cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291828.v1
title: Political orientation and support for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Brazil

description: Abstract Social distancing practices have been widely recommended to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the medical consensus, many citizens have resisted adhering to and/or supporting its implementation. While this resistance may stem from the non-negligible personal economic costs of implementing social distancing, we argue that it may also reside in more fundamental differences in normative principles and belief systems, as reflected by political orientation. In a study conducted in Brazil, we test the relative importance of these explanations by examining whether and how support for social distancing varies according to self-identified political orientation and personal economic vulnerability. Results show that while economic vulnerability does not influence support for social distancing, conservatives are systematically less supportive of these practices than liberals. Discrepancies in sensitivity to threats to the economic system help explain the phenomenon.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291826.v1
title: Asymmetries of state government social distancing policies in the face of COVID-19: political and technical-administrative aspects

description: Abstract This article aims to analyze the leadership of Brazilian state governments on lockdown and social distancing policies to keep COVID-19 from spreading. It is assumed that the states’ policies on this matter are heterogeneous, and their implementation regarding how commercial activities - and others that potentially involve a large concentration of people - is asymmetric. Therefore, the study observed the debates on policy-making processes and on autonomy and federalism to investigate the influence of political or technical-administrative factors on policies adopted at the state level in Brazil. The methodology used content analysis of 134 state norms, mapping the political-party alignment of state governors to the president, analysis of medical and hospital resources of each federation unit based on the National Register of Health Establishments. The emergency context revealed low inter-federative coordination by the federal government, competition among states, and states leadership in crisis management at the local level. The article presents evidence that state governments’ leadership cannot be justified by political party alignment with the president. However, there is a correspondence between both the local health system capacity and the rigor of lockdown and social distancing policies, which indicates that, in an intense social disorder situation, technical rationality was preferable to political bargaining.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291820.v1
title: Federal university practices to combat COVID-19: the relationship between public investment and implementation capacity

description: Abstract This article aims to analyze the relationship between public resources invested in federal universities and their capability to respond to COVID-19. The article presents a categorization method to evaluate the practices of combating COVID-19 organized by federal universities. Data analysis indicates a positive relationship between the level of expenditures and the ability to implement research and extension projects, mainly for the development of technologies. The discussion presents consequences for the public policies of Science, Technology, and Innovation to strengthen the Federal System of Higher Education, to guarantee the necessary infrastructure to solve complex problems such as those generated by COVID-19.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291818.v1
title: Disaster preparedness and response in Brazil in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

description: Abstract This article aims to understand how the National System of Protection and Civil Defense functions in response to COVID-19, with emphasis on the work of the Ministry of Health, which is the body responsible for tackling health threats. Three specific objectives were used: the first characterizes COVID-19 as a public health event that can represent a disaster; the second situates the concepts of preparedness and response in the disaster governance literature; the third identifies the jurisprudence and the functioning of disaster management in Brazil. The findings show that, despite the political decision-making tensions, the Brazilian professional bureaucracy managed to guarantee the activation of the disaster governance system related to the preparation and response phases. However, its activation was not enough to allay the crisis. The severity of the pandemic exposed flaws in the phases of disaster prevention and mitigation, as well as the lack of coordinated government response.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291816.v1
title: The challenges of funding the Brazilian health system in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of the federative pact

description: Abstract The improvement of rules to fund the Brazilian health system (SUS) in states and municipalities is one of the major public health challenges in Brazil. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this broad debate, analyzing the government's response to the challenge of combating COVID-19, from the perspective of public financing of health services of Brazilian subnational governments. A qualitative and quantitative approach is adopted, combining documentary analysis and regression analysis. The results show that there was no substantive change in the criteria for transfers, which are not sensitive to epidemiological factors. Adjustments to the application rules were made to speed up spending. Population size, production of local wealth, and the number of hospital beds are the main factors that define the distribution of resources. The funding design for combating COVID-19, as well as the volume of resources, are insufficient in view of the scale of the crisis.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291814.v1
title: Healthcare system capacity of the municipalities in the State of Rio de Janeiro: infrastructure to confront COVID-19

