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Who was Robert Moses? In this article, we want to cast a bright light on Robert Moses as a visionary urban planner, which included the comprehensive planning of the outdoor and indoor aquatic infrastructure for New York City. Second, we want to highlight some of his administration's significant accomplishments and challenges in providing aquatics opportunities for diverse populations, including people of color. Finally, we aspire to illustrate what happens when officials with power and authority in local government are permitted to operate without scrutiny and are unbeholden to a meaningful series of checks and balances. Robert Moses' tenure as a 40-year-plus appointed public official highlighted the need for accountability in public service. During his expansive career, Moses held more than 12 bureaucratic appointments, sometimes concurrently, allowing him to drive his infrastructure development agenda funded by the WPA mercurially. His herculean list of accomplishments included parks, highways, 11 large swimming pools, civic centers, sports stadiums, 13 bridges, 658 playgrounds, 416 miles of parkway, 150,000 units of public housing, and the 1964-65 World's Fair, which cost in today's economy approximately $150 billion (Adiv, 2015). One of the central jewels in the crown of his accomplishments was the planning, design, and construction of the outdoor and indoor swimming infrastructure of New York City. Unfortunately, many of Moses' achievements were overshadowed by allegations of racial politics, a lack of accountability for his decisions and policy actions, and reports of his disdain for blacks, Puerto Ricans, and low-income people. He was also called dictatorial, power-hungry, and vindictive during his long tenure in public service. Moses was rebuked for his lack of inclusion in planning processes and making resource allocation decisions based on the racial composition of a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased working from home has imposed new challenges on public service employees, while also granting opportunities for job crafting. Grounding on the Job Demands-Resources model and Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory this exploratory research aims to investigate the work-nonwork balance of employees one and a half years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the research focus lies on employees' job crafting strategies to optimize their working from home experience concerning boundary management and energy resource management. Methods: Twelve semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with public service employees from different sectors in Germany. The experiences were content analyzed using the software MaxQDA and inductive and deductive categories were derived. Results: Boundary management comprised different strategies such as communicative (e.g., negotiating work time), physical (e.g., going to the garden), temporal (e.g., logging off in between the work day) and behavioral (e.g., prioritizing tasks) strategies. The job crafting strategies regarding energy management included preventing exhaustion (e.g. taking breaks), healthy cooking and energy management in case of sickness (e.g. deciding on sick leave). Conclusions: This qualitative case study enriches research on job crafting by offering insights on boundary tactics and energy resources management strategies for remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results point out different starting points for employees and decision makers, how a work-nonwork balance, energy management and thus employees' wellbeing may be increased when working from home in the future. Trial registration: The study design and methodology were approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Cologne and the study was prospectively registered (Ref No. 21-1417_1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of epidemic spreading, many intricate dynamical patterns can emerge due to the cooperation of different types of pathogens or the interaction between the disease spread and other failure propagation mechanism. To unravel such patterns, simulation frameworks are usually adopted, but they are computationally demanding on big networks and subject to large statistical uncertainty. Here, we study the two-layer spreading processes on unidirectionally dependent networks, where the spreading infection of diseases or malware in one layer can trigger cascading failures in another layer and lead to secondary disasters, e.g., disrupting public services, supply chains, or power distribution. We utilize a dynamic message-passing method to devise efficient algorithms for inferring the system states, which allows one to investigate systematically the nature of complex intertwined spreading processes and evaluate their impact. Based on such dynamic message-passing framework and optimal control, we further develop an effective optimization algorithm for mitigating network failures. The frameworks to simulate pathogen, malware and failure spreading are computationally demanding, and they are subject to large statistical uncertainty. The authors develop efficient inference and control algorithms based on dynamic message passing to study a two-layer spreading process, where the spreading infection triggers cascading failures and leads to secondary disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in 2020 has caused significant health crises worldwide. Countries and regions around the globe have practiced different policies to contain the pandemic. One commonly adopted strategy is the Zero-COVID policy, comprising two phases: an initial suppression phase, typically enforced through lockdowns, followed by a sustained containment phase. However, sudden and strict lockdown policies in the suppression phase would inevitably bring unexpected challenges to vulnerable populations. There is a need to identify the emergent needs of underprepared, vulnerable populations under lockdowns to inform future pandemic management. In this study, the messages posted on an online mutual help-requesting platform during the 2022 Shanghai lockdown were leveraged as the near real-time agent to represent the side effects of the lockdown policy. This work explores the spatiotemporal correlation of the posts to their potential influencing factors and mines knowledge from the textual content of the posts. The results indicate that the help requests were clustered in downtown Shanghai. The access to profuse medical resources and public services may be hindered in districts with more stringent lockdown policies. The help requests' content unveils a need for medication and groceries under lockdown. It also underscores that the elderly population was affected most by the lockdown. Based on these insights, policymakers can better anticipate and address the urgent residential needs that may arise in future lockdowns. This knowledge can contribute to more effective planning