Showing papers on "Government published in 1990"

Multiparty Government: The Politics of Coalition in Europe

Abstract: The politics of coalition in Europe who plays the coalition game? what are the stakes? how do you win? who gets in? will it last? who gets what? coalitions in a constrained real world.

Administrative Reform in Public Management: Paradigms, Principles, Paradoxes and Pendulums

Abstract: The universal administrative reform movement in public management of the past two decades, as illustrated in the three articles on administrative reform in Britain, Australia and New Zealand which follow this article, has obviously been driven in large part by the requirement that governments respond to the fiscal stresses brought about by changes in the international economic system on the one hand and by the unrelenting demands for government services and regulations in national political systems on the other. These stresses have led to the paramountcy of policy responses aimed at budgetary restraint and at downsizing the public services of governments, as well as - various measures to privatize government operations and to deregulate private economic enterprises. Within the context of these developments, two major sets of ideas have come to influence the design of governance and management therein. They are not unrelated to the policy responses which have come to be characterized as ”neo-conservative,” but they have a separate identity. The first set of ideas, emanating from the school of thought known as public choice theory, focuses on the need to reestablish the primacy of representative government over bureaucracy. The second set of ideas, now generally referred to as the “managerialist” school of thought, focuses on the need to reestablish the primacy of managerial principles over bureaucracy. Taken together, they have had a profound impact on the ways in which governments are structured for the purposes of administering public affairs. Although the changes which have been introduced or proposed as a result of these two sets of ideas might be regarded as a ”return to the basics” of representative government and public administration, there is an important sense in which the fundamental prescriptions of the two proceed from quite different premises about what constitutes public management. The coupling of the two thus must inevitably give rise to tensions, if not outright contradictions, in the implementation of these ideas. At the same time it is clear that these tensions and contradictions are inherent in the governance of modern administrative states (Waldo 1984). It is not illogical, therefore, that governments should attempt to pursue the

Government Failures in Development

Abstract: This paper takes as a given the proposition that, in many developing countries, governmental policies have been highly distortive and harmful to economic growth. These policies have included omissions, such as neglect of infrastructure, and commission such as highly restrictive trade regimes and credit rationing. The issues arising from recognition that governments, like markets, are imperfect are discussed.

Coalitions and cabinet government

Abstract: The formal study of coalitions is active in Europe, whereas the formal study of political institutions preoccupies American scholars. We seek to integrate aspects of these two bodies of research. For nearly thirty years models of coalition government have focused more on coalition than on government. Thus, these theories are essentially extensions of the theory of voting in legislatures. Unlike passing a bill or “dividing a dollar,” however, forming a government is not the end of politics but the beginning. During the formation process, rational actors must entertain expectations of subsequent government behavior. We provide a model of rational expectations with an emphasis on the credibility of the policy promises of prospective government partners as determined by the allocation of portfolios in the new government. Portfolio allocation becomes the mechanism by which prospective coalitions make credible promises and so inform the expectations of rational agents in the coalition formation process.

On the interrelations between accounting and the state

Abstract: A concern with the interrelations between accounting and the state is integral recent studies of accounting change. Yet there has been little explicit attention to ways of thinking about the nature of the linkages themselves, and the concepts that might be used to analyse them. Approaches that rely on an implied exteriority between accounting and the state are argued to neglect these interrelations. The theoretical limitations of “functional” and “external factor” approaches are discussed as a way of highlighting the importance of these issues. A framework is proposed that differs from these models. This focuses on the relays, linkages and interdependecies between the practices and rationales of accounting on the one hand, and the state defined as a loosely assembled complex of rationales and practices of government on the other. The theoretical framework suggested centres on a distinction between two aspects of government. Firstly, the programmatic and abstract field or rationales, statements and claims that sets out the objects and objectives of government, and that is termed “political rationalities”. Secondly, the range of calculations, procedures and tools that materialize and visualize processes and activities, and that is termed “technologies”. Whilst distinct, these two aspects of government are linked in a relationships of reciprocity. The specific rationales that articulate political rationalities allow congruences to be established between the roles of accounting and the objectives of government. The ways of calculating and intervening provided by technologies enable domains to be operated upon and enrolled within programmes of government. This framework is illustrated by reference to innovations in accounting and other practices of government across the “Colbert period” of Louis XIV's reign, 1661–1683. This was a significant period of innovation for private enterprise accounting, and for a range of practices of government. It is through a particular rationale of “order” that these two distinct sets of practices are argued to have been aligned, and roles for accounting articulated. An examination of these issue is considered to demonstrate the importance of examining the interrelations of accounting and the state.

