Showing papers on "White paper published in 2003"

Rediscovering Civil Society: The European Union and the White Paper on Governance

Abstract: The concept of 'civil society' has been rediscovered in contemporary discourses concerning the relationship between democracy and governance. This paper analyses this rediscovery in the more specific context of the European Commission's 2001 White Paper on European Governance. However, processes of transnationalisation, governmentalisation and autonomisation may compromise much of the potential of 'European civil society' as an intermediating sphere of social action. By reinforcing these processes, the White Paper undermines the normative claims made for a civil society premised upon the voluntary nature of its associative forms and its distinctive open, communicative and deliberative rationality.

Our inheritance, our future: realising the potential of genetics in the NHS (DOH White Paper)

Abstract: Government White Paper: The shape of things to come. What are the implications for the NHS?

Time To Make Up Your Mind: Why Choosing Is Difficult.

Abstract: Summary For many years, the promotion of choice has been a core objective for virtually every service provider working to support people with learning disability. This is confirmed by the 2001 English White Paper Valuing People, A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, which describes choice as one of four key principles at the heart of the UK Government's proposals, and the 2000 review of learning disability services commissioned by the Scottish Executive, People Like Us, which places a similarly high priority on the creation of choice. The present paper gives an overview of our current understanding of the concept of choice. It concludes that our aspirations to promote choice for people with learning disability are undermined by conceptual confusion about the meaning of choice, inappropriate methods for helping people to make choices and an absence of applied research to guide practice in service settings. This review is designed to establish a conceptual framework for examining choice and empowerment for people with learning disability, and to describe the implications for future research and practice.

Technology White Paper

Abstract: Gone are the days when location was a feature only of interest to mobile operators. Industry trends towards fixed/mobile and private/public application convergence are transforming location into an all-round service enabler, which drives the usage rate of value-added applications across mobile, fixed, enterprise and vertical markets. Coordinating positioning requests from a common location server across public (mobile & fixed) and private access environments is seen as the most appropriate model to successfully address location-based services from a user-centric perspective in tomorrow's fixed/mobile converged world. This paper describes Alcatel's end-to-end location-based services architecture, and outlines the technical functionality behind the different positioning technologies supported.

Private Interest Representation or Civil Society Deliberation? A Contemporary Dilemma for European Union Governance

Abstract: The European Commission’s White Paper on Governance in July 2001 focused attention, in a rather preliminary manner, on the role that ‘civil society’ could and should play in the process of further democratizing decision-making in the European Union. ‘Civil society’ has itself been trying to make this point for some years in the European context and now seems to have acquired some institutional allies in that regard. The European Economic and Social Committee has in particular been very focused and vocal in recent years, maintaining that the institutional ‘home’ for civil society should be within its putatively deliberative and inclusive structures. This rather corporatist view of fitting increasing civil society interest and activity into the existing interest representation model of the EU, which is shared by the Commission, risks ignoring the much more political role that certain strands of civil society are seeking: namely a space in which deliberation can publicly take place on values and policies.

Public Health Intervention Research: the evidence

Abstract: This 30 page review examines what research exists in the public health areas outlined in the white paper Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation(OHN), which includes cancer, heart disease and smoking. The report finds that only a tiny fraction of the total public health research reported in bibliographic databases in the UK looks at interventions for the prevention and reduction of ill-health.

Designs on the urban: New Labour's urban renaissance and the spaces of citizenship

Abstract: The contours of the so-called 'urban renaissance' in British cities have been the subject of increasing amounts of critical attention from urban scholars. In particular, many have noted the exclusionary consequences of the renaissance for urban public spaces in revalorized city centres. In this paper, the authors ask whether New Labour's urban policy might also be opening up new political opportunities for progressive interventions in contests over the meaning of the urban. After considering the influence of New Labour's social liberalism in the recently released Urban White Paper, the authors identify key tensions within British urban policy and show how both the re-scaling of urban governance and the urban design process have emerged as key strategies to overcome these tensions. The emphasis on urban design, it is argued, is opening up a new public sphere through which visions of the 'good city' might be contested. The political possibilities of this emergent public require further empirical investigati...

