Democracy and government performance: holding incumbents accountable in English local governments

notes: Representative democracy, public management, elections, performance management, political control, incumbents, local governmentpublication-status: Acceptedtypes: ArticleThe link between government performance and support for incumbents is a key mechanism of accountable government. We model vote share of incumbent administrations in local government as proportional and non-proportional responses to public service performance. We evaluate the models using a panel data set covering performance and elections from 2001 to 2007 in English local governments where an incumbent party or coalition was up for re-election. We control for the previous vote, whether the incumbent administration is of the national governing party and local economic conditions. We find evidence for the non-proportional, performance threshold hypothesis, which implies that voters’ behavior is affected by clear gradations of performance. Only the difference between low performance and at least mediocre performance matters. There is no reward for high performance. Instead our findings suggest negativity bias in the relationship between performance and electoral support for incumbent

Preliminary results of passive microwave snow experiment during February and March 1978

The purpose of the experiment was to determine if remote microwave sensing of snowpack data could be used to predict runoff, thereby allowing more efficient management of the water supply. A four-frequency microwave radiometer system was attached to a truck-mounted aerial lift and was used to gather data on snowpacks at three different sites in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Ground truth data measurements (density, temperature, grain size, hardness, and free-liquid water content) were taken at each site corresponding to each microwave scan

Place matters: but does local leadership?

The arrival of New Labour into Government witnessed the prominent re-emergence of place onto the policy agenda. This heralded a range of area-based-initiatives designed to both tackle neighbourhood forms of deprivation and to re-establish a sense of identity and connection between individuals and their local community. In terms of place-making, effective and inclusive participation, representation and leadership were all identified as prerequisites for the creation of sustainable communities . But how important is local leadership and strategic vision within local public service organisations in achieving the desired place-making outcomes? This paper examines the extent to which local leadership and strategic vision represents a significant factor in promoting higher levels of satisfaction, belonging, cohesion and participation across single tier councils in England. The ensuing empirical evidence raises significant questions not only about the importance of local leadership in place-making, but also the environmental and organizational factors that shape local places

New development: strategic user orientation in public services delivery—the missing link in the strategic trinity?

This paper explores the application of strategic planning and management to Public Service Organisations (PSOs). It argues that the impact of these approaches has been limited by the absence of an underlying strategic orientation that would provide a value-base upon which to embed these approaches within PSOs. It argues further for such an orientation to privelege the need for public services to add value to the lives of citizens and service users and not to focus solely upon internal measures of efficiency and performance

Prosocial Behavior and Public Service Motivation

Although research on public service motivation (PSM) is vast, there is little evidence regarding the effects of PSM on observable behavior. This article contributes to our understanding of the behavioral implications of PSM by investigating whether PSM is associated with prosocial behavior. Moreover, we address if and how the behavior of other group members influences this relationship. The study uses the (pseudo-)experimental setting of the public goods game (the experimental part), run with a sample of 263 students, in combination with survey-based PSM measures (the non-experimental element). We find a positive link between PSM and prosocial behavior. Moreover, we reveal that this relationship is moderated by the behavior of other group members: High PSM people act even more prosocially when the other members of the group show prosocial behavior as well, but they do not do so if the behavior of other group members is not prosocial

Re-imagining the Borders of US Security after 9/11: Securitisation, Risk, and the Creation of the Department of Homeland Security

The articulation of international and transnational terrorism as a key issue in US security policy, as a result of the 9/11 attacks, has not only led to a policy rethink, it has also included a bureaucratic shift within the US, showing a re-thinking of the role of borders within US security policy. Drawing substantively on the 'securitisation' approach to security studies, the article analyses the discourse of US security in order to examine the founding of the Department of Homeland Security, noting that its mission provides a new way of conceptualising 'borders' for US national security. The securitisation of terrorism is, therefore, not only represented by marking terrorism as a security issue, it is also solidified in the organisation of security policy-making within the US state. As such, the impact of a 'war on terror' provides an important moment for analysing the re-articulation of what security is in the US, and, in theoretical terms, for reaffirming the importance of a relationship between the production of threat and the institutionalisation of threat response. © 2007 Taylor & Francis

Transportability of Overall Survival Estimates From US to Canadian Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Implications for Regulatory and Health Technology Assessment.

