The extent of work being contracted out in government and the type of work being contracted out is growing in magnitude. Government agencies wrestle with the effect this has on government operations as the daily work of many government employees is changing from that of actually conducting government work to overseeing government contractors who are now providing goods and services for government. In effect, many government employees are becoming contract managers. However, most studies of government contracting sidestep or ignore the role of individual employees in ensuring the success of contractual relationships with the private sector. Scholars in public policy are calling attention to the need to look at theories from organizational change research and apply them to the context of changing government organizations. Furthermore, organizational change theorists stress the importance of studying individuals within organizations that are undergoing transformations. Heeding this advice, this dissertation research uses the theory of readiness for organizational change from organizational change literature to develop a readiness for contracting construct to study how individual government employees respond to increasing contracting out in government. The readiness for contracting construct builds on current debates about government contracting by encompassing perceptions on the extent to which government contracting is needed and the concept of management capacity as two dimensions of the readiness for contracting construct. This study explores the relationship between readiness for contracting in the context of contracting out in government and 11 career path, involvement, and competence factors identified in the literature that may influence an individual s readiness. The results of multiple regression analysis show that an individual s readiness for contracting is positively predicted by an individual s perceptions of personal impact, information about contracting out, and management support. Results of this research support the need for more attention to be given to individual government employees in the context of government contracting from both a theoretical and pragmatic perspective.

"This document was submitted as a dissertation in December 2009 in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the doctoral degree in public policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School." / Title from PDF title screen (viewed Jan. 21, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 343-360).

Public private partnership (PPP) is a favorable cooperation mode in delivery of public infrastructure and service projects. This concept is warmly discussed in economic perspective on providing a wide range of general public services. The private sector which involved in the public services work, it helps release public sector’s finance pressure on funds and reduce the risks on conducting the works. When this PPP concept applied into conservation works, government and private sector utilize resource they have and cooperate with each other to realize ultimate work. In general, PPP is applied in the conservation on government owned property and work for public interest. The scale of the project is typically large and last for a long time. The private sectors which join in the work are organizations at most. It is rarely to see government-individual cooperation in PPP mode. Such cooperation is encouraged, since a successful conservation work is not judged by project scale and length of work, even money spending, but the social continuum to the public. Therefore, the key issue addressed by this dissertation is to documentary the conservation work undertaken in a teahouse in Macao, especially focusing on the PPP work in process. The purpose is to reveal a successful conservation practice applied PPP in a small scale, private owned property, an individual as private sector participated in conservation work. The dissertation examines historical, cultural and social backgrounds of the teahouse building and approaches primary source by interviewing with stakeholders on their comments and opinions. After collecting information and analyzing results, a framework on judging the success of PPP work is generated at the end which makes this research valuable and unique. The research work could be used as a reference for future study on PPP work with project characteristics like the case discussed in this dissertation. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

This thesis addresses two questions to understand the current situation of technology in Atlanta: Is Atlanta an ideal location for a technology cluster to form? Does a true technology cluster exist in Atlanta? According to cluster literature, there are seven characteristics required for emerging clusters: a high-quality, powerful research university; a skilled labor pool; funding (R&D, venture capital, etc.); favorable policies; linkages; certain city characteristics; and luck. There also are several somewhat-vague characteristics that show success in a cluster. Among these are agglomeration, innovation (where funding and employment are two measures of innovation), and growth. In order to provide a comprehensive assessment of the answers to the two questions, a mixture of summary statistics, shallow case studies, previous analysis, and comparisons of Atlanta with other clusters are blended together to assess Atlanta's performance on each of the characteristics outlined in theory. Where possible, more than one of these measures are used. Of the seven necessary characteristics of cluster creation set out by theory, Atlanta seems to have achieved a passing grade regarding research university, labor pool, and city characteristics, but has a failing grade on policy and linkages. One interesting finding is that Atlanta receives a strong amount of venture capital investment in start-ups but is lacking in later stage companies. Atlanta's success as a cluster is dubious. It has proven somewhat successful in start-ups and in the so-called "Level II" technology companies that have lower levels of technology-oriented jobs and that tend to be more manufacturing focused. It is also possible that a technology cluster is forming in Atlanta, but that it is still in its infancy. With regard to policy, it is recommended that Atlanta gain certain policies that will allow for the characteristics of cluster formation (particularly investment and linkages--since those are the areas where Atlanta is or possibly is lacking) and replace policies that will hinder the growth of technology and investment in the technology industries.

