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Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The public transportation system is critical in meeting the demands of the rapidly growing population and increased mobility. Thus, providing and improving public services has become an urgent need in recent years. This study aims to evaluate the level of Baghdad's public transport system using a variety of criteria, including public transport availability, and comfort level. Service level is a method used to develop transport infrastructure labels based on a specific analysis. The importance of evaluating road operational performance services to improve bus service delivery is based on the concept of service level. The relatively high performance of bus service delivery can affect the level of satisfaction of its users. The availability of public transportation is analyzed in terms of frequency, service coverage, and hours. This study assesses the level of service for five specific major bus routes in Baghdad (4, 12, 45, 61, and 113). Survey processes were used to collect data. The results indicate that all lines according to service hours were at the level of service "E". While the service frequency is within the service levels "A", "B", and "C", and transit-auto travel time is within the service levels Class "B", and "C". This study contributes to being a useful guide for developing a comprehensive plan for the level of service and improving the quality of bus service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much is known about the consequences of PSM, comparatively little is known about the causes of PSM. Furthermore, while PSM is believed to be influenced by parents, no study has obtained measures of PSM directly from parents. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to survey both children and their parents in a study of the antecedents of PSM. Nested regression models paring over 800 parents and children suggest that parental PSM-related values have a strong association with the PSM-related values of their children. This is the first study to show the intergenerational transfer of PSM and suggests that PSM may be largely socialized via the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When facing a disobedient client, caseworkers are often required to impose sanctions. Even when sanctions are explicitly required by law, however, research shows that caseworkers may turn a blind eye. Why so? This study asks how certain clients can merit themselves to avoid sanctioning. Theorizing from the notion of client deservingness, we develop a theoretical account of how certain client attributes cause frontline workers to bend the rules. Drawing from a novel conjoint experiment among Danish unemployment caseworkers (n = 407 with 1,210 observations), we show how caseworkers tend to favor stronger clients when bending the rules in clients' favor. Clients who appear motivated, who have not been sanctioned in the past, and who have more past job experience are all less likely to be sanctioned. Our findings reveal a paradox: Although welfare usually targets clients in need, avoiding welfare sanctions seems based on client resources. Consequently, caseworker rule-bending can have unintended distributional consequences since stronger clients are those who can get away with disobedience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, many Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) engaged in processes of decentralization in which responsibilities of the national government are transferred to local government units (LGUs). Yet, it is still unclear under what circumstances LGUs in recently decentralized CEEC can deliver high-quality public services. We put forward the argument that political, administrative, and financial factors related to characteristics of the LGU, and their implementation structure can explain the quality of public services, understood here as the compliance with standards set at central government level. We deduce a set of hypotheses which we test with the example of the public service of preschool education in Albania using generalized linear mixed-effects models. We find that albeit fiscal factors are important, the relation between money and high-quality public services is more complex than previously assumed. We find that private donations can undermine central government standards, and that requirements not involving financial costs are more likely implemented. Further, political, and administrative factors, although previously often neglected, play an important role. We find that outsourcing certain functions leads to higher service quality, and that urban areas provide higher quality services indicating that political actors need to focus on rural [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the merit-based selection process help to reduce gender discrimination in public administrations? To answer this question, we conducted an in-depth case study in Mexico and built two original databases for analysis. First, we measure vertical and horizontal discrimination, and second, we examine merit-based competitions for access to upper management levels of the Mexican public administration to explore their role in reproducing gender discrimination. We find the existence of both vertical and horizontal segregation, and the analysis of merit-based competition results shows that women have difficulty winning competitions for the highest hierarchical levels and traditionally male sectors. Based on these findings, we explore the role of merit-based competitions in reproducing gender discrimination. Finally, we urge for the inclusion of a gender perspective in public service reforms in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liberal democracy has become vulnerable to illiberal political movements and the gradual erosion of democratic institutions. To safeguard liberal democracy, we propose the concept of the Guardian State, which embraces liberal principles while acting as a defensive barrier against illiberal tendencies. We need strong administrative institutions that uphold liberal democratic norms and resist pressures from populist politicians. Institutionalizing guardianship as the key norm within the civil service fortifies democratic institutions against backsliding. The principle of neutrality alone cannot ensure that only liberal citizens come to power. Structural measures at the individual and organizational levels are essential to fortify the foundations of the Guardian State and protect liberal democracy against evolving threats. Proactive efforts are necessary to defend and strengthen the public service to ensure the long‐term viability of democratic governance. The Guardian State places the bureaucracy in a key role in preserving the core principles of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil servants' work is being affected by an increasing variety of government reforms. As such, the role of civil servants is a major topic of research. Nevertheless, no validated measurement scales exist for how civil servants themselves perceive their own role in a complex and constantly changing environment. We develop and validate measurement scales for civil servants' role perceptions. Using data from two surveys (N = 161 and N = 1080), we develop scales for bureaucratic, entrepreneurial, and networking role perceptions. We found that each role perception consists of two idiosyncratic elements. We tested our scales for reliability and validity and found that all three role perceptions related to role ambiguity, commitment, and engagement. Moreover, the entrepreneurial and networking role perceptions correlated with Public Service Motivation (PSM), while the bureaucratic and entrepreneurial role perceptions correlated with performance. We discuss opportunities to systematically study the effects and antecedents of civil servants' role perceptions as they have practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After decades of private companies delivering public services, governments are increasingly using a mix of outsourcing and insourcing to provide services. With insourcing, governments replace market competition with public monopoly and concentrated private ownership with more dispersed