The Value of Play: Constructions of Play in Government Policy in England*

This article reports one aspect of the findings from an assessment of the impact of national policies on children’s opportunities for play in England, which was commissioned and funded by the Children’s Play Council, London. Systematic analysis of policy documents and interviews with participants from local authorities and the voluntary sector revealed that the (Labour) Government does not promote a consistent conceptualisation of play in England. While some policy documents emphasise play’s instrumental value and potential contributions to the priorities of government departments, others refer to its intrinsic value. In both cases, however, such constructions of play form a discourse that controls where and how children may play. This inconsistency has led to gaps in the mechanisms for delivery of extensive, sustainable and equitable play opportunities across the country.     

The Impact of Tobacco Policy Reforms on Smallholder Prices in Malawi

Two key questions are addressed in this article. (i) Have Malawi's tobacco‐policy reforms led to improvements in the absolute prices that smallholders get? (ii) How do the prices that smallholders receive compare with what the rich estate owners get? Empirical results indicate that the reforms have led to some improvements in both absolute and relative prices that smallholder farmers receive. Major positive changes in the tobacco price‐structure have occurred after removing monopsony and liberalising the market. However, farmers, especially smallholders, are still faced with high transaction and logistics costs that need to be addressed.     

Linking Local Government Discretion and Accountability in Decentralisation

Decentralisation offers significant opportunities to improve government accountability by exerting stronger pressures both from below (demand) and above (supply). The literature contains many examples, however, where the potential has not been realised, partly because decentralisation reforms have often been introduced without thinking through their accountability implications. Even when accountability is taken into account, the efforts tend to emphasise either the supply or the demand side of the equation, but not both. Drawing on the sets of literature on fiscal, administrative and political decentralisation, this article presents a methodology for studying this.     

Local Government Fiscal Burden in Nonmetropolitan America1

Rising fiscal pressure on local governments in rural areas of the United States is documented in this study. The level of fiscal burden on taxpayers to support local governments in nonmetropolitan areas is found to be higher than that in metropolitan areas between 1977 and 1987. Using a model from the urban fiscal literature, the level of fiscal burden in nonmetropolitan areas is found to be influenced by a combination of demographic, socioeconomic, intergovernmental, and historical factors. Intergovernmental revenue transfers from the state and federal government play a critical role in determining the level of fiscal burden rural taxpayers bear. These findings have implications for rural economic development and for understanding how rural areas are influenced by the larger society.     

我国区域经济发展中政府作用研究——基于长三角的调查与思考

本文从地方政府主导区域经济发展的视角探索长三角区域经济快速发展的动因,以期对破解“中国经济增长之谜”这一谜题有所助益,对经济发展现实有所启示和借鉴。探讨的方式并不是在宏观经济层面上进行理论分析,而是以长三角为研究案例,通过对这一地区计划经济体制后期以来（1970年代至今）经济增长的历史过程中,就政府在其中的角色和作用进行经验实证分析,观察政府职能的转变过程,讨论政府与区域经济发展的关系,揭示政府参与、控制和影响区域发展的方式,并构建政府主导下的区域发展模式的理论解释框架。     

The Impact of the Conservative Protestant Movement on Social Policy

This article presents an analysis of the impact of the conservative Protestant movement on social policies of particular interest to the social work profession in the United States. In the light of the success of conservative Christian groups, suggestions for policy praxis are offered to promote progressive social policies.     

The Impact of GCR on Local Governments and Syrian Refugees in Turkey

In the last couple of years, more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees have been hosted under the “temporary protection” scheme in Turkey. Despite these high numbers Turkey did not have a centralized refugee settlement and integration policy. As a result, various stakeholders including local governments have played critical roles in providing refugee assistance services. This research looks at the role of local governments in delivering services evolving from emergency response to local integration. This article argues that this role with respect to the United Nations’ Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) has to be further strengthened. The data for this research were collected through a comprehensive study based on interviews and surveys carried out in ?stanbul with local authorities, ?stanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and its 39 district municipalities in 2016‐2017. Although this research has its focus on ?stanbul as the selected case study, the findings can reveal conclusions relevant to global implications and perspectives.     

