The Great Recession dramatically reframed the debate on funding for the arts from a social one to a fiscal one. Instead of social ideology, economics came to the forefront; and fiscal conservatives replaced social conservatives as the loudest voice criticizing government funding for the arts. Under the shadow of an expanding government and staggering national debt, both supporters and critics argue in terms of the economic costs and benefits that the arts impose. These arguments against public funding for the arts are multi-tiered. Critics contend that the government arts agencies are ineffective, that federal arts funding is inefficient, and that government funding as a whole is an unjustified overreach of government. Fiscal conservatives also argue that private philanthropy is sufficient to sustain the arts independently without government involvement. But because public and private funding for the arts respond to recessionary impacts so differently and decreases in private philanthropy impact the arts disproportionately, public arts funding is absolutely justified on an economic basis. With the inclusion of social and political considerations, however, the final conclusion is that neither private nor public funding can or should independently provide a complete solution to the issue.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Public private partnerships (PPP) are a critical driving force in the landscape of infrastructure projects in the world. South Africa’s adaptation of the PPP guidelines is therefore encouraging as it provides a framework for government and business to partner together in the delivery of basic infrastructure services to the public. Many challenges have been experienced in the South African PPP fraternity that have contributed to the stagnation of value-adding projects being implemented. In spite of these challenges, some developed countries have successfully implemented PPP projects which have concomitantly presented opportunities and lessons that South Africa can draw from. This research study investigates the fundamental causes of the challenges present in the South African PPP market and seeks to employ practical solutions in addressing these. The challenges have been widespread and include: the management of risk and how to account for risk; negotiations and the manner in which the procurement phase is operated in PPP projects; drafting of sound policies; the various complexities that exist within concession agreements; internal capacity constraints within the PPP Unit; lack of capacity and skills within government entities and political interference. Several vulnerabilities also exist in the bidding process of many countries and if these are not properly addressed by the advisors and institutions concerned, these could potentially delay the entire procurement phase. PPPs should be seen as a catalyst for providing basic infrastructure services that have the intent of improving the quality of lives for ordinary citizens. This, however, will only be successfully addressed once key success factors and lessons are drawn from other international markets that have demonstrated experience and skill in the implementation of PPPs. Three case studies, namely, the Gautrain Rapid Railway Link; the PPP between the Eastern Cape Department of Health and Life Healthcare Group in the Humansdorp district and the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, have been investigated to extrapolate key findings and research findings from the procurement aspects of these projects. With the increase of PPP projects in South Africa, more research also needs to be conducted in putting together a standardisation pack for some of the replicated projects. These would include accommodation and road projects, as many of these have been done previously. Lessons from these projects should be drawn to formulate sound guidelines for stakeholders. Government also has an equal responsibility to play in ensuring that it promotes private sector involvement during the procurement phase by creating an enabling environment which is fair to bidders and which allows for prompt decision making. Principle agent problem continues to be a threat to the perception of PPPs as the private sector’s objective is often different from that of government. It is therefore important that a healthy balance between government’s socio-economic objectives and the profit-maximising objective of the private sector is met. For the public sector thiS means not neglecting society’s needs, but at the same time not under-budgeting the unitary payment of the private sector. If South Africa ought to remain globally competitive and ahead of its emerging market counterparts, there needs to be a complete change of priorities regarding the type of PPPs implemented and government also needs to remain committed and co-operative in the decision-making process.