Dissertations / Theses on the topic '160510 Public Policy'

A Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal (LRF) foi criada em 2000, tendo como um de seus objetivos o de controlar e limitar o processo de endividamento dos estados brasileiros. No entanto, em 2016, a União acertou o refinanciamento das dívidas de alguns destes estados. Este trabalho busca analisar esta aparente contradição; a crise dos estados teria como origem fatores exógenos à LRF ou os mecanismos da LRF não foram suficientes para conter o comportamento de endividamento excessivo dos estados? Utilizando a metodologia de Bohn (1998), estimou-se cinco modelos: painel completo, separação regional, separação por critério endógeno, separação por gasto com pessoal em relação a receita corrente líquida e separação pelo critério da Resolução de número 40 do Senado Federal. As estimações contemplam quatro períodos: 2001 a 2015; 2008 a 2015; 2001 a 2020 e 2008 a 2020, e consideram tanto a dívida consolidada líquida quanto a bruta. Os resultados apontam que os instrumentos que foram criados são ineficientes, pois estados que não estão constrangidos por nenhuma punição da LRF não possuem uma trajetória sustentável da dívida. Por consequência, é reforçada a ideia de que há um comportamento de risco moral por parte dos estados, que procuram endividar-se excessivamente por considerarem que a dívida será renegociada pela União, comportamento este que só pode ser combatido a partir de aprimoramentos institucionais.
The \"Fiscal Responsibility Law\" (LRF) was created in 2000, having as one of its pillars the control of the regional states\' indebtedness process. However, in 2016, the federal government approved the refinance of such debts for some states. This paper seeks to analyze this seeming contradiction: the states\' crysis is due to factors that are exogenous to the LRF, or are the LRF mechanisms not sufficient to restrain the excessive indebtness by the states? Using Bohn\'s methodology (1998), five models are estimated: complete pannel, regional separation, separation by an endogenous criteria, separation by LRF\'s resolution to stafe workers expending (wages, pensions, etc) and separation by a Senate resolution\'s criteria. The estimations are made in four time frames: 2001-2015; 2008-2015; 2001-2020; 2008-2020, and both the net debt and the gross debt are considered. Results indicate that the instruments that were created by the LRF are inefficient, in the sense that states that are not punished or affected by said instruments do not follow a sustainable fiscal policy. Consequently, the idea of a moral hazard behaviour is reemforced: the states expect that the federal government will refinance its debt, so they do not follow a sustainable fiscal policy. This behaviour can only be stopped through institucional reforms.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the shift in funding reforms at Malaysian public universities. Previous research has shown that shifts in new funding to public universities are more likely to result in a behavioural change at such institutions. This research used agency theory as a practical theoretical framework to analyse relationships between the principal (government) and the agents (public universities), and to predict the effects a change in government funding would have on teaching and research performance in institutions of higher education. In the context of Malaysia as a developing country, this theory has been used to establish a framework for determining the extent to which such institutions meet the Ministry of Higher Education objectives stated in the National Higher Education Strategic Plan beyond 2020. This research design employed a quantitative survey for major data collection, and subsequent qualitative focus group interviews to enable in-depth analysis of the survey findings.

This research examines the causes and effects of job satisfaction among public sector workers in Saudi Arabia. A Job Satisfaction Model was developed based on theories supporting factors in job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and intention to leave and the research questions were tested within the scope of the model. A range of intrinsic and extrinsic factors was proposed to analyse causes affecting job satisfaction, while the effects were examined in terms of organisational commitment and intention to leave.

This study provided empirical evidence to support the point of view that selective models of local govemance as endorsed by multilateral donor agencies such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the IMF, can be applied in the specific situation of a developing country if they are careful designed with a full participation of potential stakeholders including the beneficiaries. Furthermore, it showed a participatory method for collecting and widening the views and perspectives of the citizen in shaping a political future of a country in transition, which is a unique experience in the history of all public administrations.

In Malaysia, the government has invested in public libraries with the intention of promoting development, particularly in rural areas. Despite the increasing number of rural public libraries being built throughout Malaysia, providing users with many services, activities and programs, previous research indicates that they are underutilised. The research reported in this thesis aimed to explore relationships between rural public libraries and their communities in both Malaysia and Australia, with particular attention to empowerment and community development processes.

