Civil service and public sector Books

Book SynopsisRisk assessment and risk management are essential across the public sector to improve processes and outcomes. However, there is little clarity over what this actually means. This lack of understanding leads to a wide variation in risk assessment and management practice and to miscommunications of risk across professions, creating further barriers to interprofessional practice and co-creation of value across the public sector. Despite these challenges, there is a concurrent expectation that risk assessment and risk management be carried out across the sector to the highest standard, which inevitably becomes problematic. Conceptualising Risk Assessment and Management across the Public Sector explores concepts and applications of risk across the public sector to aid risk professionals in establishing a clearer understanding of what risk assessment and management is, how they might be unified across the sector, and how and where deviations across professions are needed. This book addresses these issues through providing a theory-informed discussion on the conceptualisations of risk, risk assessment, and risk management across the public sector, and through identifying where shared values and where differences exist across professions. Guidance on interprofessional risk practice and risk communication to overcome barriers is offered using a combination of theoretically underpinned approaches and exemplars from practice, presented to have broad applicability across the public sector rather than being siloed within a specific professional grouping or theoretical paradigm.Table of ContentsChapter 1. What is Risk? Chapter 2. Risk Assessment: The Three Eras of Risk Assessment Chapter 3. Risk Management Chapter 4. Risk Communication Chapter 5. Impacting on Decision Making and Outcomes Chapter 6. Inter-Professional Risk Practice and Co-Creation of Value in the Public Sector Concluding Remarks

Read more less

Book SynopsisPublic Sector Leadership in Assessing and Addressing Risk explores risk management in practice, taking a specific focus on the identification of risks in the European public sector while contextualising its Eurocentric analysis within a global setting. The volume lays important groundwork for understanding the main philosophical premises of risk management. Navigating the text's philosophical underpinnings such as 'Risk Management is a misnomer', the editors provide deep insight into global, strategic, and operational risk management that will prove invaluable for any practitioner. Providing high quality academic research, ESFIRM provides a platform for authors to explore, analyse and discuss current and new financial models and theories, and engage with innovative research on an international scale.Table of ContentsSection One: Context Chapter 1. Our Complex World; Peter C. Young and Simon Grima Chapter 2. The Public Sector Environment; Peter C. Young Chapter 3. History and Current Context; Peter C. Young Chapter 4. Public Organisation Risk Management; Peter C. Young Section Two: Assessment and Analysis Chapter 5. Assessment and Analysis I; Peter C. Young Chapter 6. Assessment and Analysis II; Peter C. Young Chapter 7. Assessment and Analysis III; Peter C. Young Section Three: Tools, Applications, Responses Chapter 8. Methods, Tools, And Techniques: Adaptive Response Measures; Peter C. Young Chapter 9. Risk Financing; Peter C. Young Chapter 10. Insurance and Alternatives; Peter C. Young Section Four: Leading on and Managing in an Uncertain World Chapter 11. Making Decisions; Peter C. Young and Rebecca Dalli Gonzi Chapter 12. Making Risk Management Work; Peter C. Young

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis innovative book sheds light on two key questions at the forefront of government-nonprofit partnerships: How are nonprofits performing? And does the involvement of nonprofits in a public service add public value? International contributors approach these questions through the conceptual lens of the “hollow state”, highlighting the diminished role of government and the implications of the growing reliance on nonprofits in delivering public service. Through a set of empirical studies in public education, public health, urban sustainability, public parks and public social welfare services, chapters identify contributing factors to the success of nonprofits in mitigating public problems through performance measurement. Identifying challenges encountered by nonprofits in their roles as government partners, as well as the challenges posed to public organizations in generating nonprofit accountability, this insightful book takes stock of performance and public value of the hollow state. This methodologically-rigorous book is critical reading for scholars, researchers and students of public governance and public management, particularly those focusing on the long-term effects of the New Public Management. Its practical insights will also benefit policymakers, as well as managers of nonprofits interested in the implications of new partnerships with government bodies.Trade Review‘LeRoux and Wright artfully compile five distinct empirical cases of nonprofit performance and synthesize core themes using a cross-cutting framework grounded in public value creation. Their book is an exemplar of a triangulated approach to inquiry, drawing from both qualitative and quantitative insights to advance understanding of nonprofit performance.’ -- Stephanie Moulton, The Ohio State University, US‘This book – edited and authored by true specialists in the field – is a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, and graduate students in understanding and assessing performance across multiple subsectors. It is accessible, both theoretically and practically, in explaining fundamental, contemporary issues in nonprofit performance management.’ -- Jurgen Willems, Vienna University of Economics and Business, AustriaTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Assessing performance and public value in the hollow state 1 Kelly LeRoux and Nathaniel S. Wright 2. The challenge of nonprofit accountability and quality control in the urban hollow state: the case of public education 25 Michael R. Ford 3. Are outsourced public health services linked to better health outcomes? Findings from a national study of service contracting by local health departments 43 Tianshu Zhao and Kelly LeRoux 4. The role of community action agencies in facilitating successful sustainable development in American cities 64 Nathaniel S. Wright and Tony G. Reames 5. Bridging charitable support and public service performance: a preliminary analysis of large US city park systems 85 Yuan (Daniel) Cheng, Yu Shi, and Simon A. Andrew 6. Negotiating performance: the strategic responses of associations where people in poverty raise their voice 102 Peter Raeymaeckers and Pieter Cools 7. Reconceptualizing performance: filling the hollow state with public value 125 Kelly LeRoux and Nathaniel S. Wright Index 140

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis critical book focuses on two dominant reform agendas - managerialism and politicisation - to examine the condition of Anglophone countries after 40 years of reform to public sector management and governance. Comparing four countries using the Westminster system - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom - John Halligan explores the changes resulting from distinctive reform agendas, exposing performance shortfalls and unintended consequences, such as bureaucratisation. Offering a broad overview of the implementation and outcomes of key administrative developments, Halligan unpacks those traditions and conventions of governance in Anglophone countries that have been disrupted by unrestrained political executives, producing dramatic imbalances in management and governance systems. Judicious and incisive, this book will be crucial reading to postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students of public policy seeking an in-depth understanding of both historic and contemporary reforms to public management and governance. Halligan's comparative approach to public management systems will also benefit government practitioners and specialists working closely with governments.Trade Review'Reforms in Anglophone countries have influenced many countries around the world. This book, by one of the leading researchers in the field, discusses in a deep and comparative way research on the challenges of these reforms related to the long-term impact of managerialism and politicization on public governance.' --Tom Christensen, University of Oslo, Norway'Halligan's book comes at the end of a major cycle of public sector reforms, and announces a possible transformation of our politico-administrative systems as scenarios for the 21st century. His capacity to unpack the complexity of ''managerialism'', and ''politicisation'' is impressive. His focus on four Anglophone countries, as a coherent cluster, makes his analysis stronger than any other comparison. This is a ''must-read'' to understand the new tensions in our fast changing world, and how to handle these.' --Geert Bouckaert, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, BelgiumTable of ContentsContents: 1. Reforming Anglophone Public Management and Governance 2. Administrative Tradition and Westminster in Reform Era Governance 3. Politicising the Executive Branch: Changing Roles, Resources and Relationships 4. Ministers and Mandarins under Political Management 5. Management Dilemmas 6. Contradictions in Implementing Performance Management 7. Management and Bureaucracy in a Political Milieu 8. Coordination and Collaboration 9. Long Term Reform and Public Management Systems 10. Postscript: Directions for Change Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDue to the COVID-19 pandemic the entire world experienced a health, humanitarian, and economic crisis with no record in the present century, leading to the paralysis of activities by voluntary or mandatory quarantines. There is great uncertainty about how long the crisis will last and how recovery will be achieved, because of this paralysis and the contraction of demand, auguring a slow recovery. Research in Administrative Sciences under COVID-19 examines the context surrounding organizations in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Detailing various aspects related to companies and their competitiveness in the face of the global health crisis, chapters cover topics on intellectual capital, burnout (professional exhaustion), stress and technostress, as well as pandemic effects on the human capital of organizations. Developing upon the issues of Corporate Social Responsibility, E-commerce in times of COVID-19 and Design Thinking as a strategy for the economic reactivation of start-ups in Mexico, this volume is the result of research efforts carried out by 23 outstanding researchers from 12 Mexican and Latin American higher education institutions.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Mónica Lorena Sánchez Limón and María Luisa Saavedra García Part I: Companies and SMEs Chapter 1. The Systemic Competitiveness of Latin American MSMEs under COVID-19; María del Rosario Demuner Flores, María Luisa Saavedra García, and Elsa Esther Choy Zevallos Chapter 2. The Livelihood Business Contingency Approach to COVID-19; Arcelia Toledo López and Dora Lilia Guzmán Cruz Chapter 3. Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the top seven Mexican Exporting Companies; Héctor Alonso Olivares Aguayo, and Ana Laura Medina Conde Part II: Human Capital and Knowledge Management Chapter 4. Multi-case study of Knowledge Management at UNAM. Responses under COVID-19; María Guadalupe Calderón Martínez Chapter 5. The Impact of Burnout on University Workers’ Intention to Quit in Times of COVID-19; Mónica Lorena Sánchez Limón, Mariana Zerón Félix, and Oscar Galván Mendoza Chapter 6. Issues that Impact Academic Stress when Working Remotely under COVID-19: Scale Reliability; Sergio Madero Gómez and Oscar Eliud Ortíz Mendoza Chapter 7. Technostress in University Students as an Effect of the Coronavirus Pandemic; Julián Ferrer Guerra, Martha Ríos Manríquez, and Carlos Alberto Moncada Sierra Part III: Marketing and Business Strategies Chapter 8. The Influence of E-commerce on Consumption Habits under COVID-19 in the City of Durango, Mexico; José Gerardo Ignacio Gómez Romero, Francisco Martín Villarreal Solís, and Xochitl Escamilla Arango Chapter 9. Design Thinking as a Methodological Strategy for the Economic Reactivation of Start-ups in Mexico under COVID-19; Guillermo Flores Téllez, Jaime Garnica González, and Heriberto Niccolas Morales Chapter 10. Corporate Social Responsibility in the COVID era. An Exploratory Literature Review; Alan Francisco Rodríguez Jasso, Lucero de Jesús Rodríguez Jasso, and Arturo Briseño García

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrazil is a pioneer in the development of participation policies, with the most advanced banking systems in the world and a health system that serves the majority of a population scattered over more than 8.5 million square kilometres. However, Brazil also displays one of the highest rates of social and economic inequality worldwide, unable to fight illiteracy, school dropout, lack of basic sanitation, and unemployment. The Brazilian Way of Doing Public Administration is an accessible collaboration between scholars and practitioners rich with findings applicable worldwide, exploring Brazil’s government’s functioning at various points in recent history. Comprehensively presenting public management cases and theories in two sections – public management and public policy – the chapters provide scholars and practitioners with unique and previously underexplored insights and experiences. Exploring links between administrative systems and policy performance, The Brazilian Way of Doing Public Administration is a necessary book for practitioners, policymakers and researchers in management, public administration, business, and economics.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Brazil is Not for Beginners Chapter 1. Public Sector Planning; Alexandre A. Gomide and Leandro F. Couto Chapter 2. The Open Budget and its Actions: The Brazilian Case; Welles Matias de Abreu, Marcio Luiz Albuquerque Oliveira, and Ricardo Corrêa Gomes Chapter 3. Human Resource Management in the Brazilian Public Sector; Evelyn Levy and Fernando Coelho Chapter 4. Public Finance in Brazil; Josué Pellegrini e Felipe Salto Chapter 5. The Different Shades of Public Procurement in Brazil; Renato Fenili Chapter 6. The Silent Reform: digital governance as a strategy for state reform in Brazil; Fernando Filgueiras Chapter 7. Public-Private Partnerships; Sandro Cabral Chapter 8. Performance Management in the Brazilian Public Administration; Humberto Falcão Martins, Ricardo Corrêa Gomes, and Renata Vilhena Chapter 9. Social Assistance Policy in Brazil After the Federal Constitution of 1988; Natália Guimarães Duarte Sátyro, Eleonora Schettini Martins Cunha, Isabela de Vasconcelos Teixeira, and Kelly Cordeiro dos Santos Chapter 10. Transformations in Brazilian Education from the COVID 19 Crisis; Claudia Costin Chapter 11. The Brazilian Contemporary Industrial Policy: Facts, Fallacies, and Controversies; Mauro Borges Lemos and Hamilton Ferreira Jr. Chapter 12. Environmental Perspectives in Brazil; Fabio Feldmann and Izabella Teixeira Chapter 13. The Healthcare System in Brazil: a primary care approach; Andreza Davidian and Elize Massard da Fonseca Chapter 14. State, Public Policies and Financial Inclusion; Lauro Gonzalez, Erika Lisboa, and Ettore Oriol Chapter 15. Public Policies in Innovation: Government funding S&T through a Federal Agency; Cristina Castro-Lucas, Erika Lisboa, Leopoldo Gomes Muraro, and Alerino Silva Filho Chapter 16. Public Policy Formulation in Brazil: experimentation of policy analysis to combine graduate teaching, research, and outreach; Leonardo Secchi, Luiz Filipe Goldfeder Reinecke, and Willian Carlos Narzetti Chapter 17. Public Policy Implementation in a Context of Extreme Inequality: between universalist ambitions and practical selectivity; Gabriela Lotta e Roberto Pires Chapter 18. Evaluating Public Policies and Programmes: an introduction to evaluation concepts, instruments and criteria; Paulo de Martino Jannuzzi Chapter 19. Mediations in the Interaction of Public Policies with their Implementation; Francisco Gaetani