public ownership. Despite these fundamental changes in competition and ownership, little is known theoretically and empirically about how insourcing affects employees. This study uses high‐quality, individual‐level Danish register data to examine how insourcing affects employees overall and among employees of different gender and age. The analysis shows that insourcing significantly and positively affects short‐ and intermediate‐term work income and employment. Moreover, moderation analyses suggest that insourcing is particularly beneficial for female, younger, and older employees. These findings have important implications for policy makers, as they provide insights into longstanding questions about insourcing in public administration and reveal how estimating total insourcing costs should include employee consequences, especially for female and younger/older employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on networks has established that tensions might arise between organizational structures and processes and network goals. This study investigates the role that network managers can play in mitigating these tensions through network orchestration. Based on an experimental design involving students and practitioners from the social domain, the combined effects of network orchestration and organizational formalization on goal orientation were examined. Results show that a negative effect of organizational formalization on network goal orientation is mitigated by network orchestration. Thereby, this study contributes to our understanding of the role of network orchestration in coping with tensions inherent to networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street Level Bureaucrat (SLB) and Conservation of Resources theories are used to develop measures for Public Value (PV) and a higher-order construct comprising psychological capacities and behavioural capabilities – HERO-INE, and to test whether it is an antecedent of Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Public Value (PV) using data from 259 SLBs working in Australian healthcare collected at two points in time and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. HERO-INE, PSM, and in-role behaviour explained approximately 40% of the SLBs' PV. The implication is that organizations must ensure that SLBs have the psychological and behavioural capabilities to deliver PV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While previous research on Open Government Data (OGD) has primarily focused on reuse and adoption, this study aims to explore the implications of the Public Service Logic (PSL) and Public Service Motivation (PSM) dimensions in the context of OGD initiatives. This study is contextualized in Tanzania wherein the OGD initiatives are at an evolving stage. For the present study, the perspectives of the 15 public officials involved in the management of the OGD initiatives are being solicited. Findings underscore the need for furthering the marketing and refurbishing the OGD initiatives' quality alongside the increased involvement of the stakeholders to engage in value co‐creation. Furthermore, as a study contextualized in a developing country to understand the involvement of the public personnel in the refurbishment of the OGD initiatives, the study contributes to the extant OGD literature while identifying the OGD publisher‐side challenges and strengths in a still‐evolving OGD initiative. Finally, with its societal implications in terms of the impact on societal stakeholders' engagement with OGD given the PSL‐PSM of the public officials, the study's relevance is also clinched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the levels of work stress among employees of a service company in Manizales. The study uses a mixed approach and applies the ILO-WHO Work Stress scale to 33 employees. The results show that work stress levels are below the intermediate range, but the company has incurred costs due to absenteeism and turnover. The article suggests that companies in the service sector can use this information to develop stress management strategies and reduce costs. It contributes to existing research on work stress in Contact Center companies in Latin America and provides a reference for future studies. The article highlights the increasing demands placed on workers due to market changes and globalization, leading to problems with occupational health. Various stressors are identified, and the lack of cohesion and organizational structure are identified as the main sources of stress. The study found that organizational climate and financial factors contribute to work stress, resulting in significant financial losses for the company. Strategies for stress management and improving work conditions are recommended to enhance employee performance and well-being. The article emphasizes the need for organizations to address work stress to prevent negative consequences for employees and the company. [Extracted from the article]

Living convenience in public service facilities has attracted significant attention as a crucial indicator of urban development and quality improvement. However, the performance of plot patterns—a fundamental unit for precise control when measuring urban quality—influencing living convenience requires in-depth exploration. This study integrates multiple urban datasets with quantitative urban morphology methods to investigate the impact of various plot pattern features on living convenience. Specifically, we investigate the Inner Ring area of Shanghai as an empirical case. The assessment considers the diverse effects of facilities at different distances, accounting for the life radiuses of both older individuals and the general population. Additionally, the analysis of plot patterns includes planar and three-dimensional aspects, controlling key variables such as road network accessibility and centrality. The results indicate that, for small-scale plots, shape has a strong impact, while, for large-scale plots, the division and construction intensity within a block has a stronger influence. Furthermore, plots of different area types have different recommended construction intensities. Notably, for large-scale blocks, it is advisable to maintain a building density of around 0.3. In short, this study contributes to human-centered planning by providing targeted recommendations to address the existing deficiencies in plot morphology regulation and control from the perspective of quantitative urban morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VE is a powerful technique for analyzing a design with a focus on functionality, reducing costs, and increasing value. However, in order to proceed with the design of VE, the theoretical basis for the VE target selection process, which must be preceded in the preparation stage, is lacking, and as a result, it is difficult to verify the most effective target selection. Thus, a theoretical basis is needed. In this study, we intend to quantify the "Worth" value of the "Cost to Worth" technique and present an objective model of the target selection method using the derived value index (VI). For this purpose, cost worth (Worth C) was calculated based on the performance data of 1008 cases for 15 building types provided by the Domestic Public Procurement Service and the share of 83 detailed processes in seven fields. Then, a survey was conducted targeting the ordering companies, and the final worth (Worth F) was calculated by multiplying the derived customer value (Worth V) weight for each detailed work type. We calculated the value index (VI) by comparing "Cost" and "Worth F" for each detailed construction type of the VE project and developed a model to select construction types that exceed the VI standard value derived using the standard error of the population. Both cost experts and non-cost experts can use the developed model to specify the VE target selection criteria in order to easily select the key target, objectively sort the values that serve as the basis for calculating the value index, and make it possible to more easily select the VE target selection criteria based on theoretical evidence. Also, the model can be used to obtain effective detailed design VE