Explore the vast range of titles available.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to public service delivery but heightened citizens demand for services. We examined public sector reforms implemented in the Ghanian public sector to ensure public service continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using content analysis and key informant interviews we found that reforms such as flexible working schedule, redesign of offices, directorates, and installations of equipment, online monitoring and assessment of targets, and conducting services online were instrumental in ensuring the continuity of government business. We recommend that public sector managers should allocate adequate resources to digital-based public sector reforms to better prepare for wicked transboundary human threats such as Covid-19.

To improve sustainable service provision, the public sector has been repeatedly subject to administrative reforms. Yet, the question arises of which types of organizations might be preferred. To address this, we systematically analyze which water supply organizations decision-makers and stakeholders, across different levels of government in Switzerland, prefer. We find that the actors prefer public organizations that involve coordination between municipalities and reject private organizations. Distinguishing between different actor levels reveals a distinct pattern, mainly related to the level of responsibility: the national (confederation) and regional (cantonal) actors only prefer coordination across municipalities, where local politicians lose a degree of control. In contrast, the local actors prefer those organizations where they can maintain democratic control the most. However, such organizations are not expected to perform sustainably, mainly because of lengthy decision-making processes, lack of access to external funds, and short-term financial planning. We, thus, conclude that, at the local level, there is potentially a trade-off between democratic values and performance.

PurposeGovernments worldwide have used administrative reforms to align public organizations with the needs of their key stakeholders. However, despite successfully implementing them, they do not consistently achieve the desired organizational performance. This paper aims to explore the relationship between the implementation of administrative reforms and the performance of public organizations from a comprehensive perspective. For this purpose, the authors analyze the mediation role of three crucial dynamic capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThis research used a survey-based methodology. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data obtained from a sample of public officials and managers working in public organizations in the State of Ceará (Brazil).FindingsThe results of this study suggest that dynamic capabilities can have a decisive role in implementing government policy proposals and helping public organizations align their outcomes with stakeholders' needs. In addition, they indicate the existence of two levels of capabilities and identify a road map for their implementation.Practical implicationsFrom a practical point of view, by identifying these capabilities and their interrelationship, this study provides a roadmap to reduce the complexity of their use and help managers of public organizations deliver desired outcomes relating to the quality of individual and collective stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study makes important contributions to the literature, enabling scholars and practitioners to see the result of government policy proposals beyond the efficient use of public resources. It shows the role of dynamic capabilities as mediation instruments for changing public organizations, which can be used in administrative reform implementations and continuous improvement processes. Finally, it provides empirical research on the interaction between the three dynamic capabilities in the context of public organizations, differentiating these capabilities into two levels, which provides a road map for their implementation and development by public managers.

This article examines whether Nordic administrative collaboration is still ‘alive and kicking,’ or whether it has been marginalized by increased integration into Europe and strong international reform trajectories. We analyse the scope and intensity of Nordic administrative collaboration from a structural perspective based on the perceptions of civil servants in the Norwegian central government. We also address the implications of Nordic collaboration for policy design and reform measures. The main conclusion is that Nordic administrative collaboration can best be described as differentiated integration. The scope of Nordic administrative collaboration is rather broad, and its internal structural features vary significantly. Nordic collaboration is perceived to have more of an effect on policy design than on specific administrative reform means and measures. However, structural features also matter.

Abstract This article assesses the 2000s reforms of the Russian administrative divisions and the implications of the reforms for the institutional structure and related discourse through institutional and discourse analysis. The authors reach the conclusion that the “special status” of the newly formed territorial entities remains undefined, while the representation norm is highly uneven, since the competences of governing bodies in the merged entities lie predominantly in the ethnic and cultural sphere. The reform was not a single and coherent policy measure but rather a number of incoherent initiatives. This can be seen from the presence of different (re)integration models in respective amalgamation cases, different models of a “special status” and a variety of reactions to the reform emanating from the population. Resumen Este artículo evalúa las reformas del 2000 en las divisiones administrativas rusas y las implicaciones de dichas reformas en la estructura institucional y el discurso relacionado, a través del análisis institucional y del discurso. Los autores llegan a la conclusión de que el “estatus especial” de las entidades territoriales recién formadas permanece indefinido, mientras que las normas de representación son desiguales, ya que las competencias de los órganos rectores en las entidades fusionadas residen predominantemente en la esfera étnica y cultural. La reforma no fue una medida política única y coherente, sino una serie de iniciativas incoherentes. Esto se puede ver por la presencia de diferentes modelos de (re) integración en los respectivos casos de amalgamación, diferentes modelos de un “estatus especial” y una variedad de reacciones a la reforma que emanan de la población. Résumé Cet article analyse les réformes des divisions administratives russes de l'année 2000 et leurs implications pour la structure et le discours institutionnels, en utilisant les méthodes institutionnelle et discursive. Les auteurs concluent que le « statut spécial » des entités territoriales nouvellement formées reste indéfini, tandis que la norme de représentation demeure très inégale, les compétences des organes directeurs des entités fusionnées étant principalement concentrées dans les domaines ethnique et culturel. La réforme ne constitue pas une mesure politique cohérente, mais un certain nombre d'initiatives incohérentes. La présence de différents modèles de (ré)intégration dans les cas de fusion évoqués, les divers cas de « statut spécial » et la variété des réactions populaires face à cette réforme en témoignent.