and preparedness efforts to mitigate the impact on vulnerable populations and ensure their well-being during similar crisis situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution applies the Q methodology to investigate Chinese public employees' accountability preferences under different accountability relationships in delivering public services. We identify four accountability preferences: a vertically oriented accountability, a network‐style accountability, a style of accountability between market and participatory accountability, and a vertically oriented style of market accountability. Our data show that Chinese public employees hold varied accountability preferences in public service delivery, and hierarchy is a relatively popular one. It is suggested that governors should effectively align different accountability relationships with the aim of better steering the behavior of public employees in public service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored the attitudes of Kuwaiti residents toward corruption practices in Kuwait and the role of the Nazaha Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority in tackling such actions. To achieve the aim of this study, a survey questionnaire, which was based on a survey introduced by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2018, was distributed to 535 participants in Kuwait. The questionnaire covered areas related to problems facing Kuwait, behaviors of public officers, opinions on practices of public sector employees, corruption in Kuwait by industry, the role of Nazaha in Kuwait, the correlation between bribery and access to government services, and the reporting of corruption in Kuwait. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS. The findings indicate that 374 respondents noted corruption as the most serious problem in Kuwait, which is practiced systematically in Kuwait due to the prevalence of nepotism and other cultural reasons. In addition, it was found that there is dissatisfaction with the role of Nazaha, with 46.9 and 32.3% of participants reporting that Nazaha did not react in time and did not catch offenders, respectively. This study suggests that Nazaha should be empowered with further legal means to tackle corruption in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective in this paper is to evaluate the benefits of bus transit. To obtain the more accurate and highly discrimination results, this study establishes an evaluation indicator system from a stakeholder perspective and proposes a novel combined method consisting of dynamic network data envelopment analysis, cross-efficiency evaluation, and Shannon entropy aggregation method. An empirical study of bus transit systems in 33 key Chinese cities from 2016 to 2019 is provided. The results show that the benefit of bus transit in most key cities was ineffective. In contrast to production efficiency, focusing on improving service effectiveness is more conducive to improving the benefits of bus transit. Small cities have higher benefits than large cities. Meanwhile, the benefits of bus transit vary geographically. This evaluation outcome provides a more appropriate basis for decision-making related to the benefits of public transit services, as well as for operational and management studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, one in two women have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime and one in five women has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. Public facing organizations, such as public transport providers, have a role to play in providing safe environments and preventing violence. Our study examined the experiences and views of those working in public transport delivery organizations about the organizational challenges and opportunities to provide safe transport for women. Using Normalization Process Theory (NPT), our analysis of 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews with stakeholders focused on three key areas: making sense of safety of women on public transport; working towards women's safety on public transport; and monitoring the progress of safety initiatives. We found that public transport is delivered by multiple stakeholders, with individual and combined organizational and relational complexity. Participants highlighted the importance of leadership and the need for an overarching strategy for women's safety. Macro-level organizational and environmental barriers to implementing safety initiatives include a lack of proactive, consistent, and collaborative approaches. Differing understandings of what women's safety means can lead to conflicting strategies among organizations, but there are opportunities to develop and integrate enhanced and conceptually consistent training and policies in response to women's safety. At the micro-level, providers recognize the need to prioritize safety for women across public transport. Our findings indicate key opportunities to inform the development of interventions and policies for public transport, and public facing organizations more broadly, to provide for and sustain women's safety. • Complex solutions needed to address sexual assault & harassment against women on public transport. • Solutions require overarching leadership and a collaborative and consistent strategy. • Public transport planning and delivery still requires a gender-lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study draws on interviews with service users about their experiences to inform the practice of psychodynamic couple therapy for depression. Five participants, who had received at least six months of psychodynamic couple therapy in London (UK) for the treatment of severe distress and depression, completed a semi‐structured interview. They were recruited using a purposive sampling technique. Data was analysed using a phenomenological approach to thematic analysis. Six themes were identified in relation to participants' experiences of couple therapy. Key aspects highlighted by participants include: the therapist, described as a 'third person', became a referee and mediated the communication within the couple, providing a different perspective, enabling a safe environment for reciprocal listening; the process of making links with the past enabled participants to understand their current behaviour as individual and dysfunctional areas as a couple; the therapist's ability to understand the couple as individuals rather than as a unified entity was key; therapist neutrality and capacity to empathise with the couple was valued by participants. The study highlighted the intertwined dynamic between relationship difficulties and depression. Participants were not able to make a clear distinction between these two experiences, and this microcosm may reflect the difficulties that clients face in accessing public services, which have historically held a more individualistic perspective of distress. [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]

