Purpose -The paper aims to flesh out the capability requirements of local government institutions in pre-, during, and post-disaster activities which can act as a useful guide for researchers, bureaucrats, and independent agencies in managing natural disasters. Design/methodology/approach -The role of local government and the capability requirement for this institution have been major concerns in disaster discourse, since local government plays the most active role during disasters. It is the local government's responsibility to protect the community from vulnerability and to reduce disaster impacts. This paper critically summarizes the views of researchers, academicians, and government bodies. The sources of information are articles, books, web sites, and government reports. Findings -In the critical stage of disaster management, the capability requirements in the mitigation stage are evaluation, monitoring, and dissemination, while in the preparedness stage, planning, exercise, and training are the important requirements in managing natural disasters. In the response stage, the capabilities required are need assessment, information exchange, and logistical expertise. At the last stage, which is recovery, expertise in damage assessment and debris removal and also disaster assistance skills are the capabilities most needed for local government bodies. Originality/value -This paper develops the capability needed by local government for managing natural disasters. The paper also delineates the role and obstacles of local government bodies dealing in pre-, during, and post-disaster stages. These capability requirements can be applied to natural disaster management in developing countries.

It has been recognized that there is a need for a cross-country analysis that can be used to identify the factors that contribute to the problems of state incapacity in South and Southeast Asian nations. In taking up this challenge, we explore selected initiatives of new public management (NPM) in the region to analyse cross-country variations. For this purpose we have chosen four South and Southeast Asian countries, namely: Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This article examines how the contextual factors. namely political history, party politics, macroeconomic considerations, state tradition, role of International Development Agencies (IDAs) and the state of civil society, influence the nature and the outcome NPM initiatives in these four countries. We argue that contextual factors played a determining role for which Singapore and Malaysia are relatively successful on their own terms compared to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which failed to achieve the expected benefits from NPM reforms. Points for practitioners It has been argued that there is a need for a cross-country analysis to identify the factors that contribute to the problems of public sector reforms in South and Southeast Asian nations. In taking up this challenge, we have explored selected initiatives of new public management (NPM) to analyse cross-country variations using four South and Southeast Asian countries, namely: Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We argue that unique country-specific contextual factors have played a determining role for which Singapore and Malaysia are relatively successful on their own terms compared to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in public management reforms.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss the local wisdom-based recovery model that has been applied in the Bantul district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia following the 2006 earthquake. This recovery model might appropriately be implemented in any type of local government in developing countries which have strong local culture characteristics. Design/methodology/approach -This research is an exploratory case study which concentrates on the Bantul district. Data were gathered in two categories: primary data and secondary data. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews. Secondary data were collected from related document such as articles, books, web sites or government and NGO reports. Findings -Bantul is a small district in the province of Yogyakarta Special region, Indonesia, and is known to be a highly urbanized area, poverty-stricken and lacking in funds, and with a limited capability to manage a disaster. However, the two years of recovery has resulted in "reimaging" this district as a well-planned area with a correctly targeted development strategy. The results of the recovery phase were satisfactory. The recovery efforts paid due respect to the high quality of existing local cultures and popular wisdom. Principally, it is the people themselves who should decide how to rebuild their houses. Local government has only provided assistance for earthquake-resistant houses and has supported basic housing needs. Originality/value -This paper presents lessons learnt from local government in a developing country in dealing with a recovery process based on local community wisdom.

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This paper examines local government capability in managing pre-, during and post-natural disaster in Indonesia. The case study is the Bantul local government which had experience in managing the 2006 earthquake. Bantul is located in the most densely populated area of Java, where 1,500 people per square km square, and the earthquake destroyed domestic industries that had become the main resource of the Bantul local government. The capability of local government and the requirement to manage a disaster are very important issues for exploring the important role of local government in mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery disaster management activities, particularly in regard to the characteristics of local government in developing countries. In this paper, capability of local government in managing a disaster is defined as a function of institutions, human resources, policy for effective implementation, financial, technical resources and leadership. The capability requirement of each stage of disaster management has also been explained from the point of view of state and non-state actors and institutions. Finally, the paper integrates the capability requirement and reality in order to bridge these gaps.

Governments in Australia increasingly rely on private sector service providers to improve efficiency in public service delivery and have entered into a range of business partnerships with those providers. This article considers the effectiveness of public-private partnership models used in delivering public services and suggests that some partnership initiatives have increased efficiency at the micro management level but have not been able to establish trust. The concept of public value, too, has not been used as a useful way of setting out public service goals. Other models have focused more on community participation in policy formulation and in building trust among the clients and the providers and these may point the way to the future of such initiatives. These tentative conclusions rest on an examination of two cases where partnerships have affected operating and management practices, Job Network and Best Value in Victorian Local Government.

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