Read more less

Book SynopsisAt last – a textbook on the public sector for students of social policy, public policy, political science and sociology. This book explains why we have a public sector and what tasks it is expected to perform.Bent Greve presents the key strengths and weaknesses of the public sector in modern European societies in a clear and straightforward fashion. He also highlights the new challenges the sector faces, including changes in global development, demography and technology.Public and private sectors are highly interdependent and Greve explores this relationship and the consequences of choosing different public expenditures and financing. He addresses differences across affluent European economies and demonstrates how countries can develop society as desired whilst ensuring that their economies remain resilient to external crises, such as the financial crisis of 2008 or the Covid-19 pandemic.Highly accessible and informative, this book will be a valuable resource for lecturers and students of social policy, public policy, political science and economic sociology. It is also essential reading for students of public sector management and administration who need to understand the fundamentals of public sector economics and political economy. Its novel interpretation of the broader role of the public sector will also be beneficial for practitioners and policy makers.Trade Review‘Recent years have witnessed the “Return of the State” after decades of spreading neo-liberalism and market ideology. Bent Greve’s book is a very well written text able to capture the old and new roles of the public sector in contemporary societies. It provides interesting and valuable insights both for scholars and students into how the relationship between the state, the market and society has been evolving and the present and future challenges.’ -- Emmanuele Pavolini, University of Macerata, Italy‘What is the public sector? Why is public spending necessary, and how is it funded and managed? Greve offers a clear, non-ideological account of the nature of the public sector in developed economies. His analysis of the complex connections between public and private, state and market, provides readers with a timely guide to this most fundamental of all relationships in the public sphere.’ -- Nick Ellison, University of York, UK‘This book is an excellent guide for students and professionals in public and social policy, helping them to understand the economic issues in policy making. The key concepts in public sector economics are clearly presented, with explanations of current debates and references to the most recent literature. The multiple economic and social effects of public sector and welfare state measures, and their mutual relationships are also well explained. Bent Greve illuminates the conceptual debate with compelling empirical illustrations which spark and maintain the interest of the reader. Last, but not the least, Greve accentuates new important topics not commonly included in textbooks: the social investment perspective and the consequences of this for policy making, international influences on national public sector economics (including EMU), and current developmental challenges for the public sector such as societal ageing, external shocks on economies and technological change.’ -- Tomáš Sirovátka, Masaryk University, CzechiaTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. The role of the public sector 2. Allocation, distribution and stabilization 3. Market failure and other reasons for public interventions 4. Size of the public sector 5. Taxation and impact on societies 6. Fiscal policy – what works what does not work 7. Steering of the public sector economy 8. In-cash benefits – the role of the public sector 9. In-kind benefits – the service of the public sector 10. International influence, including the Economic and Monetary Union 11. A social investment perspective on public sector spending 12. Challenges for the public sector – a few concluding remarks Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTruth and power have a difficult relationship. Decision makers are often required to make judgements that depend upon specialized knowledge and thus reluctantly surrender power. They are apt to reject advice inconsistent with their perceived interests, experiences and cognitive capacities. Speaking Truth to Power aims to guide the reader through the tangled relationship between truth and power, manifesting as the interplay between experts and decision-makers in society.Through a combination of careful observation and original analysis, the authors draw out the incentives and tensions that drive the relationship between these actors. They review some of the history of expertise, consider the values of experts and decision-makers, and analyze what has succeeded and what has failed as truth and power have worked together and against one another, primarily in the U.S. but also drawing on international examples. Policymaking professionals, academic experts interested in evidence-based policymaking and graduate and undergraduate students in public policy, government, or political science will value this assessment of truth and power.Trade Review‘Ginsberg and Paschall, two experts in their own right, have produced a provocative book about the role of expertise in politics and policy-making. Amidst a host of illuminating examples and serious arguments, a core insight leaps out at the reader – that expertise is both a “counterweight to power” and a “weapon for the powerful”.’ -- Kenneth A. Shepsle, Harvard University, USTable of ContentsContents: 1. Becoming expert on experts 2. Experts in the 21st century: Cassandras in the modern Troy 3. Crisis and decision-making 4. Speaking truth to bureaucracies 5. The truth is, using power is fraught with risk 6. Expertise and political conflict: a macroscopic view 7. Convincing the powerful of the truth Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisGrounded in the awareness that many public sector inefficiencies remain unsolved, Identity in the Public Sector presents a critical consideration of the interplay between public sector reforms and organizational changes across a variety of levels. Framing this issue and its importance within organizational and management studies, Andrea Tomo considers how organizational change is translated and experienced at the individual level, exposing why public employees often resist such projects. Building upon related literature for a better understanding and management of complex organizational change initiatives in the public sector, Tomo provides a more integrated picture of individual identity, emphasising the influence of cultural and context-specific factors, as well as their importance in policy-making processes, particularly their potential for improving the effectiveness of public administration. Offering insights for public management into a murky, often complex research area, Identity in the Public Sector provides a new theoretical and practical approach for the analysis and interpretation of the intersection between identity and public enterprises and services.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Challenging identity issues in the public sector: opportunity or threat? Chapter 2. A mapping of “identity in the public sector”: dealing with context, organizational and individual dimensions Chapter 3. Public employees and remote working: making sense of identity and the (new) workplace Conclusions

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhy do some policies succeed so well while others, in the same sector or country, fail dramatically? The aim of this book is to answer this question and provide systematic research on the nature, sources and consequences of policy failure. The expert contributors analyse and evaluate the success and failure of four policy areas (Steel, Health Care, Finance, HIV and the Blood Supply) in six European countries, namely France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain and Sweden. The book is therefore able to compare success and failure across countries as well as policy areas, enabling a test of a variety of theoretical assumptions about policy making and government. The book also sheds more light on the legitimacy of governance in Western Europe and goes beyond understanding the concepts of success and failure to explaining their genesis empirically.Success and Failure in Public Governance will be of interest to academics and researchers of political science, public policy and public administration as well as to practitioners of public policy.Trade Review'Success and Failure in Public Governance fills a void . . . This valuable book should . . . prompt research that moves away from the present, somewhat static, institutional analysis toward studies that focus on political actors and their crafting of strategies that more or less successfully meet policy challenges that always contain a poisonous mixture of programmatic and political problems, given the prevailing political and institutional constraints.' -- Jorgen Gronnegaard Christensen, Journal of Public Administration Research and TheoryTable of ContentsContents: Foreword Part I: Evaluating and Explaining Public Governance: General Introduction Part II: Managing Decline: Public Policy and the Steel Sector Part III: Managing Reform: Public Policy and the Health Sector Part IV: Managing Innovation: Public Policy and the Financial Sector Part V: Managing Crisis: HIV and Blood Supply Part VI: Comparisons, Conclusions, Reflections Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides the first comprehensive comparative analysis of the emerging civil service systems in 9 Central and East European states. Its comparative nature provides a fascinating insight into the emerging patterns of administrative development in the region since the beginning of the transition period. The authors apply the same methodological framework developed by the Civil Service Research Consortium to all the country case studies, which gives the book a high level of coherence and enhances the comparability of the country case studies. This methodological framework provides a solid background for the in-depth analysis of the history of the civil service system, internal labour market, public opinion, relations between politicians and administrators and civil service reform and development. Special attention is given to topical issues such as the influence of the European Union on the emerging civil service systems and possibility of European Union candidature.Civil Service Systems in Central and Eastern Europe will be warmly welcomed by academics and advanced level students in public administration, law, political science and transition studies as well as policymakers and international organizations helping to develop civil services in former communist countries.Table of ContentsContents: 1. Context and Structure Part I: The Russian Federation and Yugoslavia 2. A Decade of Transition Over 3. The Russian Civil Service 4. The Civil Service of Yugoslavia Part II: EU Candidate States I: Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic 5. Civil Service Systems in EU Candidate States 6. The Civil Service of Bulgaria 7. The Civil Service System of Hungary 8. The National Civil Service System in Poland 9. The Civil Service System of the Slovak Republic Part III: EU Candidate States II: The Baltic States 10. The Civil Service Reform in the Baltics 11. The Civil Service in the Republic of Estonia 12. Latvia 13. Lithuania Part IV: Conclusions 14. Conclusions Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBeyond the New Public Management is an important book which provides a comprehensive analysis of current conceptual debates in public management and governance; and critically reviews attempts made over the last two decades to apply the 'new public management' model in developed and developing countries.The book brings together a number of outstanding specialists who examine the range of ideas and concepts of the new models of reform, paying particular attention to the 'new public management' model and to strategies of good governance. It evaluates progress made by governments and aid donors in putting these ideas into practice. Using case studies from both the developed and developing world, it emphasises the extent to which public management and governance reforms are being applied throughout the international arena. The examples used focus on the problems of policy and institutional transfers between the industrialised world and developing countries. Multidisciplinary in its approach, the book draws on literature and research from management studies, political science, sociology, economics and development studies; and points to issues likely to dominate the future research agenda.This thoughtful and wide-ranging book will be essential reading for academics, students and practitioners of public management, public policy, governance and development.Trade Review'This book constitutes an effort to address what can be learned from the recent experiences to adopt new public management ideas in the context of developing countries. It is well worth reading for this reason alone.' -- Peter Aucoin, Canadian Public AdministrationTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction: The Analysis of Public Management and Governance Part I: Changing Ideas about Public Management and Governance 2. Changing the State 3. Policy Transfer 4. The New Public Management and Policy Transfer 5. Public Management for Social Inclusion 6. Towards Synergy in Social Provision 7. Public Management 8. Professionalism, Participation and the Public Good Part II: Changing Institutions and Practices in Public Management and Governance 9. Civil Service Reforms 10. Civil Service Reform Equals Retrenchment? 11. Management Decentralization in Practice 12. Private Markets, Public Identities, Management and Tertiary Education in Contemporary Vietnam 13. Civil Society and Social Provision 14. Central–Local Relations in the Asia–Pacific 15. Public Service, Complex Emergencies and the Humanitarian Imperative 16. Conclusions

Read more less