description: Abstract Considering the growing number of cases requiring emergency care as a result of SARS-CoV-2 in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro, this study focuses on mapping the health infrastructure of the municipalities of the state, comparing the Structure Efficiency Index (IEE) before (2016) and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The article fills a gap in the academic literature, informing public health policies specialists and technicians, as well as policy and decision-makers, about the capacity of municipalities to face the problem. We calculated the Structure Efficiency Index (IEE) of the states’ 92 municipalities and positioned them on the pandemic curve. It was possible to verify that the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro needs to start acting to suppress COVID-19, maintaining the policy of providing more hospital beds, and purchasing equipment. However, it is also necessary to consider the particularities and deficiencies of each region, as the policy to transfer patients to places with available beds can contribute to the spread of the disease.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291812.v1
title: Leviathan as a partial cure? Opportunities and pitfalls of using the state-owned apparatus to respond to the COVID-19 crisis

description: Abstract While some argue that market forces are imperative to stimulate the increased supply of critical products and services to address the COVID-19 crisis, others contend that dealing with the pandemic requires coordination and rapid adjustments in supply that may be constrained by a host of factors. Although discussions have centered on policies to promote financial liquidity, we examine whether the state apparatus-not only state-owned enterprises but also development agencies and investment funds-can innovate and adjust production processes to improve infrastructure and capabilities to prevent and treat the disease. Potential actions include public-private effort addressing both discovery and coordination problems-such as a collaborative effort to develop prevention and treatment technologies, as well as state capital to stimulate retooling and expansion of strategic infrastructure. The state apparatus can also help access remote and critical areas with relatively lower private returns. In contrast, support to industries must be implemented with caution, especially for sectors whose demand may suffer permanently due to lifestyle changes. Exit strategies must be carefully crafted to avoid the risk of perpetuating unjustified and ineffective state support, establishing milestones and termination clauses based on clear performance indicators. We argue that, although using the state apparatus as a countermeasure entails a set of risks, not using it may increase the risk of extending the crisis and end with an overloaded state sector (e.g., due to massive bailouts), challenging the implementation of subsequent adjustments.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291808.v1
title: Exploring shared leadership in public organizations: evidence from the educational arena

description: Abstract Collective leadership, reflecting the representative and participatory character of bureaucracies, is known to have a good fit for public organizations. Despite the importance of the topic, very few studies have examined what triggers the emergence of shared or participative leadership in public organizations and how these plural forms of leadership translate into team outcomes. To fill this gap, this study explores whether the existence of an organizational climate characterized by participative safety (a climate characterized by shared purpose, social support, and voice) can facilitate the emergence of collective forms of leadership, such as shared leadership. Further, we investigate if shared leadership ultimately influences an important organizational outcome: voluntary turnover. To test our model, we conducted a field study with 96 public schools and more than 1,000 teachers of the public educational system of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Our results highlight the importance of the existence of a favorable organizational climate for the emergence of shared leadership and provide evidence of the positive effects of this type of leadership on reducing turnover ratings among public teachers.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291806.v1
title: An analysis of intermunicipal consortia to provide waste services based on institutional collective action

description: Abstract This article analyzes the factors that affect local governments’ decision-making processes on whether to engage in cooperative agreements through intermunicipal consortia. Several studies have examined this issue in Western developed countries, but there is a gap in the literature regarding the phenomenon in the developing world. The research addresses this gap and observes the Brazilian local governments’ policies on waste services, focusing on cooperative agreements such as interlocal consortia. These arrangements may be a solution to the political and managerial challenges of providing public services in many areas, including waste collection, treatment, and disposal. However, it is still unclear what factors influence municipalities in their decision to cooperate. Based on cross-sectional research exploring 963 Brazilian municipalities and on the perspective of Institutional Collective Action, this study identified characteristics of communities, transaction characteristics of goods, and the structure of policy networks that influence the local governments in their decision to work cooperatively. The findings shed light on the field of public policies, particularly those carried out through intermunicipal consortia.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291804.v1
title: Efficiency in higher education. Empirical study in public universities of Colombia and Spain

