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The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an ultimate testing ground for evaluating the resilience and effectiveness of federal and decentralized systems. The article analyses how the Spanish asymmetrical system of decentralization has responded to the pandemic, focusing on the management developed by the sub-central governments (Autonomous Communities) during the first two waves of the pandemic in 2020. The research, which is both quantitative and qualitative, employs multidisciplinary tools and information sources, analyzing and linking fiscal and budgetary sources with the available statistics and information on health. Although the health, economic and social crisis caused by COVID-19 has highlighted appreciable shortcomings related to the decentralized model of territorial organization - in questions of both regional financing and health management - the research concludes that decentralization has not per se been a handicap when confronting the pandemic in Spain.
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Background: On March 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 as a pandemic. According to the Republic of Indonesia's Law No. 30 of 2014 on the Governmental Administration Article 1 number 9, governmental officials can create regulations to handle concrete issues. Thus, to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and to resolve issues concerning social aid distribution in Boyolali, Central Java Province, the Boyolali regional government issued some regulations. Aim(s): To analyze the basis for the regional governments' authorities in leading their areas during the Covid-19 pandemic and to analyze the Boyolali regional government's policies, in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Method(s): This research employed the juridical normative and the statute approaches. This was descriptive legal research that described and analyzed legal issues concerning regional governments' policies and authorities in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Result(s): To prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Boyolali government issued: Regulation of the Boyolali Regent No. 2 of 2022, Regulation of the Boyolali Regent No. 24 of 2020, Regulation of the Boyolali Regent No. 21 of 2020, Instruction of the Boyolali Regent No. 1 of 2021, and Instruction of the Boyolali Regent No. 9 of 2022. To resolve issues concerning Covid-19 social aid distribution, the Boyolali government issued: Decree of the Boyolali Regent No. 900/468 of 2020 and Decree of the Boyolali Regent No. 900/629 of 2021. Conclusion(s): The Boyolali regency government succeeded in resolving issues that occurred due to the pandemic through the issuance of these policies. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly negative impacts on people’s lives and has challenged national leadership to take necessary measures to solve it. The Indonesian government has been confronted with issues such as health services, case detection, the financial capacity of the state, and the decline of economic activity. This study aimed to examine the policies and social advantages of “the new normal” as a case study of handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. This was a qualitative study using primary and secondary data. The study showed that the government’s responses were ineffective and insufficient for preparing contingency measures. Poor coordination between central and regional governments has also been observed as a public concern. The central government decided to implement a large-scale social distancing policy instead of imposing a total lockdown due to its massive financial burden on the government. While making the policies, the central government was concerned more with political and economic considerations and prohibited regional governments from imposing local lockdown policies, unless permitted by the central government. This situation allegedly resulted in substandard protection of the people from the pandemic. The central government’s budgeting policy also failed to put more emphasis on the public health services because the budget for the health sector was lower than the budget for economic recovery and social assistance. However, notwithstanding the government’s unproductive policies in handling the pandemic, Indonesian people have mutual assistance culture as a social advantage. Through such social capital, people were driven to help each other, especially regarding social and economic assistance to the affected people. Contrarily, mutual awareness may have driven people to refrain from doing activities in public areas and to stay at home to stop the spread of COVID-19. It boosted the social endurance of the people in dealing with the pandemic toward a new normal.
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Purpose>The purpose of this paper is to analyze and examine the influence of the role of the central government, the role of local government, community participation, governance on the success of post-COVID-19 food security policies.Design/methodology/approach>This study conducted a quantification study related to phenomena related to the success of post-COVID-19 food security policies. The data used are primary data with a research instrument in the form of a questionnaire. Data analysis using the measurement model Structural Equation Model (SEM). The population in this study was all people in the city of Bandung, Indonesia.Findings>The role of the Central Government (X1), the role of the Local Government (X2) and Public Participation (X3) is very important for improving Governance (Y1) and Food Defense Policy (Y2). Thus, the conditions of the role of the Central Government (X1), the role of the Local Government (X2) and Public Participation (X3) must always be maintained. Efforts to maintain the role of the Central Government (X1) and the role of the Local Government (X2) can be done by paying attention to the organizing aspect. This indicator is known to have a very important influence in reflecting the role of the Central Government (X1) and the role of the Local Government (X2). On the other hand, efforts to increase Public Participation (X3) can be done by paying attention to the Psychological indicators (X31).Originality/value>The government must take steps to prevent a food crisis. Apart from that, the government is also deemed necessary to map existing agricultural potentials, stabilize food prices, carry out consolidation related to agricultural land and also make regulations related to existing food problems. Apart from the role of the government, the public can also take part in maintaining food security to avoid a food crisis. Communities have the opportunity to build food sovereignty and self-sufficiency. During a pandemic like this, people tend to be more creative and can be creative to outsmart existing situations. This includes maintaining access to food. The community is expected to have the awareness to undertake at least independent planting to meet their own food needs.