<p>Social welfare services are essential for development of human capital and eradication of poverty in South Africa generally. Social welfare plays a pivotal role in enabling the impoverished and vulnerable communities and households to lead their lives through provision of care, social relief, stability and human resource development. Non-Governmental Organisations form an integral part of the welfare system through their formal and informal welfare and residential and non-residential welfare services. The role of the NGOs becomes imperative precisely because of their inherent empathy and proximity to the communities they serve. Government itself has been engaged in the process of transformation and the same challenges of transformation, governance, and effectiveness still profound the NGO sector. Notwithstanding the contribution of the NGOs in the welfare system, it is crucial to scrutinise the nature of their work and the rate of transformation to flourish in the democratic dispensation. To enhance the process of transformation in the NGO sector, government passed a plethora of policies and legislative requirements, inter alia, White Paper for Social Welfare 1997, Non-Profit Organisations Act of 1997. The intent of this research therefore, was to establish the significance of transformation and inherent issues of governance, effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery and sustainability of the nature of social welfare services rendered by the NGO sector in the Western Cape, particularly the Worcester district.</p>

Univ., Diss.--Linz, 2006.

The aim of this study is to determine whether the introduction of a transport economic regulatory authority would serve as a valid intervention mechanism in the Public-Private Partnership of the transport infrastructure in South Africa. In order to achieve this objective, the study focused on the analysis of the concept of Public-Private Partnership, and how it has unfolded in a number of industrialised countries. Much attention was devoted in examining how the Public-Private Partnership arrangements followed by the studied countries influenced the current transport infrastructure management process in South Africa. To deal with the above, a host of macro-environmental variables were analysed in respect of their potential impact on the South African Department of Transport. The establishment of various agencies by the Department of Transport was seen as a consequence of the influence of the prevailing environmental forces. The outcome of the analysis revealed that a sustainable transport infrastructural development is a product of genuine partnership between the public and private sectors. Competition for the market and the significance of such competition in the transport infrastructure were outlined. The main goal of competition within the context of this study is to diffuse the economic power of the toll road industry and the protection of the individual's fundamental rights. The study also unearthed a need to deepen the talent and skills of both public and private sector officials as this would enable them to protect the citizens' right to make well-considered choices in the toll road industry. The study identified a need to establish a transport economic regulatory authority that would control the market dynamics of power relationships in the transport industry. Such a body should be creative and need to have regulatory oversight over transport infrastructure. / Transport Logistics and Tourism / D. Comm.

TCCP (especialização em Direito do Estado e da Regulação) - Fundação Getúlio Vargas. Escola de Direito do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 2012. / Bibliografia: p. 30-31. / A Parceria Público-Privada (PPP) é um formato diferenciado de concessão de serviços e obras públicas cuja característica mais singular é a assunção, pelo parceiro público, das incertezas sobre a geração de receitas associadas ao empreendimento ou serviço a ser executado pelo parceiro privado. O objeto da PPP pode ser a prestação total ou parcial de serviço público por um parceiro privado; o desempenho, por parceiro privado, de atividade de competência da administração pública (precedida ou não pela execução de obra pública); e a realização, por parceiro privado, de obra para a administração pública para a esta ser alienada, locada ou arrendada. No tocante à modalidade patrocinada, a PPP nada mais é que uma concessão de serviço público ou obra pública que envolve, adicionalmente à "concessão comum" (aquela definida nos termos da Lei 8.987/95), uma contraprestação pecuniária do parceiro público (poder concedente) ao parceiro privado (concessionário). Este Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (TCC) sistematiza as informações existentes sobre a PPP patrocinada, contextualizando a importância do instrumento e definindo as condições mais propícias para sua aplicação. O objetivo é situar a PPP patrocinada como uma alternativa viável para a realização de impreendimentos em infraestrutura e em inclusão social que sejam estrategicamente prioritários, mas cujo retorno financeiro seja desconhecido ou de baixa expectativa, em um cenário de restrição à realização de gastos públicos.