results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Íkala: Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To confront the converging challenges of failing infrastructure, climate change, degraded water quality, and fewer undeveloped lands, many municipalities are establishing stormwater utilities (SWUs) to allocate a dedicated funding source to stormwater management (SWM) services. As a public service, creating a "fair" SWU by defining collective values that reflect community and municipal needs is crucial. However, the prevalent professional discourse surrounding SWUs often conflates "equity" with "economic efficiency" when they are two theoretically separate concepts, which obscure concerns raised by service beneficiaries. This paper unpacks ideas of fairness based on a systematic literature review that frames SWM financing in terms of economic efficiency and SWM services in terms of distributional, procedural, and structural equity. The distinction of which is important to set appropriate expectations between SWUs and beneficiaries. Plain Language Summary: Many municipalities are creating stormwater utilities to fund stormwater management (SWM) services in the face of infrastructure challenges, climate change, and degraded water quality. Creating a "fair" public service utility requires defining collective values that reflect community needs. However, current professional discourse tends to overuse and misuse the term "equity," which can muddle concerns about "fairness" raised by service beneficiaries. This review paper unpacks SWM financing and services in terms of economic efficiency and distributional, procedural, and structural equity. Key Points: The term "equity" is often misused in professional stormwater financing discourse to describe concepts of "economic efficiency"Appropriately defining economic efficiency and equity in stormwater management is crucial to setting public service expectationsDefining fairness in stormwater financing (economic efficiency) and services (equity) for a municipality largely depends on its context [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little research has decried the chronic deterioration of the working conditions of journalists. Public service broadcasters, which are often seen as paradigms of stable employment relationships, have been influenced by a highly competitive industry characterised by the outsourcing of content generation and the erosion of working conditions. The Spanish Public Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE) is no exception, in a context also influenced by the political clientelism distinguishing Mediterranean media systems. Accordingly, this study resorts to the classical exit, voice, and loyalty model to stress the importance of employment relationships for journalists. From this perspective, the analysis of TVE newsroom discourses invites the exploration of the role of the supervisor in access to employment and career opportunities, as well as its possible polarising effects that make it difficult for journalists to offer their full loyalty to the citizenry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of big data technology provides support for the co-production of public safety services. Existing research often focuses on how technology influences co-production, but lacks attention to the key actors that drive co-production and the mechanisms that facilitate it. This study examines the role of government in the digital co-production of public safety services, using the practice of Shenzhen as a case study. Shenzhen has built 125 information systems based on over 100 billion pieces of big data, forming a model of digital safety service co-production. The study reveals three types of digital co-production, characterized by "government-business joint planning, passive participation of businesses and the public, and active cooperation among government, businesses, and the public" in the "design-production-application" stages. The study shows that the government is not only a co-producer but also a proactive actor in activating the willingness of non-governmental entities to participate. Local governments mobilize non-governmental participation through three mechanisms: empowerment, profit enhancement, and value co-creation. The "power-interest-value" paradigm is applicable for analyzing the co-production of public services and helps to explain the transformation mechanisms of co-production behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article theorizes some consequences of skewing relational (care) labour into more transactional forms of marketized public service areas; with particular reference to contracted criminal justice services in England and Wales. The authors attribute this to an interplay of the incentives of the corporate sector and those of governments which form a collective 'artificial intelligence' promoting marketization. This creates unintended consequences. Whereas corporate incentive structures minimize transaction costs and optimize profit, recent UK governments have incentivized economic productivity over socially beneficial indicators in public services. The article finds that narrowly transactional calculations of value in the commissioning of care services may produce short-term fiscal incentives for commissioners (usually the state) and corporate suppliers and 'care resellers', but generate longer-term supply-side problems. The article concludes by signposting how more pluralistic forms of collaboration among government, commerce and third sectors can be differently—and more socially—conceived. There are lessons to be learned in the article for all capitalist economies. Governments marketize the delivery of care supposedly for reasons of economic efficiency or innovation. The authors theorize that marketization is, in fact, motivated by government incentives which increase transactional activity, creating the illusion of (economic) growth. This occurs at the cost of devaluing relational aspects of social care, with consequences for workers and users. The voluntary sector is especially construed as a domain where social productivity is supposedly reliant on strong relational values, and distanced from primarily transactional, profit-pursuant activity. Marketization of this sector presents a clear example of depreciating relational values relative to transactional economic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Public Money & Management is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The case for competition and marketization of public services, though widely accepted in government, has been made through the application of formal economic reasoning rather than practical experience. Efficient market production relies on a process of defining services in terms which allow for competition, choice and the substitutability of tradable products. The evidence for this theoretical position is mixed at best. This article provides policy-makers, those commissioning services and practitioners with support in arguing for public services to be judged by different criteria. Within the frame of orthodox economics, only market allocations can be efficient, and markets can achieve any desired outcome. Public services, however, operate by criteria which are not satisfied by market allocations, including the requirements of policy (such as targeting, universality and equity), cost-effectiveness, and conformity with the requirements of democratic government (such as accountability and prior authorization). The efficient delivery of commercialized services depends on commoditization—standardizing commodities so that they can be traded on equivalent terms. That process changes the nature and character of what is provided, and compromises the effectiveness and quality of public services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Urbano Regionales is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recently, the prevalence of information technology represented by ChatGPT has aroused extensive discussions. Does the adoption of information technology lead to massive regional unemployment? It is a crucial and unresolved issue for the government, enterprise employees, and researchers. Combining the 2005–2020 panel and the smart city (SC) construction policy in China, this article employs