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While the number of women in government has increased, prior research on whether enhancing women's political representation alters policy choices has produced inconclusive findings. This study asks if higher women's participation in electoral institutions at the local level is associated with a different spending profile. Using Peterson's typology of developmental, redistributive, and allocational government programs, we argue that legislative bodies with more female members will spend more on redistributive programs than on developmental or allocational. Using data from Florida's 67 counties between 2005 and 2015, our analysis supports this theoretical expectation. In line with critical mass theory, women's representation in county commissions must reach a threshold of about 33% to sway budgetary decision-making toward more extensive redistribution. We also find that the traditional commission form of government intensifies the redistributive effect of women commissioners on county spending while having a home rule charter has no significant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Written in a conversational exchange, this essay charts urgent connections among queer/trans/disability frameworks of environmental, climate, and reproductive justice centered around community planning and county level democratic politics. We reflect on the lessons learned in our local context of Iowa between 2023–2024, during unprecedented legislative control of queer and trans lives and reproductive politics. In our conversation, we argue anti-trans legislation is a form of authoritarianism and political violence, a frame which shifts how organizers might draw connections among issues and energize future struggles. We reflect on the organizing strategies and advocacy work in our community and connect this labor as crucial care work necessary for queer and trans life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of budget control on delivery of capital project delivery in Samburu County-Kenya. Methodology: This study examined the effect of budget control procedures on the completion of capital projects using a descriptive research design. A total of 52 employees who were department heads and routinely took part in the budgeting process, belonging to the J, K, and L job groups, comprise the research sample. To effectively represent the intricate dynamics at work and to offer insightful information about how budget control affects the efficacy and efficiency of capital project delivery within the framework of the Samburu County Government, data was provided in linear regression models. Findings: The findings of this study can assist county governments in better understanding the factors that affect county budget management systems and performance as well as what needs to be changed to enhance the aforementioned budget performance. The findings can also be helpful to academics while looking into how budgetary control affects the provision of public services. Finally, it may offer politicians and other decision-makers new insights into the delivery of capital projects and the management of public resources. The study's results demonstrated that budget control significantly impacted capital project delivery in Samburu County, accounting for 77.3% of the variance with P < 0.05. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study investigated how capital project delivery and budget control interact using the agency theory. Kenyan county governments and legislators should tighten budget control to address issues. The primary finding of the study was that counties can accomplish their financial and quantitative objectives with the aid of budget control. Additionally, it can help the county meet its goals, identify the operating activity items in the budgets, and fortify the relevant accounting structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this paper was to examine the influence of public awareness on the Implementation of County Government Development Projects in Turkana North Sub County, Kenya. The paper was anchored on the civic voluntarism theory. The study adopted A descriptive research design, which targeted 30,923 people. A sample of 384 public members was arrived at using the Miller & Brewer formula, and stratified randomly was employed. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Supervisions, intensive literature review, and pre-testing validated the research instruments. The reliability of the instruments was further verified by a pilot study using 10% of the study's sample. The outcome of the pilot study revealed an internal consistency of Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.8476. this coefficient was considered ideal since it was above the threshold of 0.7. Data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS and presented in percentages, frequencies, and tables. The data analysis findings established a significant positive relationship between public awareness and the implementation of funded development projects in Turkana North sub-county, Kenya (R=0.749). Overall, public awareness influenced the implementation of funded development projects by 88.7% (R2 = 88.7%). Therefore, the study recommends that it is vital for the firms assigned to implementing development projects to consider thoroughly fostering public awareness in any project implementation. This enhances project satisfaction, project completion on time, and completion at scheduled cost. These study findings may benefit policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in forming the basis for new knowledge by identifying the knowledge gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study analyzed the effect of strategic financial controls on project implementation in Selected County Government in Western Kenya. Methodology/Approach: A correlation research design was achieved. There are a total of 72 workers here, including managers, freelancers, and other employees. A pilot study was performed at the Busia County Government to test and verify the efficacy of the research instruments. If the coefficient of the research instruments was greater than 0.7, they were considered suitable for usage. Predetermined questions were used to collect data. The research data was analyzed employing a mix of descriptive and inferential (simple linear regression and correlation) statistics. The data was displayed using tables. Findings: The research benefited county government administration, informed academics in adjacent subjects, added to the existing literature on strategic controls, and sparked more investigation into strategic planning and performance at the county level in Kenya. Specifically, a positive linear relationship was discovered between financial controls and project implementation (R = 0.897). Implications: The research urged that since the importance of fiscal management was highlighted in the study, it was suggested that county governments make funds available to improve county performance.

