Evaluating Alternative Service Delivery Methods and the Role of Performance Measurement in Defining Service Level Agreements for IT Infastructure Services

As more and more organizations adopt a services-orientation towards maintaining and managing their information technology (IT) infrastructure, IT service management emerge as an area of immense academic and practitioner interest. Service orientation to IT makes it imperative that some standard guidelines are developed to provide insights towards different forms of service design and delivery, contract structure, performance metrics, and their inter-relationships. In this context, this dissertation aims to address issues arising from demand heterogeneity and service interactions in provisioning IT infrastructure services. Demand heterogeneity refers to the fact that requests for the same service may have varying levels of significance across users and user groups. Service interaction arises due to the interdependence of different components included in a service package. Demand variation impacts the resource allocation and subsequent pricing decisions of the provider; whereas service interaction results in correlated performance measures, making performance evaluation difficult. A dynamic price-penalty scheme is proposed as an alternative to the traditional fixed-price service models as a response to demand variance. The second phase of the research aims to investigate the nature of the relationship between different incentive designs and performance measures, and their impact on provider’s effort allocation and customer’s use of performance measures

State Capacity and Non-state Service Provision in Fragile and Conflict-affected States

How can governments effectively engage with non-state providers (NSPs) of basic services where capacity is weak? This paper examines whether and how fragile and conflict affected states can co-ordinate, finance, and set and apply standards for the provision of basic services by NSPs. It explores ways of incrementally engaging the state, beginning with activities that are least likely to do harm to non-state provision. Through the ‘indirect’ roles of setting the policy environment and engaging in policy dialogue, regulating and facilitating, contracting, and entering into mutual and informal agreements with NSPs, the state can in principle assume responsibility for the provision of basic services without necessarily being involved in direct provision. But government capacity to perform these roles is constrained by the state’s weak legitimacy, coverage and competence, lack of basic information about the non-state sector, and lack of basic organisational capacity to form and maintain relationships with NSPs. The experience of the exercise of the indirect roles in fragile settings suggests: * Governments may be more willing to engage with NSPs where there is recognition that government cannot alone deliver all services, where public and private services are not in competition, and where there is evidence that successful collaboration is possible (demonstrated through small-scale pilots). * The extent to which engagements are ‘pro-service’may be influenced by government motives for engagement and the extent to which the providers that are most important to poor people are engaged. * Formal policy dialogue between government and NSPs may be imperfect, unrepresentative and at times unhelpful in fragile settings. Informal dialogue - at the operational level - could more likely be where synergies can be found. * Regulation is more likely to be ‘pro-service’ where it offers incentives for compliance, and where it focuses on standards in terms of outputs and outcomes rather than inputs and entry controls. * Wide scale, performance-based contracting has been successful in delivering services in some cases, but the sustainability of this approach is often questioned. Some successful contractual agreements have a strong informal, relational element and grow out of earlier informal connections. * Informal and mutual agreements can avoid the capacity problems and tensions implicit in formal contracting but may present problems of non-transparency and exclusion of competition. Paradoxically, the need for large-scale approaches and quick co-ordination of services in fragile and conflict-affected settings may require ‘prematurely high’ levels of state-NSP engagement, before the development of the underlying institutional structures that would support them. When considering strategies to support the capacity of government to engagement with NSPs, donors should: * Recognise non-state service provision and adopt the ‘do no harm’ principle: It would be wrong to set the ambition of 'managing ‘ non-state provision in its entirety, and it can be very harmful for low-capacity states to seek to regulate all NSP or to draw it into clumsy contracts. * Beware of generalisation: Non-state provision takes many forms in response to different histories and to political and economic change. The possibilities and case for state engagement have to be assessed not assumed. The particular identities of NGOs and enterprises should be considered. * Recognise that state building can occur through any of the types of engagement with NSPs: Types of engagement should therefore be selected on the basis of their likely effectiveness in improving service delivery. * Begin with less risky/small scale forms of engagement where possible: State interventions that imply a direct controlling role for the state and which impose obligations on NSPs (i.e. contracting and regulation) require greater capacity (on both sides) and present greater risk of harm if performed badly than the roles of policy dialogue and entering into mutual agreements. * Adopt mixed approaches: The choice between forms of engagement does not have to be absolute. Rather than adopting a uniform plan of engagement in a particular country, it may be better to try different approaches in different regions or sectors

A comprehensive survey on Fog Computing: State-of-the-art and research challenges

Cloud computing with its three key facets (i.e., Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Softwareas- a-Service) and its inherent advantages (e.g., elasticity and scalability) still faces several challenges. The distance between the cloud and the end devices might be an issue for latencysensitive applications such as disaster management and content delivery applications. Service level agreements (SLAs) may also impose processing at locations where the cloud provider does not have data centers. Fog computing is a novel paradigm to address such issues. It enables provisioning resources and services outside the cloud, at the edge of the network, closer to end devices, or eventually, at locations stipulated by SLAs. Fog computing is not a substitute for cloud computing but a powerful complement. It enables processing at the edge while still offering the possibility to interact with the cloud. This paper presents a comprehensive survey on fog computing. It critically reviews the state of the art in the light of a concise set of evaluation criteria. We cover both the architectures and the algorithms that make fog systems. Challenges and research directions are also introduced. In addition, the lessons learned are reviewed and the prospects are discussed in terms of the key role fog is likely to play in emerging technologies such as tactile Internet

Promoting intergovernmental relations through KwaNaloga games : a case study of selected municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.