White Paper on Pharmacy Technicians 2002: Needed Changes Can No Longer Wait:

Abstract: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003 ■ VOLUME 19 ■ J PHARM TECHNOL 23 The counting and pouring now often alleged to be the pharmacist’s chief occupation will in time be done by technicians and eventually by automation. The pharmacist of tomorrow will function by reason of what he knows, increasing the efficiency and safety of drug therapy and working as a specialist in his own right. It is in this direction that pharmaceutical education must evolve without delay. —Linwood F Tice DSc Dean, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (1966)1

The Attitudes of British National Health Service Managers and Clinicians Towards the Introduction of Benchmarking

Abstract: This paper describes an empirical study, conducted in three acute hospitals, of the attitudes of central managers, medical managers and clinicians towards the adoption of benchmarking. Benchmarking was portrayed in The New NHS White Paper (1997) as an important means of improving efficiency over the next decade. The present paper examines the context of change and nature of benchmarking. Findings are presented in seven sections including: the understanding which respondents had of benchmarking; their willingness to be involved in benchmarking; the existence of strategies and policies for implementing benchmarking; the relevance of existing costing information; and the role of networks in facilitating benchmarking. The study concludes that the process of change adopted contradicted most of the factors associated with creating receptivity to change. Also, that the publication of the National Reference Costs seemed to have more relevance to resource planning at central National Health Service Management Executive level, than to effecting improvements at operational level in acute hospitals.

The United Kingdom's Research Assessment Exercise: Impact on Institutions, Departments, Individuals

Abstract: UK universities are publicly funded to carry out teaching and research. Since the mid-1980s, the bulk of the research stream of institutional grants has been allocated on the basis of periodic research assessment exercises, the most recent of which was completed in 2001. The results of RAE2001 will influence institutional grants from 2002-03 onwards. This article explains the RAE system, discusses its advantages and drawbacks, outlines a framework within which it can be analysed, and examines some of the available evidence about the impact of the RAE. The article then concludes that the RAE system as presently operated has outlived its usefulness, and that it should be replaced by an allocation method based on the volume of research grants and contracts attracted to an institution. A short postscript updates the article to take into account the White Paper on higher education that was published in the United Kingdom in January 2003.

'Radical blueprint for social change'? Media representations of New Labour's policies on public health.

Abstract: For almost two decades prior to the election of the New Labour government in 1997, inequalities in health were largely absent from the political debate in Britain. New Labour sought to bring inequalities, and the role of poverty as a 'root cause' of ill-health, back on to the public agenda. This paper analyses four key documents (Green and White Papers) laying out their proposals for public health. We explore the shifting emphasis on health inequalities between the four official documents, and between the documents and their associated press release. The paper also analyses how this translated into media coverage. It identifies common themes across the press coverage - such as criticisms about lack of targets - but also shows how coverage varied (e.g. between UK 'national' and 'Scottish' press). Finally, the study highlights the crucial issue of political context and news timing, illustrating how the English White Paper was overshadowed by other health stories which formed the basis for attacks on the Labour government in general and the Health Minister in particular.

Towards an integrated information society policy in South Africa: an overview of political rhetoric and policy initiatives 1994-2000

Abstract: South Africa is considered one of the few developing countries that has fully embraced the concept of information society and has formulated and implemented policy inititives in order to change society accordingly. By 1995 the theme of the information society started to surface regularly in political discourse and policy documents. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and access to ICTs started to have prominence both in policy formulation and implementation. Although there was much talk about a Green Paper/White Paper process on the information society during 1996 and the beginning of 1997, such a policy process never materialised. To date, there is no document defining the government's view of the information society, no policy document outlining an integrated strategy to arrive there and no government department officially responsible for the coordination of policy initiatives. This article sets out to analyse the notion of the information society in South Africa and to analyse th...