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the new public management reforms practiced by some of the developed countries and determine their applicability to Nepal. New Public Management (NPM) was defined as cost cutting and downsizing, introducing agencies, separation of purchaser and provider, decentralization of management authority, performance management, introduction of market mechanisms, changes in personnel systems and quality and customer responsiveness. The term 'applicability' was determined by the perceived usefulness of NPM to stakeholders. The main focus of this research was to find an answer to the pertinent question - Is NPM applicable to Nepal? This research explored the political and bureaucratic environment inherent in Nepal, examined the influence of political and bureaucratic factors to the applicability of NPM and suggested recommendations for future reform in Nepal.

This thesis investigates the relevance of digital democracy in enhancing citizen participation in policy making within the Malaysian civil service. A qualitative research method is applied through an empirical, in-depth interview based, data collection exercise of a sample of civil servants and commentators on government and technology in Malaysia. It assesses, from a broad perspective, the possible contribution of Information Communications Technology (ICT) in strengthening citizen participation in the democratic processes of government. In these contexts it offers a perspective on how the legal, political and social interpenetrates. The literature reviewed covers: the concept of democracy and assumed influences of ICT on democratic processes; Malaysia’s history with a focus on nation building, the civil service and also its government’s ICT agendas; and, laws structuring citizen participation in government in Malaysia, framed within autopoietic theory. This, as a metaphor, offers a flexible perspective of law’s affect on its environment and vice versa, and, further illustrates and emphasises the importance of context. The findings suggest that civil servants agree that there are numerous opportunities for policy making to benefit from digital democracy practices based on ICT. However there is a gap between their appreciation of this potential as a concept and their confidence in its implementation in policy making within the civil service. Civil servants are not ready to hand over the role of defining the process and content of policy making to citizens. Civil servants are generally uncertain about the actual value or weight they are willing to afford to inputs from digital democracy practices and what its influence on policy making will be. The thesis is significant because it describes, from viewpoints within the civil service, the role of ICT in enhancing citizen participation in democratic processes within a context of issues, benefits, enablers and barriers to citizen participation in policy making. This description is placed against a background of the history, culture and law which situates Malaysian civil servants’ understanding of the concept of digital democracy and how they frame its relevance to policy making. The research informs the formulation of policy for the use of digital democracy practices in Malaysia. More generally, it contributes to the debate over the factors, including historic democratic practices, which affect the capacity for ICT to enhance participatory democracy. Through this focus on a South East Asian state and its civil service, the study explores new dimensions and offers a significant contribution to the emerging field of digital democracy.

The research focuses on the development of e-government initiatives at public sector organisations in Oman. As e-government matures in importance and priority for governments worldwide, an understanding of the factors that influence their successful development is invaluable. Therefore, in order fore-government initiatives to be successful, the influencing factors should be identified and evaluated. This research examines the factors that could guide the successful development of egovernment initiatives in public-sector service organisations in Oman. Based on the research objectives, a case study approach was found to be appropriate and employed throughout this research. The data was gathered utilising a questionnaire and semistructured interviews.

A multiple sector collaboration (MSC) approach to public health and social policy development and implementation is becoming the norm in postmodern cities and communities. The development of a theoretical framework in relation to MSC practice is still in its infancy. As an approach to policy development and implementation, MSC has been subjected to criticism for (a) its often value driven, complex, and time-consuming methods, and (b) the lack of measurable or tangible outcomes. The gaps found in the literature reveal a significant need for further evidence-based research that focuses on gaining greater insight into the operations of MSC and how the approach might contribute to improved social, health, and community outcomes. The aim of the present research is to close the identified gaps. Utilising a single-case approach, an existing and well-reputed MSC was selected for in-depth study over a 3-year period. Findings from this case study show that values, common purpose, group processes and dynamics, relationships, interactions, and synergy are vital components in the development and operation of a fully-functioning MSC.

