The legal framework of teleworking in local governments

The spread of teleworking, both in private companies and in the public administration, is one of the consequences of the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, teleworking is not really a new mode of carrying out public services. It was already a decade ago when teleworking was initially regulated in Spain and, since then, it is linked to the development of digital technologies in public administrations. In 2020 new basic state legislation on teleworking was passed for civil servants. This legislation was developed by regional and local regulations and agreements. This article presents a summary of the current legal framework on the matter. © 2022, Fundacion Democracia y Gobierno Local. All rights reserved.

Localizing the sustainable development goals: A multivariate analysis of Spanish regions

Based on the content analysis of the websites of 102 Spanish municipalities related to actions aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the X-STATIS technique was applied to analyze the status and dynamic evolution of commitment to the SDGs in regional and local governments over the period of 2016-2021. The results show a low but increasing level of SDG commitment, which also varies significantly across municipalities and regions, as well as by SDGs, which can be attributed to the influence of several sociodemographic factors, such as the number of inhabitants, dependent population and population density. SDG8 and SDG11 stand out as the main priorities of the municipalities, while initiatives related to SDG5, SDG6 and SDG 17 are the least prioritized. The COVID-19 pandemic has marked a turning point in this regard, with greater importance being given to the SDGs more related to people and prosperity. Our findings help citizens and public authorities to understand sustainable regions and municipalities, assess their performance in relation to different dimensions of sustainability and identify key challenges for future improvements. Specifically, the results suggest that public policies should promote actions related to gender equality, drinking water and sanitation and partnerships, as well as favor investment in the regions and municipalities that are lagging behind, in order to improve their level of commitment to the 2030 Agenda and reduce inequalities. From an academic point of view, our results open a door for the analysis of possible trajectories in the implementation of the SDGs at regional and local levels and the study of their determinants. © 2023 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press.

Territorial Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination in Romania

This paper explores relationships between vaccination coverage and indicators at the level oflocal administrative units for the case of rural localities of Romania. Positive correlations have been identified in relation to fiscal capacity, coverage of the population with general practitioners, COVID‐19 incidence rate and absence of a marginalized community within the locality. Regional differences are again highlighted in the analysis. This means that there is at least partially an overlap of the disadvantaged rural areas with the ones registering low vaccination uptakes against COVID‐19. Further on, it means that these territorial areas accumulate a series of structural disadvantages that can prove to increase the discrepancies between them and other rural or large urban areas. The paper contributes to enlarging the perspective on vaccination coverage by adding both conceptual and practical insights. From the point ofview of practitioners, the results of the study can be used to tailor intervention in communities with similar characteristics, to underscore public health inequalities across territories. Points for practitioners are relevant for a wide range of stakeholders from public health, public management, and social protection fields, placed in both local and central level decision‐making positions. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration & Policy is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

What is the Future of Survey-Based Data Collection for Local Government Research? Trends, Strategies, and Recommendations

Surveys are an important vehicle for advancing research on urban policy and governance. The introduction of online tools eased survey-based data collection, making it cheaper and easier to obtain data from key informants like local elected officials or public administrators. However, the utility of web-based survey administration may be diminishing. To investigate this dynamic and search for strategies to support survey research in urban studies, we perform a systematic review of survey research in urban policy and administration scholarship and conduct an original survey follow-up experiment. Our findings identify a clear downward trend in survey response rates that was accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from our survey experiment show distinctly different costs per solicitation and per completed survey, depending on administration mode. These findings stimulate discussion on how scholars may continue to use surveys to generate high-quality, empirically rigorous research on urban affairs in light of recent trends. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Urban Affairs Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The diversity of local political agendas during COVID-19: A comparison of Mexican states.