It has been widely reported that despite high health expenditure and a myriad of policies in place, South Africa’s health outcomes are worse than those in many lower income countries. The adverse health outcomes are even more pronounced in a rural province such as the Eastern Cape Province. Consequently, the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) had turned to Private Public Partnerships (PPP) with the hope of mitigating some of the challenges beleaguering the health system in the province. This study evaluated the impact of the implementation of one of the PPP models at an Eastern Cape Hospital on key employee job outcomes. This is crucial as there had not yet, been this type of scientific assessment of the impact of the PPP model since the inception of the PPP about half a decade ago. Theoretical guidance of the study was provided by the Job Characteristics Theory (JCT) of Oldham and Hackman (1975), which predicted that changes in five core characteristics of a job will affect three critical psychological states which will in turn impact on key employee job outcomes. Uniquely, this study veered away from the traditional quantitative approach to the application of the JCT but rather adopted a qualitative case study approach. There is historical evidence that cross cultural validation of a theory in a new setting (a South African PPP hospital in this instance) benefits from an initial qualitative study. Data collection and analysis were guided by the JCT. Primary data collection was by semi-structured, face to face, one on one interviews. The analyses of the data specifically employed pattern matching and explanation building techniques, all underpinned by the JCT. Validity of interview data was strongly contributed to by available relevant case study documents. This study found that indeed, the implementation of this PPP model brought about changes in all five (JCT) core job characteristics of clinical staff, but to varying degrees in the three unique shared service areas. Interestingly, the three psychological states were found to have been impacted upon by changes in the JCT core job characteristics but also by factors related to the context of the job, such as quality of supervision and co-worker relationship. In contrast to the predictions of the JCT, this study also found that the key job outcomes were impacted directly by such contextual factors as the recent availability of specialists and staff shortages, among others. It also emerged that the PPP implementation has directly evoked a perception of inequity and breach of psychological contract among clinical staff working at the shared service areas. Among the three shared areas, the accident and emergency unit was discovered to have had the worst overall impact. Due to the importance of contextual factors at this PPP setting, key recommendations were directed towards improved management of the jobs. It is also recommended that a follow-up quantitative study be commissioned to further explore the main themes that emerged from this study. This research report is presented in three sections. Section 1 is the evaluative report itself, structured as an academic paper. Section 2 expands on the literature that was briefly reviewed in Section 1 while Section 3 outlines, in greater details, the research methods followed during the conduct of the research and the justifications thereof.

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a capacity development programme initiated by the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (DEDEA) as a mechanism to enhance the performance of the employees in order to improve service delivery to the people of the Eastern Cape. The public service is enjoined by the Constitution to provide services that citizens need, and for this reason it is in need of educated, trained and professional public servants, especially in the technical, professional and managerial categories. The department also recognized the potential of public–private partnerships (PPPs) to improve performance in the areas of transformation and service delivery, and that it required investments aimed at developing and strengthening public management capacity. However, the effectiveness of the PPP as a mechanism for capacity development, remained unknown. The literature reviewed overwhelmingly supported the assertion that human capital development is critical for performance in the public service. The review also highlighted the importance of partnerships, especially the role of the private sector in the area of capacity development, advancing the argument that PPPs should be pursued in order to leverage ideas, resources, and capabilities to achieve public service goals. Various research tools, namely interviews, questionnaires and document analysis were used to conduct the study. Data collected and analysed provided empirical evidence of improved performance of both the individual managers and the department in the functional areas of financial governance and management; programme and project management; as well as ethics and professionalism. It suggested a strong correlation between training, capacity development and service delivery. This research found the DEDEA/National Business Initiative (NBI) PPP initiative, as a capacity development mechanism to enhance the performance of the department‟s employees, effective. On strength of the overwhelming evidence gathered through this research, it strongly recommends that the programme be rolled out to other employees.