The purpose of the study is to identify the content of modern administrative reform and the characteristics of its impact on the quality and efficiency of public administration in Russia. The methodological basis of the study includes the dialectical, systemic, comparative historical and comparative legal approaches. The formal legal method, methods of data collection, analysis of secondary data, methods of analysis, induction, legal comparative studies were also used herein. The results of the study showed that state reform, contributing to a successful democratic transition to a developed social and legal state, is implemented by eliminating excessive centralization of state power, creating conditions for business development, removing excessive government interference and administrative barriers, ensuring competition and countering corruption. The introduction of criteria for the effectiveness of performance evaluation, monitoring and public control of the state apparatus contributes to real public control. Based on the results of the study, priority trends in the deployment of modern state reform were identified and the author’s recommendations for its further improvement were formulated. Moreover, it was noted that the central directions of improving the system of public administration, in which systematic work is being carried out are the reduction of excessive government regulation; improving the quality of public services; increasing the efficiency of government bodies; increasing information transparency, overcoming corruption. The novelty of the work lies in the identified features of the political and administrative culture of Russia in the context of its constructive influence on the nature of modern administrative reform. Moreover, it includes the implementation of a systematic analysis of the modern Russian administrative reform and a comprehensive assessment of its results, consisting not only in improving the quality of public services provided to the population, but also in strengthening the vertical of executive power. Proposals have been developed to improve the organizational and legal mechanisms of state reform.

Based on historical records of extreme climate events and population densities in Gansu and Shaanxi, and information on climate change, populations, new cultivated cropland, and administrative system reform in Xinjiang, this study explores the interaction between climate change, migration, and regional administrative reform in the middle Qing Dynasty. The results showed that the surge in population migration from Gansu and Shaanxi to Xinjiang during 1760–1820 was caused by extreme climate events (droughts and floods) and population pressure in Gansu and Shaanxi. During 1760–1880, the climate in Xinjiang was unusually cold and humid, which was highly conducive to abundant regional water resources. This provided favorable conditions for farmland irrigation and further promoted agricultural cultivation, population growth, and town development within this region. Additionally, the interactions between climate change and the above-mentioned social factors, which acted as driving forces, spurred the reform in the administrative system of Xinjiang whereby the military administration system was transformed to a province administration system. Through this reform, the Qing government managed to restore peace and stability in Xinjiang. This study contributes to a better understanding of climate-related population migration and enhances our knowledge of the impact-response chain between climate change, ancient social developments, and political coping strategies, especially in regional administrative reform.

Since the early 2000s, external government performance evaluation (EGPE) activities have been burgeoning in China as an important venue to enhance government's external accountability, but there have been few studies of this important phenomenon. We bridge the gap by examining the emergence and development of EGPE in China and evaluating its performance. We find that EGPE in China is generally of satisfactory quality but has some serious problems. It needs to improve its independence, validity, and reliability. One way to enhance its quality, credibility, and functionality would be by releasing raw data to the public for verification and duplication. Although EGPE is a necessary and promising tool to promote external government accountability, systematic political and administrative reforms will be required to ensure an effective performance management system that does not only serve hierarchical control and internal accountability but also external and democratic accountability.

For Lebanon to reach its future obligations prior to the implementation of \"Capital Investment Plan\" or what we called \"Cedar Project\", the need for strategy in Lebanese Public Administration reform is substantial. An efficient and effective mechanism to deal with change, development, and reform is the application of strategic planning. The aim of this paper is to shed the light on the influence of strategic planning on Lebanese public administration as a major concept for reform and development accompanied with the critical role played by Lebanese government to emphasis on the necessity to apply New Public Management reform culture. Adopting qualitative research method, the paper seeks to offer a wealthy literature about strategic planning and New Public Management and their role in public administration reform. In addition, quantitative research will take into consideration as an empirical study based on a questionnaire to recognize the perception of the Lebanese Ministry of State for Administrative Reform members' by analyzing five categories; institutional of strategic planning, setting up the strategic basis, strategic planning diagnosis, strategic planning development, and strategic planning implementation. Our findings will illustrate that the process of strategy and strategic planning have been neither documented precisely nor implemented adequately through almost all staffs, committees, and experts in the ministry. The results will contribute to enhance and improve the planning process by implementing a transparent strategic reform process along with New Public Management principles in order for the ministry to reach its future mission, ambitions, and goals.

The article explores the role of accounting in eighteenth-century Russian State administration combining historical and comparative levels of analysis. In 1718-1724 Peter the Great introduced a new system of administration with a more sophisticated form of accounting based on cameralism. The role of those who managed the monarchy’s revenues and expenditures was regulated by decrees and regulations. Catherine II during her rule instituted a network of local treasuries and the Chancery of State Revenues as the central office entrusted with drawing up a state budget and checking the treasury operations. At the same time, the translation, publication and dissemination of the first commercial literature, favoured by the power, served to introduce Russian merchants to the double-entry bookkeeping system. But unlike countries in western Europe, there was no attempt to adopt it for the tsarist finances. It should be emphasized, however, that the financial and accounting reforms of Peter I and Catherine II were important for modernizing the Russian state. This was the time when accounting became part of the tools and policies designed to govern the Russian Empire, its different territories, peoples, and economic and financial resources.