The European Commission's White Paper strategy for a future chemicals policy : A review

Abstract: The European Commission has proposed a radical new policy for the regulation of chemicals in the EU in the form of a White Paper. The current system has separate regulatory provisions for "new" chemicals (introduced to the market since September 18, 1981) and "existing" chemicals (on the market before September 18,1981). The proposed future policy will have a single unified regulatory system for all chemicals, which should result in better regulation of chemicals in the EU single market. It will be better because risk assessments will be targeted at the chemicals of greatest concern. Furthermore, the system will be streamlined, making regulatory decisions faster, and thus reducing the so-called burden of the past (the large number of chemicals that have never been assessed for their risks to human health or the environment). The new system incorporates the precautionary principle, which will be applied where there is an early indication of unacceptable risk or where there is undue delay in the regulatory process. Moreover, the new strategy is intended to promote greater transparency for all stakeholders.

Regional development agencies and cluster strategies: engaging the knowledge-base in the North of England

Abstract: The Government's White Paper on Enterprise, Skills and Innovation (DTI and DfEE, 2001) requires Regional Development Agencies to develop their cluster strategies further, to include partnerships involving higher education. This paper examines these policy intentions in relation to northern England, and incorporates the results of in-depth interviews with policy-makers from RDAs, DTI, DfES and northern Government Offices. Early cluster development has evidently been influenced by existing sector development strategies and the need for inclusivity in regional partnerships. Clusters have been defined broadly, but engagement with universities has required greater focus on specific regional expertise. The authors question the merit of pursuing specialised clusters in isolation at a regional scale; more effective engagement at inter-regional level is suggested for developing effective cluster strategies.

European chemicals regulation and its effect on innovation: An assessment of the EU's White Paper on the strategy for a future chemicals policy

Abstract: In February 2001, the European Commission published its White Paper on a Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy. The publication launched a heated debate on principles, aims, instruments, implementation and management of future chemicals control in the European Communities. The White Paper came in the wake of massive criticism of current chemicals legislation. Various parties involved repeatedly expressed their concern about a tremendous lack of effectiveness. Furthermore, comparisons with other industrialized countries outside the EU indicated that the current regulatory framework actually discourages innovation in the European chemicals industry. This paper examines current European chemicals policy and main elements of the White Paper strategy with a special focus on the impact of chemicals regulation on innovation towards sustainability. The claim that chemicals regulation tends to block innovation is rejected for lack of conclusive proofs. In contrast, the paper reinforces the view that the White Paper strategy is an important step forward towards sustainability in the chemicals sector. However, with the aim to make it pay for companies to pursue environmentally orientated innovation strategies, supporting measures and instruments need to be developed further. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

Building a new paradigm: improving public health through transportation

Abstract: This feature describes the emerging active living movement, explains the potential health benefits that can result from a transportation system that supports walking and bicycling, articulates the role transportation professionals can play in improving public health and recommends what can be done to create and support an active transportation system. It identifies significant relationships between the built environment and travel choices, progress in building healthier communities and a need for better methods, data and improved multidisciplinary collaboration and decision-making. Following is a summary of a white paper presented at the ITE 2003 Technical Conference and Exhibit, held March 23‐26, 2003 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.

The importance of leadership in the development of an integrated team.

Abstract: Aim To provide a personal perspective on the role of leadership within the development of an integrated team Background The government white paper Valuing People recently proposed that collaborative working is essential in service delivery for people with a learning disability This has led to the development of the integrated team to respond the often complex needs of people with a learning disability Method A situational analysis is used to outline the history, and the changes within learning disability services The role of self, team development and leadership are then explored in achieving future change and objectives Conclusion Transformational skills are essential in the development of team working, however, understanding and commitment to the process of collaboration is required by all agencies and at all levels in order to implement change Nurses are placed in influential positions within the change process

Financing higher education: lessons from the UK debate

Abstract: Though directly an assessment of the 2003 White Paper on higher education in England and Wales, this paper offers analysis and strategic conclusions that apply to all advanced countries. After introductory discussion, successive sections weigh up current arrangements (generally unfavourably), assess the White Paper strategy (generally favourably), and discuss the follow-up actions necessary to ensure that the strategy works. A concluding section stresses political leadership, portrays two contrasting futures, and summarises broader lessons for policy design.

