Australian Journal of Public Administration最新文献

People with disability are an ‘at-risk’ group in a pandemic context for various clinical and structural reasons. However, in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disability were not identified as a priority group, which exacerbated this risk, particularly for those living in congregate settings. This paper examines inter-organisational issues during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in disability residential settings gathered from senior managers, team leaders, and disability support workers. We use Victoria as a case study since several Victorian disability residential settings were in mid-transition from state provision to non-profit organisations. We argue that residential settings in mid-transition had clearer lines of organisational accountability and communication, which was thought to reduce the impact of outbreaks compared to residential settings in other States and Territories with multiple lines of communication and blurred accountability. The paper contributes to the literature on inter-organisational collaboration by reinforcing the necessity of clear lines of accountability and leadership in collaborative governance during emergencies. The evidence suggests how government and disability residential settings could better support residents and staff in future COVID-19 outbreaks or other pandemics.

Points for practitioners

Can dissatisfaction with existing policies lead to the co-production of public goods and services? If so, under what conditions could such dissatisfaction lead to the co-production of public goods and services? We posit that when (1) citizens are dissatisfied with the policy as designed, (2) third-sector organisations are formed, and (3) politicians and street-level managers are engaged, the co-production of public goods and services will take place. Analysing the Israeli religion-based restrictions on public transportation on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday), this study argues that the intentional lack of public transport on Saturdays is overall met with discontent within the population and, in turn, leads third-sector organisations and local authorities to combine forces to find solutions on the local level. We have employed various mixed methods tools (e.g. a public opinion survey, existing statistics, in-depth interviews, and textual analysis) in order to test the Israeli case as an illustrative, crucial case study.

Points for practitioners

The assumption of new public management (NPM) that governments can lower costs and improve service quality through a market mechanism, such as competition, has been under debate over several decades. To test the NPM assumption, this study investigates the effects of contracting out on cost savings by analysing municipal solid waste management data collected in 25 local governments in the Republic of Korea over a period of 14 years. Contrary to the NPM assumption, this study suggests that contracting out does not necessarily result in cost savings but rather causes additional financial burden on citizens.

Points for practitioners

Governments have increasingly tasked the not-for-profit sector with supporting the provision of public goods and services. Alongside this role, not-for-profits have faced increasingly challenging external contexts, including heightened competition and tighter funding regimes. This makes effective innovation critical for the successful delivery of social goods within this setting particularly, and in other public service-oriented organisations more broadly. However, we know little about how innovation occurs in such contexts and even less about the motivations of those who choose to expend the effort to drive innovation there. This study examines the motivations of a key innovation agent, the innovation champion, in the challenging and dynamic not-for-profit context. Via a multi-case study, qualitative approach with 46 interviews, we utilise self-determination theory to surface what motivates innovation champions to develop and drive new idea generation and implementation. The motivations for championing innovations in not-for-profits are varied, spanning intrinsic, prosocial, and other extrinsic drivers. With wider implications for public service-oriented organisations, our work also suggests that champions in such contexts are variably motivated throughout an innovation project and appear to be simultaneously intrinsically and prosocially motivated. We also find that boredom, or its avoidance, can motivate champions toward innovative activities.

Points for practitioners