Treasury

Abstract Introduction Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES) projects typically require that results from monitoring and reporting are verified to empirically prove that interventions pass the test of additionality. Generally, PES monitoring and reporting assessment frameworks used by community groups or landowners are qualitative while verification methodologies use established quantitative metrics (e.g. forest structural data assessed using standardized techniques). However, few studies have systematically tested the degree of correlation between qualitative and quantitative metrics. Objectives The study aimed to understand whether rapid assessments can accurately gauge forest health when considering various pressures and management responses, and whether this could be tested and evaluated through reference to structural indices. Methods We developed a Rapid Assessment Form (RAF) for application as a monitoring and reporting tool tailored to forests in Northland, New Zealand. The RAF was tested across forest fragments on Pāmu farms and reference forests which exhibit a range of attributes, encompassing a wide spectrum of ecological quality. We collected quantitative data at the same locations and used a revised Index of Structural Complexity (rCI) as a proxy for “quality” to evaluate and verify RAF outcomes. Results Results show a strong, significant coefficient of determination relationship between RAF scores and the rCI (RAF Part B ecological “state” r 2 = 0.993, RAF overall r 2 = 0.838). Conclusions The RAF demonstrated applicability as a robust, reliable means of monitoring and reporting ecosystem quality and the rCI as a useful verification tool, therefore establishing a platform for wider incorporation within PES projects.

Our article is a historical, narrative account of the context of, the expectations for, and the process of implementation of the New Zealand Government's adoption of accrual-based whole-of-government financial reporting. It also documents the results as they were assessed in contemporaneous official and quasi-official studies that the prior expectations were met in relation to expectations for impact on fiscal performance and position, transparency, and sustainability. Our article also supports the conclusion that expectations were met in relation to certain aspects of departmental performance, though this was not universally the case for departmental efficiency.

Subject. This article considers the peculiarities of regulation of inter-budgetary relations in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the conditions of an unstable economic situation. Objectives. The article aims to form an approach to assessing the effectiveness of the distribution of transfers from regional budgets in current conditions. Methods. For the study, we used the methods of analysis and synthesis, analogy, comparison, and grouping. Results. The article offers recommendations for the formation and improvement of the approach to assessing the effectiveness of the distribution of intergovernmental fiscal transfers between municipalities. Conclusions and Relevance. The proposed approach to assessing the effectiveness of inter-budgetary relations in the region can help comprehensively assess the effectiveness of the provision and use of inter-budget transfers to municipalities. This makes it possible, if necessary, to promptly adjust the distribution of funds between municipalities in an unstable external environment. The proposed approach to assessing the effectiveness of the distribution of intergovernmental fiscal transfers between municipalities should be used in the activities of regional authorities in the development of relevant regulatory documentation, as well as in the practice of financial interaction between regional and local authorities.

Abstract Organisational measures to support employees who are experiencing family and domestic violence (FDV) are increasingly seen as an important policy response to mitigate the consequences of such violence and promote gender equality. However, little is known about the costs to employers of providing such workplace policies. This paper assesses the costs and benefits to Australian employers of providing 10 days of paid FDV leave to employees experiencing such violence. We draw on a case study based on the evidence presented to the Fair Work Commission which contributed to their 2023 enactment that modern award wages should include 10 days of paid FDV leave. Using a bottom-up approach and utilising individual-level data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, our estimates reveal that the total annual cost to employers of providing an entitlement of 10 days of paid FDV leave to award-covered employees is between $13.1 million and $34.3 million. Our analysis highlights the role of robust economic analysis in generating evidence for policy change and offers an approach that can be applied in evaluating costs and benefits of other employer initiatives of similar nature.