Industrial Policy In An Export-Propelled Economy: Lessons From South Korea's Experience

Abstract: Kr orea provides an illuminating case of state intervention to promote economic development. Like many other third world governments, Korea's government has selectively intervened to affect the allocation of resources among industrial activities. It has also used similar policies: taxes and subsidies, credit rationing, various kinds of licensing, and the creation of public enterprises, for example. But these policies have been applied in the context of a radically different development strategy, one of export-led industrialization. Moreover, Korea's economy has experienced exceptionally rapid development with relatively equitable distribution of the gains. This paper argues that the government's selective industrial policies have contributed importantly to Korea's rapid achievement of international competitiveness in a number of industries.' Though accepted by many knowledgeable observers, the conclusion is controversial. It is inherently so owing to insufficient historical information and lack of agreement about the required counterfactual. Reasons for believing that the benefits of selective intervention must have outweighed the costs also are considered. The discussion flags the policy implications of a Schumpeterian approach that views industrialization as a cascade of interlinked technological changes. The implications are no less controversial than is the interpretation of Korean experience.

MEASUREMENT OF HEALTH STATUS IN THE 1990s

Abstract: The use of health-related quality of life measures, especially those based on function, are likely to increase during the next decade. This increase, however, is most likely to occur in clinical research and clinical practice. Unless the necessary political will, resources, data, and policy researchers coexist, there will be relatively little advance in the use of health status measures for decision-making and policy. This prediction is based on the observation that policy research tends to rely on available national data, that currently these data provide limited information about health status, and that there appears to be insufficient interest and resources to broaden data collection or to develop methods that incorporate a broad spectrum of health outcomes (e.g. death, impairment, functional status, and perceptions) into a single instrument or measure of health on large populations and communities. This state of affairs is particularly unfortunate as we face a decade in which available health and medical care may become more limited and social inequity in access and health status may become more marked. The effect of social inequities and restrictions to health care on the health of the nation cannot continue to be determined with reference only to the structure and process of the health care system. Health and quality of life outcomes are what count. And, these outcomes cannot be determined without appropriate and inclusive measures of health-related quality of life. Of course, we hope our prediction is wrong and that the motivation and resources will be found to help resolve methodologic issues in the measurement of population health status and quality of life and to provide the necessary data. We hope that government agencies, employers, and private providers will begin to collect health-related quality of life data on the constituents and populations they serve. Even if these data are imperfect or primitive, the effects of improving accessibility and quality of health care can only be assessed adequately in terms of the health-related quality of life of the nation.

Parties and Democracy: Coalition Formation and Government Functioning in Twenty States

Abstract: 1. Explaining Democratic Government: Background Considerations 2. The General Theory of Party Government 3. Government Formation 4. The Distribution of Ministries 5. Party Influences on Government Policy 6. Government Termination: Causes and Effects 7. Parties Steering the State: Evaluation and Development of the Theory Appendix A: Party Factions and Cabinet Reshuffles Appendix B: Data: Sources and Preparation

Beyond Privatization: The Tools of Government Action

Abstract: Each tool the public sector uses to carry out its objectives has its own characteristics and consequences for program operations. Many problems attributed to poor management are really a consequence of the tool used. This book is must reading for those who seek to understand how public programs should be designed.

Satisfaction With Health Systems In Ten Nations

Abstract: Amid growing dissatisfaction with its health care system, the United States is increasingly looking abroad for insights into health system reform. In the Spring 1989 issue of Health Affairs, an analysis of a threenation survey of how Americans, Canadians, and Britons viewed the performance of their health care systems showed that, of citizens of the three countries, Americans expressed the greatest degree of dissatisfaction with their health system and Canadians the least. In addition, only Americans were so dissatisfied that they would consider adopting the type of health system found in another country. The majority of the public (61 percent) stated they would prefer the Canadian system of national health insurance, in which “the government pays most of the cost of care for everyone out of taxes, and the government sets all fees charged by doctors and hospitals” to the current U.S. system. A number of questions were raised about the results of this survey, including the following. (1) Were the findings of this three-nation survey replicable across multiple surveys and time periods, or were they a onetime, random result? (2) Are citizens of other industrialized countries as satisfied with their governments’ national health plans as Canadians or Britons are? Might not other nations with health systems similar to these have populations that are dissatisfied with their government-sponsored programs? (3) Were Canadians’ favorable attitudes toward their health system more a reflection of their optimistic and supportive views regarding their national institutions than an actual measure of their satisfaction with their universal health program? This DataWatch seeks to address these questions with recent findings from a number of international and domestic opinion surveys.