On the case? Dilemmas of collaborative research

Abstract: Concerns with 'relevance to the real world' are not new to geography, but have come to the fore recently. Debates examine the seemingly lower status of policy research, what Peck (1999) calls 'grey geography', within the discipline and the place of geographers within the policymaking hierarchy (see also Banks and Mackian 2000; Peck 2000; Pollard et al. 2000; Martin 2001). The UK Government is also interested in this issue. David Blunkett (2000), for example, referred to the increased potential for practical research to have a real impact (p. 3). Additionally, he commented that the dis semination of social scientists' research findings is most effective 'through direct user engagement in research projects' (Blunkett 2000, 7). Recent decades have seen a dramatic increase in col laborative research between academic researchers and non-academic organizations (Bell and Read 1998) which involves the end users, policymakers and practi tioners, throughout the process. There are a number of reasons for this, including the need for new sources of funding for higher education institutions, an increasing tendency for non-academic organizations to contract out research and the emphasis, following the 1993 White Paper Realising Our Potential, on relevant research (Bell and Read 1998, 6). In this climate of collaboration, the ESRC have for a number of years provided funding for collaborative ('CASE") research studentships. These are collaborations between a university department and a non-academic organiza tion (hereafter collaborating organization). They are designed to be of benefit to the collaborating organ ization2 and enable a student to complete a PhD. The collaborating organization provides a financial con tribution to both the university department and to the student as a 'top up' to a normal ESRC postgraduate award. There are a number of different types of collaborat ive research, including for example, contract research undertaken by a university for a non-academic body3 and collaborative research projects between academic institutions, with or without user involvement. In this short paper, however, we focus on the particular example of CASE doctoral research projects.4 It is possible that physical geographers involved in collaborative pro jects may have a contrasting perspective to contribute to the debate, but as social scientists our discussion is limited to our first hand experiences of projects in human geography. In raising these issues, we wish to start to address a gap in debates surrounding 'relevant' and policy research, about the experience of doctoral students. The ESRC itself is interested in stimulating discussion on collaborative practice for research students. It encourages networking between CASE students and has produced On the Case (Bell and Read 1998), which pro vides advice, based on a short study, for those involved in such projects. Here we will focus on the practicalities of undertaking this kind of work and discuss some of the issues we have encountered, not all of which were raised in the ESRC's paper. As Lees (1999) argues, col laborative research is not without its difficulties. No doubt some of the issues we will highlight may arise when undertaking any form of collaborative research examples in the literature show this (e.g. Fuller 1 999), and a number of dilemmas are common to qualitative research more generally. However, CASE collaborative

Indicators at the crossroads: Ideas, methods and applications

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the development of indicators, with an emphasis on the British urban and regional planning contexts. It then proposes some pointers to set the agenda for future research and development to move forward the development of indicators. The arguments and suggestions are illustrated with findings from a research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council on identifying indicators to measure local economic development potential, and the approach used to develop a town and city indicators database for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to monitor the performance of the Urban White Paper. The discussion focuses on five broad sets of issues, namely the linkage between theories, concepts and measurement in the development of indicators for urban and regional planning; the importance of policy contexts and values in indicator research; the role of social scientists in the process of indicator development; the use of indicators to inform policy decisions and the...

Decisions, Decisions. South Africa's foray into regional peace operations

Abstract: This paper first provides a brief overview of the most salient aspects of the White Paper on Peace Missions and then examines recent deployments of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in a peace support role, with specific reference to the decision-making process. The aim is to measure past practice against the policy guidelines for such deployment, and to suggest ways to close the gaps between policy and practice.