COVID-19, as an event that disrupted economic activities around the world, affected government policy agendas. In Latin America, most of the responses were centralized by national governments;however, in Mexico, the 32 states developed their own economic policies in response to the pandemic. The Mexican case allows us to analyze recent hypotheses of comparative studies on this issue, which propose that the size of the population and the scale and socioeconomic structure of the administrations may be factors that explain the scope and diversity of local agendas. A quantitative methodology based on the estimation of Shannon's entropy index and non-parametric tests is used. Contrary to expectations, we find that the scope and diversity of the responses are not significantly related to the factors proposed in the literature. At least for the case of COVID-19 in the short run, the size and diversity of local agendas in Mexico seem to be based on institutional factors, such as information processing according to bounded rationality, incremental solutions, and the functional labeling of local governments. Thus, the variety of agendas is based on the direct interests of communities. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] La covid-19, en cuanto evento que interrumpió las actividades económicas en el mundo, afectó las agendas de las políticas gubernamentales. En Latinoamérica, la mayor parte de las respuestas fueron centralizadas por los Gobiernos nacionales, sin embargo, en México, las 32 entidades federativas desarrollaron políticas económicas propias frente a la pandemia. El caso mexicano nos permite analizar recientes hipótesis de los estudios comparados sobre esta temática en cuyas propuestas se plantea que el tamaño de la población y la escala y la estructura socioeconómica de las administraciones pueden ser factores que explican el alcance y la diversidad de las agendas locales. Se emplea una metodología cuantitativa con base en la estimación del índice de entropía de Shannon y la realización de pruebas no paramétricas. Contrario a lo esperado, encontramos que el alcance y la diversidad de las respuestas no se relaciona significativamente con los factores propuestos en la literatura. Al menos para el caso de la covid-19 en el corto plazo, el tamaño y la diversidad de las agendas locales en México parecen basarse en factores institucionales como el procesamiento de la información conforme a la racionalidad limitada, las soluciones incrementales y el etiquetado funcional de los Gobiernos locales. Así, la variedad de las agendas se sustenta en los intereses directos de las comunidades. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Íconos. Revista de Ciencias Sociales is the property of FLACSO Ecuador (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Impact of External Shocks on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Linking the COVID-19 Pandemic to SDG Implementation at the Local Government Level

Using data from a survey we conducted in collaboration with the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG), this article sought to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of SDGs by Flemish local governments (cities and municipalities). Identifying such effects has usually been conducted on individuals and at a macro level and not at the organization and local government level. By using a counterfactual approach, we were able to disentangle various COVID-19 effects over time and learn how systems at the local level react to external shocks. The approach allowed us to single out the effects of the pandemic at the organizational level while looking into three distinct periods: before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and in its aftermath. Results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the Flemish public sector's implementation of SDGs at the local level. At the same time, COVID-19 allowed local public institutions to accelerate the implementation of a few SDGs (e.g., SDG1, SDG3) and to postpone a few SDG-related activities which would be resumed once the pandemic is ‘over'. COVID-19 is not only a challenge;it acts as a wake-up call and an opportunity to commit more towards the implementation of (certain) SDGs. © 2023 by the authors.

Digital Transformation and Local Government Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Assessment of Its Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.

This paper analyzes how Digital Transformation (DT) processes have influenced the Attitude of local governments (LGs) toward the COVID-19 pandemic and their effect on achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The data were collected from LGs in Spain (n = 124) through a questionnaire in which the IT skills of their workers, the DT processes, budgets, degree of regulatory compliance, and implementation of trust seals were measured, together with the IT security measures adopted. The contrast between the proposed model and the results showed that the direct influence of IT security influences the government's attitude toward COVID-19 and DT implementing actions to achieve SDGs. The findings of this work are of great value both for the actors involved in the design and implementation of public policies and for those responsible for local governance in their objective to improve citizens' experience of the services provided and in exceptional situations such as the one experienced as a result, of-COVID-19.

