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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1986

Few issues in recent times have so provoked debate and dissention within the library field as has the concept of fees for user services. The issue has aroused the passions of our…

Abstract

Few issues in recent times have so provoked debate and dissention within the library field as has the concept of fees for user services. The issue has aroused the passions of our profession precisely because its roots and implications extend far beyond the confines of just one service discipline. Its reflection is mirrored in national debates about the proper spheres of the public and private sectors—in matters of information generation and distribution, certainly, but in a host of other social ramifications as well, amounting virtually to a debate about the most basic values which we have long assumed to constitute the very framework of our democratic and humanistic society.

Details

Collection Building, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2019

Nazim Habibov, Alena Auchynnikava and Rong Luo

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test two opposing theoretical hypotheses from research literature: low quality of public education boosts support for public education;…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test two opposing theoretical hypotheses from research literature: low quality of public education boosts support for public education; and low quality of public education weakens support for public education.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use microdata from 27 post-communist countries over a period of five years. This study uses two outcome variables in order to capture the level of support for public education: the willingness to elevate investments in public education to an important policy priority; and the willingness to pay more taxes to improve public healthcare. A series of logistic regressions is used to find how the outcome variable is influenced by six dimensions of the quality of the public education system.

Findings

The main finding is that a lower quality of public education strengthens the willingness of citizens to make investments into public education by: making it a political priority for the government; and through a professed increased willingness to pay more taxes towards improving public education. These findings remain valid for both years of investigation and for both EU and non-EU samples. In contrast, the authors could not find support for the hypothesis that postulates that a lower quality of public education will reduce support for public education.

Research limitations/implications

The main implication of these findings is that despite the increases in availability of private schooling opportunities, the citizens of post-communist countries have not abandoned their support for public education. Even if citizens of post-communist countries believe that public education is no longer of an appropriately high quality, they continue to support the provision of resources to it in order to improve on the current situation.

Practical implications

The current low quality of public education can be seen as providing an impetus for encouraging support for public education.

Social implications

In terms of policy-making, the findings demonstrate the opportunity to shore up public support for further reforms in public- education in post-communist countries.

Originality/value

The current education policy research literature is silent about the direction of the effect of low quality public education on the willingness to provide support for public education. Against this background, this is the first study which empirically tested whether quality of public education affect willingness to support it. Covering a period of five years, the authors test the above-postulated hypotheses using a diverse sample of 27 post-communist countries.

Details

International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2396-7404

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 August 2019

Brooke W. McKeever, Robert McKeever, Geah Pressgrove and Holly Overton

The purpose of this paper is to apply communication theory to explore and help explain public support for causes and organizations in the form of prosocial behaviors, including…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply communication theory to explore and help explain public support for causes and organizations in the form of prosocial behaviors, including donating, volunteering and participating in advocacy efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a survey of people (n=1,275) living in the USA who indicated supporting issues they cared about in 2017, this research gathered information about motivations for providing public support for various causes and non-profit organizations.

Findings

The situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) was applied, and support was found for the STOPS model in terms of predicting communicative action. This study also found support for situational activeness influencing other behaviors, including active forms of communication, financial support, volunteer support and other forms of advocacy. Implications for practitioners managing communications or organizations involved in such efforts are discussed.

Originality/value

This research applied STOPS to study behaviors, including communication, volunteering, donating and participating in advocacy efforts as forms of prosocial behavior supporting different organizations related to many important issues. The paper provides theoretical value in terms of adding to the generalizability of the STOPS model for communications scholars and discusses practical implications for non-profit and other types of organizations.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2015

Eran Vigoda-Gadot and Haim Cohen

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between image, service satisfaction and public opinion towards reforms in public organizations and postulate a more…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between image, service satisfaction and public opinion towards reforms in public organizations and postulate a more detailed relationship among them. The concept “New Public Management” (NPM) was initially suggested in the literature sometime around the early 1990s (Aucoin, 1990; Hood, 1991). NPM-style reforms raised the flag of responsiveness to citizens and improved public satisfaction with the assumption that organizational image would also be positively affected by such reforms. Image, satisfaction and support in public sector reforms are, therefore, the major focus of this study.

Design/methodology/approach

The focus is on a major reform in the Israel electricity industry and data were collected from 500 respondents by telephone interviews.

Findings

The findings support the authors ' hypotheses concerning the major role of image and satisfaction in forming attitudes towards NPM-style reforms. However, beyond conventional direct effects, the authors point to the mediating effect of organizational image on the relationship between satisfaction and support for reforms.