This article provides an overview of the budget outturns of Croatian municipalities, cities, and counties in 2021 and 2022. The data, collected from the Ministry of Finance's database, includes information on revenues, expenditures, and surpluses/deficits. The analysis aims to increase budget transparency and citizen awareness, and the Ministry of Finance publishes this data annually. However, it is important to note that revenue, expenditure, and deficit/surplus amounts cannot be compared across different types of local government units. Additionally, high revenues or expenditures do not necessarily indicate proper financial management, as grants and investments in new projects can influence these figures. Overall, the trend has been an increase in revenues and expenditures, with surpluses recorded in 2022 for all local government units. The analysis presented in this document highlights the impact of geographical location on the financial situation of cities and municipalities in Croatia. It shows that a majority of municipalities and cities with high per capita revenues are located on the coast. However, it is important to consider that the financial situation of these local government units may be influenced by state and EU grants. Additionally, there are significant differences in budget outturns between the richest and poorest municipalities, with some municipalities recording much higher revenues than others. Overall, the trend in the observed period is an increase in both revenues and expenditures for local government units. The document concludes by encouraging further study of the data and reforms aimed at achieving functional and sustainable local self-government. [Extracted from the article]

This article seeks to demonstrate that there is a certain degree of political participation in contemporary China. We argue that the qunzhong, or 'masses', in China can be divided into three categories: members of autonomous grassroots organizations, local elites (xin xiangxian), and victims of rights violations, and we illustrate our discussion of the impact of these three groups on policy through the example of the 'Beautiful Countryside Construction' policy. Our analysis focuses on how the masses express their opinions to inspection teams dispatched by county governments. Finally, we argue that China's grassroots qunzhong do have a role in providing feedback on policy, but whether their suggestions are heeded by the higher-level authorities still depends on wider political considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research about women's representation in county governments and whether women's representation at the local level translates into different policy outcomes has been relatively unexplored (Holman 2017). Thus, we ask whether electing a woman to the county legislative body leads to different policy outputs, specifically in areas like education, health, hospitals, housing, and welfare. Our dataset builds on de Benedictis-Kessner and Warshaw's (2020) work on county legislative elections by gender coding candidates, leading to a full dataset of nearly 16,500 gender-coded races for county legislative positions, thus creating the most comprehensive, gender-coded dataset of elections in county governments. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that electing a woman to the county's governing body does not lead to greater spending generally or on social and redistributive policy. Yet there are specific conditions in which they can more easily advocate for their preferred fiscal preferences. For instance, under commission forms of government, electing a woman leads to increased expenditures on welfare. Moreover, electing women has a positive effect on spending when the county is receiving a greater proportion of revenue from higher levels of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review essay surveys the literature that explains China's poverty reduction progress since the late 1970s. It examines three dominant explanations: geographic conditions, economic growth, and anti-poverty policies, whose impacts on poverty have evolved with China's socioeconomic transformation. The review finds that the government has come to play an increasingly significant part in mitigating geographic adversity and making growth more inclusive for the poor over the last two decades. However, our understanding of the political institutions and processes underpinning poverty reduction remains incomplete because most studies concentrate on national and provincial authorities but overlook the county government. As counties have gained considerable resources and authority in poverty reduction, an investigation of their capacity and efficacy is fundamental to explain their various poverty alleviation outcomes. This essay thus proposes a framework for future research that investigates county governments' bureaucratic arrangements and their relations to society to explain their performance in poverty reduction. This essay concludes with lessons and limitations of China's government-led poverty alleviation campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public health sector is affected by various challenges, such as operational inefficiencies and poor service delivery. These challenges affect public hospitals' delivery of quality services that meet client expectations. As a result of these issues, public hospitals have adopted the total quality management approach to deal with these challenges. The general objective of this research was to determine the effect