Atuação e desempenho do Ministério Público do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte no contexto da gestão pública: perspectiva estratégica

The present dissertation analyzes the performance and acting of the Rio Grande do Norte Public Ministery, in the strategic perspective, while responsible Institution for the defense of the collective rights. The comprehension of this theme inserts in a context of modernization of the public administration, in which is inserted, as well as their functional and structural changes, in a reality of innovations there is passing the organizations, looking to rescue the legitimacy of the government organizations, aligning them to the democratic values of the society. It detaches the strategic administration and the public administration and it exposes the strategic performance about the central point of the study, focusing in the development of the organization in the last four years, and other relative subjects to the acting. It is a unic case study, framed in the characteristics of the qualitative approaches - descriptive and exploratory. The analysis showed, through the method of content analysis, by the criterion of thematic categorization, that MP / RN come developing in an intense way,and it detaches that the changes already happened reflect a good strategic acting of the Institution, especially in the structural and functional areas, showing the strategic conscience of this, although that is not still enough to consider it as a strategic organization, and it concludes that there is still a lot for doing, and that the occurrence of an administration typically strategic in the extent of MP/RN is possible, with the conscience and participation of all, members and servants

The dynamics of professions and development of new roles in public services organizations: the case of modern matrons in the English NHS

This study contributes to research examining how professional autonomy and hierarchy impacts upon the implementation of policy designed to improve the quality of public services delivery through the introduction of new managerial roles. It is based on an empirical examination of a new role for nurses – modern matrons – who are expected by policy-makers to drive organizational change aimed at tackling health care acquired infections (HCAI) in the National Health Service (NHS) within England. First, we show that the changing role of nurses associated with their ongoing professionalization limits the influence of modern matrons over their own ranks in tackling HCAI. Second, the influence of modern matrons over doctors is limited. Third, government policy itself appears inconsistent in its support for the role of modern matrons. The attempts of modern matrons to tackle HCAI appear more effective where infection control activity is situated in professional practice and where modern matrons integrate aspirations for improved infection control within mainstream audit mechanisms in a health care organization.

Public service motivation in public and nonprofit service providers: The cases of Belarus and Poland

The work motivation construct is central to the theory and practice of many social science disciplines. Yet, due to the novelty of validated measures appropriate for a deep cross-national comparison, studies that contrast different administrative regimes remain scarce. This study represents an initial empirical effort to validate the Public Service Motivation (PSM) instrument proposed by Kim and colleagues (2013) in a previously unstudied context. The two former communist countries analyzed in this dissertation—Belarus and Poland—followed diametrically opposite development strategies: a fully decentralized administrative regime in Poland and a highly centralized regime in Belarus. The employees (n = 677) of public and nonprofit organizations in the border regions of Podlaskie Wojewodstwo (Poland) and Hrodna Voblasc (Belarus) are the subjects of study. ^ Confirmatory factor analysis revealed three dimensions of public service motivation in the two regions: compassion, self-sacrifice, and attraction to public service. The statistical models tested in this dissertation suggest that nonprofit sector employees exhibit higher levels of PSM than their public sector counterparts. Nonprofit sector employees also reveal a similar set of values and work attitudes across the countries. Thus, the study concludes that in terms of PSM, employees of nonprofit organizations constitute a homogenous group that exists atop the administrative regimes. ^ However, the findings propose significant differences between public sector agencies across the two countries. Contrary to expectations, data suggest that organization centralization in Poland is equal to—or for some items even higher than—that of Belarus. We can conclude that the absence of administrative decentralization of service provision in a country does not necessarily undermine decentralized practices within organizations. Further analysis reveals strong correlations between organization centralization and PSM for the Polish sample. Meanwhile, in Belarus, correlations between organization centralization items and PSM are weak and mostly insignificant. ^ The analysis indicates other factors beyond organization centralization that significantly impact PSM in both sectors. PSM of the employees in the studied region is highly correlated with their participation in religious practices, political parties, or labor unions as well as location of their organization in a capital and type of social service provided.^