Book SynopsisInternationalization and demands for more democratic influence at the local level have undermined the traditional methods of policy analysis. This path-breaking book is an institutional analysis of the new networks in public governance. Traditional policy analysis takes as its starting point national legislation and then traces the public policy process through the hierarchical chain of agencies which implement directives. In this book, Peter Bogason takes a postmodern approach which recognizes increasing fragmentation within institutional organizations, and offers an alternative 'bottom-up' approach to the analysis of local governance. He discusses collective action at the local level and describes how it is linked to the public sector through the need for financial, expert and legal resources, and thereby creates a link where 'public action' becomes 'public policy'. The analysis disregards which agencies have formal responsibilities for action and instead focuses on who actually makes public policy, regardless of formal status - public or private, international, central or local.This book will prove interesting reading for all students and scholars of public policy and public administration, as well as political scientists.Trade Review'Public Policy and Local Governance is an interesting and generally well-written book (this is no minor accomplishment given the sophistication of the argument and the fact that English is not Bogason's mother-tongue). Bogason engages a wide range of disciplines in his examination, including policy science, public administration, political philosophy, sociology, economics, and cultural theory - to name a few - and uses his enviable knowledge to produce an erudite, well-rounded argument for his suggested approach to public policy analysis. These features combine with others (including a substantial bibliography and a helpful index) to offer a thoughtful study that makes a useful contribution to the existing literature.' -- Shaun P. Young, Canadian Public Administration'This is a well-argued book.' -- Local Government StudiesTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Introduction 2. Modernity, Postmodern Conditions and the Public Power 3. Collective Action in Networks 4. Institutional Theory 5. Institutional Network Analysis Bottom-up 6. Constructing Research Bottom-up 7. Conclusion References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis unique book offers a comprehensive survey of the privatization and deregulation of the public sector in a number of important developed and developing economies. The first part examines the privatization and deregulation process in Japan, Korea, India, Latin America, the US and the UK. The authors examine the costs and benefits in each country and describe the private initiatives and ongoing government intervention in the new markets. Wide country coverage allows readers to compare and contrast the different regimes in each country, particularly in the less studied Asian and Indian regions. The authors also describe the regime in the US and UK, the forerunners of privatization initiatives, from which useful policy lessons can be learnt in terms of ownership, price setting, universal service and welfare implications. The second part offers sector surveys from important industries, including telecommunications in Japan, India and Latin America, electricity in the UK and US, and the banking sector in Japan.Privatization, Deregulation and Economic Efficiency will be useful supplementary reading for scholars and students of the theory and practice of public economics, as well as for governments and NGOs interested in the policy implications of the privatization and deregulation process.Table of ContentsContents: Introduction Part I: Country Survey 1. Privatization and Deregulation: The Case of Japan 2. A Review of Korea’s Economic Deregulation Policy 3. A Survey of Deregulation in Indian Industry 4. Economic Reform in Latin America: An Assessment 5. A Survey of the Liberalization of Public Enterprises in the UK since 1979 6. Experience in US Regulation and Deregulation Part II: Sector Survey 7. Deregulation in the Japanese Telecommunications Market: New Regulatory Schemes 8. Deregulation and Reforms in India’s Telecommunications Industry 9. Privatization and Regulatory Reforms in Latin American Telecommunications 10. Deregulation of the UK Electricity Supply Industry: 1989–98 11. Lessons in US Electricity Market Reform 12. Financial Liberalization, Deregulation and Monitoring in Japan Conclusion Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe book is the first of its kind to attempt to deal with the economics of pensions and ageing on the basis of a rigorous theoretical framework alternative to neoclassical economics.Sergio Cesaratto breaks the dominant conformism in the current pension debate and explains that the strength of the various reforms proposed depends on the validity of the economic theories on which they are respectively based. He also illustrates the relevance of the Sraffian criticism to undermine the theoretical core of the mainstream proposals.Academics and practitioners interested in the pension debate, welfare state, income distribution and institutions will find Pension Reform and Economic Theory of great interest, as will demographers, political scientists and mainstream economists open to dissenting views in economic analysis and interested in understanding the economic foundations of pension reform proposals.Trade Review'. . . reading it broadens one's mind and makes one realise that economic theory is not finished but still in development; the current move toward using insights from other disciplines is a good example. The real challenge would be to find a way to synthesize the classical and neo-classical approach. In that respect, the book succeeds in providing thoughts and ideas for further research.''This book is a scholarly treatise that illuminates the precepts of neoclassical economics and pensions which orthodox pension economists tend to take largely for granted, and it challenges readers to examine other possible interpretations. . . a well-marked and easy-to-follow pathway into the economics of pensions. . . both newcomers and specialists will find it worth their time to read this book.' -- Journal of Pension Economics and FinanceTable of ContentsContents: Introduction 1. Alternative Views of PAYG as a Social Institution 2. Re-engineering PAYG: The Controversy over the Notional Defined Contribution Reforms 3. The Conventional Interpretation of a Fully-Funded Scheme and Capital Theory 4. The Transition from PAYG to FF Schemes 5. The Controversy over the Social Security Surplus 6. The Classical-Keynesian Macroeconomics of Pension Reform in Closed and Open Economies 7. Classical and Neoclassical Perspectives on the Welfare State and Pensions 8. The Viability of an Ageing Society: A Classical Exploration 9. Summary of the Main Arguments References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisAccording to conventional wisdom, public ownership of industry in post-war Britain led, invariably, to under-performance. This book casts doubt upon this view by showing that, as far as the labour productivity record of the expanding state-owned industries is concerned, this was clearly not the case.The book compares the 1954-79 labour productivity record of 5 expanding public sector industries to that of 24 expanding, capital intensive, mass-production industries in the British private sector. The author shows that the public sector industries' labour productivity growth was significantly faster than that of the private sector industries. Strikingly, he also finds that the state-owned industries were narrowing their productivity gap with their US counterparts at a significantly faster rate than the private sector industries. Dr Iordanoglou concludes that it is possible that public ownership had - in the historical period investigated - a long-term positive effect on these industries.This book will be of great interest to scholars of industrial economics, public sector economics and economic history.Trade Review'Iordanoglou has carried out a very significant piece of work. His basic idea of comparing the growth rate of productivity in the public and private sectors over a 25-year period provides a very useful method of approaching the bigger question of the relative efficiency of public enterprise . . . The book deserves wide distribution.' -- John Calvert, Labour / Le Travail'The merits of the work include a critical examination of the conventional wisdom that British nationalised companies 'failed' and the rejection of this standard view; the use of a highly original method, based on historical evidence, to examine the productivity performance of British industries; scrupulous treatment of the industrial statistics and a quite exemplary, path-breaking, approach to international productivity comparisons; a theory of industrial performance which makes full use of the latest theory, while situating industries in their social and political context.' -- John Grahl, University of North London, UKTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction 2. Selection of the Sample 3. The Intertemporal Labour Productivity Comparisons 4. US–UK Labour Productivity Comparisons 5. Questions of Interpretation Appendices: A. Selection of the Sample: Technical Background B. Measurement of the Intertemporal Output Indices C. Measurement of the Employment Indices D. International Labour Productivity Comparisons Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis extensive book critically examines and contrasts the civil service systems of eight diverse Asian countries; Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Laos, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand, using a common comparative framework. The authors compare the civil service systems in each country discussing several factors including historical development, internal labour markets, degree of representativeness, level of politicization, the effect of public opinion, the impact of reform and diffusion and their place in two popular configurations of civil service systems.The authors go on to demonstrate the utility of comparative research by analysing the findings of the country studies and comparing the Asian countries against each other and the Asian experience as a whole against that of the West. They discover that there are considerable differences between the Asian civil service systems, illustrated by the degree to which political parties penetrate the civil service and the extent to which government agencies act as employers of last resort. Other conclusions drawn highlight the fact that in spite of many similarities, there are also sizeable differences between Asian and Western civil services, including a lack of political neutrality in many Asian countries.Civil Service Systems in Asia will be of great interest and value to academics and advanced level students in public administration, law, political science and Asian studies.Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Asian Civil Service Systems in Comparative Perspective 2. The Civil Service System of Bangladesh 3. The Civil Service System of China: The Impact of the Environment 4. The National Civil Service System of India: A Critical View 5. A Comparative Study of the Japanese Civil Service System 6. Laos: Civil Service System in a Transitional Economy 7. The National Civil Service System of the Philippines 8. The South Korean Civil Service System 9. Thailand: Bureaucracy Under Coalition Governments Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisCivil Service Systems in Anglo-American Countries presents a comprehensive overview of the important issues in modern bureaucracies, combined with a comparative analysis of the civil service systems and administrative traditions of five Anglo-American nations: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States.In each chapter, expert contributors undertake a systematic analysis of each country's civil service from three broad perspectives: external relations, internal constituent features and patterns of change. By employing a comparative framework in conjunction with empirical research, they are able to emphasise the specific nature, characteristics and development of each civil service system. They also highlight the historical developments and reforms associated with the Anglo-American model, which are often highly distinctive compared with other OECD nations. The book concludes with a systematic comparison of each civil service system, attempting to find parallels and variations between them.Scholars and students of public administration, political science and international affairs will value this unique comparative study of the civil service traditions of Anglo-American countries.Table of ContentsContents: 1. Anglo-American Civil Service Systems: An Overview 2. Administrative Traditions and the Anglo-American Democracies 3. The Civil Service in Britain: A Case Study in Path Dependency 4. The Australian Public Service: Redefining Boundaries 5. The New Zealand Public Service: National Identity and International Reform 6. The Canadian Public Service: Balancing Values and Management 7. Civil Service and Administrative Reform in the United States 8. Anglo-American Civil Service Systems: Comparative Perspectives Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisCivil services in Western liberal democracies have undergone significant changes since the early 1980s, so much so that many of the traditional assumptions underpinning their role and operating practices have been fundamentally questioned. This volume explores a number of themes inherent in this transformation process and the significant problems encountered in modernizing civil services.The commitment to modernizing public services has been a constant trend of Western governments and has encompassed many approaches under a variety of labels, such as new public management and reinventing government. As a result of such developments, the public services of many countries have been transformed, with civil services being singled out for particular attention. This book critically examines the application of the modernization agenda in the old Commonwealth, the USA and Western Europe, including the institutions of the EU. Particular attention is given to developments in the British civil service, including the implications of devolved government, human rights legislation, and the Blair government's attempts to improve the policy process. For students and academics of public administration, public policy and comparative politics, this book will provide unrivalled coverage of one of the most critical issues in contemporary public management and policy.Trade Review'The chapters in Modernizing Civil Services, read collectively, provide an interesting overview of some of the major themes in public administration today. . . Modernizing Civil Services will be of interest to a wide range of students of public administration in booth the practitioner and academic domains.' -- Phil Charko, Canadian Public Administration'This is an excellent collection of papers examining the dimensions of change in contemporary civil service systems. It is especially valuable in linking changes in the civil service with other changes in governing.' -- B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Modernizing Civil Services: An Era of Reform 2. Localism and Exceptionalism: Comparing Public Sector Reforms in European and Westminster Systems 3. Protecting Liberty and Benefiting Society: Can Market-based Administrative Reforms and Market-based Political Institutions Effectively Co-exist in the US? 4. Modernization as Europeanization: The Impact of the European Union on Public Administration 5. Executive Agencies and ‘Modernizing Government’ 6. Devolution, Integration and Modernization in the United Kingdom Civil Service 7. Modernization and Civil Service Accountability: The Case of Scottish Devolution 8. Implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 in the Lord Chancellor’s Department 9. Modernizing Policy-making for the Twenty-first Century: The Professional Model 10. Civil Society, Virtue, Trust: Implications for the Public Service Ethos in the Age of Modernity References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisCitizenship and Management in Public Administration is an exciting journey into the nexus between two separate but close worlds: citizenship orientations and citizenship behavior as reflected in political science theory on one hand, and organizational sciences, work studies, management, and public administration on the other. The authors have combined theoretical