description: Abstract In recent decades, Iberoamerican universities have introduced new quality assessment and accountability schemes, inspired by the New Public Management (NGP) model. In this context, efficiency in the distribution of public funds and obtaining the maximum possible return are a priority. Thus, measuring efficiency in the public sector, and specifically in higher education, has become a challenge for accounting science. The objective of this work is a proposal to calculate efficiency indices with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models, introducing a previous step through the Analysis of Canonical Correlation (ACC). Using this technique, the aim is to improve discrimination capacity and overcome monodimensionality and lack of reliability in the representativeness of the chosen input and output variables. The study is applied in the public universities of Colombia and Spain during the years 2015 and 2016. The results obtained demonstrate the convenience of applying this preliminary step in the multivariate analysis. This reinforces the need to explore more rigorous methodologies in stages before and after the calculation of the efficiency indices. This practice increases confidence when using the indices to formulate policies and manage resources for the sector.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291802.v1
title: Stakeholder influence and local government performance: a systematic literature review

description: Abstract Although stakeholder theory has been on the academic agenda for more than 30 years, empirical evidence is still scant about stakeholders’ influence as determinant factors of local governments’ performance. Evidence from 82 empirical studies on stakeholder influence as a source of local government effectiveness is assessed in this article. The choice of studies was based in a systematic literature review, encompassing articles published in the period from 2007 to 2017 in which stakeholder influences are considered determinant factors of local government performance. This research contributes to this field of knowledge by synthesizing the pertinent publications and pointing out an agenda for future studies.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291798.v1
title: Mid-level bureaucrats perception on the implementation of public policies

description: Abstract This article contributes to studies about the perceptions of mid-level bureaucrats on the implementation of public policies. The article empirically analyzes the perceptions of mid-level bureaucrats (MLB) on the implementation of REUNI within the Federal University of Goiás (UFG). A case study was conducted, with documentary research and interviews with MLB. The results demonstrate the importance of institutional support and technical and emotional preparation for MLB to perform appropriately. In empirical terms, the study demonstrates that UFG failed to meet the program’s global goals, but has met most of the guidelines set forth by the Ministry of Education, with emphasis on expanding student inclusion and assistance policies, transforming a university that served the elite into an inclusive institution. Unanimously, all MLBs recognize the great importance of REUNI for the UFG in structural and educational terms and that their activities could have been better performed with adequate support and preparation.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291796.v1
title: Smart government: analysis of dimensions from the perspective of public managers

description: Abstract Recent studies show that the concept of smart government and its respective dimensions are not yet consolidated. The issue of the efficiency of public activity suggests that smart government should be recognized and better explored in public management. This study brings an original contribution to the literature, presenting an analysis of the recognition, importance, and application of the concept’s dimensions from the perspective of public managers. Adopting a qualitative and exploratory approach, operationalized through interviews with public managers in the South of Brazil, we sought to identify the dimensions of smart government that are recognized and applied by public managers. The results show the concept’s importance and its application and benefits in public administration. The findings point out the most influencital dimensions and their importance in the process, with emphasis on the organizational culture and the organization of data and public information.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291794.v1
title: Innovation in justice: co-production, competence and user satisfaction in judicial mediation

description: Abstract This study evaluated the effects of co-production and the mediator’s competence on the results of Judicial Mediation in the Court of Justice of the Brazilian Federal District and Territories. Data was collected using satisfaction surveys applied to the parties using the court’s judicial mediation services. The sample refers to the period from January 2013 to July 2015, totaling 312 participants and 107 discursive answers. The evaluation adopted techniques of descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and logistic regression as well as content analysis. The results showed that the only statistically significant variable was the mediator’s competence, which increases the likelihood of positive perception about the outcomes of judicial mediation both for citizens and the justice system. Both parties using the services did not perceive that co-production affects the outcomes. This result was due to the complexity of the cases mediated, which makes it hard to observe the role of cooperation in achieving the outcomes. For the citizen, the mediator is primarily responsible for directing the judicial mediation procedure as well as the outcomes achieved through the procedure. We provide recommendations and a research agenda aimed at strengthening research in the area.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291792.v1
title: Political appointments in municipal governments and bureaucratic performance: evaluating achievement