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]

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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]

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]

Purpose: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a scale measuring artificial intelligence capabilities by using the resource-based theory. It seeks to examine the impact of these capabilities on the organizational-level resources of dynamic capabilities and organizational creativity, ultimately influencing the overall performance of government organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The calibration of artificial intelligence capabilities scale was conducted using a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis tools. A set of 26 initial items was formed in the qualitative study. In the quantitative study, self-reported data obtained from 344 public managers was used for the purposes of refining and validating the scale. Hypothesis testing is carried out to examine the relationship between theoretical constructs for the purpose of nomological testing. Findings: Results provide empirical evidence that the presence of artificial intelligence capabilities positively and significantly impacts dynamic capabilities, organizational creativity and performance. Dynamic capabilities also found to partially mediate artificial intelligence capabilities relationship with organizational creativity and performance, and organizational creativity partially mediates dynamic capabilities – organizational creativity link. Practical implications: The application of artificial intelligence holds promise for improving decision-making and problem-solving processes, thereby increasing the perceived value of public service. This can be achieved through the implementation of regulatory frameworks that serve as a blueprint for enhancing value and performance. Originality/value: There are a limited number of studies on artificial intelligence capabilities conducted in the government sector, and these studies often present conflicting and inconclusive findings. Moreover, these studies indicate literature has not adequately explored the significance of organizational-level complementarity resources in facilitating the development of unique capabilities within government organizations. This paper presents a framework that can be used by government organizations to assess their artificial intelligence capabilities-organizational performance relation, drawing on the resource-based theory. [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]

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]

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]

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: 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]

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]

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: 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]

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]

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]

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]

The implementation of good governance is the main prerequisite for carrying out state goals, especially in providing public welfare. In line with the large demands of society for the implementation of good governance, the government must provide quality public services. In this regard, development planning is needed that is systematic, directed, comprehensive, and responsive to the dynamics of community needs. In the government's efforts to provide public services, it is necessary to develop and implement a real legal accountability system for the implementation public services, so that the implementation of government and development can take place in an efficient, clean and accountable manner. The responsibility of Commitment Making Officials in the procurement of government goods/services consists of administrative responsibility and criminal responsibility. Administrative responsibility occurs if an administrative violation occurs, and will be subject to administrative sanctions. Meanwhile, criminal liability means the possibility that a criminal act has occurred and can be subject to criminal sanctions. However, this responsibility can also be imposed on other officials involved in the procurement of goods/services, such as Budget Users, Budget User Proxies, Procurement Officials/Election Working Group, as long as their involvement in the criminal act can be proven. [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 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]

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]