thinking with empirical findings to support their theories, and the data presented has been collected over almost a decade of field studies and surveys of public organizations.Dealing with the nature and meaning of citizenship, this book looks at behavior and involvement in modern public worksites. The interdisciplinary studies are all concerned with achieving better integration of the theories and ideas on citizenship and bureaucracies, which are more frequently treated as independent domains in the social sciences. However, the authors suggest that they are closely related and should be analyzed in relation to one another. This unique book will appeal to academics of management and organizational behavior, public administration and those involved in researching the not-for-profit, or third, sector.Trade Review'This book is extremely valuable for public administration scholars who are interested in public management, organizational behavior, and organizational theories. . . The chapters are intellectually simulating to read because they pull together different literatures in very effective ways.' -- Kaifeng Yang, Public Management Review'. . . this work makes an important contribution. It offers an expanded view of citizens and citizenship that is theoretically informed and empirically grounded. It probes the perspectives of citizen-workers and reveals the basis for and scope of their activities, in particular presenting a compelling explanation of the citizens' inclinations toward participation, their actual involvement, and resulting work outcomes. This combination of managerial decision-making and citizen participation is captivating, and generates a worthwhile and accessible analysis that also helps to fill a prominent gap in the public management and political science literatures. Managers, researchers, and teachers alike will value this book.' -- Amy K. Donahue, Local Government StudiesTable of ContentsContents: Preface Part I: Theoretical and Conceptual Framework of Citizenship and Work in Public Administration Foreword 1. Citizenship Behavior and the New Managerialism: A Theoretical Framework and Challenge for Governance 2. From Responsiveness to Collaboration: Governance, Citizens, and the Next Generation of Public Administration Part II: Citizenship Involvement and the Workplace Foreword 3. An Empirical Assessment of the Relationship Between General Citizenship and Work Outcomes 4. The Growth Value of Good Citizenship: An Examination of the Relationship Between Civic Behavior and Orientations and Work Outcomes 5. Politics and the Workplace: An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Political Behavior and Work Outcomes Part III: Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in Public Domains Foreword 6. Do Good Citizens Make Good Organizational Citizens? An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Good Citizenship and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Israel 7. Internal Politics in Public Administration Systems: An Empirical Examination of its Relationship with Job Congruence, Organizational Citizenship Behavior and In-Role Performance 8. Work Congruence and Excellence in Human Resource Management: Empirical Evidence from the Israeli Non-profit Sector Part IV: Dilemmas and New Directions in the Study of Citizenship and Modern Bureaucracies Foreword 9. Are You Being Served? The Responsiveness of Public Administration to Citizens’ Demands: An Empirical Examination in Israel 10. The Role of Public Sector Image and Personal Characteristics in Determining Tendency to Work in the Public Sector 11. Administrative Agents of Democracy? An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Public Sector Performance and Citizenship Involvement Conclusions Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisBenefit-cost analysis (BCA) is the best technique for analyzing proposed or previously enacted projects to determine whether undertaking them is in the public interest, or for choosing between two or more mutually exclusive projects. An introduction to BCA for students as well as practitioners, this accessible volume describes the underlying economic theory and legal and philosophical foundations of BCA. BCA provides an objective framework around which discussion, correction and amendment can take place. Stated simply, it is the calculation of values for all the inputs and outputs from a project and then the subtraction of the first from the second. The authors' goal here is to take the mystery out of the process. They discuss practical issues of market-based valuation and aggregation, non-market valuation, practical applications of general equilibrium models, issues in discounting, and the impacts of risk and uncertainty in BCA. They also provide a list of resources and case studies looking at ethanol and the use of cellular phones by drivers. Straightforward in style and cutting-edge in coverage, this volume will be highly usable both as a text and a reference. Advanced undergraduates and masters students in public policy, public administration, economics and health care administration programs will find this a valuable resource. It will also be of great use to agencies that perform benefit-cost analyses.Table of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction 2. Legal and Philosophical Foundations for Benefit–Cost Analysis 3. Standing in Benefit–Cost Analysis 4. Analyzing Welfare Changes 5. Valuing Inputs Using Market Prices 6. Valuing Outputs Using Market Prices 7. Assigning Monetary Values Using Shadow Values 8. General Equilibrium Analysis 9. Discounting and Net Present Value 10. Risk and Uncertainty 11. Case Studies 12. Resources Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book offers a comprehensive analysis of dynamic networks and evolutionary variational inequalities, a topic of growing prominence in the study of networks. The extraordinary importance of networks in finance, mathematics, computer science and other areas is well known but the relatively new concept of 'dynamic' networks is less well understood. They become dynamic when the constitutive elements of the phenomena associated with the fixed geometry of networks are considered to be evolving over time. Patrizia Daniele offers many numerical examples to illustrate the issues discussed and provides a broad appendix to enrich this challenging but deeply informative book.Researchers, students and practitioners in the areas of finance, economics, computer science, and mathematics will find this volume an indispensable resource in understanding the use and development of networks in their disciplines.Trade Review'Since the extraordinary impact of networks is self-evident today both in the field of telecommunications and transportation as well as in the field of economic and financial equilibria, the scientific work carried out by Patrizia Daniele appears as an outstanding resource. The author employs with uncommon competence mathematical topics that are at the forefront of the science, while at the same time enabling the reader to understand the matter treated without any difficulty. Moreover the reader is fascinated by the clarity, depth and soundness with which the evolutionary equilibria problems are studied and by the original efficient computational procedures which allow for the solving of many significant examples and concrete problems. Without any doubt the book represents a shining light and a necessary tool for scholars of pure and applied mathematics, for economists and engineers as well as for practitioners, general managers and managing directors.' -- Antonino Maugeri, Universita di Catania, ItalyTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction 2. The Traffic Equilibrium Problem 3. Evolutionary Spatial Price Equilibrium 4. The Evolutionary Financial Model 5. Projected Dynamical Systems A. Definitions and Properties B. Weak Convergence C. Generalized Derivatives D. Variational Inequalities E. Quasi-Variational Inequalities F. Infinite Dimensional Duality Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis accessible book aims to inform readers interested in assessing privatization and market development concepts on a global scale, and outlines a range of thinking on how these policy ideas have moved around the globe. Bringing together an international team of contributors, the book traces how privatization concepts have grown in application, and how they have spread to become a central policy idea for governments. And whilst interest in the initial policy of selling-off state owned enterprises has peaked, the contracting and partnership modes of privatization have risen to global prominence. This book also reflects on the importance of the privatization family of ideas on both developed and developing countries. Privatization and Market Development will be of great interest to those involved in public administration and public policy making from a global perspective.Trade Review'A useful volume for those interested in the development of privatization around the world.' -- J. Prager, ChoiceTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction Graeme Hodge PART I: PRIVATIZATION COMPONENTS 2. Enterprise Sales: Thatcher Leads the Charge David Parker 3. Contracting as Policy: Worldwide Implications Larkin Dudley and Alesya Bogaevskaya 4. Public–Private Partnerships: A Public Policy Perspective Carsten Greve 5. Private Sector Development Strategy in Developing Countries Paul Cook PART II: MARKET DEVELOPMENT 6. The ‘Consultocracy’: The Business of Reforming Government Graeme Hodge and Diana Bowman 7. Regulation in the Age of Globalization: The Diffusion of Regulatory Agencies Across Europe and Latin America Fabrizio Gilardi, Jacint Jordana and David Levi-Faur 8. Prospects for the Global Regulation of Markets George Gilligan 9. Conclusions: Spreading the Privatization Family Business Graeme Hodge Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis important book brings together a careful selection of the major works in planning which relate to the provision of public facilities - such as recreation grounds, parks and sports arenas. The opening sections present classic, theoretic papers that lay both the general and the specific foundations for why some facilities are treated outside of the market. Key topics such as institutional issues, the role of the private sector, and the assessment and evaluation of public facilities planning and financing are then examined. Finally, the volume looks at some of the more novel approaches that are emerging in the provision of public facilities, and concludes with a selection of case studies that demonstrate the application of a set of planning approaches.This authoritative volume will be a useful resource to researchers and planning practitioners alike.Table of ContentsContents: Acknowledgements Series Preface Kenneth Button and Peter Nijkamp Introduction Public Facilities Planning: Scoping the Scene Lily Kiminami, Kenneth Button and Peter Nijkamp PART I EARLY CONTRIBUTION 1. Charles M. Tiebout (1956), ‘A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures’ 2. Michael B. Teitz (1968), ‘Toward a Theory of Urban Public Facility Location’ PART II THE THEORY OF PUBLIC FACILITY PLANNING 3. J.L. Wagner and L.M. Falkson (1975), ‘The Optimal Nodal Location of Public Facilities with Price-Sensitive Demand’ 4. Donald M. McAllister (1976), ‘Equity and Efficiency in Public Facility Location’ 5. David Bigman and Charles Re Velle (1978), ‘The Theory of Welfare Considerations in Public Facility Location Problems’ 6. Takaaki Takahashi (2004), ‘Spatial Competition of Governments in the Investment on Public Facilities’ PART III INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES 7. Wallace E. Oates (1981), ‘On Local Finance and the Tiebout Model’ 8. Masahisa Fujita (1986), ‘Optimal Location of Public Facilities: Area Dominance Approach’ 9. Noboru Sakashita (1987), ‘Optimum Location of Public Facilities Under the Influence of the Land Market’ 10. Sajal Lahiri and Pascalis Raimondos-Møller (1998), ‘Public Good Provision and the Welfare Effects of Indirect Tax Harmonisation’ PART IV ROLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR 11. Eitan Berglas (1976), ‘On the Theory of Clubs’ 12. Amihai Glazer and Esko Niskanen (1997), ‘Why Voters May Prefer Congested Public Clubs’ 13. Gerhard Glomm and Roger Lagunoff (1998), ‘A Tiebout Theory of Public vs Private Provision of Collective Goods’ PART V ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES 14. G. Terry Ross and Richard M. Soland (1980), ‘A Multicriteria Approach to the Location of Public Facilities’ 15. Edwin Hinloopen, Peter Nijkamp and Piet Rietveld (1983), ‘Qualitative Discrete Multiple Criteria Choice Models in Regional Planning’ 16. Richard L. Church and Kenneth L. Roberts (1983), ‘Generalized Coverage Models and Public Facility Location’ 17. Christian Stummer, Karl Doerner, Axel Focke and Kurt Heidenberger (2004), ‘Determining Location and Size of Medical Departments in a Hospital Network: A Multiobjective Decision Support Approach’ PART VI NEW APPROACHES 18. David S. Brookshire and V. Kerry Smith (1987), ‘Measuring Recreation Benefits: Conceptual and Empirical Issues’ 19. William G. Colclough, Lawrence A. Daellenbach and Keith R. Sherony (1994), ‘Estimating the Economic Impact of a Minor League Baseball Stadium’ 20. Bruce E. Perrott (1996), ‘Managing Strategic Issues in the Public Service’ 21. G. Higgs and S.D. White (1997), ‘Changes in Service Provision in Rural Areas. Part 1: The Use of GIS in Analysing Accessibility to Services in Rural Deprivation Research’ 22. Bruce K. Johnson and John C. Whitehead (2000), ‘Value of Public Goods from Sports Stadiums: The CVM Approach’ PART VII CASE STUDIES OF APPLICATIONS 23. Andrew N. White (1979), ‘Accessibility and Public Facility Location’ 24. M. John Hodgson (1981), ‘The Location of Public Facilities Intermediate to the Journey to Work’ 25. Jan K. Brueckner (1982), ‘A Test for Allocative Efficiency in the Local Public Sector’ 26. Anthony Gar-On Yeh and Man Hong Chow (1996), ‘An Integrated GIS and Location-Allocation Approach to Public Facilities Planning – An Example of Open Space Planning’ Name Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisGovernments, Competition and Utility Regulation continues the series of annual books, published in association with the Institute of Economic Affairs and the London Business School, which critically reviews the state of utility regulation and competition policy. The book contains incisive chapters on competition policy and trade, antitrust and consumer welfare, merger control and efficiency, emissions trading, Ofcom and convergence, energy regulation and competition, regulating the London Underground, the future of water regulation and European merger control.Chapters on each topic are followed by comments from regulators, competition authority chairmen and other experts in the relevant fields. The book provides analysis of and commentaries on the most significant developments in regulation and competition policy, drawing on experiences in Britain, the United States and the European Union, as well as in international trade negotiations. It will be of value to practitioners, policymakers and academics who are concerned with regulation, deregulation and policies to promote competition.Trade Review'The book is written by a group of academic researchers and practitioners and, as such, provides insightful analyses from both theoretical as well as practical perspectives. It will be of value to policymakers, industry stakeholders, and regulators who are interested in utility regulation and policies to foster a competitive market environment.' -- International Energy Law and Taxation ReviewTable of ContentsContents: Introduction 1. Competition Policy and Trade: The WTO