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The main problem in this research is the use of discretion in managing the regional government budgets for handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Material and method data related to discretionary budget management for handling the COVID-19 pandemic were obtained from secondary sources, namely laws and regulations, while the primary data were from the field, including the Jakarta Provincial Government. This research used the juridical normative analytical method. The Result of this research indicated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Law Number 30 of 2014 did not accommodate discretionary actions in budget management. The Conclusion of the research is eliminating the requirement of supervisor approval for budget discretion made by regional heads is the right concept for handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The implementation of policy in the budget for the COVID-19 pandemic in Bekasi City has not been fully achieved effectively. The Bekasi City Government and its ranks comprehensively have not been optimal in implementing accelerated measures to deal with COVID-19. This will certainly be very inhibiting the acceleration of handling COVID-19 in the Bekasi City Government in handling the field of health, handling economic impacts and providing social safety net. The research method used in is descriptive analysis with the type of approach being qualitative case study methods. The results of the study are that there are several factors that cause the implementation of policy kin budgeting for COVID-19 pandemic in Bekasi City has not been fully effective, namely communication factors and policy factors. so that it can interfere with the acceleration of pandemic handling in the city of Bekasi. To streamline this, the Mayor of Bekasi ordered the Local Government Budget Team (TAPD) to immediately make adjustments to the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) in 2020 by refocusing the budget both revenue and spending and then re-allocation of the budget in Unexpected Spending to be used to accelerate the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic adequately. and increase capacity and coordinate with the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), community organizations as well as community / religious leaders to socialize and appeal to the public to avoid the spread of COVID-19. The realization of implementation of budgeting policy for COVID-19 pandemic in Bekasi City effective by the Bekasi City Government includes support from all parties to the policy in budgeting for COVID-19 pandemic food in Bekasi City, COVID-19 through the policy of implementing the Rukun Warga Siaga program can be said to be effective, the synergy of TAPD and Regional Devices in supporting the Mayor's commitment Bekasi, strengthening the coordination and synchronization of pandemic management policies between stakeholders and community non-compliance with government appeals from both the Central Government and the Regional Government of Bekasi City can be avoided.
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This article aims at examining the strategic partnerships Brazil developed with China and Japan, between 2003 and 2020, and assessing how these privileged rapports contributed to the country’s quest for autonomy. This will be made through the lenses of Pragmatic Institutionalism and against the backdrop of major developments in global and regional governance that impacted on the Brazilian autonomist project.
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With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic as world’s biggest emergency, the Central Government and the Regional Governments in Indonesia released COVID-19 pandemic control policies. One of the areas most affected by COVID-19 was West Java Province;hence, the West Java Provincial Government took many policy decisions to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most important decisions was related to administering local government by the Regional House of Representatives (RHRs) as Regional Legislative Institution (RLI). The RHR enjoyed the right and liberty to make regional regulations, and monitor budgets. This study aimed to reveal the Regional Legislative Institution’s political communication model in carrying out the supervisory function of the COVID-19 prevention program. With an interpretive subjective approach, and qualitative research design, a case study method approach was adopted. The data collection techniques used were interviews, observation, and reference studies. The results of this research revealed that the political communication of supervision of Regional Legislative Institutions in COVID-19 Pandemic Management was the implementation of the normative mandate of the supervisory function of Regional Legislative Institutions. These functions were executed to implement Regional Government Programs through the execution of their rights, obligations, duties, and authorities as members of the RHRs’, Members of Fractions, Members of Commissions and Chiefs of the RHRs. This study devised two models, one on RHRs’ political communication surveillance on the COVID-19 pandemic control program: second a model on the RHRs’ Corrective Political Communication. © 2021, Institute for Development and International Relations. All rights reserved.
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Recently, several studies reported that the governmental financial expenditures play important roles in the prevention of increasing suicide mortalities;however, the specific regional policies, designed dependent on regional cultural, economic, education and welfare backgrounds, affect suicide mortality by a specific suicidal means. Therefore, the present study determined the impacts of the regional governmental expenditure of six major divisions, “public health”, “public works”, “police”, “ambulance/fire services”, “welfare” and “education” on suicide mortalities by five major suicidal means, “hanging”, “poisoning”, “charcoal burning”, “jumping” and “throwing”, across the 47 prefectures in Japan during 2009–2018 using fixed-effect analysis of hierarchal linear regression with robust standard error. The expenditures of “ambulance/fire services” and “education” indicated the negative relation to suicide mortalities by wide-spectrum suicidal means, whereas expenditures of “public works” did not affect suicide mortalities. In the education subdivisions, expenditure of “kindergarten” and “elementary school” indicated the impacts of reduction of suicide mortalities, whereas the expenditures of “special school” for individuals with disabilities unexpectedly contribute to increasing suicide mortalities by poisoning, charcoal burning and throwing of females. Regarding subdivisions of welfare, expenditure of “child welfare” and “social welfare” contributed to a reduction in suicide mortalities, but expenditure of “elderly welfare” surprisingly contributed to increasing suicide mortalities. Furthermore, expenditures of welfare subdivision abolished the negative impacts of the expenditures of educational subdivisions, kindergarten and elementary school, but the positive impact of expenditure of special school on female suicide mortalities was not affected. These results suggest that most Japanese people are struggling to care for children even in the situation of an increasing elderly population with a decreasing birthrate. Therefore, it is important to enhance the investment welfare policy for the future to improve the childcare environment. The results demonstrated by this study suggest that the scientifically evidence-based redistributions of welfare expenditure in regional government, at least partially, provide improvement of Japanese society and welfare systems, under the continuous severe Japanese social concerns associated with increasing elderly population with a decreasing birthrate.
