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1 – 10 of 40There is a widespread critique of government, in Australia and elsewhere, which raises questions about the conceptual frame mobilised by analysts and practitioners to make sense…
Abstract
There is a widespread critique of government, in Australia and elsewhere, which raises questions about the conceptual frame mobilised by analysts and practitioners to make sense of public organisation. This article examines the practice and the analysis of public organisation in Australia, and identifies three distinct patterns of theorising it, which it labels "traditional", "modern" and "post-modern". The discussion of these alternative patterns raises questions about how public organisation is theorised, and about the relationship between the theorisation and the practice.
The main focus of the study is education policy issued from “above”: that is, it is largely an examination of the contribution of Canberra officials and politicians towards…
Abstract
The main focus of the study is education policy issued from “above”: that is, it is largely an examination of the contribution of Canberra officials and politicians towards education for future PNG autonomy and/or independence. It will be argued that Commonwealth policy towards PNG education in the colonial period was limited conceptually by the relatively low priority accorded to PNG affairs by the Australian government, as well as the Commonwealth’s overwhelming emphasis on narrow vocational outcomes for Indigenous people. This meant that educational outcomes vital to successful independence ‐ such as civic awareness and a solid pool of professional workers ‐ were neglected, much to the future cost of PNG as a nation.
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The purpose of this chapter is to assess the notion, measurement, and impact of institutional “public value” in an effort to determine its relevance, origin, and implementable…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to assess the notion, measurement, and impact of institutional “public value” in an effort to determine its relevance, origin, and implementable government focus to create, maintain, and stimulate national productivity/wealth.
Methodology/approach
A literature review is presented along with the conceptualization of the public value thinking; an empirical analysis (in force of accredited official dataset-information) will test research assumptions.
Findings
The chapter identifies both the main features of “public value” and the possible impacts of public domain on the quality of private institutions and relating markets functioning (financial, labor, goods, technology), through aggregate statistics.
Research limitations/implications
The public value dynamics may be affected variously by the different context factors/cultures characterizing the international economies/years examined. Nonetheless, global statistics/indicators appear as interesting as significant.
Practical implications
The endeavor of this chapter is to invite scholars, administrators, and practitioners to take into consideration the findings and stimulate the government/management of public value (which is more and more entrepreneurial) also for facilitating doing business.
Social implications
This study contributes to shed light on the complex mechanisms of accumulation and diffusion of public value addressing future research on the role of property rights, ethicality, undue influence, institutional efficiency, and security.
Originality/value
The hendiadys “Value” and “Public” has been for several years examined mostly from the normative viewpoint. This chapter moves on to the field of practical assessment of public institutions by adopting an econometric model which points to identify concrete drivers and relating effects on productivity.
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Nigel M. de Bussy and Lorissa Kelly
This paper seeks to explore the meaning of the stakeholder concept in politics, using theories drawn from the fields of management, political science and public relations. In…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to explore the meaning of the stakeholder concept in politics, using theories drawn from the fields of management, political science and public relations. In particular, the theory of stakeholder identification and salience is to be used as a framework.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study involved in‐depth interviews with 23 politicians and political advisers in Western Australia and was conducted in the style of a grounded theory investigation.
Findings
The results indicate that in politics, as in business, controversy and confusion continue to surround the stakeholder concept. Participants thought “stakeholder” should imply possession of a legitimate interest in an issue, but did not believe this was always the case. There is a gulf between how politicians think stakeholder status should be accorded in principle and what happens in reality. In practice, power seems to play a far greater role than legitimacy in determining stakeholder salience among political decision‐makers.
Research limitations/implications
Although the study focuses on a single jurisdiction (Western Australia), there are implications for policy development in other contemporary democracies. Excluding or marginalising stakeholders with a legitimate right to be heard contributes to the phenomenon known as “democratic deficit”, whereby citizens feel alienated from the political process.
Originality/value
This is one of the few empirical studies to investigate the application of stakeholder theory – as developed in the management literature – to politics. It integrates theories from different disciplines of direct relevance to what should be the primary focus of public relations – the management of stakeholder relationships.
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Andrea Lippi and Theodore N. Tsekos
The introduction of the book is aimed at providing the reader with a comprehensive analytical framework on the purpose and content of sustainable development analysis as a wicked…
Abstract
The introduction of the book is aimed at providing the reader with a comprehensive analytical framework on the purpose and content of sustainable development analysis as a wicked problem in policymaking. The UN's 2030 Agenda is an ambitious and far-reaching initiative that encompasses 17 broad goals and 169 targets, which may be too general and potentially conflicting. Translating this agenda into practice is a challenging and possibly frustrating task that requires a pragmatic and methodologically structured approach. Accordingly, the introduction is organized around five key concepts that favor a translation into practice: the definition of problems and solutions, the policymaking of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the wicked nature of policy problems in a sustainable development perspective, the specific kinds of capacity the policymakers must get to accomplish any task in the field of sustainable development, and, lastly, the type of policy design allocating ends and means for solving the problems. In particular, the theoretical framework supports the reader in understanding the wicked nature of sustainable development policies and the additional capacities policymakers must have in order to be able to design effective and coherent strategies. After a detailed presentation of each of the 12 chapters divided into two parts (six chapters in a section dedicated to the analysis of wicked sustainable development policies and six chapters dedicated to the analysis of the capacity of institutional instruments in resolving wickedness), the introduction anticipates the reader the rationale of the book.