after the Cancun Meeting – Frédéric Jenny, Comment – Geoffrey Owen 2. Does Antitrust Policy Improve Consumer Welfare? Assessing the Evidence – Robert W. Crandall and Clifford Winston, Comment – David Arculus 3. Efficiencies in Merger Control – Jrissy Motis, Damien Neven and Paul Seabright, Comment – Sir John Vickers 4. Emissions Trading: A Market Instrument for our Times – Charles Nicholson, Comment – Colin Robinson 5. Ofcom: A Converged Regulator? – Annegret Groebel, Comment – Colin Robinson 6. Energy Regulation and Competition after the White Paper – Eileen Marshall, Comment – Stephen Littlechild 7. Regulating London Underground – Chris Bolt, Comment – Tom Winsor 8. Commitment and Control in Regulation: The Future of Regulation in Water – Colin Mayer, Comment – Philip Fletcher 9. Do We Need European Merger Control? – Jacques Steenbergen and Leonard Waverman, Comment – Derek Morris Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe central purpose of this book is to analyse the optimal allocation of local public goods or services (for example garbage collection, police, fire brigades and medical services) in large urban agglomerations and the allocation consequences of increasing competition in the provision of them. Competition in the Provision of Local Public Goods uses two innovative aspects present in the concept of Functional Overlapping Competing Jurisdictions, which are de-localized membership and uni-functionality of jurisdictions. The book analyses the effect of these two aspects on competition among jurisdictions and the impact this probable increase in competition may have on the achievement of the optimal allocation of local public goods.The primary audience for this work is academics and researchers in the fields of urban and regional economics, location theory and public policy. An important secondary audience will be scholars of industrial organization, who can use the framework developed here for analyzing other problems related with the location of individuals in space.Trade Review'. . . fascinating and thought provoking.' -- Jan-Erik Lane, Public Management ReviewTable of ContentsContents: Introduction 1. Maximum Lot-Size Regulation 2. Competing Jurisdictions for the Provision of Local Public Goods 3. Cooperation Between Competing Jurisdictions General Conclusion Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRegulation is on the rise across the world as the state steps back from public ownership. However, as the authors highlight, the style of political delegation to regulatory authorities has not followed a uniform trajectory but rather institutional endowments, administrative traditions, market structure and business culture have all influenced the creation of regulatory authorities and implementation styles. Noting these variances, the focus of this book is to consider the impact of liberalisation and the introduction of new regulatory structures on three utility sectors - telecommunications, energy and the railways - using Germany and the UK as case studies. With regulation seeking to foster competition at the same time as also having to protect essential services, the authors investigate regulatory styles, costs of new regulatory functions and how firms in the new regulatory landscape access and influence regulatory authorities. The authors consider how EU pressures may hinder or help the functioning of new regulatory markets and the establishment of business-regulator relationships, as well as the broader policy implications for these new regulatory environments. The book also determines how regulatory authorities emerge and evolve under different state traditions and assesses, over time, the degree to which there is potential for convergence, divergence and continued differences as regulatory functions mature.This book will be warmly welcomed by researchers and academics of comparative public policy, politics and regulation. It will also appeal to policy makers and the business community in Europe.Trade Review‘Refining Regulatory Regimes is certainly one of the best recent theory-driven empirical research works in the field of European regulatory reforms.' -- Nadine Haase, International Journal of Environmental Studies'The book provides a number of thought provoking conclusions. . . One of the strengths of the book is the way it carefully documents the liberalisation of telecommunications, energy and rail sectors in both countries. . . this book is insightful and likely to be of interest to those wanting to learn more about utility regulation from a variety of perspectives, including the factors which can influence and shape regulatory policy and institutions over time.' -- Stephen Rimmer, Australian Journal of Public Administration'Refining Regulatory Regimes is a fine volume bringing together a set of chapters that despite their different emphases complement each other nicely.' -- Martin Lodge, West European Politics'This major study breaks new ground in bringing together a distinguished international team to offer a comparative and empirical investigation of factors shaping regulatory implementation and business-regulator relations in key European utilities sectors.' -- Colin Scott, London School of Economics and Political Science, UKTable of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction: Redefining and Refining Regulation David Coen Part I: Institutional Change and Environment 2. Developments in Regulatory Regimes: Comparison on Telecommunications, Energy and Rail Dominik Böllhoff 3. Administrative Costs of Reforming Utilities Michael W. Bauer Part II: Business–Regulator Relationships 4. Changing Business–Regulator Relations in German and UK Telecommunication and Energy Sectors David Coen 5. Managing Regulatory Developments in Rail: Compliance and Access Regulation in Germany and the UK Adrienne Héritier Part III: Implementation and Refining Policy 6. The Politics for a Sustainable Energy Industry: Renewable Energy Policy in the United Kingdom and in Germany André Suck 7. Public Services: The Role of the European Court of Justice in Correcting the Market Leonor Moral Soriano 8. Conclusion: Refining Regulatory Regimes Adrienne Héritier Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Economics of Experiences, the Arts and Entertainment serves as a welcome and unique introduction to various economic aspects of the production and consumption of art and entertainment products. The book begins with analyses and discussion of neoclassical production and utility functions, with a focus on art and entertainment as instances of experience goods or services. The authors then go on to present alternative Austrian and institutional approaches which focus on the role of creative entrepreneurs in the market process. Aesthetic and psychological theories are also discussed with a focus on their impact on producers' and consumers' decisions, as well as historical examples of creative centres, such as Renaissance Florence and Post World War II New York.One important conclusion reached in the book is that there is no economically meaningful way to distinguish art from entertainment, if such a distinction is to be based on the inherent qualities of products. Instead, an analysis of the activities of interest groups, politicians and other gatekeepers to the world of the arts serves to illuminate how a designation as art serves to abolish market prices and suppress competition, in contrast to the much less distorted market for entertainment products.David and Ake E. Andersson's path-breaking book will appeal to scholars and researchers at all levels of academe involved in economics, public sector economics and those with a special interest in art and/or entertainment. Public and private sector managers, planners and administrators in various art and entertainment industries will also find much to engage them within this book.Trade Review'The authors successfully achieve a balance of economic theory and application in a wide range of interesting examples.' -- Naomi Kinghorn, Journal of Environmental Planning and ManagementTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. The Economics of Arts and Entertainment 2. Aesthetics and Economics 3. The Demand for Arts and Entertainment Products 4. Production Systems in the Arts and in Entertainment 5. Permanent Ensembles or Festivals? 6. The Markets for Experience Goods and Services 7. The Value of Cultural Heritage 8. The Role of Creativity 9. Cultural Entrepreneurship 10. Creativity and Institutions 11. Internal and External Scale Economies and the Cultural City 12. The Globalization of Culture References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis multidisciplinary work explores ways of making environmental policy decisions in managing public goods and natural parks with the goal of maximizing economic benefits to society. The contributors to the volume seek the best strategies for improving the environmental sustainability and quality of a public resource by showing how to develop quantitative information about the natural area and how it interacts with the economy. Such an analysis can be used to define policies that encourage interactions among institutions, local economic agents and park users. At the same time, it provides a measure to account for the implications of those policies on the local economy.A public resource, such as a natural park, has many different functions - the production of marketed goods, ecosystem protection and tourism - and its management requires the knowledge of the physical, biological and ecological characteristics of the functions supplied by the resource, as well as the value of each function and the public resource as a whole. To ensure the implementation of the optimal practice, the contributors adopt a participative approach to establish a credible social contract between the area's public manager and its consumers. Balancing the interests of residents, visitors and local businesses, and coupling the development of both the natural potential of the area and the local economy, are necessary steps for the best strategy to be adopted.Economists and agricultural-environmental economists, forest and resource planners interested in practical guidance, and professors who teach environmental economics or forest planning courses will all find this collection invaluable and instructive.Table of ContentsContents: Introduction Joseph C. Cooper, Federico Perali and Marcella Veronesi Part I: Assessment 1. Estimating the Level of Functions Supplied by a Natural Area Using GIS Information Michele Carta, Nicola Gallinaro and Massimo Bianchi 2. The Supply of Functions by Homogeneous Area Using Cluster Analysis Paola De Agostini, Veronica Cicogna and Federico Perali 3. A Contingent Valuation Method Incorporating Fairness and Citizen Participation Joseph C. Cooper, Federico Perali, Nicola Tommasi and Marcella Veronesi 4. Travel Cost Estimation Conditional on Leisure Consumption Joseph C. Cooper, Federico Perali, Nicola Tommasi and Marcella Veronesi Part II: Management 5. Identifying the Best Combination of Environmental Functions Using Multi-Criteria Analysis Paola De Agostini 6. Simulating the Impact on the Local Economy of Alternative Management Scenarios for Natural Areas Paola De Agostini, Stefania Lovo, Francesco Pecci, Federico Perali and Michele Baggio 7. Resolving Conflicts in a Natural Area Michele Baggio Conclusions Joseph C. Cooper, Federico Perali and Marcella Veronesi Appendix: West Garda Regional Forest Survey – A Platform for Policy Analysis Nicola Tommasi and Marcella Veronesi Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRegulating Development examines the impact that regulation - good or bad - can have on the development of poorer societies. It opens with a succinct review of critical issues, including the implications of the spread of intellectual property rights legislation and the role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).The volume examines the regulatory experiences of three important developing economies: Brazil, Ghana and South Africa. Key regulatory themes are analysed, most notably capital markets and corporate governance regulation, the regulation of the telecommunications sector and the use of regulatory reforms to promote the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Within each chapter policy lessons are drawn, the relevance of which extend well beyond national or even regional boundaries. The principal aim of the book is to show the extent to which regulation is moving increasingly to centre stage as a driver of development in Africa and Latin America. The book also demonstrates how thoughtful, well-planned regulation can make a real contribution to the emergence of supply-side competitiveness.This book will be invaluable reading for academics, researchers and students with an interest in economics and development studies, as well as for regulators and policymakers in developing countries.Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Introduction Edmund Amann Part I: General Considerations 2. Creating the Conditions for International Business Expansion: The Impact of Regulation on Economic Growth in Developing Countries – A Cross-Country Analysis Hossein Jalilian, Colin Kirkpatrick and David Parker 3. The World Trade Organisation and Domestic Regulation Peter Holmes 4. Learning to Love Patents: Capacity Building, Intellectual Property and the (Re)production of Governance Norms in the ‘Developing World’ Christopher May Part II: The Latin American Experience 5. From the Developmental to the Regulatory State: The Transformation of the Government’s Impact on the Brazilian Economy Edmund Amann and Werner Baer 6. Brazilian Regulatory Agencies: Early Appraisal and Looming Challenges Andrea Goldstein and José Claudio Linhares Pires 7. Corporate Governance, Regulation and the Lingering Role of the State in the Post Privatized Brazilian Steel Industry Edmund Amann, João Carlos Ferraz and Germano Mendes de Paula Part III: The African Experience 8. Privatization and Regulation in South Africa: An Evaluation Afeikhena Jerome 9. A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Public and Private Water Utilities in Africa Colin Kirkpatrick, David Parker and Yin-Fang Zhang 10. Why Regulations Matter: A Small-Business Perspective Judi Hudson 11. The Changing Regulatory Environment and its Implications for the Performance of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Ghana Ernest Aryeetey and Ama Asantewah Ahene 12. Regulating for Competition: The Case of Telkom in South Africa Oludele A. Akinboade and Fungai Sibanda Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe authors provide a fresh and accessible multi-disciplinary perspective on public management reform in this study. The work includes a broad survey of the paradigms and patterns that have shaped and differentiated the reform process in different countries.The book focuses on two themes not usually considered together. First, the scope and limits of the role economists have played in reform processes, not simply in terms of providing analytical models but in the actual leadership required to advance reform coherently. Secondly, the authors examine the importance of developing leadership at all levels of the public sector to take advantage of the opportunities reforms have generated, and to create new sources of public value. In bringing these themes together they uniquely show how the family of economic theories (public choice, agency theory and new institutional economics) can be adapted to explain why there might be a demand for developing public sector leadership that reflects an 'appreciative' managerial style as opposed to the hard-edged contractualism often associated with public management reform.Trade Review'A "must-read" for students, researchers and practitioners