the difference in differences (DID) method to study the impact of informatization construction on labour spatial allocation. We found that informatization construction significantly attracted labour and improved labour spatial allocation. After the SC construction policy's implementation, compared with non-SCs, the average increase of SC pilots in the labour force is about 0.78 million people. Besides, stimulating economic growth, improving the environment, and enhancing public services are the mechanisms of the SC construction policy on labour spatial allocation. Furthermore, this policy effect has heterogeneous industry department and category characteristics. The Tertiary and secondary industry department receives a more significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite significant growth in fiscal expenditure, the overall level of public services in China remains inadequate. One approach to improving government public service efficiency from the perspective of management psychology is to strengthen government competition. However, only a few studies have explored the improvement of public service efficiency through government competition, with even fewer addressing the phenomena of market segmentation and spatial effects that accompany the process of government competition. This paper aims to fill this research gap by examining the effects of government competition and market segmentation on public service efficiency, as well as their spatial disparities. We initially employs the DEA method to assess the efficiency of public services based on inputs and outputs, and examines its spatial variations. Subsequently, a semi-parametric spatial lag panel model is utilized to validate the effects of market segmentation and government competition on public service efficiency. Our findings indicate that inter-provincial market segmentation leads to a decline in public service efficiency. Moreover, the influence of horizontal competition between local governments on public service efficiency varies depending on the degree of positive and negative effects in their competition dynamics. The impact of vertical competition between central and local governments on public service efficiency is influenced by the degree of fiscal decentralization. When the level of fiscal decentralization is below 0.808, vertical competition between central and local governments has a promoting effect on public service efficiency. However, when the degree of fiscal decentralization exceeds 0.08, this promoting effect weakens and gradually transforms into a negative influence. The insights and evidence provided by this study offer valuable guidance for for effectively reshaping the fiscal relations between the central and local governments in China and improving public service efficiency in the context of a new round of fiscal and tax system reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Historically in Australia, all levels of government created collective wealth by owning and operating infrastructure, and managing natural assets, key public goods and essential services while being answerable to the public. This strong state tradition was challenged in the 1980s when privatisation became a widespread government approach globally. Privatisation involves displacing the public sector through modes of financing, ownership, management and product or service delivery. The Australian literature shows that negative effects from privatisation are not spread equitably, and the health and equity impacts appear to be under-researched. This narrative overview aims to address a gap in the literature by answering research questions on what evidence exists for positive and negative outcomes of privatisation; how well societal impacts are evaluated, and the implications for health and equity. Methods: Database and grey literature were searched by keywords, with inclusion criteria of items limited to Australia, published between 1990 and 2022, relating to any industry or government sector, including an evaluative aspect, or identifying positive or negative aspects from privatisation, contracting out, or outsourcing. Thematic analysis was aided by NVivo qualitative data software and guided by an a-priori coding frame. Results: No items explicitly reflected on the relationship between privatisation and health. Main themes identified were the public cost of privatisation, loss of government control and expertise, lack of accountability and transparency, constraints to accessing social determinants of health, and benefits accruing to the private sector. Discussion: Our results supported the view that privatisation is more than asset-stripping the public sector. It is a comprehensive strategy for restructuring public services in the interests of capital, with privatisation therefore both a political and commercial determinant of health. There is growing discussion on the need for re-nationalisation of certain public assets, including by the Victorian government. Conclusion: Privatisation of public services is likely to have had an adverse impact on population health and contributed to the increase in inequities. This review suggests that there is little evidence for the benefits of privatisation, with a need for greater attention to political and commercial determinants of health in policy formation and in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, is addressed the possibility of introducing mobility as a service (MaaS), in Prishtina city and in some neighborhoods, in order to decrease personal car use, improve of air quality in the city, decrease passenger's stress, and many other things. The methodology used to achieve the intended results was through survey carried out in the field. The survey data was designed to study the stakeholders willingness to be part of MaaS and type integration, and as a conclusion, stakeholders from the survey area are ready to join the MaaS service, first with the first level of integration then with the highest level of integration.The data from the survey are analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Embedding researchers into policy and other settings may enhance research capacity within organisations to enable them to become more research active. We aimed to generate an evidence map on evaluations of embedded researcher interventions to (i) identify where systematic reviews and primary research are needed and (ii) develop conceptual understandings of 'embedded researchers'. We define 'embedded researchers' through a set of principles that incorporate elements such as the aim of activities, the types of relationships and learning involved, and the affiliations and identities adopted. Methods: We included studies published across all sectors, searching fourteen databases, other web sources and two journals for evaluations published between 1991 and spring 2021. Data were extracted using a coding tool developed for this study. We identified new typologies of embedded researcher interventions through undertaking Latent Class Analysis. Results: The map describes 229 evaluations spanning a variety of contexts. Our set of principles allowed us to move beyond a narrow focus on embedded researchers in name alone, towards consideration of the wide range of roles, activities, identities, and affiliations related to embedded researchers. We identified 108 different allied terms describing an embedded researcher. Embedded researcher activity spanned a continuum across lines of physical, cultural, institutional, and procedural embeddedness (from weaker to more intense forms of embeddedness) and took a range of forms that bridge or blur boundaries between academia and policy/practice. Conclusions: We developed a broad map of international embedded researcher activity in a wide range of sectors. The map suggests that embedded researcher interventions occupy a broader suite of models than previously acknowledged and our findings also offer insight on the type and nature of this literature. Given the clear policy interest in this area, a better understanding of the processes involved with becoming embedded within an organisation is needed. Further work is also necessary to address the challenges of evaluating the work of embedded researchers, including consideration