It is well established that physical inactivity is one of the main behavioural risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Research on sedentary behaviour (SB; i.e., sitting or reclining with low energy expenditure during waking hours) has grown rapidly in the past two decades, after epidemiological evidence indicated that high levels of sitting may pose a health risk. Research on physical activity (PA) and SB policies is considered underdeveloped, compared with other areas of PA and SB research. This thesis, therefore, aimed to: (1) map the evidence on indicators, development, and content of national PA and SB policies globally (Study 1); (2) develop a new conceptual framework for PA policy analysis – the Comprehensive Analysis of Policy on Physical Activity (CAPPA) framework (Study 2); (3) identify and critically assess available instruments for the analysis of national-level PA and SB policies (Study 3); and (4) analyse the availability, comprehensiveness, implementation, and effectiveness of current national-level PA and SB policies globally (Study 4). To achieve the aim of Study 1, a systematic scoping review of indicators, development, and content of national PA and SB policies was conducted. The achieve the aim of Study 2, an extensive review of literature, an open discussion between the authors, three rounds of a Delphi process, and two-rounds of consultations with PA policy stakeholders were employed in the development of the CAPPA framework. To achieve the aim of Study 3, a systematic review of instruments for national-level PA and SB policies was conducted, and the identified instruments were assessed against the CAPPA framework. To achieve the aim of Study 4, a survey was developed based on Study 3 findings and according to the CAPPA framework. PA policy experts from 173 countries (n = 76; response rate = 44%) were then asked to provide data on their national PA and SB policies by completing the survey. Study 1 found that PA policy research is much more developed than it was considered several years ago and that research on SB policies is still in its infancy. The following research gaps were identified: (i) there is a lack of PA and SB policy research in low- and middle-income countries; (ii) the definitions of PA and SB policies varied significantly across studies; (iii) most studies did not rely on any conceptual or theoretical framework; and (iv) studies have used a variety of methods to analyse PA and SB policies which may cause problems with comparability. The CAPPA framework, developed in Study 2, provides a novel definition of PA policy, which, if widely adopted, will help to standardise the scope and language used in future research. The CAPPA framework developed in Study 2 specifies 38 elements of a comprehensive analysis of PA policies in the following six categories: purpose of analysis; policy sector; type of policy; stage of policy cycle; and scope of analysis. It can be used to guide future studies related to PA and SB policy and provide a context for the analysis of its specific components. Study 3 found 16 instruments for PA policy analysis. Only two instruments include questions about SB policy and none of the instruments allows for the analysis of all the relevant components of national PA and SB policy. Therefore, developing new instruments or adapting existing ones is needed to enable a more thorough analysis of national PA and SB policies. Study 4 found that most countries have formal written PA policies, guidelines for PA, quantifiable national targets for PA, and PA surveillance or monitoring. However, the levels of comprehensiveness, implementation, and effectiveness of national PA policies are largely low-to-moderate. Compared with P A policies, SB policies are less available, comprehensive, implemented, and effective. Both PA and SB policies are more developed in high- income countries, compared with low- and lower-middle-income countries, and in countries of the European and Western-Pacific regions, compared with other world regions. Future studies should aim to focus more on low- and middle-income countries and countries from the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions. Comprehensive analyses of PA and SB policy, considering all elements specified in the CAPPA framework, are needed to facilitate PA and SB policy research, and the development and implementation of comprehensive and effective PA and SB policies.

This dissertation investigated the relationship between knowledge conversion processes using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in Thai governmental organisations. There are few studies concerned with the development of sharing and the conversion of knowledge, and none of the Thai public sector. Most Thai research studies are concerned with the development of knowledge management practices and how to use created knowledge in organisations. This study used the relationship between technology support and managing the conversion of knowledge to increase knowledge sharing in organisations. It also contributes to knowledge of technology usage and the conversion of existing knowledge process by applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain uptake and use of this technology. The main benefit of this research is that it is the first study available to the Thai Government on the issue of developing knowledge conversion processes by applying the Technology Acceptance Model. A better knowledge conversion procedure can improve the efficiency of Thai government departments.