The Political Theory of the White Paper on Governance: Hidden and Fascinating

Abstract: The Commission White Paper on Governance presents thought-provoking proposals regarding several important issues facing the EU, ranging from improving the policy making and implementation processes to bolstering the Union’s international representation and visibility on the global arena. A striking feature of the White Paper is that the proposals are proclaimed without much attention to the complex weighing of alternatives premises and policy proposals that surely should inform such recommendations. In defence of this silence, such reflections were more visible in the preparatory stages, but were subdued during the process. The history and task of the Working Paper provides ample explanations of why principled arguments are absent. A more self-reflective and explicitly philosophical document would surely be politically unfeasible. It would also appear unnecessary, given the primary role of a White Paper of laying out concrete proposals for Community action. In light of its tasks, it would be a category mistake to assess the White Paper as a treaty of political philosophy. Surely it should not be rejected merely on the basis of what it does not address. Yet the implicit premises of the White Paper proposals merit close scrutiny. The proposals are charitably interpreted as resting on certain premises and models of politics and legitimacy – worrisome premises that should affect their assessment. The document appears to build on a conception of power, and on a conception of the Commission’s appropriate role and responsibilities that are fascinating – fascinating in the ambivalent sense of being terrifyingly interesting. The aim of these reflections is to argue that the White Paper rests on a model of politics and of legitimacy bursting with controversial premises. The implicit conceptions of power and legitimate authority are fascinating, begging for questions starting with Juvenal’s: “Who guards the guardian of the Treaties?” Such questions are left unasked – and unanswered. This is most evident concerning the appropriate role of the Commission within the future European political order. The Commission should serve as a dominant optimiser within the processes of multi-level governance involving political agents at various territorial levels, and between the Commission and private actors within networks. The Commission, and it alone, can find solutions without conflict. Only among Community institutions does the White Paper foresee conflict, in which case the Commission position should dominate those of the Council. The Commission alone reliably acts in the general European interest, which should dominate all other concerns. The Commission should enjoy broad executive discretion under broad legislation, and be free from detailed scrutiny. The following remarks identify several of the gaps in the White Paper proposals. A critical defence of other, more plausible views is required, but must wait for other occasions. The critical comments are structured according to five principles of good governance set out in the White Paper. However, as will become clear, this should not be taken as agreement to the Commission’s assumption that these five principles are exhaustive or uncontested.

Commercial fishing rights allocation in post-apartheid south africa: reconciling equity and stability

Abstract: The fundamental policy and regulatory framework for a post-apartheid dispensation to manage commercial fisheries in South Africa was put in place with the publication of the White Paper on Marine Fisheries Policy in 1997, and the enactment of the Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) in 1998. In order to achieve equity within the fishing industry, a way had to be found to address the under-representation of historically disadvantaged individuals or companies. This presented a massive challenge to a government department that was, at the time, ill-equipped to implement the MLRA. Inadequate administrative capacity in the department, together with major new responsibilities, resulted in a virtually permanent state of crisis management, which was complicated by a system of annual rights allocations. A strategy for building a rational, legally defensible and transparent allocation system that met critical transformation targets was initiated in 2000. The new, medium-term rights-allocation system contains a number...

Whatever Next? Education Policy and New Labour: The first four years, 1997-2001

Abstract: Book reviewed in this article: New Labour's Policies for Schools: Raising the Standard? Jim Docking (Ed.) Taking Education Really Seriously Michael Fielding (Ed.) Schools Achieving Success (White Paper) Department for Education And Skills The Learning Country (Paving Document) National Assembly For Wales

Police Forces in Mexico: A Profile

Abstract: This “white paper” simply defines the police forces of Mexico, describes police organizations and identifies some of their major challenges. Mexican police institutions are complex, multifarious and changing; as a result, function and jurisdiction emerge as two key ways to understand the police. The major challenges to making the police more efficient, effective and accountable are the lack of resources, poor training, corruption and increasingly severe crime problems. This paper is intended as a resource and is a work in progress; comments, corrections and updates are welcome.

The Preparation of the Governance White Paper

Abstract: The European Commission's White Paper on Governance initiated a Europe-wide debate about the principles and practices of good policymaking. This article, which draws from the author's work with the team that prepared the White Paper, provides a first-hand examination of how the document was produced. Following a discussion about the meaning of governance, the article focuses on the timeline of events, the consultation procedures, and some of the challenges (linguistic, practical, and political) that arose. It concludes by placing the governance debate in the context of the ongoing European Convention and 2004 IGC.