Municipal Utilities and COVID-19: Challenges, Responses, and Collaboration
Municipal Utilities and COVID-19: Challenges, Responses, and Collaboration
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市政公用事业和 COVID-19：挑战、应对与合作
DOI：
10.1177/0275074020941711
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发表时间：
2020
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Lacey Hirschvogel
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
D. Switzer;Weijie Wang;Lacey Hirschvogel
COVID-19疫情对基本公共服务造成压力。虽然大部分经济已经关闭，但基本的公共服务仍在继续。我们利用专业经验、公开资料及对两位市政公用事业经理的访谈，评估COVID-19疫情对市政公用事业服务带来的挑战，并探讨公用事业对疫情的一些应对措施。具体而言，我们关注公用事业公司用于保护员工免受病毒侵害的策略以及劳动力短缺的计划。我们确定的一个重要战略是依赖互助协议，即公用事业公司同意在危机时期向其他公用事业公司派遣工作人员和设备。我们还探讨了市政公用事业协会在协调响应的作用。公用事业应对COVID-19的案例对公共行政实践和研究都具有重要的潜在影响。
The COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on essential public services. While much of the economy has been shut down, essential public services have continued. Using professional experience, publicly available information, and interviews with two municipal utility managers, we evaluate the challenges presented to municipal utility services by the COVID-19 pandemic and explore some of the responses by utilities to the pandemic. Specifically, we focus on the strategies utilities have used to keep employees safe from the virus and plans for workforce shortages. One important strategy we identify is reliance on mutual aid agreements, where utilities agree to send staff and equipment to other utilities in times of crisis. We also explore the role of a municipal utility association in coordinating response. The case of utility response to COVID-19 carries important potential implications for both public administration practice and research.