A Science of Generic Design : Managing Complexity Through Systems Design

Abstract: This text aims to simplify archaic, chaotic organisational structures by explaining how to analyse and design effective systems much needed in current government, business, industry, education, and other institutions of contemporary life. Important data and concepts are charted.

Universities and the future of America

Abstract: Since World War II, says the author, industrialized nations have come to depend so heavily on expert knowledge, scientific discovery, and highly trained personnel that universities have become "the central institution in postindustrial society." "If universities are so important to society and if ours are so superior, one might have thought that America would be flourishing in comparison to other industrialized countries of the world. Yet this is plainly not the case...Our economic position in the world has deteriorated [and] we have climbed to the top, or near the top, of all advanced countries in the percentage of population who live in poverty, commit crimes, become addicted to drugs, have illegitimate children, or are classified as functionally illiterate." In light of these results, "it is fair to ask whether our universities are doing all they can and should to help America surmount the obstacles that sap our economic strength and blight the lives of millions of our people." Having posed this question, Derek Bok reviews what science can do to bring about greater productivity, what professional schools can do to improve the effectiveness of corporations, government, and public education, and what all parts of the university are doing to help students acquire higher levels of ethical and social responsibility. He concludes that Universities are contributing much less than the should to help the nation address its most urgent social problems. "A century after the death of Cardinal Newman, many university officials and faculty members continue to feel ambivalent about deliberate efforts to address practical problems of society. And though competition drives university leaders and their faculties to unremitting effort, what competition rewards is chiefly success in fields that command academic prestige rather than success in responding to important social needs." Bok urges academic leaders, trustees, foundations, and government agencies to work together to help universities realign their priorities "so that they will be ready to make their full contribution when the nation turns its attention again to the broad agenda of reform...Observing our difficulties competing abroad, our millions of people in poverty, our drug-ridden communities, our disintegrating families, our ineffective schools, those who help to shape our universities have reason to ask whether they too have any time to lose. "

An awkward partner : Britain in the European Community

Abstract: Introduction. 1: The Background: Britain and Europe, 1945-1973. 2: The Heath Government, 1970-1974. 3: The Wilson Governments, 1974-1976. 4: The Callaghan Government, 1967-1979. 5: The Thatcher Governments, 1979-1984: Settling the Budgetary Dispute. 6: The Thatcher Governments after 1984: New Directions for the Community. 7: The Last Years of Thatcher Governments, 1989-1990. 8: The Major Governments. 9: Conclusion: Still Awkward after all this Time?

Citizen Satisfaction with Local Governance: A Test of Individual, Jurisdictional, and City-Specific Explanations

Abstract: What are the sources of citizen satisfaction with local government? Our answers to this question remain fragmentary due to limits in our tools of investigation which have not been well suited for disentangling individual- and jurisdictional-level determinants of citizens' evaluations and distinguishing these from city-specific effects. We employ a comparison group design to jointly assess three theoretical accounts of the source of satisfaction. The results point to a very understandable account of satisfaction with local government. On the individual's side of the relationship, we find an important role for local government efficacy and attachment to the local community. And on the government,s, our model points to what officials actually do for citizens: provision of some level and quality of services.

Inheritance Before Choice in Public policy

Abstract: When a group of politicians enters office, there is no choice: the inherited commitments of past government must be accepted as givens. The legacy that they inherit is carried forward by institutional commitments grounded in laws, organizations and budgets that are more important than the preferences of individuals. This paper first explains why this is so. The extent to which public policies are durable, that is, persisting from one administration or one decade to another, is tested in the second section, using public expenditure data for hundreds of programmes of British government over a period of 40 years since the end of the Second World War. The third section tests whether the introduction or termination of programmes tends to reflect party differences, changes in the economic climate, or differences between social programmes integral to the individual life-cycle as against those responding to market conditions. The conclusion shows how changes can occur as the unforeseeable consequences of programm...

Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It

Abstract: Organizations * Armies, Prisons, Schools * Organization Matters Operators * Circumstances * Beliefs * Interests * Culture Managers * Constraints * People * Compliance Executives * Turf * Strategies * Innovation Context * Congress * Presidents * Courts * National Differences Change * Problems * Rules * Markets * Bureaucracy and the Public Interest

After the Rights Revolution: Reconceiving the Regulatory State

Abstract: In the twentieth century, American society has experienced a "rights revolution": a commitment by the national government to promote a healthful environment, safe products, freedom from discrimination, and other rights unknown to the founding generation. This development has profoundly affected constitutional democracy by skewing the original understanding of checks and balances, federalism, and individual rights. Cass Sunstein tells us how it is possible to interpret and reform this regulatory state regime in a way that will enhance freedom and welfare while remaining faithful to constitutional commitments. Sunstein vigorously defends government regulation against Reaganite/Thatcherite attacks based on free-market economics and pre-New Deal principles of private right. Focusing on the important interests in clean air and water, a safe workplace, access to the air waves, and protection against discrimination, he shows that regulatory initiatives have proved far superior to an approach that relies solely on private enterprise. Sunstein grants that some regulatory regimes have failed and calls for reforms that would amount to an American perestroika: a restructuring that embraces the use of government to further democratic goals but that insists on the decentralization and productive potential of private markets. Sunstein also proposes a theory of interpretation that courts and administrative agencies could use to secure constitutional goals and to improve the operation of regulatory programs. From this theory he seeks to develop a set of principles that would synthesize the modern regulatory state with the basic premises of the American constitutional system. Teachers of law, policymakers and political scientists, economists and historians, and a general audience interested in rights, regulation, and government will find this book an essential addition to their libraries.

Stable governments and the allocation of policy portfolios

Abstract: Different members of coalition governments typically have responsibility for different aspects, or dimensions, of policy. Such responsibilities are allocated as portfolios to government members. Given a distribution of such portfolios, final government policy is derived as the accumulation of individual members' decisions in regard to their respective responsibilities. We develop a portfolio allocation model of government formation and policy decision in multiparty legislatures. In particular, we focus on stable portfolio allocations, where a stable allocation is one that yields a policy that no legislative coalition is willing or able to overturn. Several notions of stability are considered and related to the usual concept of the core. Among the results are that although stable allocations are not guaranteed, such allocations can exist with minority governments; and that final policy outcomes associated with stable governments need not be “centrist.“

Government export promotion : a global perspective

Abstract: 1. Government Export Promotion: An Overview 2. Export Promotion in the Developed World 3. Export Promotion in the Developing World 4. Legal Barriers to Government Export Promotion 5. Company Needs and Government Export Promotion Assistance 6. Measuring the Impact of Export Promotion 7. The Impact of Government Export Promotion Programmes: A Case Study 8. Government Export Promotion: Present and Future.

A price to pay, part 2: The impact of user charges in the Volta region of Ghana

Abstract: This paper looks at what happened in Ghana following increases in government health service charges in 1983 and 1985. A combination of analysis of records, interviews and discussion with community groups was used. Utilization in rural areas was affected drastically by the substantial increase of 1985. The effect on urban utilization was less extreme and less durable. The age composition of users changed. After the 1985 increase, proportionately more of the 15-45 age group used the government services—this was particularly at the expense of the over-45s. The population was obviously concerned with the cost of health care, but were even more concerned about the quality of care and receiving value-for-money. They were unwilling to pay if drug supplies were unreliable or staff behaved unpleasantly. Some problems were encountered with implementing the policy of charges. Many facilities did not spend the revenue to which they were entitled—an interesting point, as the existence of the skill to spend money is often tacitly assumed! Charges also had significant indirect resource consequences. Reduced utilization freed up staff time which should be used to provide other services, particularly preventive ones. This opportunity has not, as yet, been exploited. Fee revenue can be dangerously attractive, particularly if it is administratively more accessible than general government allocations. There is a danger that revenue collection becomes a disproportionately important evaluative criterion in a system which is, after all, ultimately intended to improve health status.