The Influence of HOPE VI Public Housing on Public Schools

In the United States, public school enrollment is typically organized by neighborhood boundaries. This dissertation examines whether the federally funded HOPE VI program influenced performance in neighborhood public schools. In effect since 1992, HOPE VI has sought to revitalize distressed public housing using the New Urbanism model of mixed income communities. There are 165 such HOPE VI projects nationwide. Despite nearly two decades of the program’s implementation, the literature on its connection to public school performance is thin. My dissertation aims to narrow this research gap. There are three principal research questions: (1) Following HOPE VI, was there a change in socioeconomic status (SES) in the neighborhood public school? The hypothesis is that low SES (measured as the proportion of students qualifying for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program) would reduce. (2) Following HOPE VI, did the performance of neighborhood public schools change? The hypothesis is that the school performance, measured by the proportion of 5th grade students proficient in state wide math and reading tests, would increase. (3) What factors relate to the performance of public schools in HOPE VI communities? The focus is on non-school, neighborhood factors that influence the public school performance. For answering the first two questions, I used t-tests and regression models to test the hypotheses. The analysis shows that there is no statistically significant change in SES following HOPE VI. However, there are statistically significant increases in performance for reading and math proficiency. The results are interesting in indicating that HOPE VI neighborhood improvement may have some relationship with improving school performance. To answer the third question, I conducted a case study analysis of two HOPE VI neighborhood public schools, one which improved significantly (in Philadelphia) and one which declined the most (in Washington DC). The analysis revealed three insights into neighborhood factors for improved school performance: (i) a strong local community organization; (ii) local community’s commitment (including the middle income families) to send children to the public school; and (iii) ties between housing and education officials to implement the federal housing program. In essence, the study reveals how housing policy is de facto education policy.

The public interest of sports at non-profi t sports organizations that are supported by the government

This paper analyses the concept of public interest in sport and the criteria that must be taken into consideration in terms of Government support to clubs and sports associations. The data was collected through semi structured interviews that were applied to nine sports directors with board responsibilities: seven of them from sport clubs and sport associations, and two of them from public administration. The directors pointed out that sport is considered to be of public interest when: it is developed in the concept of “sport for all”, provides health benefi ts and serves as a means of education and social development. Regarding advantages used with public utility status, tax benefi ts and partnerships with the sports system organizations were the most mentioned aspects. Given a better use of fi nancial resources provided by public administration to clubs and associations, sport directors believe that the Government should have a strategy focused on setting priorities and ranking fi nancing criteria for sport. If the government had that strategy, the development of sports results would be much better. The participants also suggest that the Government should conduct an assessment of the social role of sport clubs and associations, according to the public and social interest of sport. In conclusion, sport and physical activity should be considered as public interest activities, provided that: are able to ensure positive effects on health plans and wellness, provide a qualitative and sustainable sport development, improve economic and social development of a population.

Os contratos de autonomia na gestão dos agrupamentos de escola em Portugal: uma análise a partir da perceção dos atores

No final da década de 70 a reforma da Administração Pública surge como preocupação dos governos. No início dos anos 80 a adoção da doutrina da Nova Gestão Publica, foi um dos acontecimentos mais marcantes para a administração pública dos países da Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Economico. A reforma na Administração Pública em Portugal iniciou-se após a rutura política e social de 1974. No início de 1986 Portugal entra para Comunidade Económica Europeia, o que representou uma maior abertura económica e um aumento na confiança interna da população, observando-se um avanço em termos de concretização de muitos direito sociais, entre outros, na educação. A modernização da administração pública na componente referente à área da educação, iniciou-se no final do ano de 1986, através da Lei de Base do Sistema Educativo, dando origem à descentralização dos serviços, introduzindo-se o conceito de autonomia. Os contratos de autonomia no meio escolar, são processos de administração que não influenciam os seus intervenientes, na realização das atividades pedagógicas, administrativas e gestionárias. Este estudo demonstra a opinião dos vários grupos que compõem um estabelecimento de ensino público Português. Na opinião da amostra deste estudo, os contratos de autonomia não são portadores de benefícios ou prejuízos para os estabelecimentos escolares, seja a nível pedagógico, a nível dos recursos humanos ou a nível administrativo e financeiro; Abstract: Contracts of autonomy in the management of grouping of schools in Portugal: An analysis based on the perception of the actors. At the end of the 70 the reform of public administration arises as a concern of governments. In the early 80s the adoption of the doctrine of the New Public Management, was one of the most important events for the public administration of the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development countries. The reform in Public Administration in Portugal began after the political and social rupture of 1974. In the beginning of 1986 Portugal joins the European Economic Community, which represented a greater economic openness and an increase in internal confidence of the population, shown by a progress in terms of implementation of many social rights, among others, in education. The modernization of public administration in the field of education began at the end of 1986 through the Basic Law of Education, leading to the decentralization of services, introducing therefore the concept of autonomy. Autonomy contracts in schools are management processes that do not influence their stakeholders in achieving the educational, administrative and management activities. This study shows the opinion of the various groups that form an establishment of Portuguese public education. According to the sample, the autonomy contracts don’t bring benefits or losses to schools, as far as educational practices and human resources are concerned, as well as on a financial and administrative level.