for which outcome measures are most appropriate, to better understand their influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly automated shuttle vehicles (SAE Level 4) have the potential to enhance public transport services by decreasing the demand for drivers, enabling more frequent and flexible ride options. However, at least in a transitionary phase, safety operators that supervise and support the shuttles with their driving tasks may be required on board the vehicle from a technical or legal point of view. A crucial component for executing supervisory and intervening tasks is the human–machine interface between an automated vehicle and its on-board operator. This research presents in-depth case studies from three heterogenous living laboratories in Germany that deployed highly automated shuttle vehicles with on-board operators on public roads. The living labs differed significantly regarding the on-board operators' tasks and the design of the human–machine interfaces. Originally considered a provisional solution until the vehicle automation is fully capable of running without human support, these interfaces were, in general, not designed in a user-centered way. However, since technological progress has been slower than expected, on-board operator interfaces are likely to persist in the mid-term at least. Hence, this research aims to assess the aptitude of interfaces that are in practical use for the on-board operators' tasks, in order to determine the user-centered design of future interfaces. Completing questionnaires and undergoing comprehensive, semi-structured interviews, nine on-board operators evaluated their human–machine interfaces in light of the respective tasks they complete regarding user variables such as work context, acceptance, system transparency, and trust. The results were highly diverse across laboratories and underlined that the concrete system setup, encompassing task and interface design, has a considerable impact on these variables. Ergonomics, physical demand, and system transparency were identified as the most significant deficits. These findings and derived recommendations may inform the design of on-board operator workspaces, and bear implications for remote operation workstations as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rehabilitation is considered paramount for enhancing quality of life and reducing healthcare costs. As a result of healthcare reforms, Norwegian municipalities have been given greater responsibility for allocating rehabilitation services following discharge from hospital. Individual decision letters serve as the basis for implementing services and they have been described as information labels on the services provided by the municipality. They play an important role in planning and implementing the services in collaboration with the individual applicants. Research indicates that the implementation of policies may lead to unintended consequences, as individuals receiving municipal services perceive them as fragmented. This perception is characterised by limited user involvement and a high focus on body functions. The aim of this study was to examine how municipal decision letters about service allocation incorporate the recommendations made in the official national guideline and reflect a holistic approach to rehabilitation, coordination and user involvement for individuals with comprehensive needs. Methods: The decision letters of ten individuals with moderate to severe brain injury allocating rehabilitation services in two municipalities were examined. It was assessed whether the content was in accordance with the authorities' recommendations, and a discourse analysis was conducted using four tools adapted from an established integrated approach. Results: The letters primarily contained standard texts concerning legal and administrative regulations. They were predominantly in line with the official guideline to municipal service allocation. From a rehabilitation perspective, the focus was mainly on medically oriented care, scarcely referring to psychosocial needs, activity, and participation. The intended user involvement seemed to vary between active and passive status, while the coordination of services was given limited attention. Conclusions: The written decision letters did fulfil legal and administrative recommendations for service allocation. However, they did not fulfil their potential to serve as a means of conveying rehabilitation issues, such as specification of the allocated services, a holistic approach to health, coordination, or the involvement of users in decision processes. These elements must be incorporated throughout the allocation process if the policies are to be implemented as intended. Findings can have international relevance for discussions between clinicians and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine parents' satisfaction with Norwegian child welfare services (CWS) and factors associated with parents' satisfaction. Different factors were included in the analysis, such as characteristics of the contact with CWS, and service aspects, as evaluated by parents (accessibility, information quality, workers' skills and user participation). Data were collected from 412 parents in 20 different municipalities. Over half of the participants (56%) reported that they overall received the needed help to a great or very great extent, while 60% were satisfied to a great extent or more. The majority of parents (76%) reported that their case manager was courteous and respectful, while nearly half of the parents (47%) stated that the help they received made it easier for them to provide care. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that workers' skills, user participation and information quality were associated with both satisfaction with outcomes of CWS and overall satisfaction, while duration of contact was also associated with satisfaction with outcomes of CWS. These results highlight the importance of achieving and maintaining high workers' skills, information quality and user participation in CWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many men with prostate cancer will be exposed to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). While evidence-based ADT use is common, ADT is also used in cases with no or limited evidence resulting in more harm than benefit, i.e., overuse. Since there are risks of ADT (e.g., diabetes, osteoporosis), it is important to understand the behaviors facilitating overuse to inform de-implementation strategies. For these reasons, we conducted a theory-informed survey study, including a discrete choice experiment (DCE), to better understand ADT overuse and provider preferences for mitigating overuse. Methods: Our survey used the Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time (AACTT) framework, the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behavior (COM-B) Model, and a DCE to elicit provider de-implementation strategy preferences. We surveyed the Society of Government Service Urologists listserv in December 2020. We stratified respondents based on the likelihood of stopping overuse as ADT monotherapy for localized prostate cancer ("yes"/"probably yes," "probably no"/"no"), and characterized corresponding Likert scale responses to seven COM-B statements. We used multivariable regression to identify associations between stopping ADT overuse and COM-B responses. Results: Our survey was completed by 84 respondents (13% response rate), with 27% indicating "probably no"/"no" to stopping ADT overuse. We found differences across respondents who said they would and would not stop ADT overuse in demographics and COM-B statements. Our model identified 2 COM-B domains (Opportunity–Social, Motivation–Reflective) significantly associated with a lower likelihood of stopping ADT overuse. Our DCE demonstrated in-person communication, multidisciplinary review, and medical record documentation may be effective in reducing ADT overuse. Conclusions: Our study used a behavioral theory-informed survey, including a DCE, to identify behaviors and context underpinning ADT overuse. Specifying behaviors supporting and gathering provider preferences in addressing ADT overuse requires a stepwise, stakeholder-engaged approach to support evidence-based cancer care. From this work, we are pursuing targeted improvement strategies. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03579680 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been working towards measles elimination, but in 2017, measles outbreaks occurred in Ganzi and Aba prefectures of Sichuan province, representing 95% of all provincial cases and jeopardizing measles elimination. During March and April 2017, high-performing prefectures were paired with outbreak and other interested counties to jointly conduct a measles-rubella (MR) catch-up campaign, build population immunity, and strengthen the counties' programs. House-to-house search identified 88,383 children in Ganzi that lacked MCV vaccination; 85,144 (96.34%) were vaccinated. Search identified 33,683 children in Aba who were not vaccinated against measles; 33,074 (98.19%) were vaccinated. The supporting prefectures helped install Immunization Information Systems and enroll unvaccinated children into the immunization program.The outbreak ended within a month and incidence has remained low for the subsequent six years. A paired catch-up campaign represents an effective model of using measles elimination strategies to strengthen local immunization programs for long-term program effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of globalization has allowed countless societies to join the digital era, which is characterized by access to information through online channels. The use of e-government and the functioning of online services went from being an option to a necessity, since they became imperative for the vast majority in the development of citizens' activities. The objective of this research was based on analyzing the use of egovernment and the level of performance of online services of the Government of Mendez in the processes of attention to citizenship, which seeks to adapt to the needs and demands of citizens in the digital era. In addition, a mixed methodological design was applied, based on a series of questions that were addressed to the mayor of Santiago de Méndez, the ICT department and the staff working within the GADM. The result was that the online service does not have a good online performance, due to the lack of financial resources to obtain more efficient digital tools that generate benefits to citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Innovations in coproduction are shaping public service reform in diverse contexts around the world. Although many innovations are local, others have expanded and evolved over time. We know very little, however, about the process of implementation and evolution of coproduction. The purpose of this study was to explore the adoption, implementation and assimilation of three approaches to the coproduction of public services with structurally vulnerable groups. Methods: We conducted a 4 year longitudinal multiple case study (2019–2023) of three coproduced public service innovations involving vulnerable populations: ESTHER in Jönköping Region, Sweden involving people with multiple complex needs (Case 1); Making Recovery Real in Dundee, Scotland with people who have serious mental illness (Case 2); and Learning Centres in Manitoba, Canada (Case 3), also involving people with serious mental illness. Data sources included 14 interviews with strategic decision-makers and a document analysis to understand the history and contextual factors relating to each case. Three frameworks informed the case study protocol, semi-structured interview guides, data extraction, deductive coding and analysis: the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the Diffusion of Innovation model and Lozeau's Compatibility Gaps to understand assimilation. Results: The adoption of coproduction involving structurally vulnerable populations was a notable evolution of existing improvement efforts in Cases 1 and 3, while impetus by an external change agency, existing collaborative efforts among community organizations, and the opportunity to inform a new municipal mental health policy sparked adoption in Case 2. In all cases, coproduced innovation centred around a central philosophy that valued lived experience on an equal basis with professional knowledge in coproduction processes. This philosophical orientation offered flexibility and adaptability to local contexts, thereby facilitating implementation when compared with more defined programming. According to the informants, efforts to avoid co-optation risks were successful, resulting in the assimilation of new mindsets and coproduction processes, with examples of how this had led to transformative change. Conclusions: In exploring innovations in coproduction with structurally vulnerable groups, our findings suggest several additional considerations when applying existing theoretical frameworks. These include the philosophical nature of the innovation, the need to study the evolution of the innovation itself as it emerges over time, greater attention to partnered processes as disruptors to existing power structures and an emphasis on driving transformational change in organizational cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the factors that enable cooperation between the state and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in public service implementation. Looking at the Brazilian context, the research explores the consequences of hybridization processes for FBOs and state organizations, as well as for public services. The article analyzes the case of therapeutic communities, FBOs that provide services for drug and alcohol users. Data were collected through documents and 67 interviews with different actors involved in the service implementation. The findings contribute to the literatures on FBOs, hybridization, and institutional fit, showing that the interactions between state organizations and FBOs lead to the inclusion of values and cognitive frameworks for both, generating a mutual constitution between them. The findings show how different types of institutional fit enable cooperation throughout different forms of mediation, which also affect the organizations involved in the cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) consists of millions of devices deployed over hundreds of thousands of different networks, providing an ever-expanding resource to improve our understanding of and interactions with the physical world. Global service discovery is key to realizing the opportunities of the IoT, spanning disparate networks and technologies to enable the sharing, discovery, and utilisation of services and data outside of the context in which they are deployed. In this paper, we present Decentralised Service Registries (DSRs), a novel trustworthy decentralised approach to global IoT service discovery and interaction, building on DSF-IoT to allow users to simply create and share public and private service registries, to register and query for relevant services, and to access both current and historical data published by the services they discover. In DSR, services are registered and discovered using signed objects that are cryptographically associated with the registry service, linked into a signature chain, and stored and queried for using a novel verifiable DHT overlay. In contrast to existing centralised and decentralised approaches, DSRs decouple registries from supporting infrastructure, provide privacy and multi-tenancy, and support the verification of registry entries and history, service information, and published data to mitigate risks of service impersonation or the alteration of data. This decentralised approach is demonstrated through the creation and use of a DSR to register and search for real-world IoT devices and their data as well as qualified using a scalable cluster-based testbench for the high-fidelity emulation of peer-to-peer applications. DSRs are evaluated against existing approaches, demonstrating the novelty and utility of DSR to address key IoT challenges and enable the sharing, discovery, and use of IoT services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-related risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts are increasing in cities, illustrated by precipitation-driven pluvial floods. Post-event analyses can aid