State politics in Zimbabwe

Abstract: Because of its wide coverage and acute analysis of issues, institutions, and interest groups, "State Politics in Zimbabwe" provides the best single source for understanding the politics of post-independence Zimbabwe. Jeffrey Herbst avoids the grand generalizations that characterize so much theorizing about African politics. Instead, and despite the tendency to depict African politics in a deinstitutionalized setting, he poses a series of questions of interest to political scientists and policy makers which focus on state institutions and yield testable propositions about state autonomy and allocation processes: Under what circumstances are interest groups able to influence government decisions to allocate resources? When are institutions or leaders relatively immune to popular pressures? What factors determine which part of the state will prevail in allocation decisions? How do the structure and relative influence of state institutions affect allocation? These general questions are addressed through seven specific case studies of decision-making in Zimbabwe which focus on: 1) the new black government's efforts to resettle black farmers on formerly white-owned land; 2) who received that land; 3) the setting of agricultural producer prices; 4) foreign investment policy; 5) the confrontation between the government and large mining transnationals; 6) the allocation of health care resources; and 7) the setting of wage levels. Material from the case studies informs broader analyses of the politics of racial accommodation, the interplay of ideology and pragmatism, the role of the ruling party, and the leadership of Robert Mugabe.

American science policy since World War II

Abstract: Just after the close of World War II, America's political and scientific leaders reached an informal consensus on how science could best serve the nation and how government might best support science. The consensus lasted a generation before it broke under the pressures created by the Vietnam War. Since then the nation has struggled to reestablish shared beliefs about the means and goals of science policy. In American Science Policy Since World War II, author Bruce L. R. Smith makes sense of the break between science and government and identifies the patterns on postwar science affairs. He explains that what might otherwise seem to be a miscellaneous set of separate episodes actually constituted a continuing debate of national importance that was closely linked to broad political and economic trends. Smith's precise and unique analysis gives both the scholar and historian a better understanding of where we are and how we got there while casting a modest light on future policy directions.

The politics of the administrative process

Abstract: Part 1 What government does, and how it does it: what government does - the functions of government, the tools of government. Part 2 Organizations and the role of government's structure: organization theory - foundations - the structural approach to large organizations, systems theory, the humanist challenge, the pluralist challenge, the challenge of third-party administration organization theory - strategies and tactics for administration reform - reform in America, conflicting theories, all the world's a stage the executive branch - executive branch components, direction of the executive branch organization problems - the search for effective organization, reorganization. Part 3 People in government organizations: the civil service - public employment, managing the system, position classification, staffing, pay, employee rights and obligations the higher public service - how elite is the elite?, the mix of political and career officials, political executives, the senior executive service, pay. Part 4 Government decisions - making and implementing them: decision making - basic problems, rational decision making, bargaining, participative decision making, public choice, limits on decision making budgeting - the role of the budget, budget making, budget appropriation, budget execution implementation - judging program success and failure, problems of performance, intergovernmental relations, contracting, the government's dilemma, the importance of feedback. Part 5 Administration in a democracy: legislative control of administration - the paradox of oversight, committee oversight of administration, the general accounting office, the legislative veto regulation and the courts - the regulatory task, regulatory procedure, courts' regulation of the regulators, presidential regulation of the regulators conclusion - bureaucratic accountability, ethics, the public service.

Managing Diversity in Public Sector Workforces

Abstract: Public and private sector workforces in the U.S. look very different today than they did even 25 years ago. The changes are having a significant effect on how organizations manage their workforces. The old styles of managing heterogeneous workforces are proving to be ineffectual, and so management strategies aimed at embracing diversity and inclusion are essential. These strategies can have positive implications for worker satisfaction, morale and – ultimately – the delivery of public services to the American people. Managing Diversity in Public Sector Workforces, Second Edition examines demographic changes to the U.S. labor force and workplace and the ways in which government employers are managing the diverse populations that now fill public sector jobs. Addressing specific management strategies and initiatives relied on by public sector employers, as well as the implications of effectively managing variegated workforces for the overall governance of American society, this book demonstrates the importance of ensuring that programs to promote inclusiveness and diversity that appear on paper are carried through to practice through implementation. The book begins with a review of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action and the extent to which EEO and AA are still relied upon in the workplace. It then examines law and other public policy issues surrounding EEO, AA and diversity management. The remainder of the book focuses on the core of managing diversity in the public sector, exploring the initiatives, strategies, and programs that government employers either do or might rely on to ensure that the demographic mosaic embodied by their workforces is prepared to meet the needs and interests of the American citizenry of the 21st century. Data are provided on the demographics of the federal, state and local government workforces. Separate chapters address each of the following aspects of diversity: race, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ employment, physical ability, and the intersection of these constructs. Managing Diversity in Public Sector Workforces, Second Edition will be of interest to students of public administration and public personnel management, and it is essential reading for all those involved in managing public organizations.

Procurement and public management : the fear of discretion and the quality of government performance

Abstract: Examining procurement and public management, this study shows how common sense is constantly perverted by the requirements of the bidding process.