Perception of organizational constraints and local implementation of sustainability policies

ABSTRACT

This study explored the impact of organizational constraints on sustainability policy implementation in local administrative bodies. The analytical units were municipal governments, districts and villages. A questionnaire survey was conducted. Stepwise ordinal least square regressionwas employed. The research findings indicated that perceptions of the external factors were fundamental to local policy implementation, probably because they reflected long-term resource sufficiency and coordinative actions in the policy arena. The lack of a budgeting plan and policy promotion channels were obstacles to the implementation of sustainability policies. Anticipating resource needs and communication flow determined the degree to which the policies were implemented.

KEYWORDS:

• Energy efficiency and sustainability
• local administrative bodies
• organizational constraints
• policy implementation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is supported by the research project “Local Policy Action of Energy Planning” sponsored by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan. # 102-2410-H-845-001-MY2.

Notes on contributors

Ssu-Hsien Chen

Ssu-Hsien Chen (Olivia) has a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Florida State University. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at National Taipei University (NTPU), Taiwan. She is also a research fellow at the Center for Global Change and Sustainability Science (CGCSS) at NTPU. Her research interests include policy analysis, local/metropolitan governance, energy and sustainability policies, interlocal collaboration, and the use of performance measurement in public sectors.