in the areas of public economics, public management and politics. The book provides both a useful reference that highlights links between these fields and an essential stimulus to future cross-disciplinary research in this important area.' -- Andrew C. Worthington, University of Wollongong, Australia'In this new, exciting exposition, Brian Dollery and Joe Wallis (here joined by Linda McLoughlin) continue their unique explorations advancing the frontiers of public administration and political economy with a fresh, challenging, and thought-provoking analysis of the effects and implications of more than two decades of public sector reform.' -- Zane Spindler, Simon Fraser University, CanadaTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Introduction 2. Public Sector Reform: Modernization, Paradigms and Patterns 3. Economic Foundations of Public Sector Reform 4. An Economic Theory of Leadership 5. The Contribution of Economists to Policy Leadership and Public Sector Reform 6. The Role of Leadership Development in Public Sector Reform and Modernization 7. Conclusion References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWorldwide, postal and delivery economics has attracted considerable interest as the delivery sector undergoes rapid change and the debate on liberalization rages. This compendium of original essays has been selected from papers presented at the Rutgers University CRRI 14th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics, May 31-June 3 2006. It explores the important new trends and issues in this rapidly changing field. The European Union's plan to open postal markets completely in 2009 has raised questions about t he role of regulation, funding for the Universal Service Obligation, the future of national Postal Operators and the principles that should govern the introduction of competition. The contributors - researchers, practitioners, lawyers and senior managers from around the world - address these questions in chapters that cover postal markets, pricing, efficiency and cost analysis, labor relations, and demand drivers. Examples are drawn from around the world. This timely book will be illuminating to practitioners and managers in the postal, express and delivery industry, as well as economists, regulators, competition lawyers, and marketers.Table of ContentsContents: Preface Foreword: Information Revolutions and Modern Postal Service James I. Campbell Jr. 1. Approaches to the USO under Entry Michael A. Crew and Paul R. Kleindorfer 2. Partitioning the Mailstream: Analysis of an Innovative Approach to USO Leon A. Pintsov, Andrei Obrea and Theresa Biasi 3. From the Size of the Box to the Costs of Universal Service Obligation: A Cross-Country Comparison François Boldron, Denis Joram, Lise Martin and Bernard Roy 4. A Welfare Analysis of Price Controls with End-to-End Mail and Access Services Philippe De Donder, Helmuth Cremer, Paul Dudley and Frank Rodriguez 5. Dynamics of Downstream Entry in Postal Markets Axel Gautier 6. Economies of Scale, Density and Scope in Swiss Post’s Mail Delivery Mehdi Farsi, Massimo Filippini and Urs Trinkner 7. Measuring Scale and Scope Economies with a Structural Model of Postal Delivery Michael D. Bradley, Jeff Colvin and Mary K. Perkins 8. Efficient Worksharing Discounts with Mail Heterogeneity John C. Panzar 9. Nonlinear Pricing and Worksharing in the Postal Market Etienne Billette de Villemeur, Helmuth Cremer, François Boldron and Bernard Roy 10. Efficiency Analysis of Delivery Offices in the Postal Sector Using Stochastic Frontier and Data Envelopment Analyses Alan Horncastle, David Jevons, Paul Dudley and Emmanuel Thanassoulis 11. Economic Analysis of the Efficiency of Royal Mail Units and the Implications for Regulatory Policy Richard Moriarty, Sophie Yorke, Greg Harman, John Cubbin, Meloria Meschi and Paul Smith 12. From Theory to Practice: Vertical Relations in the French Postal Market Xavier Ambrosini and Olaf Klargaard 13. Postal Deregulation and Its Impact on Postal Workers: A Canadian Union Perspective Geoff Bickerton 14. First Steps towards New Postal Economics Models for Developing Countries: Learning from the Latin American Experience José Ansón, Rudy Cuadra, Altamir Linhares, Guillermo Ronderos and Joëlle Toledano 15. The Postal Technology Market and Effects on Purchasing Strategy William J. Dowling, Robert J. Curry, Robert A.F. Reisner and Bill Worth 16. Economics of the US Postal Service Alternate Access Retail Channels Janet L. Webster, Dennis E. Stoker, Saadia Bukhari, Stephen Deering and Andrea M. Otis 17. USO Public Financing at the Crossroad between the ‘Monti Package’ and the Forthcoming Reform of the Postal Directive Alessandra Fratini and Fabio Filpo 18. Scenarios of Mail Receipt Patterns Across Generations Luis Jimenez, Anna Owsiany, and Chrystal Szeto 19. Microanalyses of Mail Demand Drivers for Large Business Customers Peter Koppe and Christian Bosch 20. Measuring the Impact of Direct Mail on the Brand Joanne McNeish 21. Consumer Preferences and Last Mile Pricing in the Postal Sector Beat Friedli, Christian Jaag, Daniel Krähenbühl, Ole Bach Nielsen, Søren-Michael Pihl and Urs Trinkner 22. Microeconomic Demand Modelling for Price Elasticities Frédérique Fève, Jean-Pierre Florens and Sophie Richard 23. US Postal Services as Composite Goods with Hedonic Properties Lawrence Fenster, Diane Monaco, Edward S. Pearsall, Charles Robinson and Spyros Xenakis Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile there is no universally accepted definition of civil servant and civil service, this authoritative and informative Handbook compares and contrasts various approaches to organizing the structure and activities of different civil service systems. The expert contributors consider the historical and theoretical context of public administration and public sector management, applying relevant theories and frameworks to provide a disciplinary perspective. Recurring topics and themes are explored, and international comparisons are made via case studies from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. Issues addressed in each country study include accountability, structure, processes and institutions, as well as the relationship to the broader political systems in a world becoming aware that it exists within a differentiated polity. The Weberian legacy, joined-up government and the hollowed-out state thesis and the debate between Anglo-American influenced systems versus the Continental European approach to organizing the civil service are also discussed in detail. This systematic comparison of civil service systems and their political and theoretical foundations will prove essential reading for academics and students focusing on public policy and public sector management. Public service professionals will also find this book to be a crucial resource. Contributors include: T.E.D. Anagnosen, P. Barberis, E. Borgonovi, F. Buick, M. Desbouvries, M. Duggett, O.P. Dwivedi, M. Evans, A. Ferraro, J. Halligan, S. Horton, J.-M. Kauzya, M. Kikuchi, A. Massey, D.S. Mishra, A. Nakamura, J. O'Flynn, E. Ongaro, R. Parry, R. Pyper, C. SadleirTrade ReviewThis Handbook on civil service systems is truly international and comparative. It covers and compares countries from all continents. It also connects historical (Weberian) legacies to contemporary challenges such as coordination, the hollow state, and trust. Massey's Handbook does not avoid difficult issues for civil service systems such as ruined reforms, fiscal retrenchment, and cultural and political system shocks. Therefore this book is exceptionally rich and stimulating. --- Geert Bouckaert, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BelgiumTable of ContentsContents: PART I: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES 1. Civil Service Systems: Introduction and Scope of the Book Andrew Massey 2. The Weberian Legacy Peter Barberis 3. Contrasting Anglo-American and Continental European Civil Service Systems Sylvia Horton 4. Decentralization, Devolution and the Hollowing Out of the State Robert Pyper 5. Experiments with Joined-up, Horizontal and Whole-of-Government in Anglophone Countries John Halligan, Fiona Buick and Janine O’Flynn PART II: SYSTEM AND COUNTRY COMPARISONS 6. The Civil Service in Italy Elio Borgonovi and Edoardo Ongaro 7. The United States Civil Service J. Theodore Anagnoson 8. A Splendid Ruined Reform: The Creation and Destruction of a Civil Service in Argentina Agustín E. Ferraro 9. Comparative Perspectives of the Challenges and Prospects of Civil Service Reforms in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda John-Mary Kauzya 10. The Public Service of India: A Mapping Expedition O.P. Dwivedi and D.S. Mishra 11. Towards Public Service-oriented Governance? Administrative Reform with ‘Chinese Characteristics’ Mark Evans 12. Japanese Public Administration at the Crossroads: Declining Trust in Government and Civil Service Reform in the Age of Fiscal Retrenchment Akira Nakamura and Masao Kikuchi 13. The Australian Public Service System John Halligan and Chris Sadleir 14. The Civil Service in France: Contested Complacency? Michael Duggett with Manueline Desbouvries 15. The United Kingdom Civil Service: A Devolving System Richard Parry Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisCyberspace is the nervous system of today's advanced economies, linking critical infrastructures across public and private institutions. The authors of this book comprehensively explore the many issues surrounding this unique system, including private sector cyber security investment decisions and implementation strategies, public policy efforts to ensure overall security, and government's role in the process. The authors draw primarily on case-based information and focused survey data to describe and critique the economic strategies and broad technical approaches that private sector organizations adopt to secure their information technology infrastructure. Based on an analysis of these strategies, they propose several public policy responses that go beyond those that have come from recent policy reports. These responses include the construction of a national database of reliable and cost-effective information suitable for benchmarking, and public research and development support for innovations and infrastructures. The authors discuss the goal of such efforts: to shift private investments toward more socially-optimal proactive levels and to develop standards and protocols to ensure a more effective use of cyber security technologies.The first systematic analysis of the economics of cyber security, this insightful book will be of great interest to private and public sector managers and strategists involved in cyber security, as well as academics and researchers in the fields of economics, management, information systems, systems engineering, political science, and public policy.Trade Review'Overall, this book fills a gap in the literature by providing a systematic and thorough analysis of the impacts of cyber threats on the corporate world. Its policy recommendations are sound and well supported by the research. . . The book also managed to weave together computer science, public policy, and economics in such a way that the arguments from each discipline are enhanced by the others. This book would be an excellent text for courses focused on computer technology, business security, cyber security, or those that examine the economic costs associated with high technology. . . Outside of academia, the book would provide valuable insights about the threats, tools to counter them, government regulations, and varying approaches to cyber security to corporate leaders and information technology decision-makers. Finally, members of government who are working in relevant fields would benefit greatly from the information provided and the policy recommendations made by the authors.' -- Alethia H. Cook, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementTable of ContentsContents: Part I: Technical and Economic Framework 1. The Cyber Security Imperative 2. Cyber Security Trends and Issues 3. Vulnerabilities and Cyber Security Technologies 4. Cyber Security Investment and Implementation Strategies: Theories 5. Cyber Security Investment and Implementation Strategies: Empirical Evidence 6. Industry-Specific Cyber Security Investment Decisions 7. Cyber Security as a Public Good: Toward Public Policy Recommendations Part II: Public Policy: Case Studies and Recommendations 8. Data Encryption Standards 9. Improving Internet Standards 10. Infrastructure for Software Testing 11. Insider Threats and the Case for Role-Based Access Control 12. Public Policy Alternatives References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides the reader with the basis for a theoretical understanding of public-sector finance in general - and more specifically, a comprehensive, policy-oriented application of that understanding to Japanese public finance.Particular emphasis is placed upon developing tools which can be used both theoretically and empirically to clarify essential economic concerns in Japan's public sector. These include the macroeconomic incidence of fiscal decentralization, dependence on government bonds for covering fiscal deficits, and social security reform. In analyzing Japan's underperforming public sector, the authors develop and recommend policy solutions aimed at achieving Japan's growth potential, improving the quality of the public sector, and strengthening the sector's contribution to the Japanese economy.Guiding the reader toward an overall understanding of public-sector reforms, decentralization and fiscal policy in Japan, this book will strongly appeal to academics, students and researchers with an interest in modern public finance theory and macroeconomic analysis.Trade Review'. . . covers valuable ground in exploring the complex world of Japan's public finances and public sector operations.' -- Albrecht Rothacher, ASIEN - German Journal for Politics, Economy and CultureTable of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Introduction 2. History of Postwar Public Finance 3. The Central Government Budget and Fiscal Policy 4. Aging and Intergenerational Conflict: Social Security Benefits and Burdens 5. Restoring Fiscal Balance in an Aging Japan 6. The Tax System and Its Reform 7. Local Public Finance and the Soft-budget Problem 8. Decentralization Reform 9. The Management and Sustainability of Government Debt 10. Reform of the Public Sector References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisRegulating Development examines the impact that regulation - good or bad - can have on the development of poorer societies. It opens with a succinct review of critical issues, including the implications of the spread of intellectual property rights legislation and the role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).The volume examines the regulatory experiences of three important developing economies: Brazil, Ghana and South Africa. Key regulatory themes are analysed, most notably capital markets and corporate governance regulation, the regulation of the telecommunications sector and the use of regulatory reforms to promote the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Within each chapter policy lessons are drawn, the relevance of which extend well beyond national or even regional boundaries. The principal aim of the book is to show the extent to which regulation is moving increasingly to centre stage as a driver of development in Africa and Latin America. The book also demonstrates how thoughtful, well-planned regulation can make a real contribution to the emergence of supply-side competitiveness.This book will be invaluable reading for academics, researchers and students with an interest in economics and development studies, as well as for regulators and policymakers in developing countries.Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Introduction Edmund Amann Part I: General Considerations 2. Creating the Conditions for International Business Expansion: The Impact of Regulation on Economic Growth in Developing Countries – A Cross-Country Analysis Hossein Jalilian, Colin Kirkpatrick and David Parker 3. The World Trade Organisation and Domestic Regulation Peter Holmes 4. Learning to Love Patents: Capacity Building, Intellectual Property and the (Re)production of Governance Norms in the ‘Developing World’ Christopher May Part II: The Latin American Experience 5. From the Developmental to the Regulatory State: The Transformation of the Government’s Impact on the Brazilian Economy Edmund Amann and Werner Baer 6. Brazilian Regulatory Agencies: Early Appraisal and Looming Challenges Andrea Goldstein and José Claudio Linhares Pires 7. Corporate Governance, Regulation and the Lingering Role of the State in the Post Privatized Brazilian Steel Industry Edmund Amann, João Carlos Ferraz and Germano Mendes de Paula Part III: The African Experience 8. Privatization and Regulation in South Africa: An Evaluation Afeikhena Jerome 9. A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Public and Private Water Utilities in Africa Colin Kirkpatrick, David Parker and Yin-Fang Zhang 10. Why Regulations Matter: A Small-Business Perspective Judi Hudson 11. The Changing Regulatory Environment and its Implications for the Performance of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Ghana Ernest Aryeetey and Ama Asantewah Ahene 12. Regulating for Competition: The Case of Telkom in South Africa Oludele A. Akinboade and Fungai Sibanda Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile few economists analyzed criminal behaviour and the criminal justice process before Gary Becker's seminal 1968 paper, an enormous body of economic research on crime has since been produced. This insightful and comprehensive Handbook reviews and extends much of this important resulting research. The Handbook on the Economics of Crime provides cutting-edge and specially commissioned contributions dealing with theoretical and empirical modeling of criminal choice and behavior, including Isaac Ehrlich's exposition of what he labels the `market, or equilibrium, model of crime'. The public production and allocation of various criminal justice services is also examined, as are significant components of the costs and consequences of crime. Finally, current debates and controversies in the economics of crime literature are considered, with the expert contributors offering suggestions and guidance for future research. With a broad set of crime-related topics examined from an economic perspective, this extensive Handbook will be welcomed by academic researchers and graduate students of the economics of crime and criminology as well as legal scholars focusing on criminal law.Trade Review‘’This Handbook is a very stimulating collection of overview essays and new researches on the economics of crime. . . They [the editors] make an excellent selection of the most important issues. . .’ -- Emma Galli, Journal of Public Finance and Public ChoiceTable of ContentsContents: Preface: Background and Overview Bruce L. Benson and Paul R. Zimmerman PART I: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL DEVELOPMENTS: BECKER, EHRLICH AND BEYOND 1. The Market Model of Crime: A Short Review and New Directions Isaac Ehrlich 2. Estimating the Supply of Crime: Recent Advances Helen Tauchen 3. The Measure of Vice and Sin: A Review of the Uses, Limitations and Implications of Crime Data Alexander Tabarrok, Paul Heaton and Eric Helland 4. Dynamic Perspectives on Crime Justin McCrary PART II: ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE PUBLIC PRODUCTION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE 5. The Historical Development of Public Policing, Prosecution and Punishment Nicholas A. Curott and Edward Peter Stringham 6. Police, Prisons, and Punishment: The Empirical Evidence on Crime Deterrence Jonathan Klick and Alexander Tabarrok 7. Prison Population and Crime Thomas B. Marvell 8. The Allocation of Police Bruce L. Benson 9. The Economic Analysis of Corruption Fred S. McChesney 10. Economics of Crime and Drugs: Prohibition and Public Policies for Illicit Drug Control Edward M. Shepard, and Paul R. Blackely PART III: CRIME AND THE ECONOMY 11. The Economic Costs of Criminal Activity: A Discussion of Methodological Approaches and Empirical Estimates Allen K. Lynch 12. Crime and Housing Prices Keith Ihlanfeldt and Thomas Mayock 13. Corruption, Crime and Economic Growth Benjamin Powell, G.P. Manish and Malavika Nair 14. Labor Markets and Crime: New Evidence on an Old Puzzle David B. Mustard 15. Private Policing: Experiences, Evaluation and Future Direction Erwin A. Blackstone and Simon Hakim PART IV: CONTROVERSIES AND DEBATES IN THE ECONOMICS-OF-CRIME LITERATURE 16. The Economics of Capital Punishment and Deterrence Paul R. Zimmerman 17. Firearms and Homicide Carlisle E. Moody 18. Abortion and Crime: A Review Ted Joyce 19. Casinos and Crime in the USA Douglas M. Walker 20. Conclusion Bruce L. Benson and Paul R. Zimmerman Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisChallenging the traditional orthodoxies of public management, this timely and comprehensive book adopts a lively and critical approach to key questions of public policy and management.With state-of-the-art contributions from leading international scholars, Public Management in the Postmodern Era explores a public sector that has moved irreversibly beyond the familiar territory of New Public Management and the exhausted tenets of modernization. Within a global environment where the old explanations and solutions have failed, the book advances a postmodern analysis. It argues strongly its original case that postmodern perspectives are of immediate relevance to issues of practice as well as to enduring problems of theory.The ambitious remit of the book will be of direct value to practitioners, scholars, academic researchers and students in politics, public policy and public management. With an international scope, the book will appeal to a worldwide audience.Trade Review‘A highly challenging set of essays on sense-making in a public sector world that previously contained a dearth of relevant theory. Moving beyond the orthodoxies of policy and management, this work advances the critical position that post modernism must be relevant to practice by building from the narratives of empowered practitioners faced with finding solutions that go beyond traditional boundaries.’ -- Robert Agranoff, Indiana University, Bloomington, US and Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset, Madrid, SpainTable of ContentsContents: Preface PART I: CONCEPTUALISING AND THEORISING 1. Public Management in the Postmodern Era: An Introduction John Fenwick and Janice McMillan 2. Modernism Redux: Po-Mo Problems and Hi-Mo Public Policy Wayne Parsons 3. Democracy Without a Centre: Towards a Politics of Difference Paul H.A. Frissen 4. Understanding Policy Transfer in the Competition State Mark Evans PART II: APPLICATIONS AND ACTORS 5. Professions and Professionalism Andrew Massey 6. Working Life in the Public Organisation David Farnham 7. Still the Century of Bureaucracy? The Roles of Public Servants B. Guy Peters PART III: RESOLUTION AND SENSE-MAKING 8. Everyday Makers and Expert Citizens: Active Participants in the Search for a New Governance Henrik P. Bang 9. Public Policy and Management in Postmodern Times John Fenwick and Janice McMillan Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 2005 Hurricane Katrina posed an unprecedented set of challenges to formal and informal systems of disaster response and recovery. Informed by the Virginia School of Political Economy, the contributors to this volume critically examine the public policy environment that led to both successes and failures in the post-Katrina disaster response and long-term recovery. Building from this perspective, this volume lends critical insight into the nature of the social coordination problems disasters present, the potential for public policy to play a positive role, and the inherent limitations policymakers face in overcoming the myriad challenges that are a product of catastrophic disaster. Soon after Hurricane Katrina wreaked its havoc, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University launched the Gulf Coast Recovery Project. The project assembled a team of researchers to examine the capacity within political, economic, and civic life to foster robust response and recovery. Building on both quantitative and qualitative analysis, the contributors to this volume seek to understand the recovery process from the ground up - from the perspective of first-responders, residents, business-owners, non-profit directors, musicians, teachers, and school administrators, and how ordinary citizens respond to the formal and informal rules of the post-disaster policy context. Personal, political and poignant, The Political Economy of Hurricane Katrina and Community Rebound will appeal to economists interested in the political economy of disaster and disaster recovery, disaster specialists, and general readers interested in the challenges those affected by Hurricane Katrina have faced, and are facing, and their prospects for recovering from the 2005 disaster.Table of ContentsContents: 1. Introduction: Uncertainty and Discovery in a Post-Disaster Context Emily Chamlee-Wright and Virgil Henry Storr PART I: OVERCOMING UNCERTAINTY AND TAPPING THE CREATIVE POTENTIAL OF THE PUBLIC AND COMMERCIAL SECTORS 2. Uncertainty in the Post-Katrina Big Easy Adam Martin 3. The Use of Knowledge in Natural Disaster Relief Management Russell S. Sobel and Peter T. Leeson 4. Making Hurricane Response More Effective: Lessons from the Private Sector and the Coast Guard During Katrina Steven Horwitz 5. Restricting Reconstruction: Occupational Licensing and Natural Disasters David Skarbek PART II: RECOVERY FROM THE BOTTOM UP: PRIVATE CITIZENS LEVERAGING SOCIAL RESOURCES 6. The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Post-Katrina Community Recovery Emily Chamlee-Wright and Virgil Henry Storr 7. Entrepreneurship and Social Networks in Post-Disaster Environments Petrik Runst 8. Rock Me Like a Hurricane! How Music Communities Promote Social Capital Adept for Recovery Daniel J. D’Amico PART III: DISCOVERY AND RESPONSE IN COMPARATIVE CONTEXTS 9. Lessons from Post-Flood Recovery of New Orleans and Prague Leonid O. Krasnozhon and Daniel M. Rothschild 10. Earth, Wind, and Fire! Federalism and Incentive in Natural Disaster Response Emily C. Schaeffer and Andrew Kashdan PART IV: TAKING STOCK OF POST-KATRINA POLICY INITIATIVES 11. The Road Home: Helping Homeowners in the Gulf After Katrina Eileen Norcross and Anthony Skriba 12. School Choice and Post-Katrina New Orleans: An Analysis Jeb Bleckley and Joshua Hall 13. Improving Academics in the Aftermath: A Case Study of New Orleans’ Experiment with Charter Schools Erin Marie Agemy Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis authoritative collection presents seminal papers from leading academics charting recent developments in public finance. The two-volume set encompasses numerous sections including the public sector in a market economy, market imperfections, growth implications of public policies and efficiency and distributive implications of public policies. Professor Tanzi and Dr Zee have selected key papers to reflect the scholarly debates and pivotal arguments surrounding this field of study. This indispensable collection, with an original introduction by the editors, will be of immense value to students, scholars and practitioners interested in this topical and relevant subject.Table of ContentsContents: Volume I: Resource Allocation and Distribution Acknowledgements Introduction Vito Tanzi and Howell Zee PART I PUBLIC SECTOR IN A MARKET ECONOMY 1. George J. Stigler (1968), ‘The Government of the Economy’ 2. Kenneth J. Arrow (1977), ‘The Organization of Economic Activity: Issues Pertinent to the Choice of Market Versus Nonmarket Allocation’ 3. Vito Tanzi (2005), ‘The Economic Role of the State in the 21st Century’ PART II MARKET IMPERFECTIONS AND LIMITS TO PUBLIC INTERVENTION 4. George A. Akerlof (1970), ‘The Market for “Lemons”: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism’ 5. Mancur Olson (1982), ‘The Logic’ 6. R.H. Coase (1994), ‘The Institutional Structure of Production’ 7. Avinash Dixit and Mancur Olson (2000), ‘Does Voluntary Participation Undermine the Coase Theorem?’ 8. Avinash Dixit (2009), ‘Governance Institutions and Economic Activity’ PART III INCENTIVES, SOCIAL CHOICES AND PRIVATE PROVISION OF PUBLIC GOODS 9. T. Nicolaus Tideman and Gordon Tullock (1976), ‘A New and Superior Process for Making Social Choices’ 10. James M. Buchanan (1983), ‘The Public Choice Perspective’ 11. Theodore Bergstrom, Lawrence Blume and Hal Varian (1986), ‘On the Private Provision of Public Goods’ 12. Amartya Sen (1999), ‘The Possibility of Social Choice’ 13. Rebecca M. Blank (2000), ‘When Can Public Policy Makers Rely on Private Markets? The Effective Provision of Social Services’ 14. Jean-Jacques Laffont and David Martimort (2002), ‘Incentives in Economic Thought’ PART IV EFFICIENCY AND DISTRIBUTIVE IMPLICATIONS OF PUBLIC POLICIES 15. Edmund S. Phelps (1973), ‘Taxation of Wage Income for Economic Justice’ 16. John Rawls (1974), ‘Some Reasons for the Maximin Criterion’ 17. Arthur M. Okun (1975), ‘Increasing Equality in an Efficient Economy’ 18. A.B. Atkinson and J.E. Stiglitz (1976), ‘The Design of Tax Structure: Direct Versus Indirect Taxation’ 19. J.A. Mirrlees (1982), ‘The Economic Uses of Utilitarianism’ 20. Don Fullerton and Diane Lim Rogers (1991), ‘Lifetime Versus Annual Perspectives on Tax Incidence’ 21. Assar Lindbeck, Sten Nyberg and Jörgen W. Weibull (2003), ‘Social Norms and Welfare State Dynamics’ 22. Yan Chen and Sherry Xin Li (2009), ‘Group Identity and Social Preferences’ PART V INTERJURISDICTIONAL POLICY DIMENSIONS 23. Roger H. Gordon (1983), ‘An Optimal Taxation Approach to Fiscal Federalism’ 24. Martin C. McGuire (1991), ‘Group Composition, Collective Consumption, and Collaborative Production’ 25. Oded Hochman, David Pines and Jacques-François Thisse (1995), ‘On the Optimal Structure of Local Governments’ 26. Wallace E. Oates (1999), ‘An Essay on Fiscal Federalism’ 27. Todd Sandler (2002), ‘Demand and Institutions for Regional Public Goods’ 28. Robin Boadway (2006), ‘Intergovernmental Redistributive Transfers: Efficiency and Equity’ 29. Agnar Sandmo (2003), ‘International Aspects of Public Goods Provision’ Volume II: Stabilization and Growth Acknowledgements An introduction to both volumes by the editors appears in Volume I PART I DEFICITS, GOVERNMENT BUDGET CONSTRAINT, AND INFLATION 1. Alan S. Blinder and Robert M. Solow (1973), ‘Does Fiscal Policy Matter?’ 2. Robert J. Barro (1974), ‘Are Government Bonds Net Wealth?’ 3. Vito Tanzi (1978), ‘Inflation, Real Tax Revenue, and the Case for Inflationary Finance: Theory with an Application to Argentina’ 4. Thomas J. Sargent and Neil Wallace (1981), ‘Some Unpleasant Monetarist Arithmetic’ 5. Olivier J. Blanchard (1985), ‘Debt, Deficits, and Finite Horizons’ 6. Alan J. Auerbach, Jagadeesh Gokhale and Laurence J. Kotlikoff (1991), ‘Generational Accounts: A Meaningful Alternative to Deficit Accounting’ 7. Vito Tanzi, Mario I. Blejer and Mario O. Teijeiro (1993), ‘Effects of Inflation on Measurement of Fiscal Deficits: Conventional Versus Operational Measures’ 8. Hana Polackova Brixi and Ashoka Mody (2002), ‘Dealing with Government Fiscal Risk: An Overview’ PART II CAPITAL MOBILITY, GLOBALIZATION AND INTERDEPENDENCE OF POLICY 9. Jacob A. Frenkel and Assaf Razin (1988), ‘Introduction’, ‘Government Spending Policies’, ‘Tax Policies’, ‘Concluding Remarks’ 10. James Tobin (1996), ‘Prologue’ 11. Peter Birch Sørensen (2004), ‘International Tax Coordination: Regionalism Versus Globalism’ 12. Jeffrey A. Frankel (2006), ‘Twin Deficits and Twin Decades’ 13. James R. Hines Jr. (2007), ‘Corporate Taxation and International Competition’ PART III RULES, DISCRETION AND INTERTEMPORAL CONSISTENCY OF OPTIMAL POLICES 14. Stanley Fischer (1980), ‘Dynamic Inconsistency, Cooperation and the Benevolent Dissembling Government’ 15. Mats Persson, Torsten Persson and Lars E.O. Svensson (1987), ‘Time Consistency of Fiscal and Monetary Policy’ 16. Fabrizio Balassone and Daniele Franco (2000), ‘Public Investment, the Stability Pact and the “Golden Rule”’ 17. George Kopits (2007), ‘Fiscal Responsibility Framework: International Experience and Implications for Hungary’ PART IV GROWTH IMPLICATIONS OF PUBLIC POLICIES 18. David Alan Aschauer (1989), ‘Is Public Expenditure Productive?’ 19. Robert J. Barro (1990), ‘Government Spending in a Simple Model of Endogenous Growth’ 20. William Easterly and Sergio Rebelo (1993), ‘Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation’ 21. Nancy L. Stokey and Sergio Rebelo (1995), ‘Growth Effects of Flat-Rate Taxes’ 22. Kevin A. Hassett and R. Glenn Hubbard (1997), ‘Tax Policy and Investment’ 23. Alan J. Auerbach (2008), ‘Tax Reform in the Twenty-first Century’