description: Abstract This article discusses the politicization of the bureaucratic structures of the Brazilian municipalities based on appointed positions. The intention is to demonstrate patterns of political appointments that reflect institutional performance. The data were provided by Munic/IBGE 2005/14 and IpoC- Instituições Políticas Comparadas/UFRGS. Firstly, the study observed the degree of variability of the distribution of these positions in municipal structures, and the quality of the appointees’ education. Then, an analysis of spatial, global, and local dependence was performed. In addition, the difference in performance among municipalities was statistically tested using the independent t-test. The test compared municipalities’ performance concerning the number and education of appointees. The study used the Municipal GDP-Per-Capita, the Índice Firjan de Desenvolvimento Municipal (IFDM), and the Índice de Governança Municipal (IGM) created by the Federal Board of Administration as proxies for performance. The results stress the complexity of local public management since some of the tests indicate the number and education of appointees as predictors of high performance while other studies do not find the same relationship.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291790.v1
title: Influence of socio-economic, financial-budgetary and political-electoral aspects on the transparency of local governments

description: Abstract This study aims to analyze the influence of socioeconomic, financial-budgetary and political-electoral aspects on the active and passive transparency of Brazilian local governments. From 3,550 Brazilian municipalities, a resampling of 100,000 samples was performed using the multiple linear regression method with cross-sectional data, obtaining better data robustness and reliability. The results indicate that in larger municipalities there is a greater propensity to actively disseminate information to reduce agency costs. A population with higher per capita income and better educated tend to demand more information, seeking to know where is the taxpayers’ money invested. Capital investments are important to society, so it is expected that the level of transparency will be higher where there is more spending of this kind. Electoral competition require public managers to be more transparent toward their opponents and population to confirm their pre-election promises.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291788.v1
title: Consultative participation in Brazil: the case of the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board

description: Abstract This article analyzed the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board, an innovative channel of communication between civil society and the local government’s executive branch. This exploratory research is based on an intrinsic case study, aiming to understand the operation of this advisory board and how it relates to other participatory instances in Brazil. The study adopted semi-structured interviews with members of the advisory board and representatives of the local government, participant observation of meetings of the management’s board, and analysis of official documents. Data were analyzed based on the theory of deliberative democracy and studies on participatory bodies. The results indicate that the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board is partially aligned with the deliberative democracy, and strongly connected to the federal and state-level Economic and Social Development Advisory Boards. Due to the specificities of these instances, we suggest the creation of a new category in the literature on institutional participation - “Governmental Advisory Board.”
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291786.v1
title: Corruption and mismanagement in spending on education: socioeconomic and political factors

description: Abstract This research analyzes the socioeconomic and political factors that influence the occurrence of corruption and mismanagement in public spending on basic education in Brazilian municipalities. The sources of data were the inspection reports of the Comptroller General of the Union during 2011 to 2015; and the websites of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the Superior Electoral Court, and the National Treasury Secretariat. The data analysis adopted descriptive procedures and binomial negative regression. Overall, the results indicate that the possibility of reelection of the mayor and the performance of municipal councils affected the incidence of corruption. In turn, an occurrence of mismanagement shows a significant relationship with the voter’s profile and the performance of municipal councils. These findings highlighted the relevance of municipal councils as an instrument for monitoring and supervising public spending on basic education of Brazilian municipalities.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14291782.v1
title: The joint effect of democracy and economic freedom on corruption

description: Abstract This work examines the joint effect of democracy and economic freedom on corruption. The study used a database of 160 countries from 2010 - 2016, containing information for a set of economic, cultural, historical, and institutional variables. Several researches show that the joint effect of economic freedom levels and democracy are essential to fight corruption. Therefore, the most effective public policies for countries under study are those focused on the fundamental right of human beings to control satisfying outcomes of their jobs, which holistically encompasses the freedom and rights of production, distribution, or consumption of goods and services.