治理措施的有效性以及未来如何通过完善社会信用体系建设化解地方政府隐性债务风险具有启示意义。     

Trends and Issues in the Implementation of Local 'Voluntary Sector Compacts' in England

This article evaluates the current attempt to develop local 'compacts' between local government and the voluntary and community sector, as a way of structuring the evolving relationships between these sectors. It is based on documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with key national and local informants. The first part of the article charts local government-voluntary sector relationships in England from 1979 to 2000. The second part introduces the concept of the 'voluntary sector compact', and argues that this is central to the Government's approach to these relationships. The third part explores the implementation of the Voluntary Sector Compact in England at both the national and local level. Finally, the authors draw out key lessons for the future of relationships between local government and the voluntary sector in England.     

中国地方预算决策自主权缺失问题分析

实现地方预算决策自主权的合理归位是确保地方公共产品有效供给的核心制度安排。地方预算决策自主权的内容包括:(1)地方辖区居民选择地方预算决策主体的权力;(2)地方预算决策主体自主作出地方预算决策安排的权力。文章从这两大方面深入、客观地剖析了中国地方政府预算决策自主权缺失的具体表现。     

Fiscal Decentralization,Budgetary Transparency,and Local Government Size in China

This article makes use of panel data for 31 provinces between 1985 and 2010 and specifies a dynamic panel model to investigate the determinants of local government size in China and achieved several conclusions: (1) the fiscal decentralization since TSS reform in 1994 has increased the local government size; (2) budgetary transparency has a U-shape nonlinear effect on local government size; (3) fiscal revenue is the important factor to drive the overexpansion of local government size in China; and (4) local government size has a strong dependence of past path.     

Finance,growth, and stability: Lessons from the crisis

This article introduces a special issue on lessons from the recent crisis on finance, growth, and stability. The papers in the special issue discuss (i) the benefits and risks of financial innovation and regulatory responses to these risks, (ii) the effect of finance and globalization on the real economy, and (iii) the role of government in providing credit guarantees. This introductory article provides a broader view on these issues and closes with ideas on the future research agenda in this field.     

Central/Local Fiscal Relations: The Macroeconomic Dimension

Central/local fiscal relations are being re-evaluated by policy makers intent upon reducing the alleged burdens of a large and growing public sector. The reforms of the Thatcher administrations during the 1980s placed central-local relationships high on the policy agenda and many powers were taken back to central government in an effort to achieve greater control over public spending. Behind many of the reforms in the 1980s was a set of economic arguments advocated primarily by the Treasury. More recently in its evidence to the Hunt Committee (1996) the Treasury has reaffirmed these arguments, despite the counter-evidence supplied by academic economists and others over the past 20 years. This article rehearses some of the earlier arguments and reviews the most recent contributions. Arguments which were contingent upon the prevailing conditions of the late 1970s and early 1980s might no longer be relevant to the world of the late 1990s.