in reducing urban flood risks, but knowledge gaps exist regarding how welfare services and premises are impacted and can be adapted. This study analyses an extreme precipitation-driven event generating extensive flooding in Gävle, Sweden, in 2021. The objective is to increase knowledge about how municipal welfare services are vulnerable to pluvial floods, and of appropriate actions towards improving the response capacity and building more resilient welfare premises and operations. The study shows that the Swedish weather warning system generally worked well, but the analysed property companies lacked strategies and equipment to evade flooding in their properties. Flood damages in 60 analysed buildings were generated by different causes, demonstrating the importance of contemplating the vulnerability of welfare buildings when conducting flood risk assessments. Although the flood event did not cause deaths or serious personal injuries, the study identified impacts on welfare service operations in both the short and long terms. The event increased learning on climate adaptation but did not trigger adaptive action. Identified keys for adaptation include prioritizing premises to protect, knowledge of flood protection equipment, insurance company requirements, and updated emergency plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically explores understandings of autonomy through a feminist activist ethnographic account of grassroots accompaniment practices in support of women seeking abortions in Tijuana, Mexico. Historically, feminist demands for abortion rights in Mexico have drawn on liberal feminist notions of choice and international frameworks of human rights. These demands focus on personal agency and locate bodily autonomy as contingent on the state through favorable legislation and public abortion services. Yet new generations of feminists, who operate in complex contexts of structural violence, seek to remove abortion entirely from the purview of the state. By providing information and medication so women can safely induce their own abortions, these feminists focus on how abortions are carried out and in doing so expand understandings of bodily autonomy beyond the conditionality of liberal choice and what the state makes (im)possible. I utilize the decolonial Latin American feminist concepts of cuerpo-territorio (body-territory) and poner el cuerpo (to put one's body on the line) to argue that autonomy in the context of accompaniment practice can be understood as a relational process that creates subjectivities through collective, tactical, embodied, and loving abortion care and pushes back against the structural and pervasive violent control of women's bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the ubiquitous digitalization of everyday life and associated inequalities presupposes rich conceptualizations of the associated social dynamics. Accordingly, we investigate digital service domestication as a social dimension of people's lives, building on concepts that center users' everyday lives and agency. We adopt the perspective of people who find the use of digital services difficult and examine the hurdles they face when attempting access. Our data consists of semi-structured interviews with migrant women (N = 22) living in Finland, where most essential services are digitalized. The study highlights the societal boundedness of the participants' agency, which we maintain is a key dynamic of inequality. We classify digital services in four categories, interactive communication services; information, media, and entertainment services; private customer services, and public health and social welfare services. The first two are voluntary digital services that did not create insurmountable barriers for the participants, but enabled them to conduct action they valued. By contrast, essential private and public services require mastering more complicated service technologies, a foreign language, and complex contents. Our results highlight how diversity-blind essential digital services produce and reinforce inequalities. Our analysis emphasizes the need for researchers to consider the coercive dimensions of digitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses of urban hierarchy and scale distribution are crucial in urban research, as they examine the laws of urban development and the functional layout of urban spatial systems. However, previous studies have focused on the macro-spatial distribution of the economy, businesses, and population at the regional level, whereas systematic research on the scale distribution of retail formats in central urban areas is lacking. Therefore, this study investigated the hierarchical scale distribution of retail formats in the top ten cities in China by GDP, using the Public Service Facilities Index Method to define central district boundaries, using scale as an epistemological framework of order and analyzing the spatial distribution patterns of retail formats. The results revealed that the spatial hierarchical scale follows a power law within a certain range; the spatial distribution exhibits stage characteristics, providing a quantitative method for defining retail centres; and the dominant functions, development directions, and morphological characteristics of central districts influence the hierarchical scale distribution of retail formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ubiquity of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems across various industries, smart cities, health care, manufacturing, and government services has led to an increased risk of security attacks, jeopardizing data integrity, confidentiality, and availability. Consequently, ensuring the resilience of IoT systems demands a paramount focus on cybersecurity. This manuscript proposes a robust model specifically designed to detect and classify botnet attacks in IoT environments. The proposed model utilizes a hybrid CNN-BILSTM with transfer learning (TL-BILSTM) to detect and classify different types of Mirai and BASHLITE attacks across nine types of IoT devices. In this study, we used a publically available dataset consisting of legitimate and malicious network packets that were gathered from a real-time laboratory connected to camera devices in the IoT environment. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves good-fit performance based on evaluation metrics. Specifically, the proposed model achieves a testing accuracy of 99.52%, a training accuracy of 99.55%, and a loss of 0. 0150. The results underscore the superior accuracy of our proposed model, especially within the N_BaIoT dataset, where it attains a remarkable accuracy of 99.52% across ten classes, surpassing cutting-edge techniques by a significant margin ranging from 3.2% to 16.07%. Furthermore, the proposed model proves effective in enhancing the accuracy of detecting and classifying botnet attacks compared to state-of-the-art anomaly detection systems in IoT based on real-time IoT devices dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the representation of visible minority (VM) employees in Canada's public service to clarify the extent to which Canada's Employment Equity Act (EEA) for diversity and equity management has influenced VM employment outcomes, with a focus on executive (leadership) and professional representation. Data from EEA annual reports (1997–2020) were analysed, and the results for VMs in the public service were juxtaposed with those for VMs in the broader labour market. VM employees' numerical representation under the EEA had increased and was slowly trending upwards in executive roles, exceeding their workforce availability in 2020. However, the representation of VMs in public service failed to match their actual proportion in the larger Canadian population. This group had a stronger representation in scientific and professional occupations, reflecting current immigration policies' support for skilled migration. The VM workforce in the broader labour market lacked equal representation, which indicates significant policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile instant messaging services such as WhatsApp have become increasingly relevant among citizens in recent years. By a quantitative approach based on a survey (n=1,202), our objective is to find out why citizens use WhatsApp and, to be more specific, why they use the WhatsApp service offered by the city council of the municipality of residence where they live. The results show how age, gender, and the respondents' educational level are related to the different uses they make of WhatsApp, especially concerning actions related to participation. Second, the local government WhatsApp service still has an intermediate penetration among citizens, so there is much room for improvement. Finally, the data reveals that age and gender determine the uses of the City Council WhatsApp service. These findings provide interesting data for local governments to improve the relationship with citizens through this mobile communication tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of employment opportunities for planners working in the private sector has resulted in a rapid change in the composition of the planning profession in the UK, with over 40% of Royal Town Planning Institute members now employed in private practice. Existing writing on private planning practice is somewhat circumspect, with the private sector being associated largely with a profit-driven approach. Drawing on interviews with private sector planners, this paper argues that this fails to reflect the lived reality of private sector planners, and in so doing sets out an alternative and more nuanced characterisation of private practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper continues the analysis of the management of urban waterways in Greater Melbourne, Australia, commenced with our first paper. We focus first on the increasing emphasis on waterways and their corridors as part of Melbourne's liveability, and then on the future management of waterways and their corridors in the face of the three most pressing future challenges – climate change, population increase, and urban expansion and densification. The long history of the development of parks, gardens and open spaces in Melbourne is reviewed. These open-spaces initially occurred with quite strong linkage to the waterways, enabled by the city's unique institutional arrangements, but were substantially weakened as a result of policy and governance reforms in the 1990s. Melbourne will need to substantially improve the integration of the management of urban waterways and their corridors with the planning, development and management of the city's associated green spaces if it is to achieve the expected community liveability standards in the face of the above three future challenges. Additionally, if waterway management remains with the existing agency (Melbourne Water), the authorising environment and the culture and mindset of this agency will need to change its focus from the current 'city servicing' institutional model to a 'city shaping' model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For Kazakhstan, migration policy - in terms of managing internal and international migration flows - has always been an important element of public service. Focusing on state interests, this policy is a complex socio-economic phenomenon that is directly and indirectly related to all aspects of social life. Thus, the migration process is a new impetus for development in the international arena and an important direction for the world economy. The purpose of this study was to determine the main principles and approaches to the development of migration policy of Kazakhstan. The study used the methods of analysis, differentiation, systematisation. As a result of the study, three main stages of migration policy development in the history of Kazakhstan were identified. The first stage (1991-2000) is characterised by the deterioration of the country's socio-economic situation due to the destruction of the Soviet Union and the change of the administrative system; the second stage (2001-2010) is characterised by economic growth, dynamic socio-political changes and reforms; the third stage (2011-2022) is characterised by special conditions of globalisation, which reveals the dominant influence of external social and socioeconomic factors. Thus, the main principles and approaches to the development of migration policy in Kazakhstan ensure the state-wide priorities in the field of demographic, economic, social, political and cultural development and allow for the effective implementation of legislation, regulation and management of migration processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-production often appears as a virtue in academic research and planning practice, particularly in shrinking cities, which struggle to develop effective policies and provide sufficient level of public services. In this paper, we argue that the urban shrinkage context imposes significant limitations to co-production practices, that we urge should not be neglected. Drawing on three contrasting projects in Riga (Latvia), Nevers (France), and Heerlen (the Netherlands), we explore existing limitations and consider possibilities to overcome them. The analyses show that the efficacy of co-production practices is impaired due to a reduced level of trust towards public authorities; selective outmigration; weakened social capital; and political prioritizing of private sector interests over civil society. To overcome these, we discuss the role of several tools, namely mediating actors, independent funding, civic empowerment, and the willingness of public authorities to regenerate power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research indicates that people with populist attitudes express lower trust in media, especially in Public Service Media. It is assumed that these people are alienated because of their values: populist ideology stems from anti-pluralism whereas Public Service Media promotes pluralism. This study tests this assumption by comparing the predictors of trust in Public Service Media between the populist party sympathizers and the sympathizers of other political parties in the Czech Republic. Two main expectations were included as predictors for trust in Public Service Media, specifically that media should conform to one's worldview (i.e., the cohesive dimension of trust in media) and that media should adhere to the normative standards of journalism (i.e., the normative dimension of trust in media). Using multigroup structural equation modeling, the study analyzes data from a 2019–2020 representative survey of the adult Czech population (N = 3,251). The results suggest that, for the populist party sympathizers, trust in Public Service Media links only to their expectation that media should conform to their worldview, while the sympathizers of other political parties expect normative standards to be maintained. This is interpreted and discussed as support for the assumption that this value-based mismatch links to the populist audience members' lower trust in Public Service Media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This naturalistic study examines how broad societal events like the COVID-19 pandemic affect children's gratitude expressions for general and specific categories of needs. Gratitude expressions (N = 6908) written by children in the United States (N = 3613, Mage = 6.96 years) before the pandemic (November 2018, 2019) and during the pandemic (November 2020, 2021) were collected from online newspapers. The gratitude expressions were coded for general and specific categories based on Maslow's Theory of Motivation. Between time periods, there was no difference in prevalence of gratitude for the fulfillment of the general categories of deficiency needs (physiological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem) and growth needs (cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and transcendence) as well as the specific sub-categories that they subsume. However, within time periods, there was a greater prevalence for the fulfillment of deficiency than growth needs, especially the specific category of love and belongingness. Together these results highlight the enduring nature of particular categories in the face of a broad societal event and have implications for public policies and services aimed at protecting children and meeting their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]