of total quality management application on the quality-of-service delivery across public hospitals in Kenya. The study was anchored on a resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, and system approach theories. The research applied a descriptive approach to the target population of 1718 respondents. The sampling approach for the study was a stratified random technique that selected a sample of 250 participants. The findings indicated that employee involvement, technology adoption, continual advancement, and client focus affect service delivery across various public hospitals in Kenya. The research concluded that applying total quality management practices is essential and influences service delivery across various public hospitals. Therefore, the national and county governments are supposed to ensure management's commitment to the implementation of TQM practices across the county's healthcare facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fiscal effects of interlocal collaboration, a growing method of service delivery, remain inconclusive. We analysed the revenue and expenditure effects of collaboration arrangements as a whole and in six service areas for counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska over the period 2013–2018. Our analyses reveal that counties with a higher number of interlocal collaborations had lower total per capita revenues and expenditures, but higher property taxes. Lower per capita revenues and expenditures appear to be the result of collaboration in service areas that include general government purposes. Interlocal collaboration related to health and human services activities, however, resulted in higher per capita spending and revenues, suggesting that the primary goal of collaborating in these activities may not be cost savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accountability in personnel records management is to a large extent, dependent on the availability of personnel records, there has been very little recognition of the need to address the management of personnel records as evidence for accountability either in relation to Freedom of Information (FOI) or Open Data. It is in this regard, therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the legal frameworks for personnel records management in support of accountability. The study used a descriptive design which combined both qualitative and quantitative approaches where both qualitative and quantitative information was involved in the study. Founded on the records life cycle and the records continuum, the study aimed to fulfil its main objective: establishing legal frameworks for personnel records management at Garissa County Government (GCG). Purposive sampling was used to select 11 Human Resource Management Officers (HRMO), 11 Personnel Record Management Officers (PRMO) and 11 Personnel Records Management Clerks (PRMC) and 55 staff members who made the total sample of 88 respondents. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics with the help of a Statistical Package for Social Scientists (version 17) was used to perform the analysis of quantitative data and presented through frequency tables, percentages, means and standard deviations. Results indicated that the County Government does not have legal frameworks in personnel records management. Several challenges were identified including lack of personal records management policy, lack of integrity, lose of documents/file and poor communication system. Generally, the study shows that legal frameworks in personnel records management is very important in accountability, therefore, GCG management needs to take measure to improve legal frameworks in personnel records management infrastructure and develop personnel records management policy. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted using a descriptive design. This design ensures that data collected are analysed and findings are reported to establish a better understanding of a physical or social phenomenon. The descriptive design combined both qualitative and quantitative approaches where both qualitative and quantitative information was involved in the study. The study was conducted at the County Government of Garissa's Head Quarters; it targeted staff involved in personnel records management. Garissa town was selected because it is a centre of various activities in County Government of Garissa. The target population comprising HRMO, PRMO, PRMC and staff from different ministries who depended on the personnel records management activities. Purposive sampling was used to select 11 HRMO, 11 PRMO, 11 PRMC and 55 staff members who made the total sample of 88 respondents from the population. Questionnaire method was used to collect data from HRMO, PRMO, PRMC and staff members quickly and give more freedom (in terms of time and flexibility) to the respondents. Interviews were used to obtain more in-depth information from the PRMO, HRMO and PRMC being the individuals' in-charge of personnel records were to provide information on legal frameworks for personnel records management at GCG. Findings: Lack of a policy signifies a lack of accountability and awareness of the personnel records management standards, meaning that the staffs are not aware of their responsibilities towards the management of the County's records. This is therefore likely to contribute significantly to poor performance (Mampe and Kalusopa, 2012). This then puts the County in a precarious position regarding personnel records due to lack of guidelines on classing