This research explores successful service delivery of Mass Sports programs by using an organisational effectiveness framework and Appreciative Inquiry approach. The main aim of this research was to determine the factors needed for successful service delivery of Mass Sports programs and to promote public participation in sports and physical activities. The context was the management and delivery of Mass Sports programs sponsored by the Malaysian government. Specifically, the objectives of this research were to: develop a set of descriptive performance indicators that measure successful service delivery of Mass Sports programs; determine the internal and external factors contributing to successful service delivery of Mass Sports programs; establish the organisational capabilities needed for successful service delivery of Mass Sports programs; and determine stakeholders‘ satisfaction level with the service delivery performance of Mass Sports programs by public sports organisations.

This research examines the experiences of disenfranchised workers in the Australian Public Service. The best methodology for my study is a hybrid. A hybrid that takes the wisdom of ethnographic case studies, phenomenology, feminist post-structuralism and narrative theories to make sense of the stories of people working within organisations that have failed, traumatised, belittled, ignored, bullied and destroyed them. The study looks at the experiences of twenty disenfranchised workers who labelled themselves as disenfranchised. This thesis is about the abused, the mistreated, and the disenfranchised. Of opportunities lost and perceived injustices. I believe the voices of the disenfranchised public servants are silenced by supervisors, colleagues and the system itself. This study aims to give legitimacy to their complaints, document their stories and chronicle their mistreatment at the hands of public supervisors who are often brutalised themselves. The Public Service workplace becomes like a violent family. We all learn what we see, not what we read or are told. And so the culture of dysfunction is passed from underling to boss and workers suffer. These actions ripple throughout public servants’ lives. Literature around the disenfranchised worker is growing. This study documents the experiences of disenfranchised workers and unmutes their voices. These experiences are important and contemporary issues to enable people to live a life of consequence.

Background: Childhood obesity is a global phenomenon and public health problem. It is a chronic health condition associated with a body composition of excessive fat impacting on a child’s physical and social development. Public health initiatives addressing childhood obesity have had little success in reducing the prevalence of obesity or of returning children to a ‘normal’ BMI. Clinical guidelines recommend that health professionals from primary, secondary and tertiary settings should manage paediatric obesity. However, little is known about the current landscape of childhood obesity management: who is involved, what approaches are used, or what the main enablers or barriers to effective management are. Research has focused on the perceptions and practices of Australian general practitioners, but little is known about the experiences of other health professionals who manage childhood obesity. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe how Australian health professionals and parents experience and perceive childhood obesity management. The aim was to access information that related particularly to facilitators and barriers of management. Methods: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as an approach to examine and describe factors that influenced the ways in which health professionals and parents experienced and perceived the phenomenon of childhood obesity management. Semi- structured interviews were undertaken with health professionals and parents. The research comprised two studies. Study 1 involved health professionals from private practice, weight-management clinics, hospital and community services in three Australian states. Participants were dietitians, paediatricians, psychologists, physiotherapists and endocrinologists. Study 2 presents four case studies of parents who had attended a paediatric weight management clinic. Findings: Health professionals described childhood obesity as a body size that put children at risk of poor health outcomes; the psychological impacts were particularly of concern. They discussed their perceptions of their role in diagnosis, assessment and treatment; and shared their experiences of carrying out these roles. Each perceived role was described in the context of barriers that presented both internal and external to the clinical management setting. This included a paucity of services to refer children with obesity, insufficient resources to support treatment and their inadequate knowledge/training to engage families and effectively implement prescribed changes to health behaviours. Furthermore, health professionals believed changes made during clinical interventions were unsustainable because of the impact of the wider environment, particularly ease of access to calorie-dense foods, sedentary activities and family circumstances. The implications of the obstacles health professionals faced in treating childhood obesity were evident in parents’ interviews. Parents reported: difficulties accessing services due to limited availability and work hours; problems getting the whole family to attend sessions; resistance from other family members, including the children themselves. They believed health professionals played an integral role in gaining the entire family’s support. Parents wanted better strategies that would help their family more readily accept changes; however, they also acknowledged ensuring every meal for children was healthy was difficult due to the impact of an obesogenic environment. Ultimately, parents felt more in control of their family environment but were not confident these changes could be sustained, particularly when children were out of their direct care. Conclusion: Childhood obesity management may benefit from a systems approach. This includes having a health infrastructure and training that supports the practices of health professionals so that optimal management can be achieved. Additionally, policies that address the environmental and social determinants of childhood obesity are required to support sustainable behaviour change initiated by clinical management.