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Alan J. Gilmer, Mark J. McGarrity and Vivienne Byers
The purpose of this paper is to determine the status of policy design and policy implementation in the biofuel sector in Ireland. The focus of the work addresses the overarching…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the status of policy design and policy implementation in the biofuel sector in Ireland. The focus of the work addresses the overarching operational context of the biofuel sector in Ireland and the role of different actors in shaping and resolving inconsistencies in policy outlook and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a qualitative research approach involving a series of semi-structured interviews with members of the relevant sub-groups concerned. This study sought to address two questions – whether current or proposed policy is likely to affect consumption of indigenous biofuel feedstocks in the biofuel sector and what are the controlling factors in the demand for indigenous feedstocks for biofuel.
Findings
Outcomes suggest that while Irish government policy recognises the need to support the development of renewable energy, it also operates under a number of parallel and potentially inconsistent paradigms in relation to biofuels as a renewable energy commodity. It is contended that the outcome of this position is a lack of coherent and coordinated policy in the area of biofuel production, including second generation biofuel using indigenous feedstocks.
Originality/value
This paper provides a new cross sectoral perspective on the status of biofuel policy in Ireland with particular reference to second generation biofuel feedstocks. It focuses analysis on the nature of policy-operational inconsistencies and the need for a deeper ecological perspective in governance.
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Lisa Ruhanen, Noel Scott, Brent Ritchie and Aaron Tkaczynski
Despite the proliferation of the governance concept in the broader academic literature, there is little agreement on definitions, scope and what actually constitutes governance…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the proliferation of the governance concept in the broader academic literature, there is little agreement on definitions, scope and what actually constitutes governance. This is arguably due to the fact that empirical research on the topic, with some exceptions, is generally limited to case studies without use of any common conceptual framework. This is certainly the case in other fields of study and is becoming increasingly obvious in tourism research also. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to explore and synthesize the governance literature with the objective of identifying the key elements and dimensions of governance.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the two “parent” bodies of literature originating in the political sciences and corporate management fields of study, the paper provides a review and synthesis of the governance concept with the objective of identifying the primary elements and factors that have been employed in studies of governance to date.
Findings
A review of 53 published governance studies identified 40 separate dimensions of governance. From this review, the six most frequently included governance dimensions were: accountability, transparency, involvement, structure, effectiveness and power.
Originality/value
A synthesis of the governance literature has not been undertaken to date, either in the tourism literature or in other fields of study, and in doing so the authors provide a basis for tourism researchers to draw on a set of comparable conceptual dimensions in future research. Comparable dimensions which can be replicated and tested in empirical research will add additional depth and rigor to studies in this field.
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Enrico Bracci, Luca Papi, Michele Bigoni, Enrico Deidda Gagliardo and Hans-Jürgen Bruns
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role and impact of accounting within the fragmented field of public value theory literature.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role and impact of accounting within the fragmented field of public value theory literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The work develops a structured literature review (SLR) and seeks to shed light on the state of public value research, with particular emphasis on the role of accounting scholarship.
Findings
The lack of empirical research and the limited number of accounting papers reveal how accounting scholars need to achieve a deeper understanding of the public value conceptualization, creation and measurement process.
Originality/value
The paper develops the first wide-ranging SLR on public value accounting. It is a starting point to develop new research avenues, both in the fields of accountability/external reporting, and management accounting and performance management.
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The equator principles constitute an international voluntary code developed by banks to encourage consideration of environmental and social issues in project financing. Such codes…
Abstract
Purpose
The equator principles constitute an international voluntary code developed by banks to encourage consideration of environmental and social issues in project financing. Such codes can flexibly bridge the gap between individual companies' sustainability initiatives and mandatory, legal regulation. However, concerns continue to be expressed that the equator principles reporting of banks is not fully satisfactory, so the aim of this paper is to investigate both the nature of the success and the shortcomings of equator principles reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on academic literature on motivations for corporate social responsibility and various publications by non‐government organisations and professional accounting and legal organisations, together with analysis of the disclosures made by Barclays and HSBC. In addition, access was gained for semi‐structured interviews with some senior executives/consultants.
Findings
While the voluntary equator principles initiative has been remarkably successful in matching banks' strategic motivation, the environmental benefit may primarily be a by‐product of the risk management processes of banks, consistent with enlightened shareholder theory. This does not mean the environmental benefits may not be real but, without more detailed project‐level disclosure and a standardised performance evaluation system, it is difficult to measure the extent to which the equator principles have had a positive effect on the environment.
Research limitations/implications
Further research is needed to gauge how the equator principles impact front‐line decision making. There could usefully be further standardisation of equator principles reporting formats, with more detail about project‐level implementation. With respect to reports of external assurers, it remains an open question as to whether these should be made compulsory, subject to further specification of the independence and competence standards.
Originality/value
The study helps to illuminate the effectiveness of a voluntary code such as the equator principles in the social construction of how enlightened shareholder theory is to be interpreted and implemented. It makes an initial response to recent calls by Bebbington et al. and Adams for further empirical corporate social responsibility research and more direct engagement with organisations.
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