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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government
"Sustainable development" quickly became the universal goal for environmentalists in the 1990s, motivated by the 1988 Brundtland Report and the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. When the time came to bring theory into reality, sustainable development revealed far more complexity than first anticipated. To attain sustainable development in the full sense of the phrase"meeting present needs without compromising the resources needed for future societies"environmental and social concerns would need a constant presence in all major economic decisions. The Cornerstone of Development: Balancing Environmental, Social, and Economic Imperatives profiles many of the first attempts to implement sustainable development initiatives worldwide. The model: Canada's experience with "multistakeholder" decision-making. Under the guidance of Canada's National Task Force on Environment and Economy, nationwide and provincial round tables brought government officials together with corporate officers to formulate sustainable development guidelines. Authorized by the Canadian government to serve as an "Agenda 21 organization," the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) subsequently researched the feasibility of adapting the multistakeholder approach to the needs and practices of developing countries. The results are in these pages: valuable case histories from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Canada, each recounting the risks and benefits from integrating environmental, social and economic policies. When IDRC members were asked for ways to address environmental sustainability, they had few examples to follow"and little evidence that such endeavors could be fulfilled. The research and problem-solving effortsthey produced are now collected here, for the guidance of other environment/development balance programs worldwide.
At a time of increasing demands on budgets, governments around the world are seeking to reduce health expenditure and introduce market-oriented reforms to the health sector. This is leading to profound shifts in the relationship between the state and the individual, as policy makers dismantle the welfare state and move towards a user-pays sytem.Health Policy in the Market State offers an overview of health policy in Australia, locating it within the broader context of power and interests analysis and shifts in government policy and public sector restructuring. It outlines the key issues in current health policy and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of specific policies and programs.Contributors include Ian Anderson and Maggie Brady, Mary Draper, Stephen Duckett, Liz Eckerman, Sophie Hill, Sharon Moore, Michael Muetzelfeldt, Janine Smith and Beth Wilson.Health Policy in the Market State is a valuable overview for students, as well as a comprehensive reference for health professionals and policy-makers.
Exploring the thorny issues of industrial organisation, competition
policy and liberalization in the Asia-Pacific region, this book
examines the ways in which governments regulate business. Using
case studies from China, the USA, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia
and Japan, the authors take a comparative look at the evolution of
policies and their implementation on the ground.
A crisis of governance is widespread in western societies. Public administration is caught in a web of personal and organizational inter-dependencies that require continuous awareness and readjustment on the part of its practitioners. Understanding Policy Fiascoes applies policy analysis to come to terms with policy fiascoes, with a full appreciation of its limits. Despite the fact that policy failures may seem universal, they are in fact better understood as social, political and academic constructions. Bovens and 'tHart trace how and why certain episodes of public policymaking become labeled as "fiascoes." They highlight the analytical and political biases that shape our judgments of policy outcomes and the performance of policymakers and institutions. When put in their proper historical, institutional, and policymaking perspective, many policy fiascoes could easily have turned out quite differently. The authors show that the fact that these policy episodes unfolded as they did does not mean that they were inevitable. Careful analysis indicates that a whole series of variables, if not always manageable, can, through careful configurations of decisions, alter the course and outcomes of policies and programs, as well as the post-hoc judgments made about them. In examining public policymaking, certain questions arise: If public policymaking has failed so miserably, what does this tell us about the state of policy analysis? While policymakers are facing a crisis of legitimacy, policy analysis have been forced to reconsider the validity o their knowledge claims and the extent of their impact on the practice of policymaking. Understanding Policy Fiascoes will provide social scientists, policymakers, and political scientists with compelling perspectives on old problems and a path-breaking way to handle new problems.
Politicians, policy makers and business gurus are all encouraging us to join the information superhighway at the nearest junction or risk being excluded from the social and economic benefits of the information revolution. "Cyberspace Divide" critically considers the complex relationship between technological change, its effect upon social divisions, its consequences for social action an the emerging strategies for social inclusion in the Information Age. The contributors cover such themes as human interaction, ethical behavior, and the growing disparity between the information rich and the information poor.