COVID-Pandemic in Nepal: An Opportunity to Institutionalise Local Governance in School Education

The 2015 constitution of Nepal declared Nepal to be a Federal, Democratic, and Republic nation. The constitution has provided local governments the right to manage school education, and the 2017 Local Government Operation Act of Nepal has outlined the roles and responsibilities of local governments in taking guardianship of school education. Since 2017, Nepal has been in the process of institutionalising decentralised governance practices, but this is proceeding at a slow pace. Unprecedently, from early 2020, the COVID-pandemic hit hard the lives of Nepali people, and Nepali education suffered greatly. The pandemic has brought several opportunities for the government to devolve the management system of school education to local levels. This article is based upon the analysis of the six newly introduced plans, regulations, and guidelines in Nepali education, that aim to continue school education amid the COVID-pandemic. These newly introduced polices have significantly acknowledged and mobilised the local strengths in educational management. This research supports a new academic discussion on governance ideas of the Nepalese education system, induced by the COVID- 19 pandemic. © The Author(s) 2023.

Political-electoral aspects and the financial resilience of Brazilian local governments: perspectives during the pandemic crisis

Objective: We examined whether the financial resilience of Brazilian local governments (LGs) was affected by political-electoral aspects during the Covid-19 pandemic.Method: We used a mean comparison with secondary data on the finances and political field information of 621 LGs in Brazil between the years 2017 and 2020.Originality/Relevance: This is the first study to examine the influence of political-electoral aspects on financial resilience capacity in LGs. Results: Our findings indicate that the partisan alignment and the ideological position between mayors and the Brazilian president, also the electoral mandate, are the main reasons that support or reduce the capacity of these LGs to cope with shocks and crises. Theoretical/Methodological contributions: Our paper make a double contribution to the financial resilience literature: exploring a different aspect that shapes this capacity, and examining how LGs in an underdeveloped country coped with the crisis generated by the pandemic.Social/Management contributions: With the particular interest of society at large, our results may be useful to help identify the position, preparedness, and role of LGs managers in times of crisis.

Sub-sovereign Fiscal Rules in Poland in Comparison with Measures Adopted in the US, China, and Selected EU Countries

Measures to increase debt sustainability and related creditworthiness play an important role in sovereign fiscal policy. The establishing of fiscal rules delimits fiscal policy through specific limits for particular budget aggregates. Fiscal rules in Poland were analyzed against measures applied in European Union countries, with emphasis on changes due to COVID-19. Also differences in fiscal rules at the regional and local level in the United States, China, and Poland are described. Conclusions from the research lead to the identification of a relationship between the restrictiveness of the rules and possibilities to maintain budget balance and prevent excessive indebtedness. Important conclusions may be also drawn from different reactions for crisis in the fiscal rules area – from relaxing the rules to wide use of special fund or financial vehicles – which were crucial states reply to fiscal burdens. © 2023 Lex localis.

Masking the Strangulation of Opposition Parties as Pandemic Response: Austerity Measures Targeting the Local Level in Hungary

While a large literature studies the various tools of autocratic survival, targeting opposition actors with austerity measures in electoral autocracies is hitherto understudied. This paper argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a rare opportunity for Hungary's Fidesz party to disarm opposition parties via cutting off resources of municipalities led by opposition mayors and eliminating any remnants of local governments' fiscal autonomy. Analysing original data from government decrees on local transfers, this study contributes to the existing literature by conceptualising fiscal strangulation as part of electoral authoritarian regimes' toolbox to discredit opposition parties and their ability to govern locally.

Governance response during COVID-19 and political affirmative action: Evidence from local governments in India

A great deal of work argues that the entry of women into public spaces can promote political and institutional change. The COVID-19 provides an opportunity to investigate whether and under what conditions women's political representation in rural local governments deliver effective local governance? Drawing from two rounds of data collected in 174 local governments and 1051 households in three Indian states, the paper shows that women Pradhans in the Gram Panchayats had no differential impact on the governance response to COVID-19 compared to the unreserved ones. Analyzing the heterogeneity in these responses suggests that institutional factors like the proportion of women in village council and local entrepreneurship diversity can enhance women Pradhan's capacity to respond to the pandemic. We explore two channels that enable women Pradhan to govern effectively during the pandemic: improving women's participation in the labor force and reducing household's vulnerability to poverty in the pre-COVID period. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Efforts of South Korean Local Governments to Expand the Good Landlord Movement: Focus on Property Tax Reduction and Exemption