Research limitations/implications

First, other factors not included in the model may influence support for NPM-style reforms in public organizations. Second, the study focused on a single organization in one country only and a very specific culture. Finally, the study is cross-sectional and may suffer from common-method and common-source biases and for this reason, should be replicated to allow better generalization and firmer implications.

Practical implications

The findings about the preponderance of organizational image over service satisfaction can contribute to policymakers in their efforts to increase support for reforms among the public. The results demonstrate the strong relationship between organizational image and public opinion towards reform and the secondary effect of service satisfaction.

Social implications

The centrality of organizational image as a core social focus for citizens as clients and for policymakers is highlighted in the discussion. It is maintained that NPM-style reforms in the social arena, and beyond, are predominantly affected by image. Therefore, there is a need to better understand how image affects social and economic reforms and attitudes towards those reforms and what may be the social consequences of such attitudes by citizens and by policymakers’ decisions.

Originality/value

The originality of this study is fourfold: a unique model of image, satisfaction and attitudes towards NPM-style reforms not been studied thus far is in its current form; exploring interrelations of citizens’ satisfaction, image of the public sector and calls for reforms and change in the market-like environment of the public sphere; a telephone survey of opinions towards a specific NPM-style reform; and a focus on a major public sector organization in Israel going through reform.

Details

Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

Rachel Spacey and Anne Goulding

Purpose. To convey the initial findings of Biblio.for.mEDA, an EU project exploring lifelong learning provision for adults in public libraries set in the context of a literature…

1672

Abstract

Purpose. To convey the initial findings of Biblio.for.mEDA, an EU project exploring lifelong learning provision for adults in public libraries set in the context of a literature review regarding support for learners in public libraries. Design/methodology/approach. A total of 20 public library authorities in England agreed to participate in a survey of the resources, support and staffing to facilitate lifelong learning in public libraries. The data were analysed manually and reported here, including current provision for learners, collaborative working, plans for the future and consideration of the impacts on staff. The findings are reported in the context of other research exploring learning in public libraries and consideration of authority's web sites, annual library plans and position statements. Findings. Depicts current lifelong learning provision in public libraries and the challenges faced by staff in supporting learners. The varying degrees of learner support provided by library services are described including assistance for adults with basic skills needs. Research limitations/implications. The findings are indicative as only 20 public library managers completed the lifelong learning survey in the UK. Practical implications. Provides an extensive review of the literature pertaining to learning in public libraries. Results of the project provide a useful snapshot of current lifelong learning activity and the ways in which services are working to support adults wishing to learn. Originality/value. This paper offers recent research results and analysis of a pressing public library issue for practitioners.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 56 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2021

Sajid Iqbal and Ahmad Raza Bilal

The study aims to empirically estimate the role of public supports for energy efficiency financing and presents the way forward to mitigate the energy financing barriers that…

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to empirically estimate the role of public supports for energy efficiency financing and presents the way forward to mitigate the energy financing barriers that incurred during the COVID-19 crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the G7 countries data, the study estimated the nexus between the constructs. Generalized method of moments (GMM) and conventional increasing-smoothing asymptotic of GMM are applied to justify the study findings. Wald econometric technique is also used to robust the results.

Findings

The study findings reported a consistent role of public support on energy efficiency financing indicators, during the COVID-19 crisis period. G7 countries raised funds around 17% through public supports for energy efficiency financing, and it raised 4% of per unit energy usage to GDP, accelerated 16% energy efficiency and 24% output of renewable energy sources, during COVID-19. By this, study findings warrant a maximum support from public offices, energy ministries and other allied departments for energy efficiency optimization.

Practical implications

The study presents multiple policy implications to enhance energy efficiency through different alternative sources, such as, on-bill financing, direct energy efficiency grant, guaranteed financial contracts for energy efficiency and energy efficiency credit lines. If suggested policy recommendations are applied effectively, this holds the potential to diminish the influence of the COVID-19 crisis and can probably uplift the energy efficiency financing during structural crisis.

Originality/value

The originality of the recent study exists in a novel framework of study topicality. Despite growing literature, the empirical discussion in the field of energy efficiency financing and COVID-19 is still shattered and less studied, which is contributed by this study.