and handling of personnel records. Lack of a policy also shows a lack of commitment in the area, purporting neglect, where responsibilities are not clearly assigned and remain unclear. Weak institutional capacity and the absence of, for example, comprehensive personnel records management policies have been cited as one of the main causes of archival (as well as records management) underdevelopment in Africa (Ngulube and Tafor 2006). From the reactions of the existence of a draft policy, the staff indicated that it covered among other things: a policy statement, scope, definition of terms, applicable legislation and procedures, mail management encompassing both incoming and outgoing mail, filing classification, retention and disposal, as well as a statement of responsibilities. The study revealed that: personnel records management in Kenya operates under the framework and guidance of the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services – KNADS which is supported by the Public Archives and Documentation Services Act, Cap 19. Besides the Cap 19, of 1965 of the Laws of Kenya, there are also various legislations that support the management of records in Kenya including the Ministry of State for Public Service (MSPS) (DPM) Circular on personnel records reference number DPM. 12/6A Vol. I (71) of 12th March 2008, the Records Management Procedure Manual for the Public Service, May 2010, prepared by the MSPS in consultation with the KNADS to provide guidelines and procedures to be followed in the day to day management of records in the public service. It is meant to be used alongside existing laws and legislation governing records management in the service. The effective utilization of the manual as stated by the Ministry is to contribute towards the government's quest to achieve good governance and accountability in the Public Service. Adherence to the Manual is also meant to streamline personnel records management practice leading to effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery and the Government Financial Regulations and Procedures, chapter 23, section 4:2–5 give guidelines on the retention period for financial records. The management of personnel records is guided by various legislations and circulars such as Public Archives and Documentation Service Act, (Cap.19, Laws of Kenya) revised 1991, The Employment Act Chapter 226, revised in 1977 and 2007, The Regulation of Wages and Conditions of Employment Act Chapter 229, Income Tax Act Chapter 470 revised 1989, The National Social Security Fund Act Chapter 258 revised 1989, The Service Commission Act Chapter 185 of 1967 and DPM.12/6A VOL. I (71) dated 12th March 2008 on the destruction of personnel records. Compliance to all the above legal frameworks will ensure that personnel records management in support of accountability at GCG is achieved. Research limitations/implications: The lack of effective personnel records management programme in a county agency was in itself non-conformity to the requirements and guidelines issued by the public services, thus leading to a lot of caution on how much could be revealed regarding the same. The focus of the study was on the assessment of paper-based and electronic personnel records management within the County Government. The assessment excluded other electronic records, such as online databases, with only personnel records being considered. Practical implications: Nonexistence of personnel records management legal frameworks implies that the responsibilities for cooperate record management to GCG plans and guidelines of managing personnel records were inefficient. As a result of the absence of written personnel records management policy, there was also a lack of guidelines for appraisal, disposition and schedules of records. On legal frameworks for personnel records management at GCG, the findings revealed that there were many policies in GCG but personnel records management policy was missing which is very crucial. Record management policy will also enhance human resource management policy. The missing of the personnel records management policy reduces the accountability to people who deal with records management in general, increases lack of integrity and indicate that there is a presence of irrational decision. Social implications: The missing of the personnel records management policy reduce the accountability to people who deal with records management, in general, increases lack of integrity and indicate that there is a presence of irrational decision. Originality/value: The purpose of the study was to investigate the management of personnel records in support of accountability in devolved governments: A case of GCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID—19 has raised considerable alarm about public health and safety. The response to the outbreak, however, has also brought concern regarding its impact on local governments in the United States. Local governments have been a primary respondent in the fight against the COVID—19 disease, but the response has also reduced income from a key source of revenue, sales tax. Using North Carolina counties as a case study, we explore the shock to sales and use tax revenue faced by local governments from COVID—19; we, then, estimate its impact on county fiscal health. Our results show that while many local governments were financially struggling before the outbreak, the drop in sales tax revenue severely threatens their ability to provide continued response to the virus as well as their ability to remain solvent.