Subject. The article considers the methodology for assessing the sustainability of business entities’ development in modern Russia, characterized by elements of autarky. Objectives. Our aims are to reveal the specifics of sustainable development in a closed economy, determine the degree stakeholders’ interests coordination as a basis for identifying sustainability of their development, elaborate a methodology for determining the sustainability of development of economic entities in a partially autarkic economy. Methods. We employ general scientific methods, i.e. scientific abstraction, analysis and synthesis, as well as approaches to determining the influence of behavioral motives of decision-makers when identifying the effectiveness of economic entities’ development. Results. The paper underpinned the need to determine the impact of the degree of coordination of stakeholders' interests in determining the sustainability of development of market actors; offered a classification of stakeholders' interests; developed the traditional concept of triple bottom line that rests on identification of economic, social, and environmental indicators of development on the basis of supplementing the assessment of sustainability by the results of stakeholder interests coordination. Conclusions. In addition to the impact of social, environmental and economic factors, it is necessary to determine the level of coordination of stakeholders' interests, as well as stakeholder risk.

BackgroundDespite three decades of policy initiatives to improve integration of health care, delivery of health care in New Zealand remains fragmented, and health inequities persist for Māori and other high priority populations. An evidence base is needed to increase the chances of success with implementation of large-system transformation (LST) initiatives in a complex adaptive system.MethodsThis research aimed to identify key elements that support implementation of LST initiatives, and to investigate contextual factors that influence these initiatives. The realist logic of enquiry, nested within the macro framing of complex adaptive systems, formed the overall methodology for this research and involved five phases: theory gleaning from a local LST initiative, literature review, interviews, workshop, and online survey. NVivo software programme was used for thematic analysis of the interview, workshop, and the survey data. We identified key elements and explained variations in success (outcomes) by identifying mechanisms triggered by various contexts in which LST initiatives are implemented.ResultsThe research found that a set of 10 key elements need to be present in the New Zealand health system to increase chances of success with implementation of LST initiatives. These are: (i) an alliancing way of working; (ii) a commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi; (iii) an understanding of equity; (iv) clinical leadership and involvement; (v) involved people, whānau, and community; (vi) intelligent commissioning; (vii) continuous improvement; (viii) integrated health information; (ix) analytic capability; and (x) dedicated resources and time. The research identified five contextual factors that influenced implementation of LST initiatives: a history of working together, distributed leadership from funders, the maturity of Alliances, capacity and capability for improvement, and a continuous improvement culture. The research found that the key mechanism of trust is built and nurtured over time through sharing of power by senior health leaders by practising distributed leadership, which then creates a positive history of working together and increases the maturity of Alliances.DiscussionTwo authors (KMS and PBJ) led the development and implementation of the local LST initiative. This prior knowledge and experience provided a unique perspective to the research but also created a conflict of interest and introduced potential bias, these were managed through a wide range of data collection methods and informed consent from participants. The evidence-base for successful implementation of LST initiatives produced in this research contains knowledge and experience of senior system leaders who are often in charge of leading these initiatives. This evidence base enables decision makers to make sense of complex processes involved in the successful implementation of LST initiatives.ConclusionsUse of informal trust-based networks provided a critical platform for successful implementation of LST initiatives in the New Zealand health system. Maturity of these networks relies on building and sustaining high-trust relationships among the network members. The role of local and central agencies and the government is to provide the policy settings and conditions in which trust-based networks can flourish.OtherThis study was approved by the Victoria University of Wellington Human Ethics Committee (Ethics Approval Number 27,356). The research was supported by the Victoria University of Wellington research grant (222,809) and from the University of Auckland Department of Medicine research fund (H10779).