A century ago, health services absorbed few resources and provided little benefit. Since then, advances in medical knowledge and techniques have escalated both the benefits and the costs. The affordability of health services is being questioned in even the richest countries, and the economic aspects of health policy have become ever more intrusive.Australia is no exception, with its health system now absorbing 19% of all government tax revenue. Familiarity with economic issues - such as how to assess health outcomes, how to assign resources efficiently and what financial arrangements will promote equity as well as efficiency - is essential to understanding health policy. This is especially so at a time when the economics of health care are being internationally re-examined, with new forms of competition, challenges to public ownership and case-mix funding of hospitals under scrutiny, and a re-evaluation of the benefits of pharmaceuticals and new technologies underway.Economics and Australian Health Policy offers this understanding to readers with and without formal economic training. It starts with an introduction to both the economic way of thinking about health systems, and the context in which those economic questions are raised - the structure of the Australian health system, its culture and its patterns of financial flows. It then describes and appraises from an economic perspective the major components of the system and the policy issues which arise.This collection has been specially commissioned to address both Australia's most pressing policy issues and the needs of public health and health economic policy-makers, academics, commentators and students. The list of contributors reads like a who's who in Australian health economics, who have been encouraged, clearly successfully, to write accessibly yet with authority and conviction.
Performance management can be an uncomfortable topic within the discipline of public health. Written by leaders in public health performance management and quality improvement, this book carefully explains what public health performance management is - and makes a strong case for why it is needed to tackle successfully the long-standing health issues plaguing communities and states. Notably, the book eschews the need to invest in technology or to learn a new performance management vocabulary. Rather the authors advocate for more thoughtful use of the resources already available in the organization, relying on public health leadership working in conjunction with well trained staff to manage their own organizational performance. To be broadly accepted within public health, performance management concepts and models have to be framed and populated with public health examples, and this book offers a wealth of practical insights and case studies that may be immediately applied to public health organizations, from assessing an organization's needs, introducing a performance management system to the organization, developing an agency's goals and targets, to implementation of sound performance management systems and plans. Collaborative Performance Management for Public Health is required reading for all public health leaders and employees concerned with maximizing the health impact of scarce resources.
From 1918 to 1939 one issue dominated French foreign and defence policy: the German problem. This work outlines France's strategies for protection and appeasement during this period and places inter-war relations in a larger European context. With contributions from scholars in the field, it examines: relationships with key countries such as Italy and Russia; the significance of inter-war France to 20th-century European integration; the historical context of the policies; and the setbacks and defeats of the period and how they should be evaluated.
The Rio Summit has pointed to the urgency for the development of an international conservation policy, and the post-Maastricht debates in Europe have highlighted the need for the EU to reassess structural funding in nature conservation, as well as the influences on policy and practice. This text is a "route map" through the legislative and policy frameworks and explains how conservation works in Europe. It goes through the policies for nature conservation in the European Community and its constituent member states and sets out the mechanisms for delivering this policy. Practitioners in the fields of countryside, conservation and general land management should find this text a useful guide to the working of the EU, as well as helpful in appreciating their local role within the wider community objectives.
This volume critically analyzes and explains the goals, processes,
and effects of language policies in the United States and Canada
from historical and contemporary perspectives. The focus of this
book is to explore parallel and divergent developments in language
policy and language rights in the two countries, especially in the
past four decades, as a basis for reflection on what can be learned
from one country's experience by the other. Effects of language
policies and practices on majority and minority individuals and
groups are evaluated. Differences in national and regional language
situations in the U.S. and Canada are traced to historical and
sociological, demographic, and legal factors which have sometimes
been inappropriately generalized or ignored by ideologues. The
point is to show that certain general principles of economics and
sociology apply to the situations in both countries, but that
differing notions of sovereignty, state and nation, ethnicity,
pluralism, and multiculturalism have shaped attitudes and policies
in significant ways. Understanding the bases for these varying
attitudes and policies provides a clearer understanding of the
idiosyncratic as well as more universal factors that contribute to
tensions between groups and to outcomes, many of which are
unintended. The volume makes clear that language matters always
involve issues of culture, economics, politics, individual and
group identities, and local and national histories.