我国地方政府性债务及其风险防范

加强地方债务风险的控制和管理是确保当前我国经济"稳中有进"方针的重要举措,要正确看待我国地方政府性债务存在的问题,通过分析其产生的原因,借鉴发达国家防范地方债务风险的经验和美国底特律市政府破产的教训,进一步完善针对地方政府融资行为的约束机制,引导地方政府合理控制债务规模。具体做法是:继续规范和清理地方融资平台;建立科学合理的地方政府性债务管理模式;充分利用民间资本缓解地方政府债务压力;建立地方干部问责制;加快财税体制改革。     

英国高校教师绩效评价制度的特点及其启示

从教师绩效评价制度制定的目的、实施的责任主体、主要内容以及实施流程四个方面,分析英国四所著名大学的教师绩效评价制度,提出对武汉大学教师绩效评价制度制定的启示。     

地方政府审计职能软化问题研究

政府审计是对权力的监督和制约,现阶段,我国地方政府审计面临的发展困境主要是审计职能软化问题,针对地方政府审计存在的主要问题,剖析原因,从多角度提出解决审计职能软化的对策。     

New Institutionalism and Sexuality at Work in Local Government

Recent statutory and policy changes have raised the profile of lesbian, gay and bisexual equalities initiatives in the local government arena. These initiatives are increasingly developed and delivered via inter‐agency partnerships. This article applies concepts from the sociological branch of new institutionalism to the field of sexualities equalities partnership work in local government, drawing on findings from a large empirical project. Notions of norms, ritual, templates and isomorphism all have purchase in this sensitive, value‐laden field, providing insight into the organizational dynamics associated with inter‐agency and partnership working. The article introduces the notion of institutional hybridization as a means of understanding the collaborative, and sometimes conflicting, processes associated with governance in the field of sexualities equalities work.     

中国地方政府债务问题探讨

中国地方政府债务问题形成的主要原因,一是政府过多地、直接地参与经济活动,二是城市化加速导致地方政府举债。对于中国地方政府债务问题,总体判断仍为风险可控。一是地方政府加上中央政府的债务占GDP的比例在40%以内,远低于60%的债务率标准。二是中央政府有非常强的控制能力,在各级政府间平衡债权债务,使得中国加总的净债务率较低。三是中国整体的资产负债表仍然健康,尤其是中央政府保持相当健康的资产负债表。对地方政府债务问题,体制性的解决办法是治本之道。要从根本上解决中国地方政府不规范借债问题,须建立规范化的地方政府举债融资机制。     

The Decision-Making Context and Its Impact on Local Human Service Nonprofits

One significant factor affecting an organization's functioning is the decisions made by other organizations that are important to it. We examine decision-making in three local human service delivery nonprofits, focusing on the level (local versus national) of the actors making decisions as well as the degree of horizontal or vertical coordination among decision makers. The findings show that the decision-making context affects nonprofit structure and operations and suggest that providers may have to make significant trade-offs as they seek to restructure in response to policy changes such as devolution.     

The Impact of Jackpots on EGM Gambling Behavior: A Review

This paper reviews literature on how jackpots influence Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) gambling behaviour. Most of the available evidence addresses the motivational effect of the mere presence of EGM jackpots on play, as actual wins are relatively rare for individual gamblers. The review identifies a distinction between rational, biased and irrational motivations that attract people to EGM jackpots. The evidence suggests that EGM jackpots should generate additional consumption on EGMs above machines that do not have such lottery-like features. Rational motivations are likely to lead to consumer surplus, whereas biased and irrational motivations are likely to contribute to excessive consumption. Moreover, there is evidence that excessive gambling consumption is strongly associated with gambling-related harm. Future research should identify how the structural features of different types of jackpots; such as progressive, deterministic, hidden, mystery, linked and wide-area jackpots; may differentially appeal to rational, biased and irrational gambling motivations. Jackpots are common feature of EGM games, and therefore it is important to have a better understanding of how jackpot features influence play on the machines.