Read more less

Book SynopsisPublic-Private Partnerships (PPPs) promise much and present an exciting policy option. Yet as this Handbook reveals there is still much debate about the meaning of partnership, and the degree to which potential advantages are in fact being delivered. In this timely Handbook, leading scholars from around the world explore the challenges presented by infrastructure PPPs, and contemplate what lies ahead as governments balance the need to provide innovative new infrastructure against the requirement for good public governance. This Handbook builds on a range of exciting theoretical lenses that span several disciplinary boundaries. It presents innovative insights and informed perspectives from an international base of empirical evidence. This essential Handbook will prove an invaluable reference work for academics, advanced post-graduate students and commentators of PPPs, as well as professionals, infrastructure regulators and government policy advisors.Trade Review‘. . . the volume is a timely, comprehensive, and valuable addition to the literature, which deserves to be widely read.’ -- Richard Allen, Governance‘. . . the Handbook informs, engages, questions, criticises and educates.’ -- Business Line‘As politicians across the world have loudly debated how best to shrink the size of government, clever entrepreneurs have pushed off in a very different direction: creating complex partnerships between government and the private sector, which have pushed government more deeply into the private sector and pulled private partnerships more deeply into the core of government. In this important new book, the editors have pulled together a fascinating collection of papers that examines how these partnerships are transforming the provision of services and, in fact, the very nature of governance itself.’ -- Donald F. Kettl, University of Maryland, US‘Public–private partnerships are a familiar subject, but this volume makes it clear just how much interesting research is being done on the topic at present. This is an extremely useful collection of papers that will be essential reading for anyone interested in partnerships and public policy more generally.’ -- B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USTable of ContentsContents: PART I: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS 1. Introduction: The PPP Phenomenon and its Evaluation Graeme A. Hodge, Carsten Greve and Anthony E. Boardman 2. Mixes and Partnerships through Time Roger Wettenhall 3. A Brief Intellectual History of the Public–Private Partnership Movement Tony Bovaird 4. Public–Private Partnerships: Deciphering Meaning, Message and Phenomenon Erik-Hans Klijn 5. Reviewing Public–Private Partnerships: Some Thoughts on Evaluation Graeme A. Hodge PART II: DISCIPLINARY THEMES IN PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS 6. Splintered Logic and Political Debate Matthew Flinders 7. The Economics of Public–Private Partnerships: Some Theoretical Contributions Jean-Etienne de Bettignies and Thomas W. Ross 8. Assessing the Economic Worth of Public–Private Partnerships Anthony E. Boardman and Aidan R. Vining 9. Different Delivery Models Colin F. Duffield 10. Law and Regulatory Aspects of Public–Private Partnerships: Contract Law and Public Procurement Law Christina D. Tvarnø 11. Accounting for PPPs in a Converging World David Heald and George Georgiou 12. Risk Management Rui Sousa Monteiro 13. Governing Partnerships Chris Skelcher PART III: EMPIRICAL EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS 14. The UK’s Private Finance Initiative: History, Evaluation, Prospects Mark Hellowell 15. Empirical PPP Experiences in Europe: National Variations of a Global Concept Gerhard Hammerschmid and Tamyko Ysa 16. P3s in North America: Renting the Money (in Canada), Selling the Roads (in the USA) Anthony E. Boardman and Aidan R. Vining 17. The Australian PPP Experience: Observations and Reflections Graeme A. Hodge and Colin F. Duffield 18. Public–Private Partnerships: The Scandinavian Experience Carsten Greve and Ulrika Mörth 19. Empirical Evidence of Infrastructure Public–Private Partnerships: Lessons from the World Bank Experience Paul Noumba-Um 20. Public–Private Partnerships: The United Nations Experience Benedicte Bull PART IV: CRUCIAL ISSUES FOR THE FUTURE 21. The Global Public–Private Partnership Industry Carsten Greve 22. Towards a Process Perspective on Public–Private Partnerships Guðrið Weihe 23. PPPs in Developed and Developing Economies: What Lessons can be Learned? David Parker and Catarina Figueira 24. A Review of Transport Public–Private Partnerships in the UK Jean Shaoul 25. Reviewing Public–Private Partnership Performance in Developing Economies Argentino Pessoa 26. Conclusions: Public–Private Partnerships – International Experiences and Future Challenges Graeme A. Hodge, Carsten Greve and Anthony E. Boardman Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe last few decades have presented a new set of challenges and opportunities for public finances. Demographic trends have put substantial pressure on non-discretionary public expenditures such as health care, while legal challenges have put pressure on education financing. The author illustrates how these national trends have also impacted state and local finances ? some directly, others indirectly. The economic downturn further constrains state and local governments? options for dealing with national trends. Constituents? sentiment toward the size of government further exacerbates fiscal choices for state and local governments.In this broad and illuminating volume, experts on public finance discuss innovations in state and local tax policy implemented or considered over the course of the last three decades. The authors provide original work that analyzes whether state and local governments have ?gone outside the box? to deal with the strains of current public finances or have gotten along by adhering to the status quo. Well-known scholars in the area of state and local public finance consider actual practices and analyze potential policy changes for the future.Public policy and public finance scholars and students as well as policy makers will find much of interest in this impressive and original collection.Table of ContentsContents: PART I: THE PERFECT STORM? 1. Introduction and Overview Sally Wallace 2. Major State–Local Policy Challenges: Outside-the-Box Solutions Needed Ronald C. Fisher 3. Genesis of State–Local Creativity Robert Tannenwald, Jennifer Weiner and Igor Popov Discussant Comments: Mary Mathewes Kassis Discussant Comments: Jason S. Seligman PART II: HOW STATES COPE WITH ALTERNATIVE STRUCTURES 4. Going Without an Income Tax: How do States do it? David L. Sjoquist 5. California’s State and Local Revenue Structure After Proposition 13: Is Denial the Appropriate Way to Cope? Robert W. Wassmer Discussant Comments: Don Bruce PART III: NEW FORMS OF TAXATION 6. An Exploration of Various Corporate Tax Structures in Georgia: Some Effects of Moving from Three-Factor Apportionment of Corporate Income to a Gross Receipts Tax Jonathan Rork and Laura Wheeler 7. Can Georgia Move from Income Tax to Consumption Tax? Sally Wallace Discussant Comments: William J. Smith PART IV: EVALUATING STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCES AND BUDGETING 8. Reaching and Maintaining Structural Balance: Leaders in the States Katherine Willoughby 9. Fiscal Limitations on Local Choice: The Imposition and Effects of Local Government Tax and Expenditure Limitations Daniel R. Mullins Discussant Comments: Kurt Thurmaier Out-of-the-Box Conference: An Epilogue Bert Waisanen Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis highly topical book explores key issues in evaluating the long-run implications of population ageing for pensions, taxation, intergenerational equity and social welfare.Societies face long-term phenomena, such as demographic change and climate change that impose costs and benefits far into the future. These present challenges for policymakers in planning intertemporal consumption paths that balance the goals of efficiency and equity. An exploration of these issues, with respect to population ageing in particular, is the primary motivation for this book. John Creedy and Ross Guest evaluate these problems with a particular focus on the role of concepts, assumptions and value judgements.This book will be a fascinating read for researchers interested in the social evaluation of population ageing and climate change. Public policy makers and advisers will find the analysis of practical policy questions such as alternative regimes for taxing public pensions of special interest. Graduate students of macroeconomics and public economics will also find helpful discussions of social discounting, the efficiency and equity effects of tax smoothing, and potential new effects of population ageing on labour productivity.Trade Review'This is a useful book that presents a number of important ideas and results. Creedy and Guest's discussion of the assumptions and value choices required in these models is thoughtful and interesting. Their overall conclusion that population ageing is unlikely to significantly reduce living standards is important for policymakers and the general public, many of whom are still under the sway of "crisis" rhetoric. . . this will likely be a valuable book for economists or economic policy researchers interested in the macroeconomic implications of population ageing. The careful discussion of the models involved will be useful for both graduate students and experienced researchers in this field.' -- Martin Cooke, Canadian Studies in PopulationTable of ContentsContents: Part I: Introduction 1. Introduction Part II: Discounting and Time Preference 2. Discounting and Time Preference 3. The Elasticity of Marginal Valuation 4. Sustainable Preferences 5. Representative Agent and Social Planner Part III: Pensions and Taxation 6. Pension Tax, Savings and Labour Supply 7. Private Pensions and Savings Part IV: Population Ageing 8. Tax Smoothing and Population Ageing 9. Demographic Change in OECD Countries 10. Capital Intensity and Productivity 11. Extensions and Sensitivity Analyses Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis critical book focuses on two dominant reform agendas - managerialism and politicisation - to examine the condition of Anglophone countries after 40 years of reform to public sector management and governance. Comparing four countries using the Westminster system - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom - John Halligan explores the changes resulting from distinctive reform agendas, exposing performance shortfalls and unintended consequences, such as bureaucratisation. Offering a broad overview of the implementation and outcomes of key administrative developments, Halligan unpacks those traditions and conventions of governance in Anglophone countries that have been disrupted by unrestrained political executives, producing dramatic imbalances in management and governance systems. Judicious and incisive, this book will be crucial reading to postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students of public policy seeking an in-depth understanding of both historic and contemporary reforms to public management and governance. Halligan's comparative approach to public management systems will also benefit government practitioners and specialists working closely with governments.Trade Review'Reforms in Anglophone countries have influenced many countries around the world. This book, by one of the leading researchers in the field, discusses in a deep and comparative way research on the challenges of these reforms related to the long-term impact of managerialism and politicization on public governance.' --Tom Christensen, University of Oslo, Norway'Halligan's book comes at the end of a major cycle of public sector reforms, and announces a possible transformation of our politico-administrative systems as scenarios for the 21st century. His capacity to unpack the complexity of ''managerialism'', and ''politicisation'' is impressive. His focus on four Anglophone countries, as a coherent cluster, makes his analysis stronger than any other comparison. This is a ''must-read'' to understand the new tensions in our fast changing world, and how to handle these.' --Geert Bouckaert, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, BelgiumTable of ContentsContents: 1. Reforming Anglophone Public Management and Governance 2. Administrative Tradition and Westminster in Reform Era Governance 3. Politicising the Executive Branch: Changing Roles, Resources and Relationships 4. Ministers and Mandarins under Political Management 5. Management Dilemmas 6. Contradictions in Implementing Performance Management 7. Management and Bureaucracy in a Political Milieu 8. Coordination and Collaboration 9. Long Term Reform and Public Management Systems 10. Postscript: Directions for Change Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Global Urban Competitiveness Report - 2010 is an empirical study of the competitiveness of 500 cities around the world This one-of-a-kind resource draws on a wealth of data sources, all of which are described and assessed Using a sophisticated methodology and a team of 100 researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Science, the book not only ranks these cities but also presents a wealth of information with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of each city in relation to each other The book includes a full discussion of the factors that create urban competitiveness, what sorts or categories of cities are most competitive, and comments on the policies and initiatives that are adopted by the most competitive cities.Scholars and researchers in the areas of urban economics, planning, geography, and regional economics will find the information invaluable, as will local authorities, decision-makers, and economic planners in cities throughout the world.Table of ContentsContents: 1. The Conceptual Framework and Index System 2. Analytical Methods 3. Econometric Findings 4. The City Rankings 5. Which Cities are the Most Competitive in the World? 6. What are the Characteristics of Global Urban Competitiveness? 7. Which Factors Decide Global Urban Competitiveness? 8. Cities: Everything is Possible in the Future Appendices Bibliography

Read more less