Michael Porter has argued that a sustainable economic base can be created in the inner city only if it has been created elsewhere: through private, for-profit, initiatives and investment based on economic self-interest and genuine competitive advantage-not through artificial inducements, charity, or government. Porter's ideas have prompted endorsement as well as criticism. More importantly, they have inspired a search for new solutions to inner city distress as well as a reassessment of current approaches. "The Inner City" defines a core debate in the United States over the future of a racially divided urban America. It is of inestimable importance to policy analysts, government officials, African American studies scholars, urban studies specialists, sociologists, and all those concerned with inner city revitalization.
Southern European welfare states - in common with their northern counterparts - are under stress. They have become the object of studies exploring the southern "type" or "model" of welfare. This collection provides a series of both comparative and specific country analyses.
Environmental Policy and NEPA is a concise study of environmental policy-where we have come from, what we are facing and where we can go in the future. An outgrowth of initiatives taken by the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ), and edited by the current Associate Director, this publication studies the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Divided into three main sections, part one covers the historical background and trends of NEPA. Part two addresses current substantive and conceptual issues associated with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. Part three discusses future opportunities including impact on humans, effective public participation in the EIA process and the need for sustainability. This excellent reference brings together 28 contributing authors who combine their expertise to address a multitude of topics. Environmental Policy and NEPA is mandatory reading for the professional, researcher, government policymaker, activist, student or anyone looking for a complete presentation of the EIA process.
It is rare for a scholar to revisit the scene of earlier research with a view to evaluating how that research has stood up over time. Here David E Apter does that and more. In a lengthy new introductory chapter to this classic study of bureaucratic nationalism, he reviews the efficacy of the concepts in his original study of Uganda of almost a century ago, including some, such as consociationalism', which have entered into the mainstream of comparative politics.
This volume takes a communications-oriented approach to a wide range of topics encompassing organization, management, political theory and practice, business-government relations, innovation processes, and IT. Offering a balanced, international presentation, it contains authoritative contributions from world-renowned experts representing various disciplines, including administrative law, organizational and political theory, phenomenology, public and business management, educational technology, psychology, and other fields. The book addresses typically neglected subjects such as communicating through humor, drama, film, poetry, fiction, and other creative forms.
This title is the first in the Critical Perspectives on the World
Economy series. With a new introduction by the editors it brings
together the most significant contributions on privatization
including material on the philosophical and historical
context.
HIST 98 short blurb This text examines all the major themes, personalities and issues of this important period in a clear and digestible form. Illustrated with with helpful maps, charts and diagrams. "Aspects of British Political History 1914-1995" examines all the major themes, personalities and issues of this important period in a clear and digestible form. It: introduces fresh angles to long-studied topics; consolidates a great body of recent research; analyzes views of different historians; offers an interpretive rather than narrative approach; gives concise treatment to complex issues; is directly relevant to student questions and courses; is carefully organised to reflect the way teachers tackle these courses; and is illustrated with helpful maps, charts, illustrations and photographs.
The maintenance of health and the provision of services for the
sick are probably some of the most challenging tasks facing modern
government. "Health Care Systems in Seven Countries" looks at the
way in which health care is organized and delivered in Australia,
Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the USA. It also
examines the continuing quest for solutions to some of the
seemingly intractible problems on the health care agenda. The
organization of health care in each country is analyzed within a
common framework.
The inspiring people and grassroots organizations that are on the front lines of the battle to save the planet As the world's scientists have come together and declared a "climate emergency," the fight to protect our planet's ecological resources and the people that depend on them is more urgent than ever. But the real battles for our future are taking place far from the headlines and international conferences, in mostly forgotten American communities where the brutal realities of industrial pollution and environmental degradation have long been playing out. The World We Need provides a vivid introduction to America's largely unsung grassroots environmental groups-often led by activists of color and the poor-valiantly fighting back in America's so-called sacrifice zones against industries poisoning our skies and waterways and heating our planet. Through original reporting, profiles, artwork, and interviews, we learn how these activist groups, almost always working on shoestring budgets, are devising creative new tactics; building sustainable projects to transform local economies; and organizing people long overlooked by the environmental movement-changing its face along the way. Capturing the riveting stories and hard-won strategies from a broad cross section of pivotal environmental actions-from Standing Rock to Puerto Rico-The World We Need offers a powerful new model for the larger environmental movement, and inspiration for concerned citizens everywhere.