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Governments have a pivotal role in meeting the ever-increasing demand for socio-economic services in transport, energy, telecommunications, water, education, health and delivery of other social services. However, the major issue in Mauritius is the lapsus in road infrastructure. The road infrastructure agenda in Mauritius needs to be revisited, as such, maintenance has been insufficient to prevent deterioration and there are some other reasons for the damage. Urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction is required to avoid further damage. Factors such as, deficit of funding, absence of coordination between the public and the private sector, changes in political regimes, lack of transparency in the procurement process and lack of adequate legal framework are factors to which the failure of implementing Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Mauritius can be attributed. However, the implementation of PPP might enhance the nature and efficacy of the way in which public money is spent and encourage resilience and competency of the taxation structure. Governments will therefore be apt to consider strategic partnerships in order to promote state-of-the-art technological advancement and enhance managerial skills and capabilities. Reviews discussed by the Government of Mauritius were taken from annual reports and an in-depth study was carried out. Moreover, as secondary analysis differs from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of qualitative studies, which aim instead to compile and assess the evidence relating to a common concern or area of practice, both secondary analysis and meta-analysis have been used. Therefore, this study comprised of a thorough, narrative discussions of research studies which epitomize attempts to make sense of the rapidly expanding research on PPP in Mauritius. From the narrative discussion, it can be highlighted that, controversy arose over the claims for surplus expenses of Rs 709 million on a preliminary agreement of Rs 2.2 billion. Moreover, due to factors such as massive non-alignment between government and private sector, unclear government goals and duties, multifaceted resolution, sectoral policies not well defined, regulatory challenges and limitations, risk management issues, poor reliability of public policies, insufficient local capital markets, poor mechanisms to attract cheaper long term capital, weak lucidity and absence of a competitive landscape, a delay in the implementation of PPP was encountered. However, an emergence in the number of PPPs has been witnessed in developing countries, not only because of their increasingly being viewed as value-for-money but also for the reasons that follow: enhancing the delivery of public sector services at lower costs, integrating protection of the environment by ensuring fulfilment of green requirements and promoting competition. Reviews and extracts show that Mauritius requires financial support to implement PPP projects. However, the availability of international aid has helped the country to gain faith in the implementation of PPP projects thus, helping the Small Island Developing State of Mauritius to look at the future of its development with confidence.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Ramunės Bleizgienės disertacijoje „Moters tapatybės problema XIX a. pabaigos–XX a. pradžios moterų kūryboje“ tapatumas nagrinėjamas kaip abipusės asmens ir sociokultūrinio konteksto sąveikos rezultatas, klausiant, kaip vykęs modernios lietuviškos visuomenės kūrimasis veikė moters tapatumo formas. Remiantis keleriopa metodologine perspektyva, moterų tapatybės kaita pristatoma kaip neatsiejama moterų tapimo viešais asmenimis proceso dalis. Analizuojant Žemaitės, Gabrielės Petkevičaitės-Bitės, Šatrijos Raganos, Onos Pleirytės-Puidienės Vaidilutės ir Sofijos Kymantaitės-Čiurlionienės kūrybą siekiama išsiaiškinti, kaip rašydamos moterys įsteigia ir įtvirtina save kaip kalbantįjį viešumos subjektą. Nuodugniai nagrinėjant moterų kūrinius, daugiausia – pirminius variantus, dienoraščius, laiškus, atsiminimus, stebima, kaip rašančiosios patyrė savąjį socialumą, ryškinama, kaip moterų savivoka buvo veikiama sociokultūrinių asmens / moters apibrėžčių. Moters tapatybės struktūriniai pokyčiai tyrinėjami sutankintame sociokultūriniame kontekste, apžvelgiant ir pristatant daugybę viešojoje erdvėje cirkuliavusių moterų tekstų, padedančių įsivaizduoti vykusio proceso daugialypiškumą ir kompleksiškumą. Disertacijoje pristatoma nemažai XIX a. pabaigos–XX a. pradžios moterų publicistikos ir grožinės kūrybos tekstų, kurie iki šiol nebuvo patekę į tyrinėjimų akiratį. / Ramunė Bleizgienė‘s dissertaiton Female Identity Problem in Lithuanian Women’s Creative Writing in the Late 19th – Early 20th Century analyses identity as a result of an interaction between a person and his/her socio-cultural context, by raising a question how the development of modern Lithuanian society influenced the forms of female identity. A heterogeneous methodological perspective introduces a shift in female identity as an inseparable part of the process of women becoming public individuals. The exploration of creative texts by Žemaitė, Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, Šatrijos Ragana, Ona Pleirytės-Puidienė Vaidilutė and Sofija Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė reveals how the writing women bring up and establish themselves as a speaking public subject. A thorough analysis of women’s writing, their diaries, letters, and memoirs reveals the ways in which the writing women experience their sociability, and emphasizes the impact that socio-cultural definitions of an individual/woman made on women’s self-perception. Structural changes in female identity undergo analysis in a condensed socio-cultural context with a review and a presentation of many texts by female authors that were circulating in public space, which gives a view of the multiple nature and complexity of the process. The study presents a lot of journalistic and fiction texts that were written in the late 19th – early 20th century, but were not in the scope of analysis up to the present moment.