Abstract Background Despite three decades of policy initiatives to improve integration of health care, delivery of health care in New Zealand remains fragmented, and health inequities persist for Māori and other high priority populations. An evidence base is needed to increase the chances of success with implementation of large-system transformation (LST) initiatives in a complex adaptive system. Methods This research aimed to identify key elements that support implementation of LST initiatives, and to investigate contextual factors that influence these initiatives. The realist logic of enquiry, nested within the macro framing of complex adaptive systems, formed the overall methodology for this research and involved five phases: theory gleaning from a local LST initiative, literature review, interviews, workshop, and online survey. We explained variations in success (outcomes) by identifying mechanisms triggered by various contexts in which LST initiatives are implemented. Results The research found that a set of 10 key elements needs to be present in the New Zealand health system to increase chances of success with implementation of LST initiatives. These are: (i) an alliancing way of working; (ii) a commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi; (iii) an understanding of equity; (iv) clinical leadership and involvement; (v) involved people, whānau, and community; (vi) intelligent commissioning; (vii) continuous improvement; (viii) integrated health information; (ix) analytic capability; and (x) dedicated resources and time. The research identified five contextual factors that influenced implementation of LST initiatives: a history of working together, distributed leadership from funders, the maturity of Alliances, capacity and capability for improvement, and a continuous improvement culture. Conclusions Use of informal trust-based networks provided a critical platform for successful implementation of LST initiatives in the New Zealand health system. Maturity of these networks depends on the key mechanism of trust, that is built and nurtured over time through sharing of power by senior health leaders by practising distributed leadership. The role of central agencies and government is to provide the policy settings and conditions in which trust-based networks can flourish. The evidence base for successful implementation of LST initiatives produced in this research is transferrable to other regions and countries.

Recently, there has been a significant interest among the researchers to investigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on different economies of the world. While most of those studies focus on mac ro-economic perspective and are based on the western and developed economies, this study aims to investigate the impact of the pandemic on the money market of a developing economy (e.g., Bangladesh), the series of steps undertaken by the policy makers of the country and the consequences of those interventions on the liquidity of the money market based on the data from July 2018 to June 2021. Our analysis shows that the central bank of the country, Bangladesh Bank, without any delay implemented an expansionary monetary policy to ease the financial stress caused by the pandemic. We identified the policies adopted by the authorities included injecting liquidity, reducing interest rates, easing inflows of inward remittance, reducing CRR requirements, increasing Repo facilities at lower rates, reducing Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation, borrowing from foreign channels instead of domestic markets etc. We also discussed the consequences (e.g., the record Foreign Exchange Reserve, a huge inflow of BDT liquidity in the market etc.) of the series of those interventions and outline the theoretical implications drawing on the findings. Social Science Review, Vol. 39(1), June 2022 Page 179-198

The article discusses the rights and responsibilities of participants of external control of the activities of public sector organizations, including state (municipal) institutions. The concept of control and the importance of its’ construction based on the principles of legality, efficiency, quality and others are presented. The importance of the functional independence of participants of external control is considered, as well as an assessment of their rights and responsibilities, ways of clarifying and delimiting them are presented.

Background: Approaches such as social innovation were visible during many of the responses that public-sector organisations, civil society, communities, and the private sector collaboratively implemented to address the issues of unemployment and the impact of economic challenges during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The use of social innovation as an approach to local economic development by South African municipalities, however, reveals a research gap in terms of a conceptual framework for enabling such use.Aim: This article explores a conceptual framework for using social innovation as an approach to local economic development by South African municipalities.Setting: Conventional top-down local economic development approaches by South African municipalities have become inadequate for dealing with contemporary local economic development challenges. Such inadequacy calls for municipalities to rethink and adapt their approach to dealing with economic challenges and to developing and implementing their local economic development strategies.Methods: Through an interpretivist paradigm, the adopted methodology is underpinned by a qualitative research approach. Content analysis was performed of relevant research documents concerning social innovation and local economic development. From this content analysis, a conceptual framework was developed through an inductive approach.Results: The findings illustrate that the praxis for using this conceptual framework is vested in the interconnected nature of its attributes, antecedents, and consequences, which will contribute to the achievement of certain local economic development outcomes.Conclusion: This article suggests that a conceptual framework could contribute to stimulating future research concerning the phenomenon and can serve as an impetus and direction for research inquiry.