Abstract Background In 2015, Michigan implemented a rule requiring parents to attend an education session at a local health department (LHD) prior to waiving mandatory child vaccinations. This study utilizes Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to assess program implementation, identifying potential threats to fidelity and sustainability. Methods We conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in these education programs across 16 LHDs. Participating LHDs were selected from a stratified, representative sample. One interviewer conducted all interviews using a semi-structured interview guide; two authors coded and analyzed the interview transcripts according to the NPT framework (i.e, sense-making, engagement, collective action, and reflexive monitoring). Results There was a lack of consensus about who the stakeholders of this new rule and its resulting program were (sense-making). Perhaps as a result, most LHDs did not solicit advice from key stakeholder groups (i.e., schools, health care providers, community stakeholders) in their planning (engagement). While most interviewees identified providing education and information as the goal, some identified the more challenging goal of persuading vaccine hesitant parents to immunize their children. There was also some variation in perception of who held health educators accountable for meeting the goals of the waiver education program (collective action). Formal program evaluation by LHDs was rare, although some held informal staff debriefings. Additionally, sessions that went particularly well or poorly were top-of-mind (reflexive monitoring). Conclusions The immunization waiver education program may be at risk of not becoming fully embedded into routine LHD practice, potentially compromising its long-term effectiveness and sustainability. Managers at the local and state level should maintain oversight to ensure that the program is delivered with fidelity. As the program relies on sustaining inconvenience to encourage parents to immunize their children, any shortcuts taken will undermine its success.

This study sought to come up with intervention measures that could be put in place to mitigate the challenges experienced in non-formal schools to enhance safety and security of children. Purposive sampling was used to select Nairobi City County and all the pre-primary schools attached to nonformal schools in informal settlements in the county and the head teachers/managers and teachers working in these pre-primary schools. A sample size of 54 pre-primary schools was selected. A total number of 136 participants from the sampled pre-primary schools participated in the study comprising of 78 preschool teachers, 54 head teachers, and four education officers. The findings revealed various intervention measures by participants such as intervention by: county government, school management such as picking and dropping children, fencing school and having lockable gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the importance of county characteristics in explaining county-level variations in health insurance coverage. Using public databases from 2008 to 2012, we studied 3112 counties in the United States. Rates of uninsurance ranged widely from 3% to 53%. Multivariate analysis suggested that poverty, unemployment, Republican voting, and percentages of Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native residents in a county were significant predictors of uninsurance rates. The associations between uninsurance rates and both race/ethnicity and poverty varied significantly between metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. Collaborative actions by the federal, tribal, state, and county governments are needed to promote coverage and access to care.

Growing research suggests that successful worksite wellness programs (WWPs) can be effective at reducing health costs and improving employee health. While many studies examine factors that contribute to WWP success, these primarily focus on private organizations, or they group public and private organizations together. However, public organizations encounter unique circumstances, generally, so it is important to examine them in their own right when it comes to WWP implementation. This study assesses what factors are important to WWP implementation in county government organizations. Through a conventional content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) of interview data collected from 18 county government WWP managers, the results provide support to earlier work regarding strategies for successful WWP implementation. However, the results also add to the literature in several ways. While the importance of leadership support is well-documented, this study finds that marketing and communication strategies, which typically focus on promoting employee participation, can also be used to encourage leadership buy-in. The study also suggests that a dedicated wellness coordinator who has some organizational autonomy to make decisions about the WWP is needed. Further, the study highlights the importance of trust-building as a strategy for WWP development and implementation. Finally, it calls attention to the impact of public perceptions on county governments' WWPs, an influence unique to county organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-efficiency has been used in the private sector to measure how resources are used to produce environmental outcomes. In these instances, eco-efficiency has a reported signaling effect that increases value for stakeholders. Public sector research suggests increased spending on social goods at the national (country) level results in reduced emissions with the resulting effect of an improved environment. This study extends previous research by applying eco-efficiency to the public sector in a significantly different public entity, county government, and by linking spending on social goods (input) and emissions (output) to a direct outcome of measurable economic value to citizenry, single-family housing prices, for 66 Florida counties during the years 2005–2014. Results show a positive and significant relationship between eco-efficiency and single-family housing prices. These results suggest county-level eco-efficiency may be an important element to include in external reports to citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accounting plays a very crucial role in the management and success or failure of most organizations. As a system, automated information system records and processes data of transaction and events into useful information for use in planning, controlling and operation of businesses. Kenya is a growing economy, and the global pressure has forced it to embrace E-Governance practices. As a result, ways to improve their operations have been placed. This study aimed at establishing the effect of implementing Automated Information Systems (AIS) on the County Government’s operations. The County operations were classified in terms of transparency and record keeping as well as supervision while the AIS was operationalized in terms of the Zizi System, the County Pro System and the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). This study employed complete enumeration survey method to collect data from all the twelve sub-counties in Kiambu, Kenya. The respondents were the IT managers, Financial Officers, and the Revenue Officers. Multiple regression was used to test the effect of AIS on the Kenya County Governments’ operation. The findings of this study indicate that implementing the Automated Information Systems had a significant positive effect on the county government’s operations.