This article combines two neglected elements within the history of online news: public service news sites and weather reporting, and it does so by utilising web archives, which – surprisingly – do not figure very prominently in journalism history. The two elements have – in isolation and in combination – at least in Denmark, become increasingly important as the online news sections of the two public service institutions Denmark's Radio (DR) and TV2 consistently are among the most visited news sites and since reporting on the weather has gained in prominence and more recently, at least on DR TV, has become increasingly educational in its linking to issues of climate change. This article focusses on online news and conducts a historical analysis of the weather reporting on DR.dk from 2005 to 2022. The analysis seeks to balance the coding of journalistic texts with considerations of the online form of journalism, which here broadly means reading the webpage as a text. A key focus in the analysis is how meteorological data have been woven into cultural and social narratives, some of which are linked to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article asks how the rise in use of SVOD in the United Kingdom during 2020 impacted people's expectations of public service television (PSTV). Drawing on 56 qualitative interviews with 28 UK participants conducted in 2019 and 2020, the article uses the COVID-19 lockdown to explore how disruption to the context of viewing might shape the cultural meanings people attach to PSTV. Challenging dominant approaches that measure audience assessments of public service media (PSM) against normative criteria, this article focuses instead on the processes through which people's cultural meanings about PSTV are formed. Examining the interplay of their encounters with, expectations and evaluations of television, it reveals the divergent meanings our participants brought to linear and on-demand television. The article concludes by examining the implications of these expectations for PSM policy and for the ways in which we research people's viewing experiences and choices amidst the rise of VOD. [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]

In recent years, the provision of government services through electronic platforms has significantly increased due to the rapid development of digital technologies. The significant shift in digital governance is expected to have an effect on key macroeconomic variables through its speed, efficiency, and convenience. Therefore, this study empirically evaluates the effects of e-government development on foreign direct investment inflows by targeting sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The study covers the panel data of periods 2003–2022 for 44 SSA countries. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and econometric techniques with STATA 17 software. According to the System GMM model used in the study, e-government is a significant factor that positively affects FDI inflows, and scale neutral that significantly benefits both less growing and more growing economies. Furthermore, the result from threshold analysis shows that the positive effect of e-government on FDI inflows is influenced by the development of telecommunication infrastructure. The key insight for policy arising from this paper is that in addition to the macroeconomic factors, FDI inflows are affected by digital transformation and technology-augmented government services. Therefore, development interventions should emphasize the improvement of such institutional and technological systems to enhance FDI inflows to the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the public sector has been looking for ways to accommodate increasingly critical citizens by striving towards a less bureaucratic and more efficient organization, as well as more direct forms of communication. Government institutions try to respond more quickly to citizens' concerns and want to ensure that citizens can contact them more easily and find relevant and accurate information promptly. To achieve this, they often turn to technological aids. This article focuses on how municipalities analyze and follow up minor violations and street nuisances. We used semi-structured interviews with key informants from the relevant services of the municipality of Schaerbeek, a district of Brussels (Belgium), to examine how the technological innovations implemented within the municipality transform the relations between local authorities and their citizens, as well as the internal relations between the different municipal services. Although the respondents were unanimous about the added value of these technological solutions, our analysis shows four clearly recurrent issues : (1) the "functional reduction" associated with technological innovations leaves little room for the complex context of social nuisance; (2) government services are currently flooded by a "tsunami" of communication flows; (3) so-called "innovative" technological solutions often mimic old bureaucratic processes; (4) new communication tools are not equally integrated into all levels of local administration. [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 article conceptualizes public value and develops a conceptual framework for understanding the nature of public value in public service ecosystems. So far, the conceptualization and research of public value, and its nature in the context of public service ecosystems is incoherent and scant. The theoretical development of this article occurs within the theoretical foundations of service ecosystems, public value, service-dominant logic, and public service dominant logic. It bridges the theoretical domains of value and service ecosystem research between the public and private sector research. It proposes a framework for characterizing the nature of public value at different levels of a public service ecosystem. The main theoretical contribution of this paper is the further conceptualization of public value and its characterization in the context of public service ecosystems. The article makes articulated propositions and provides novel theories for understanding and analyzing public value and public service ecosystems relevant for researchers, public managers, and policymakers of this field. [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]

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]

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]

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]

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]