Ph. D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2011.Worldwide all multi-level governance systems face the challenges of co-ordination and the alignment of scarce resources for the common good while maintaining their distinctiveness and independence. South Africa is no exception. Since 1994 when decentralisation became government policy in South Africa, intergovernmental relations have evolved at both the formal and informal levels. While each level of government has a specific mandate prescribed by the Constitution, the challenges of poverty, inequality and marginalisation of vulnerable communities are best addressed through a concerted effort by all spheres of government. Held annually for the past thirteen years, under the aegis of the KwaZulu-Natal Local Government Association (KwaNaloga), the KwaNaloga Games have successfully been staged as a collaborative effort between South Africa’s three spheres of government: national, provincial and local (municipal). This dissertation argues that if the various spheres of government can align their objectives, processes and resources around a specific outcome like the KwaNaloga Games, then it should be possible for the same spheres of government to align objectives, processes and resources for the provision of housing, water, electricity, safety, security and other critical developmental local government outcomes. In exploring this argument, qualitative and quantitative research was conducted with a range of stakeholders (Technical Sport Planning Committee, sport federation representatives, district and municipal officials) involved in the organisation and delivery of the KwaNaloga Games. The study followed the theoretical framework of co-operative government, intergovernmental relations and multi-level governance. ‘Co-operative government’ suggests a partnership between the three spheres of government where each sphere is distinctive and has a specific role to fulfil. ‘Intergovernmental relations’ are concerned with the political, financial and institutional arrangements regarding interactions between different spheres of government and organs of the state within each sphere. ‘Multi-level governance’ has vertical and horizontal dimensions where the emphasis is on the linkages between higher and lower levels of government, and on co-operation arrangements between regions and local government where agreements are the means by which to improve the effectiveness of local public service and implementation of development strategies. The findings indicate that the partnerships and relationships established by government and non-government actors during the Games are crucial to accomplish governmental objectives, be they social or economic, and enhancing service delivery in the three spheres of government. The relevant committees and structures for execution of the Games provide good platforms and fora for networking and promoting IGR, which facilitate team-work in other functions of service delivery. The study concludes that KwaNaloga Games provide and present the spheres of government with a unique opportunity to forge new relationships and partnerships in the internal and external environments that shape local government. These relationships and partnerships further strengthen existing parameters in order for the spheres of government to be more effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of communities. This study recommends that the co-operation and collaboration among the three spheres of government should be strengthened through agreed service level agreements, viable communication channels and functional oversight structures (such as co-ordinating fora of senior management, political leaders and office bearers) to meet the set goals of service delivery programmes and projects. The study further recommends that monitoring and evaluation systems should be incorporated into the KwaNaloga Games and that through reviewing the binding implementation of agreements and protocols these systems are further extended to indicate progress in various spheres of government in the pursuit of local government developmental objectives

Community participation agreements: a model for welfare reform from community-based research

Summary In its June 2001 budget, the Federal Government announced a new framework for welfare reform, Australians Working Together. One component of the framework is the proposed development of Community Participation Agreements in remote Indigenous communities, to deal with welfare income payments, mutual obligation and related service delivery. This paper presents the results of community consideration and the author’s field research between March and August 2001 at Mutitjulu, Central Australia, regarding what such an Agreement might look like on the ground. Mutitjulu presents a microcosm of many of the issues currently affecting remote Indigenous communities. As Mutitjulu residents struggle daily to come to terms with substantial economic and social difficulties, they find their culturally-based forms of social and cultural capital are being undermined by external factors seemingly beyond their immediate control. These include: the continuing failure of governments to develop a comprehensive approach to planning and service delivery, reflected in a band-aid approach to addressing welfare dependence; the debilitating impacts of inter-generational dependence on welfare income; and the multiplicity of local corporate structures and institutions with ill-defined roles and poor accountability to the Mutitjulu community. The failure to adequately address welfare dependence and major community problems of substance abuse, family breakdown, domestic violence, and low levels of education is viewed by Anangu (local Aboriginal people) as directly contributing to a noticeable deterioration in the wellbeing of individuals, their families and the community at large. There is growing frustration over the failure, at all levels, to deal effectively with these matters. The Mutitjulu Community Council has formally decided to proceed with the development of a Community Participation and Partnership Agreement (the ‘Mutitjulu Agreement’), in partnership with government and other stakeholders, as one means to begin addressing these matters. The development of practical partnerships with key government departments and local agencies will be a critical factor in the overall success of the proposed Mutitjulu Agreement. It is for this reason that the name of the proposed Agreement has been expanded to include the strategy of ‘partnership’ and well as ‘participation’. The paper begins with an overview of the background to the community-based research, terms of reference and research methodology. The proposed Mutitjulu Agreement is then placed in its national policy context to identify the factors that have generated this particular initiative. The paper goes on to describe the community context for the Agreement, including the nature of the local welfare economy, and Anangu views about the impacts of the welfare system. Consideration is given to the nature of contemporary Anangu social and economic relations, and how the term ‘participation’ might be most relevantly defined for the purposes of a community agreement about participation