Local governments worldwide have developed a suite of sustainability programs to improve environmental conditions within their jurisdictions. However, critics suggest that local governments' sustainability programs are more symbolic than substantial in that they are often developed to create the appearance of addressing environmental issues rather than actual environmental performance outcomes. Despite the skeptics, as yet, we have little empirical understanding of the environmental impact of local sustainability programs. This paper bridges the gap by considering how the design of 102 county governments' individual sustainability programs relates to improvement of their ozone quality between 2003 and 2013. After controlling for the spatial dependence of ozone quality among neighboring counties, this paper offers the evidence that local sustainability programs are related to improved environmental conditions. Moreover, the sustainability programs that are designed more comprehensively across environmental issues appear to have greater policy efficacy compared to those focusing on a few environmental issues. These findings provide optimistic views about the local, non‐regulatory policy effort for improving collective environmental quality. This implication is particularly salient given the lack of strong national and international environmental regulatory regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2015, Michigan implemented a rule requiring parents to attend an education session at a local health department (LHD) prior to waiving mandatory child vaccinations. This study utilizes Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to assess program implementation, identifying potential threats to fidelity and sustainability.Methods: We conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in these education programs across 16 LHDs. Participating LHDs were selected from a stratified, representative sample. One interviewer conducted all interviews using a semi-structured interview guide; two authors coded and analyzed the interview transcripts according to the NPT framework (i.e, sense-making, engagement, collective action, and reflexive monitoring).Results: There was a lack of consensus about who the stakeholders of this new rule and its resulting program were (sense-making). Perhaps as a result, most LHDs did not solicit advice from key stakeholder groups (i.e., schools, health care providers, community stakeholders) in their planning (engagement). While most interviewees identified providing education and information as the goal, some identified the more challenging goal of persuading vaccine hesitant parents to immunize their children. There was also some variation in perception of who held health educators accountable for meeting the goals of the waiver education program (collective action). Formal program evaluation by LHDs was rare, although some held informal staff debriefings. Additionally, sessions that went particularly well or poorly were top-of-mind (reflexive monitoring).Conclusions: The immunization waiver education program may be at risk of not becoming fully embedded into routine LHD practice, potentially compromising its long-term effectiveness and sustainability. Managers at the local and state level should maintain oversight to ensure that the program is delivered with fidelity. As the program relies on sustaining inconvenience to encourage parents to immunize their children, any shortcuts taken will undermine its success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlocal service delivery networks have become a prominent subject within the urban governance literature, with significant scholarly attention being focused on the political, legal, and demographic characteristics that influence an organization's decision to join a collaboration network. However, despite being a theoretically significant factor, few analyses have examined the role that service-function type plays in shaping these networks. This research note replicates and extends previous tests of the hypothesized relationship between service-function type and network structure by relying on a comprehensive 25-year data set of interlocal agreements from the state of Iowa. Using hierarchical linear modeling, the positive relationship between networks of system maintenance service-functions and network centralization is confirmed after controlling for the significant moderating effect of time. This more-generalized finding enhances our understanding of when local governments use service networks to solve public problems and potentially carries important implications for the relationship between network governance and policy performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We explore whether officials in county governments follow their partisan allegiances when selecting and siting early voting locations. Because low‐turnout elections are said to benefit Republicans and high‐turnout elections to benefit Democrats, we hypothesize that majority‐Republican county governments create fewer early voting sites than majority‐Democrat county governments. Moreover, we expect the partisan composition of key officials in county government to affect the accessibility of early voting sites, with Republican‐dominated county governments placing sites such that less of the population resides proximately. Methods: Using an originally collected data set, we assess how counties' commissioners courts affect the number of sites generally. We then geocode early voting locations in Texas from the 2014, 2016, and 2017 general elections to determine the accessibility of such locations. Results: Our results provide support for our theory that partisan county officials strategically maintain early voting sites to benefit their party's electoral fortunes. Specifically, Republican‐majority county governments employ fewer early voting locations than Democrat‐majority county governments. Yet, both Democrat and Republican courts site early voting locations similarly. Conclusion: These findings suggest that Republican‐majority county governments make decisions that increase the costs of voting by providing fewer sites, while Democrat‐majority county governments seek to decrease the costs of voting by offering more sites, with both parties attempting to provide their party an electoral edge. Still, Republican‐ and Democratic‐majority county governments site their early voting locations in similarly accessible ways, suggesting that other factors, besides partisanship, structure site location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