IMPORTANCE: The external validity of survival outcomes derived from clinical practice data from US patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not known and is of potential importance because it may be used to support regulatory decision-making and health technology assessment outside of the US. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether overall survival (OS) estimates for a selected group of patients with advanced NSCLC from a large US clinical practice database are transportable to Canadian patients receiving the same systemic therapies. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective multicenter cohort study used transportability analysis to assess whether adjustment for pretreatment characteristics of eligible patient cohorts could reliably approximate OS estimated from US-based samples to Canadian populations. A total of 17 432 eligible adult patients who were diagnosed de novo with advanced NSCLC on or after January 1, 2011, were included in the analysis and followed up until September 30, 2020. Because data on race and ethnicity were available in the US database but not the Canadian database and because racial and ethnic distribution was likely to be similar between US and Canadian patients, these characteristics were not analyzed. EXPOSURES: Initiation of platinum-doublet chemotherapy or pembrolizumab monotherapy as first-line systemic treatment for advanced NSCLC. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: OS measured from the time of initiation of the respective treatment regimen. RESULTS: Among 17 432 eligible patients, 15 669 patients from the US and 1763 patients from Canada were included in the analysis. Of those, 11 863 patients (sample size-weighted estimates of mean [SD] age, 68.0 [9.3] years; 6606 [55.7%] male; 10 100 from the US and 1763 from Canada) were included in the subset of patients with complete data for baseline covariates. A total of 13 532 US patients received first-line chemotherapy, and 2137 received first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy. Of those, 8447 patients (62.4%) in the first-line chemotherapy group and 1653 patients (77.3%) in the first-line pembrolizumab group had complete data on baseline covariates for outcome model estimation. A total of 1476 Canadian patients who received first-line chemotherapy and 287 patients who received first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy were identified from the target population. After standardization to baseline patient covariates in the Canadian cohorts, transported OS estimates revealed a less than 5% mean absolute difference from the observed OS in the target population (0.56% over 60 months of follow-up in the first-line chemotherapy group and 4.54% over 30 months of follow-up in the first-line pembrolizumab group). Negative control analysis using a mismatched outcome model revealed a 6.64% discrepancy and an incompatible survival curve shape. The results were robust to assumptions of random missingness for baseline covariates, to unadjusted differences in baseline metastases and comorbidities, and to differences in the standard of care between the US and Canada related to administration of second-line anti-programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 immunotherapy for patients who initiated first-line chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this cohort study suggest that, under specific circumstances, OS estimates from US clinical practice data can be adjusted using baseline clinical characteristics to closely approximate OS in selected groups of Canadian patients with advanced NSCLC. These results may have implications for regulatory decision-making and health technology assessment in target populations outside of the US

Microscope and microâ camera assessment of Schneiderian membrane perforation via transcrestal sinus floor elevation: A randomized ex vivo study

ObjectiveWe sought to assess the effectiveness of using a microscope and nonâ invasive camera for assessing sinus membrane perforations during transcrestal sinus floor elevation (TSFE).Materials and methodsFive fresh human cadaver heads corresponding to eight maxillary sinuses (six bilateral and two unilateral) underwent 4 TSFEs per sinus (a total of 32 single site elevations). Each elevation was randomly assigned to receive a three or six mm membrane elevation height (MEH). A microscope and microâ camera were used to assess the sinus membrane perforation. Afterwards, radiological and clinical membrane perforation assessments were performed. The statistical analysis results are expressed using the means, standard deviations, range values of the residual ridge height (RRH), residual ridge width (RRW), sinus membrane thickness (SMT) and incidence of perforation (IoP). Generalized linear methods were used to test for the correlation of RRH and MEH to the microscope and microâ camera perforation assessments and the correlation of microscope and microâ camera assessments with the postâ operative CBCT and crestal liquid evaluation.ResultsThe cumulative percentage of IoP was 40.62%, (23.07% with 3 mm MEH, and 76.92% with 6 mm MEH, p < 0.05). The perforation assessed using either the microscope or microâ camera coincided with the postâ operative CBCT and crestal liquid assessment in 87.55% sites. No significant correlation was found between the microscope or microâ camera assessments with RRH or MEH.ConclusionApplication of a microscope and microâ camera during transcrestal sinus floor elevation may allow the detection of the integrity of the Schneiderian membrane with greater than 85% accuracy in this ex vivo model.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149727/1/clr13453.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149727/2/clr13453_am.pd

Leadership and decision-making practices in public versus private universities in Pakistan

The goal of this study is to examine differences in leadership and decision-making practices in public and private universities in Pakistan, with a focus on transformational leadership (TL) and participative decision-making (PDM). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 46 deans and heads of department from two public and two private universities in Pakistan. Our findings indicate that leadership and decision-making practices are different in public and private universities. While differences were observed in all six types of TL-behaviour, the following three approaches emerged to be crucial in both public and private universities: (1) articulating a vision, (2) fostering the acceptance of group goals, and (3) high-performance expectations. In terms of PDM, deans and heads of department in public and private universities adopt a collaborative approach. However, on a practical level this approach is limited to teacher- and student-related matters. Overall, our findings suggest that the leadership and decision-making practices in Pakistani public and private universities are transformational and participative in nature