Purpose: This study aimed to review whether local governments in Korea introduced the Good Landlord Property Tax Reduction and Exemption System (GLPTRES) in a timely and organic manner and promoted the expansion of the Good Landlord Movement by analyzing the system's problems and proposing improvements. Design/methodology/approach: To obtain data about the GLPTRES and tax reduction and exemption outcomes, this study used the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Information Disclosure System. On January 26, 2022, the researcher requested information disclosure about 15 regional local governments and 187 basic local governments under such regional local governments. Between January 27 and February 25, 2022, the author was notified by all basic local governments of their decisions to disclose information or the non-availability of such information, which was reflected in the analysis. Findings: The timing of property tax reduction and exemption decisions for good landlords was generally late. There was a relationship between regional local governments and their basic local governments in its implementation. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the GLPTRES was found to be generally low. Research limitations/implications: The period of this study was restricted to 2020, and the analysis focused on the 123 local governments that implemented this system. The lessons learned from Korea can be applied to other countries implementing government support for small businesses during crises. Originality/value: This is the first study to analyze the timeliness of resolutions made by local governments on the GLPTRES implemented in Korea for the first time in 2020 to support small business tenants in trouble due to COVID-19, the relationship between local governments, and its effectiveness. © The Author(s).

Reprint of: COVID-19, lockdowns, and the municipal bond market.

We study how investors in the US municipal bond market price the state lockdowns announced during the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic. To begin with, we examine the extent to which state-level COVID developments influence yield spreads of municipal bonds. We find that macro-level factors are the primary determinants of municipal bond spreads during the pandemic, but state-level COVID developments also matter at the margin. For instance, a doubling of new COVID cases in a state is associated with a 2% (1.4 basis points) increase in yield spreads of municipal bonds issued in that state. Accordingly, lockdowns may decrease municipal bond spreads by reducing COVID cases, but lockdowns may also increase them by reducing local economic activities. Overall, we find that yield spreads in both primary and secondary municipal bond markets increase by about 15% following lockdown announcements, suggesting that lockdown announcements increase the risk premiums investors require for holding municipal bonds.

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: A Study on Street Level Bureaucracy and Local Government

The explain relationship between health workers and local governments, to accelerate vaccination and its consequences for achieving Herd immunity in Indonesia. This article describes how local governments and street-level bureaucracies support the implementation of policies to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination. This research is based on the cluster analysis feature and the word frequency analysis feature on the NVivo-12 software based on reliable online news data. The results show that health workers and local governments place stigma and the front line, equipment support, and protection as dominant factors in implementing vaccination policies. Likewise, the community has a relative advantage after getting coordination, communication, and education about the benefits of vaccination. From an online media perspective, the implication is to offer insight into the unique dynamics between street-level bureaucrats and local government. It also allows us to investigate its contribution to policy outcomes as applied at the street level.

Improving the resilience of maritime supply chains: The integration of ports and inland transporters in duopoly markets

The adverse impact of the outbreak of COVID-19 has reduced ports' operational efficiency. In addition, ports and inland logistics providers are generally independent of each other and difficult to work together, which leads to time loss. Thus, as the core player, ports can integrate with inland logistics providers to improve the efficiency and resilience of maritime supply chains. This study examines the strategic options of two competing maritime supply chains consisting of ports and inland logistics providers. We investigate the impact of cooperation between ports and inland logistics providers and government regulation on the maritime supply chain by comparing members' optimal pricing and overall social welfare under centralized, decentralized, and hybrid scenarios. Results indicate that the hybrid scenario is an equilibrium strategy for maritime supply chain, although this strategy is not optimal for governments seeking to improve supply chain resilience and maximize social welfare. Furthermore, observations show that through government economic intervention, both seaborne supplies can be incentivized to adopt an integrated strategy, and business and society can achieve a win-win situation.

How the new fed municipal bond facility capped municipal-treasury yield spreads in the Covid-19 recession.