County governments are a crucial component of the fabric of American democracy. Yet there has been almost no previous research on the policy effects of the partisan composition of county governments. Most counties in the United States have small legislatures, usually called commissions or councils, that set their budgets and other policies. In this study, we examine whether counties with Democratic legislators spend more than counties with Republican ones. We assemble an original data set of 10,708 elections in approximately 298 medium and large counties over the past 25 years. Based on a regression discontinuity design, we find that electing a Democratic legislator rather than a Republican one leads the average county to increase spending by about 5%. Overall, our findings contribute to a growing literature on the policy consequences of partisan control of state and local government. They show that the partisan selection of county legislators has important policy effects in county governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies have attempted to address the challenge of land subdivision, there is still a scarcity in the literature on how the extent of conformity to land subdivision planning regulations may be statistically and spatially analyzed. This study, therefore, explores the extent to which residential developers comply with land subdivision planning regulations in Kenya, a case study of Kisii Town. It was guided by the public interest theory of regulation with a target population of 7,430 residential developments from the seven sublocation neighbourhoods of Kisii Town. Four administrative sublocations were used as strata out of which proportional random samples were drawn from their respective residential neighbourhoods to attain a sample size of 364. Structured checklists were used to collect data on the extent of conformity. Results revealed that although the recommended minimum plot size in Jogoo, Nyamataro and Nyanchwa neighbourhoods was 0.1 ha, 84%, 100% and 88% of developers did not respectively comply. Further, although the recommended minimum plot size for Egesa, Daraja Mbili, Mwembe and Nyamage neighbourhoods was 0.05 ha, 83%, 46%, 58% and 63% of developers failed to, in that order, comply. The problem continues notwithstanding the legal framework that grants the County Government of Kisii powers of development control. Key recommendations comprised establishing a coordinating committee to harmonize agencies that deal with land subdivisions and ensuring that only registered persons' process of land subdivisions. This study generally benefits international readers by highlighting how compliance with recommended land subdivision planning regulations may be statistically and spatially analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the effect of implementation of gender policy on employee commitment in selected county governments in Kenya. A sample of 494 respondents drawn from a target population of 7492 was used. Qualitative explanatory survey methodology was used. Cronbach alpha of .805 and .802 was obtained for gender and employee commitment respectively. The regression results indicate that implementation of gender diversity policy is statistically significant in predicting employee commitment. However, the level of significance is marginal (6 %) and may not make much impact in the organisation in boosting employee commitment. Employee commitment items had a mean of 2.90, an indication that if the county management will not address the problem, this will translate into a cost and burden to the county if the employees are to leave for other organisations. The study recommends that county governments should seek to establish how to successfully implement gender policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local Governments across the Rural-Urban Continuum: Findings from a Recent National County Government Study Keywords: county government; fiscal stress; local government; rural communities EN county government fiscal stress local government rural communities 223 232 10 07/07/20 20191201 NES 191201 In recent decades, local governments have faced profound changes in their economic, social, and political environment. These urban-rural differences are further reflected in budget allocations and staff, with 48 percent of remote and 39 percent of adjacent governments, compared to 35 percent of metro governments, not budgeting for small business development; 43 percent of remote and 29 percent of adjacent nonmetro governments, compared to 24 percent of metro governments, not budgeting for attraction of outside businesses; and 42 percent of remote and 31 percent of adjacent nonmetro governments, compared to 26 percent of metro governments, not budgeting for business retention and expansion. Our study documents the status of county governments nationwide, focusing on the challenges, capacities, policies, and services that characterize these governments today. [Extracted from the article]