In 1984 Congress revamped Medicare to save a financially distraught health care system, thus transforming the hospital as an organization. Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) -- the cornerstone of this extensive reorganization -- have triggered repercussions that are still adversely affecting health care professionals. This volume cuts to the heart of this crisis, examining the difficulties and foibles of going from DRG Legislation to DRG practices and giving voice to the professionals who must carve out a new reality under DRGs. It exposes the disputes between the various professional groups -- administrators, physicians, and nurses --over the implementation of DRGS, and how these professionals maneuver to manage the health service problems created by the policy. The book's authors provide an insightful analysis of the way policy innovations can wreak havoc on an organization and how professionals working together eventually negotiate order out of the chaos of change. The volume's narrative style of research is one feature that makes the presentation of the authors' findings unique from other works on Medicare legislation. Additionally, the book offers a case study approach to communication and sociological matters of a significant health care issue.
This book is based on the Telecommunications Policy Research
Conference which reports on research into telecommunications policy
issues. While the conference is now a respectable 23 years old,
this is only the second printed edition of selected papers. A new
law, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, accelerated the process of
integration in the communication industry and made major revisions
to the Communications Act of 1934 that increase the incentive for
integration within the industry. Although the papers in this volume
were written prior to the passage of the new law, their importance
is merely enhanced by it. They deal with fundamental, complex
policy problems that arise when previously separate segments of the
telecommunications industry are integrated, rather than specific
regulatory rules that are likely to be changed under the new law.
With the passage of this law, the timeframe for developing
appropriate policies for an integrated industry has been shortened.
Changes expected to occur over a period of several years will now
likely occur much more rapidly. These papers provide insights to
help guide the transition in the industry.
This is the story of a life shaped by Egypt's national struggle and dominated by the conflict between the Arab world and Israel. It charts Sadat's progress from fanatical nationalist to Nasser's successor as President of Egypt, and from world statesman to tragic hero, who gave his life in the cause of peace. This study of one of the major figures in the struggle for peace in the Middle East, is of interest in the light of the ongoing peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
Thirty years ago, when compared to the U.S., England, France, and Sweden, Japan had the lowest life expectancy for males and females. Today, Japan has the highest life expectancy and is the world's most rapidly aging society. Public Policy and the Old Age Revolution in Japan captures the vitality of Japanese policymakers and the challenges they face in shaping a modern society responding to its changing needs. The rapid transition to an aging society poses a set of complex policy and resource dilemmas; the responses taken in Japan are of great value to policymakers, professionals, and students in the fields of gerontology, Asian and Japanese studies, sociology, public policy, administration and management, and anthropology in other industrial aging societies. Readers of Public Policy and the Old Age Revolution in Japan will discover the array of social and economic implications that comes with an increasingly aged society. Such a change in demographics affects pension expenditures and pension contributions, capital formation and savings rates, health costs, service systems, tax bases, labor pools, career counseling, training, advertising, and marketing. This book does not stop with these topics, however. Readers also learn about: how older Japanese workers are staying employed and employable policies in Japan for a smooth transition from work to retirement Japan's Silver Human Resource Centers the new direction of health services in Japan the Japanese financing system for elderly health care the expansion of formalized in-home services for Japan's aged Japanese housing policy and the concept of universal design the Gold Plan, a comprehensive ten-year plan to promote health care and welfare for the aged the concept of ikigai--promoting feelings of purpose and self-worth in the agedPublic Policy and the Old Age Revolution in Japan is one of only a handful of books prepared in English by American and Japanese authors for an international audience about aging and social policy in Japan. The book's recent collection of articles by leading scholars on the subject makes it a unique and timely source of information. Above all, Public Policy and the Old Age Revolution in Japan makes it clear that the rest of the world has many valuable lessons to learn by studying Japan's approach to its rapidly aging society. |
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