This longitudinal qualitative study explored the lived experience of risk for people with a recent diagnosis of dementia (Alzheimer’s type). Risk is a concept used in dementia research when examining choice and decision-making, and is primarily a negative phenomenon associated with danger and hazard. In this study, risk is used as an exemplar of autonomy and rights—rights to independent action taken with free will and choice. These rights are entwined with key principles we live by: personal autonomy—the right to act independently—to take a risk.

Collecting and reporting performance has become common practice in public sector organisations worldwide. The effort to use performance information for reporting has potential benefits to improve performance and enhance accountability. Since 1999, the Indonesian government has adopted a new reporting framework, which requires public sector organisations to collect and report performance information. Despite the use of performance information for reporting performance being mandated, few studies have been conducted to investigate its actual use in public sector organisations in Indonesia. The aim of this study is to narrow the gap in the understanding of how and why managers in local governments, specifically in Indonesia as a developing country, use performance information to improve performance and enhance accountability. This study employed a case study approach with a purposive sample of three local government agencies in two local governments in Indonesia as cases. The data collection method utilized in this study was in-depth interviews with eight managers in the three agencies, three managers of the planning agencies in the two local government jurisdictions, and two consultants. Also, information contained in documents used in local government was also gathered to examine the performance information that was used. A variation of the well-known management cycle (planning, implementation, review, improvement, and accountability) was employed in analysing the results. The findings suggest that the use of performance information has been progressing since the issuance of the regulation concerning the guidelines for preparing and evaluating development planning. The improvement in planning documents, which demonstrate the use of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), laid a foundation for using performance for enhancing performance and accountability. The presence of the KPIs, along with performance targets, drove managers in the three cases examined in this study to improve their performance. Despite the progress of the use of performance information in planning, this study found that managers had limited use of performance information in monitoring and evaluating performance. The focus of monitoring and evaluation mostly targeted the completion of activities (outputs) rather than the results or outcomes of those activities. This study proposes a model for the effective use of performance information. To achieve the benefits of using performance information, nine influencing factors, which can act as barriers or enablers, should be considered: having a clear and comprehensive legal mandate, adequate leadership support, suitable technical capacity, supportive organisational culture, existence of performance measurement systems, availability of resources, adequate information and communication technology, involvement of citizens, and managerial authority to act. The presence of these factors, as enablers, provides groundwork for managers to use performance information in each stage of the management cycle to improve performance and accountability.

A growing body of literature has described the factors that compromise mental health for transgender people, yet less information is known about the factors that promote resilience and protect mental health for transgender adults in Australia. This qualitative study aimed to increase knowledge and understanding about the broader context, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors that compromise and promote the mental health of Australian transgender adults. Data were gathered using semistructured, one-on-one interviews with ten adult participants, including five transgender people and five mental health practitioners who specialize in gender diversity, and analysed using contemporary constructivist grounded theory methodology. Results indicated that the mental health of transgender adults in Australia is shaped by multi-layered interactions between broader context, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors that perpetuate stigma and exclusion and compromise mental health, as well as those that cultivate identity affirmation and inclusion and promote mental health, wellbeing and quality of life. Findings from this research can be used to enhance current understandings of the mental health experiences and needs of transgender people; to improve clinical practice, health promotion, education, policy development, and advocacy; and promote the mental health of transgender adults in Australia.