For over two centuries, the municipal (muni) bond market has been a source of systemic risk, which returned early in the Covid-19 downturn when borrowing from securities markets became costly for many private and public entities, and some found it difficult to borrow at all. Indeed, just before the Fed announced its unprecedented intervention into the muni market, spreads of muni over Treasury yields rose in line with the unemployment rate and appeared headed to levels not seen since the Great Depression, when real municipal gross investment plunged 35 percent below 1929 levels. To prevent such a calamity, the Fed created the Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF) to purchase newly issued, (near) investment-grade state and local government bonds at ratings-based interest rate spreads over the safe OIS benchmark yield. In general, these spreads were initially about 100 basis points above average spreads under more normal market conditions and were later lowered by 50 basis points in August 2020. Despite a modest take-up, our study documents the MLF prevented muni spreads from rising much above those margins (plus a modest 10 basis point fee) and limited the extent to which interest rate spreads could have amplified the impact of the Covid pandemic. To establish the MLF the Fed needed Treasury indemnification against default losses. There were concerns about whether the creation of the MLF could induce moral hazard among borrowers and could undermine the efficiency of the bond market if the facility had lasted too long. Partly for this reason and because the muni market had settled down by yearend 2020, the Treasury terminated the MLF at that time. Future assessments of these downside aspects will help answer the question whether the program's benefits addressed here exceeded its costs.

Municipal financial vulnerability in pandemic crises: a framework for analysis

Purpose>This paper explores how global pandemic crises affect the financial vulnerability of municipalities.Design/methodology/approach>This paper is developed from the relevant literature an analytical framework to examine municipal financial vulnerability before a global pandemic crisis and in its immediate aftermath by mapping and systematizing its dimensions and sources. To illustrate how it can be used and evaluate its robustness and flexibility, such a tool was applied to Portugal and Italy, two countries that particularly suffered from the Covid-19 crisis.Findings>The application of the analytical framework has shown how financially vulnerable municipalities are to global pandemic crises. Financial vulnerability relates to issues ranging from institutional design to internal financial conditions and the perception of the capacity to cope with a crisis. Results further reveal that vulnerability has an inherent contingent nature in time and space and can lead to paradoxical outcomes.Research limitations/implications>This paper provides a tool that can be useful for both academic and public policy purposes, to further appreciate municipal financial vulnerability, especially during crises.Practical implications>Municipalities can use the framework to better manage their financial vulnerability, strengthening their anticipatory and copying capacities, while oversight authorities can use it to help municipalities become less financially vulnerable or, at least, more aware of their financial vulnerability.Originality/value>Municipal financial vulnerability to global shocks has not been explored extensively. Also, the Covid-19 pandemic is different from previous global crises as it affected society overnight with the implementation of lockdown and social distancing measures.

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING IN COVID-19 TIMES: A PERSPECTIVE FROM PARANÁ AND PORTUGUESE MUNICIPALITIES

Purpose: The aim of this article is to explore the barriers imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic to Participatory Budgeting (PB), considering the perspective of Brazilian and Portuguese Local Public Administration. Theoretical framework: Recent literature points out that the barriers imposed on PB processes arising from the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic are justified by many leaders due to social distancing measures and the expansion of financial constraints. Design/methodology/approach: An online questionnaire was applied using a Likert-type scale to assess the perception of public officials, in Paraná and Portugal, about the barriers imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic to PB. Through a quantitative approach, data were presented and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test of adherence. Findings: The survey contributors from the Portuguese municipalities indicated that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the conduct of PB processes. The possible restrictive consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the realization of PB in the future are not clear, according to the responses obtained in the two contexts analyzed. Research, Practical & Social implications: Future studies may include the perspective of the participants in the process and the possible reduction in the amounts available for the execution of the PB due to the pandemic of COVID-19. Originality/value: COVID-19 alone cannot bring citizens to the periphery of public policy decisions. Difficulties prior to the pandemic, such as the absence of an online platform contributed to limiting the participatory space. © The Author(s), 2022.