Harmonisation, decentralisation and local governance: Enhancing aid effectiveness

During the last decades, international development assistance was often marked by overlaps, duplication of efforts and rivalry between multitudes of donor organisations. In order to translate the principles of the Paris Declaration into practice in the field of Local Governance and Decentralisation (LGD), different donor organisations have joined forces on headquarter level and formed a working group, the Development Partners Working Group for Local Governance and Decentralisation (DPWG-LGD), which is operating since 2006. InWEnt is hosting the secretariat of the group since 2008 and assigned Wageningen International to organise two lead donor workshops. The workshop drew a cross section of delegates who comprised development partners, consultants, academicians, members of parliament and local governance practitioners. The partner countries included Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda whose experiences were mutually re-enforcing and beneficial

Enhancing Ontario’s Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing in a Changing Climate — Environmental Scan

Given the research that has been done in this environmental scan and the gaps found in this research, it is our aim to find out: What types of service sharing are going on in Ontario municipalities, particularly in rural/remote areas? How can inter-community service sharing (ICSS) benefit the asset management planning process in these rural/remote areas to enhance capacities for climate change resilience? Climate change (CC) will exacerbate deterioration to existing infrastructure and increase replacement costs. Improved preparedness reduces risks and increases efficiency, readiness and coping capacity. To increase the preparedness of Ontario rural communities, this project develops CC-Prepared Inter-Community Service Sharing (ICSS) as an innovative strategy that expands cost-effective solutions within Ontario’s standardized Asset Management Planning (AMP) process. Overseen by a Project Advisory Board (PAB), it identifies a suite of best practice ICSS processes and principles and a range of factors and indicators that influence the uptake of ICSS as a viable and practical opportunity targeted to enhance rural infrastructure preparedness for CC. It utilizes a multimethod, interdisciplinary approach involving an environmental scan, interviews, a survey and case studies and develops an ICSS Toolkit consisting of reports, workbook, policy brief and media kit. Knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) includes blogs, teleconferences, articles, presentations and a workshop. For small rural Ontario communities, this study enhances management of CC impacts on infrastructure through the development of a CC-Prepared ICSS strategy, increasing anticipatory, collective actions that reduce dam age and increase efficiencies. It informs sound municipal/provincial level programs and policies about innovative ICSS that benefit rural communities through the identification of Ontario-wide trends, case study best practises and action-oriented recommendations

The introduction of mandatory inter-municipal cooperation in small municipalities: preliminary lessons from Italy

PurposeThis article studies effects of mandatory inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) in small Italian municipalities. Data from 280 small Italian municipalities on effects of IMC in terms of higher efficiency, better effectiveness of local public services, and greater institutional legitimacy of the small municipalities participating in IMC have been investigated against four variables: size; geographical area; type of inter-municipal integration and IMC membership (the presence in the IMC of a bigger municipality, the so-called big brother).Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from a mail survey that was sent to a random sample of 1,360 chief financial officers acting in municipalities of under 5,000 inhabitants, stratified by size (0–1,000 and 1,001–5,000) and geographic area (North, Center, and South) criteria. To analyze dependency relationships between the three potential effects of participating in IMC and possible explanatory variables, we used a logistic regression model as the benefits were binarily categorized (presence or absence of benefits).FindingsFindings show that in more than two-thirds of the municipalities participating in IMC there were benefits in terms of costs reduction and better public services, whereas greater institutional legitimacy was detected in about half of the cases. Our statistical analysis with logistic regression highlighted that IMC type is particularly critical for explaining successful IMC. In particular, positive effects of IMC were mainly detected in those small municipalities that promoted a service delivery organization rather than participating in service delivery agreements or opting for mixed arrangements of joint public services delivery.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on small municipalities where studies are usually scant. Our analysis highlighted that the organizational setting is particularly critical for explaining successful IMC