In the Malaysian federal system, the central government is in a dominant position and the states depend heavily on fiscal transfers from the centre to meet their budgetary needs. This model of fiscal federalism is widely regarded to have a negative impact on states‘ fiscal performance, in turn, affecting the overall performance of the economy. Having experienced three decades of rapid growth, Malaysian economic growth has been sluggish since the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and there is a widely shared view that the country needs a radical change in its economic development strategy in order to break out of the middle income trap. The National Economic Action Council of Malaysia has also been critical of the previous growth model for being inadequate for meeting this challenge, and the government‘s New Economic Model (NEM) aims at developing a system of governance that empowers the private sector for broad-based inclusive development. In this context, the aim of this thesis is to explore whether new insights gained from the latest model of federalism – the Market Preserving Federalism (MPF) – can be applied in Malaysia for reforming intergovernmental fiscal relations and for improving both national and regional economic growth potential. The concept of market preserving federalism (MPF) proposes a form of fiscal federalism with decentralised governance that functions on market-based principles, hard budget constraints, and fiscal accountability. The thesis investigates how the current model of fiscal decentralisation in Malaysia can be improved to support a market-based economy. Using econometric analysis of public finance data for two decades (1990-2009), the thesis evaluates the four critical attributes of Malaysian federalism, namely fiscal decentralisation, subnational competition, efficiency of public finances, and equity of outcomes by analysing the relationships between fiscal decentralisation and governmental incentives for revenue raising, public expenditure, and debt financing. In particular, the thesis analyses the nature of incentive structures generated by the current soft budget constraints faced by subnational governments and their effects on regional and national economic performance. Policy implications are drawn for reforming the current federal framework in order to foster business investment and inclusive economic development in Malaysia.

The literature on the performance of Australia’s centre-right government led by John Howard (1996-2007) has tended to underplay the role of September 11 in his electoral success. To win four terms of continuous government in the contemporary political scene is, however, no mean feat, ensuring Howard a place in the pantheon of celebrated conservative leaders in the English-speaking world. Our framework is the celebrated gestalt developed by Fred I. Greenstein to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each American President. Based on a series of interviews with Howard, the inner sanctum around him, other players in the political scene, and expert commentators, this thesis interrogates the leadership of John Howard in Greenstein’s terms. Each of the six skills and attributes in the Greenstein typology is viewed in specific ways from the standpoint of the two dozen interviewees. In areas where Howard was in some sense or other deficient or lacking, his experience in government, notably September 11, had a positive effect on his capacity for leadership. This analysis serves to help us approach the central question of this thesis, namely, what is the role of leader in the formation of a nation’s foreign policy? This question has been debated in the International Relations (IR) field for several generations of scholarship, and is most closely associated with the name of James N. Rosenau. The case of John Howard in the reformulation of Australian foreign policy in the aftermath of September 11 is an example on the ‘yes’ side of the ledger in that important debate. Where the Greenstein framework is important is to help us to see that these epochal events in IR can shape leaders as well as be shaped by them.

This thesis was written to address a problem with ambulance service delivery times in Victoria, Australia. For a number of years, ambulance response times have been increasing to unacceptable levels. As a result of the ever-increasing problem it was appropriate to see if the are other alternative solutions producing better results. There are a number of different service delivery models for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) around the world. The main two are the Anglo/American model (also known as scoop and run) and the Franco/German model (also known a stay and play). There are also two major delivery agencies; the British model of a separate third party public sector service as used in UK, Australia and New Zealand or the fire service model where the fire service is the main delivery agency such as most of Asia, Europe and North America. Which model provides the best outcome for the patient? Such research has not been done in the past. The research will also examine if the Metropolitan Fire brigade has capacity to undertake possible EMS roles. A number of case studies were undertaken and explored with key issues of response times, patient outcomes, skills and new technologies compared. The results, particularly of response time show that in Victoria the response time for fire EMS (8.3 minutes) to medical emergencies is similar to that provided by fire services delivering EMS in North America. The MFB in Victoria is providing the equivalent of first responder; the American and Canadian fire services are delivering Advanced Life Support (ALS). The response times for Basic Life Support (BLS) in Victoria provided by ambulance service are over twice as long (8.3 minutes for fire compared to 18.2 minutes for Victorian Ambulance at the 90%). The US and Canadian Fire Services provide EMS response time considerably lower than Ambulance Victoria, some as low as 7.43 minutes. UK Ambulance (on which the Victorian model is based) also provides response time considerably less than Ambulance Victoria. The issue of whether the fire service in Victoria has capacity to undertake further EMS delivery was explored and whilst it has the capacity it is doubtful it could be delivered in the current industrial environment with the union having the capability of vetoing managerial decisions. The research raised fundamental questions regarding the effective use of scarce public sector resources and agencies working across organisational boundaries in the interests of serving the public. Data analysis involved pattern matching, explanation building and time series analysis to identify trends and commonalities across the cases. A number of themes emerged including continued increases in call volumes, challenges meeting response times and the development of proactive programs to reduce the impact of these trends.