Os contrastes do ambiente urbano : espaço vazio e espaço de lazer

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física

ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN BRAZIL: CONTEXT, ICT MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOMES

The State Reform processes combined with the emergence and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) originated electronic government policies and initiatives in Brazil. This paper dwells on Brazilian e-government by investigating the institutional design it assumed in the state's public sphere, and how it contributed to outcomes related to e-gov possibilities. The analyses were carried out under an interpretativist perspective by making use of Institutional Theory. From the analyses of interviews with relevant actors in the public sphere, such as state secretaries and presidents of public ICT companies, conclusions point towards low institutionalization of e-gov policies. The institutional design of Brazilian e-gov limits the use of ICT to provide integrated public services, to amplify participation and transparency, and to improve public policies management.

VALOR ECONÔMICO AGREGADO POR HOSPITAIS UNIVERSITÁRIOS PÚBLICOS

The increasing participation of the society in the decision-making process related to public politics stimulates public administration in Brazil to search for mechanisms to demonstrate efficiency and disclosure in resource application. The main objective of this work is to calculate the economic value added to the society by Public University Hospitals. Therefore, a Public University Hospital case study has been carried out and its economic performance evaluated during a period of three years. This study has shown that the economic value added to the society in the long term by the entity is positive. The proposed value measurement has indicated that the society is getting a superior return from the opportunity costs of capital invested, that is, the hospital is constructing economic value and consequently contributing to the social welfare.

Brazilian Agriculture and Environmental Legislation: Status and Future Challenges

Brazilian agriculture covers about one-third of the land area and is expected to expand further We assessed the compliance of present Brazilian agriculture with environmental legislation and identified challenges for agricultural development connected to this legislation We found (i) minor illegal land use in protected areas under public administration, (ii) a large deficit in legal reserves and protected riparian zones on private farmland, and large areas of unprotected natural vegetation in regions experiencing agriculture expansion Achieving full compliance with the environmental laws as they presently stand would require drastic changes in agricultural land use, where large agricultural areas are taken out of production and converted back to natural vegetation The outcome of a full compliance with environmental legislation might not be satisfactory due to leakage, where pristine unprotected areas become converted to compensate for lost production as current agricultural areas are reconverted to protected natural vegetation. Realizing the desired protection of biodiversity and natural vegetation, while expanding agriculture to meet food and biofuel demand, may require a new approach to environmental protection New legal and regulatory instruments and the establishment of alternative development models should be considered

Estimating the cost of contact for non-resident parents: A budget standards approach

Most Western countries have, for some time, provided income support and/or taxation relief to parents with children in their care. The significant amount of research into the costs of children to couple and sole parent households has been important in assessing and developing family support policies. Changing societal expectations about the level of involvement of fathers in child rearing activities has highlighted the need to understand the costs facing usually male non-resident parents in having contact with their children. The budget standards methodology is used in this paper to estimate the costs for non-resident parents exercising regular contact with their children. Costs of contact are found to be high. For contact with one child for 20 per cent of the year, costs of contact represent about 40 per cent of the costs of that same child in an intact couple household with a medium income and more than half of the costs of that child in a household with low income. Household infrastructure and transportation is the reason for high costs. One implication of this finding is that the total cost of children substantially increases when parents separate. The article discusses some policy implications of these findings. This research is of relevance to social security, taxation, family law and child support policies and administration.