While both the concept of Private-Public Partnerships and the research on the topic is not new, PPPs from a market expansion perspective has not been covered to any notable extent, something this thesis aims to rectify. With the importance of relationships in business in emerging markets, the Institutional Network Approach serves as the backdrop for the study, highlighting the interplay between MNE and surrounding institutions. Through three case studies of Swedish MNEs active in PPP-projects in emerging markets, the aim is to develop a model suitable for analyzing MNE engagements in PPP-projects, but also to see if the gains from PPP engagements can constitute a feasible emerging market expansion tool.   The outcome of the study revealed that the studied MNEs primarily sought legitimacy and credibility in their projects, goals which according to MNEs also were acquired, and that the new model to a large extent captured aspects that were identified as important in the firms’ reports from the projects. It was concluded that in order for the PPP to serve as reliable market expansion tool, the firm has to be of MNE-size in terms of resources and ambitions, because smaller firms would struggle to be awarded, or handle, PPP-projects of this size. Previously stated credibility and legitimacy (from the CSR-aspects of the PPP), as well as the long-term collaboration resulting in solid relationships between MNE and institutions, are other benefits.

BACKGROUND: Powerful public-private partnerships (PPPs) can only be established if the partners are able to deal with complexity. Such partnerships may serve to stimulate local community and economic development. Thus, it may maximise the effectiveness of local groups and resources in meeting the needs for rebuilding a community through a partnership representative of the public and private sectors. A problem that exists in South Africa, is the uneven distribution of population ratios dependent on public and private sector health care service delivery, in relation to the proportion of pharmaceutical service providers in the different sectors. OBJECTIVE: The main objectives of this qualitative research investigation were to examine the prospects for PPP development in the pharmaceutical sector of South Africa as well as to explore the possibilities of a proposition for a proposed generic public-private partnership model to be managed and used in the pharmaceutical sector of South Africa. METHOD: The study comprises of the exploration of the research questions by means of a qualitative research design. The study design implicated a balance between the in-depth literature study and a qualitative research process. The researcher employed a grounded theory approach to collect and analyse the data. Data collection represented the identifiable role players and opinion formulators in the South African health care sector. By following a combination of the various qualitative sampling methods and techniques, a total of 38 (n=38) interviews were conducted. The data collected from the interviewees and from the literature study were integrated and analysed by making use of computer assisted data analysis. SETTING: The researcher selected interviewees from the South African health care sector. The interviews included role players in the pharmaceutical sector in both the public and private sectors. The interviewees further represented eight different spheres of the pharmaceutical setting in South Africa. KEY FINDINGS: The investigation identified a range of prospects for PPP development in South Africa and these were reported in terms of views, expectations and scope for success. The management elements for developing and sustaining joint ventures between the public and private sectors were identified and a proposition was formulated in theory to serve as a proposed generic PPP model (PGM) in the pharmaceutical sector for the South African health care milieu. CONCLUSION The exploratory qualitative investigation surfaced the various facets of the complexity of PPPs. The investigation concluded that several barriers, such as competition and market entry disparities between the macro and micro level pharmaceutical entities, which impede PPP development, affected the prospects for PPP development in South Africa. The South African legislation, South African Treasury guidelines, regulations and the views of the SA Competition Commission need transformation to accommodate both the micro and macro level pharmaceutical service providers in the formation of PPPs. Capacity building within the sphere of pharmaceutical service delivery to the bigger population of South Africa may become sustainable on removal of these barriers. A series of recommendations were presented and several critical issues in need of supplementary research, have been identified. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pharmacy Practice))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This research reviews and evaluates the FedExâ s Premium Service Program currently being used by DLA customers. The research will examine some of the benefits and costs of this co-locating of DOD warehousing and shipping operation managed by a commercial express transportation carrier. The research will view the possible benefits gained through commercial inventory and transportation practices by partnering a third party logistics service with the Defense Transportation System. DLA and FedEx have formed a partnership called DLA Premium Service. Premium Service is the only DoD warehousing operation that is co-located with and managed by a commercial express transportation carrier at FedEx main transportation hub. Premium Service System allows users to position materials in the Memphis facility for expedited delivery to the required destinations worldwide. All items are guaranteed, under contract, to be delivered to their continental U.S. (CONUS) destination within 24 hours and within 48 hours to outside of CONUS (OCONUS) to the major airports serviced by FedEx. Items will be delivered to the OCONUS final destination 24 hours of release from customs holding area at the airport. The service provides advance notification to streamline customs requirements of all OCONUS shipments.

This thesis addresses the potential of private-public partnerships (PPPs) to involve private forest owners in formal forest protection. These partnerships have been widely advocated as means to engage actors from diverse sectors in collaborative new relationships, formed in a step-wise manner, to improve management of resources that combine public and private goods. Nature Conservation Agreements (NCAs) are the first kind of PPPs to be used in Swedish forest protection. NCAs were introduced in 1993 and are agreements based in civil law between a private forest owner and the Swedish Forest Agency or County Administrative Board. Although NCAs were introduced to promote interest in nature conservation among forest owners, the response has been rather weak. Thus, in 2010 the government launched a pilot project called the Komet program, in which private forest owners in selected pilot areas initiated protective measures. Although criticized by environmental non-governmental organizations, the government decided after the pilot project terminated in 2014 to implement the Komet program’s working methods nationwide. In this thesis, PPPs’ potential to contribute to forest protection is analyzed by applying the “Ladder of Partnership Activity” framework, developed to study global PPPs, with appropriate modifications for a national context. The framework incorporates, in a stepwise manner, context, the actors’ motives relating to trust-building, the creation of collaborative advantages in the partnering process and the institutionalization of PPPs. The thesis contributes to an empirical understanding of top-down and bottom-up PPP processes. It is based on studies in which qualitative research methods were applied to examine selected cases presented in four papers, designated Papers I-IV. The main sources of information are qualitative interviews with involved forest actors and policy documents they have produced. Papers I and II focus particularly on trust-building and the partnering process as perceived by involved forest actors, while Papers III and IV address the institutionalization of PPPs and their requirements to change the political order of forest protection in accordance with governmental objectives. The results show that willingness to adopt PPPs is dependent on past experience of collaborative efforts. They also show there is substantial discretion in involved actors’ interpretation of prescribed guidelines, and their motives may vary substantially. However, as long as they share the same ultimate objective, i.e. to protect forests, PPPs may still be successfully established. A major potential problem is that public officials tend to prioritize protection of biodiversity, while forest owners want to protect social values and unproductive (“useless”) forests. Thus, shared motives are essential to establish trust and initiate collaborative efforts. The voluntary element of initiatives supported by the Komet program appears to be essential for deliberation. PPPs need to be implemented nationwide to be institutionalized. However, the Swedish government has not provided sufficient resources and leadership capacity to enable PPPs to play their envisaged role in its forest governance system. If the government wants to adopt bottom-up approaches, it needs to provide sufficient resources so that the partnerships does not compete with other formal instruments and protection arrangements. Furthermore, coordination within and between sectors needs to be improved to clarify the purpose of the policy recommendations.