Narcissism in Local Budgeting: the Mirror and Mask Effectsof Public Aspiration Fund

This study aims to interpret public aspiration fundin local budgeting in narcissism perspective. Discourse about "public aspiration fund”is a reality in budgeting leading to a contradiction, so the question is whether" public aspiration fund" that shows the reality in which the amount of funds used for realizing programs or activities in local government expressespublic needs and aspiration or contains another meaning related to personal interest and certain group interest. The research results provide an understanding that local budgets have potential to accentuate the "hall of mirrors". Public aspiration funds were created bybudgeting actors to express their identity as "the representatives" and to entrust the management to bureaucrats to "serve" public interests. However, in reality, the public aspiration funds have been part of an effort to serve their interests. The public aspiration fundhas become a simulacrumthat produces allthe fake deviated from the reference and create a mark as a mask, camouflage, or a mirage

The Dynamics of Collaboration in Multipartner Projects

In many project-based industries, there has recently been an increased tendency for collaboration and cocreation of value with the customers. However, many existing studies report inherent challenges and complexities related to multipartner collaboration. This article presents a conceptual framework that explains the focal collaboration-related elements and their interdependencies in multipartner projects. The elements in the framework and relations between them are derived from the existing empirical studies and theoretical literature on collaboration, knowledge integration, and project success. Based on the conceptual analysis of the extant literature, we identify eight collaboration antecedents and three collaboration outcome elements. The conceptual framework explains how two collaboration mediators, project-collaboration quality and knowledge-integration capability, relate collaboration antecedents with collaboration outcomes. In addition, based on the literature analysis, we identify 15 mechanisms that enhance the project-collaboration quality in multipartner projects. The article provides novel insights on the dynamics of collaboration in multipartner projects by offering the concepts of project-collaboration quality and knowledge-integration capability and explaining their role in collaborative projects.Peer reviewe