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This research focuses on institutional trust based on the general trust discourse using a theoretical framework to delve into institutional trust based on various organisational performance measures and citizen perception indicators. It employs a social survey method to empirically inquire into citizen perceptions and the level of their satisfaction from service delivery and the extent of their trust in locally-based institutions providing public services in an urban setting. The findings indicate that trust is dependent on the performance of service staff, the values they manifest, the process involved in obtaining services, and the sorts of measures used to assess performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite initial criticism, and often driven by performance contracts, arm's length bodies (ALBs) have been expanding in Brazil within the context of state reform. The creation of ALBs is the strategy by which Brazilian governments have sought to address or evade the rigidity of public sector rules. Governments from different political orientations have adopted various types of ALBs with the aim of achieving some administrative agility and flexibility in the delivery of public services. The advances in flexibility are larger than the granting of autonomy for the new organizations, revealing persistent hierarchical relationships between the government and ALBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical studies on e-governance are replete with evidences highlighting its potential for improving service delivery. This study was conducted in PNG and Fiji using structured questionnaires distributed to different groups of respondents. The results indicate that e-governance has the potential to improve Public Service Delivery. It is also confirmed through the findings in this research that the expectations of citizens from public services are quite high, but experience has often been negative i.e. there is a huge variance in the perception and expectation of normal citizens in PNG (Papua New Guinea) and Fiji regarding service delivery, quality of services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative research on inter-municipal cooperation in eight European countries shows that there is a great variety of institutional arrangements for cooperation across the different countries. Also, these arrangements tend to change over time in terms of the scope of cooperation among partners, their composition and the degree of organizational integration. This article describes and analyzes the variety of and shifts in institutional arrangements for a specific class of inter-municipal cooperation arrangements: those that are set up to provide for the joint delivery of public services. It is argued that specific arrangements are typically the outcomes of interaction between national institutional contexts, environmental factors and local preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]