Details

China Finance Review International, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2012

Olga Demidova and Andrei Yakovlev

In this paper, we regard public procurement as an instrument used by the government for indirect support of enterprises. In this context, we have investigated the place that public

Abstract

In this paper, we regard public procurement as an instrument used by the government for indirect support of enterprises. In this context, we have investigated the place that public procurement occupy in statebusiness interrelations. Using data from a large survey of Russian manufacturing enterprises conducted in 2009 we show that in Russia public procurement cannot be regarded as a component in the system of exchanges, and the extent of combination between direct and indirect support depends on the level of government. At the federal level direct and indirect instruments of government support complement each other. At the regional and local levels the effect of mutual complementation can be observed only in relations with firms, which conceal information about their ownership structure and are supposedly affiliated with regional and local bureaucrats. In relations with other firms at regional and local levels direct and indirect support substitutes each other.

Details

Journal of Public Procurement, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1535-0118

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 12 no. 4/5/6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Article
Publication date: 3 September 2019

Nazim Habibov, Alena Auchynnikava, Rong Luo and Lida Fan

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the effects of interpersonal and institutional trust on welfare state support in the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the effects of interpersonal and institutional trust on welfare state support in the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use micro-data from two rounds of a multinational survey conducted in these countries in 2010 and 2016. The outcome variable of interest is the willingness to pay more taxes to support the welfare state. The authors define the welfare state broadly, and focus on support for three main domains of the welfare state, namely, support for the needy, public healthcare and public education. Binomial regression is used to establish influence of interpersonal and institutional trust on welfare state support.

Findings

The authors find that both interpersonal and institutional trust have positive influences on strengthening support for the welfare state against a number of alternative explanations for public support for the welfare state. These positive effects remain the same for all three domains under investigation, namely, helping the needy, public healthcare and public education. Furthermore, these positive effects were observed both in the relatively less developed countries of the FSU and in the more developed Eastern European countries. Moreover, the positive effects of interpersonal and institutional trust on support for the needy, public healthcare and public education were found to grow over time.

Research limitations/implications

The findings indicate that the benefits of nurturing social capital will likely be substantial. Decision-makers, politicians, welfare state administrators and multinational founders (e.g. the UN and World Bank) should acknowledge the role played by trust in influencing the citizenry’s support for the allocation of financial resources toward the development and maintenance of the welfare state. The findings imply that welfare state reforms could prove be more effective within a social context where levels of trust are high. Thus, special attention should be paid to initiatives aimed at developing strategies to build trust.

Practical implications

Social welfare reforms in post-communist transitional countries may fail without active strategies aimed at nurturing institutional trust. One way to nurture institutional trust is through making additional efforts at enhancing the levels of accountability and transparency within a society as well as through increasing citizen engagement. Another way to build increased levels of trust is to take part in a variety of initiatives in good governance put forth by multinational initiatives.

Originality/value

As far as the authors know, this is the first paper which studies effect of interpersonal and institutional trust on support of the welfare state using a large and diverse sample of 27 countries over the period of five years. This is the first study which focuses on post-communist countries where trust is inherently low.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 39 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 November 2012

Miguel Torres and Celeste Varum

Purpose – This chapter examines the extent to which public support for internationalization can be considered as a determinant of foreign direct investment…

Abstract

Purpose – This chapter examines the extent to which public support for internationalization can be considered as a determinant of foreign direct investment (FDI).

Design/methodology/approach – The chapter examines the traditional determinants of FDI and the capability-building argument; and augments this by testing a set of public support measures as complement of the firm's internal needs, using a probit model.

Findings – The chapter shows that a special theory is clearly required to explain the particular circumstances of the use of public support for internationalization activities. However, the received theory relying on capability-building argument performs well.

Practical implications – The importance of specific characteristics related to competencies and the use of certain types of public support that improve competencies lead us to consider that public support matters for capability-building. Despite this issue, the analysis of the FDI determinants can be explained by standard theory. However, the impact of public policies on FDI suggests new models capable of capturing the behaviour of foreign direct investors in presence of public incentives.

Originality/value – This research provides useful information to understand the role of intrinsic characteristics of the firms and how they bridge their internal gaps with external support in carrying out demanding activities. External support provides a good test of the general theory of FDI, and a special theory nested within this gives a great deal of insight into current issues of FDI in the link between the home-country government and the firm's needs. This study goes beyond the traditional analysis of the effects of public support on exports. It uses a uniquely rich data set to evaluate the importance of public support as FDI determinant.

Details

New Policy Challenges for European Multinationals
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-020-8

Keywords

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