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Surveillance is becoming the norm in today’s life, especially with the pandemic of COVID-19. Surveillance of public crowds and activity is a controversial issue that can contradict the privacy of individuals (Federal Decree-Law No. (5) of 2012). This paper presents a comparative study of surveillance and privacy regulations and law in the UAE compared to the USA and the EU. The objective of this comparison is to highlight the amendments that have been adopted to improve laws and regulations, the need for further improvement, and the strengths and weaknesses in each of these countries. A discussion of different acts adopted in these countries and comparing them can help security experts to cooperate with legislators in order to rectify shortcomings and improve the acts adopted in their respective countries. Furthermore, we think that such a comparison can help system developers to find an easier way to accommodate the differences in security measures that they have to tackle and incorporate when they are serving customers in these countries and especially in the UAE. A legal framework has been proposed in order to define the maturity level of regulations adopted by a government in regard to surveillance and privacy laws and acts. © 2022 The Authors.
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For three European states in particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has served to catalyze pre-existing territorial disputes. While the United Kingdom, Spain, and Belgium have all had very different responses to the pandemic, in all three cases the actions of central and regional government have put existing structures of regional autonomy under strain. In Spain, the pandemic response has become intertwined with the Catalan independence debate (especially in disputes between pro-independence parties), and elsewhere in the country it has cemented co-operative relationships between moderate nationalists and the statewide left. In Belgium, the pandemic has accentuated territorial disputes and further complicated government formation. And in the UK diverging responses to the pandemic have helped boost nationalist movements in the devolved nations;particularly the cause of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and their ambitions to create an independent Scottish state. While the year has been highly significant for secessionist movements in all three states, only in the UK does a decisive shift towards state-breakup seem to have occurred. The article argues that whether or not a secessionist movement benefits from the pandemic is highly contingent on contextual factors, including the performance of state-level governments in responding to the pandemic and the relative autonomy of regional governments during the response.
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The aim of this study is to determine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan and by adopting an institutional approach, to generate solutions that might contribute to the future development of the tourism and hospitality industries. A computer-based survey was developed and administered online using the Google Forms platform. The survey consisted of the following questions: (1) reactions to the pandemic's influence on tourism (2) short-term recovery plans (3) long-term challenges, and (4) demographic characteristics of respondents. Surveys were distributed to email addresses of over 150 tourism managers and employees in Uzbekistan in June, 2020. A final total of 77 responses were found acceptable for analysis. Findings identified a number of institutions used as a response to the pandemic: additional state support for entrepreneurs, webinars, new investment projects, post-crisis measures, actions aimed at improving the product, and marketing campaigns to promote the tourism product. Several initiatives were instituted by Samarkand Regional Government including support for entrepreneurs and small business owners through start-up investment projects. However, overall, a lack of trust was shown between the tourism owners/providers and regional government with the majority of owners preferring to solve their own problems that were created as a result of the pandemic.
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This paper examines the suitability of Google Trends data for the modeling and forecasting of interregional migration in Russia. Monthly migration data, search volume data, and macro variables are used with a set of univariate and multivariate models to study the migration data of the two Russian cities with the largest migration inflows: Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The empirical analysis does not provide evidence that the more people search online, the more likely they are to relocate to other regions. However, the inclusion of Google Trends data in a model improves the forecasting of the migration flows, because the forecasting errors are lower for models with internet search data than for models without them. These results also hold after a set of robustness checks that consider multivariate models able to deal with potential parameter instability and with a large number of regressors.
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Purpose: At exceptional times, governments are entrusted with greater authority. This creates significant concerns over governments’ transparency and accountability. This paper aims to pursue a twofold objective: assessing the patterns of open government data during the extraordinary time initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic drawing relevant policy and managerial implications regarding the future development of open data as a mechanism of accountability at times of exception. Design/methodology/approach: The study follows exploratory research, relying on a web content analysis. The empirical setting is provided by 20 Italian regional governments during the COVID-19 pandemic as a shock that has triggered an exceptional time for governments. Findings: Results on the desirable (extrinsic and intrinsic) characteristics of the data analyzed show that in the empirical setting investigated, open data does not enable to properly address the accountability concerns of a demanding forum at times of exception. Research limitations/implications: The paper enriches the state of the art on accountability and provides both scholars and practitioners (e.g. policymakers, managers, etc.) a current reading of data-driven orientation as a stimulus to the accountability of public administrations during exceptional times. Originality/value: The paper investigates open data as a condition of public accountability, assessing whether and how Italian regional governments have concretely opened their data to enable their forums to elaboration of an informed opinion about their conduct during the ongoing pandemic. This fosters the understanding of how accountability is deployed in times of exception in light of the possibilities offered by the availability of online platforms. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.