Confronted with rising citizen discontent, the Reinventing Government movement, and new technological challenges, public organizations everywhere are seeking means of improving their performance. Their quest is not new, rather, the concern with improving the performance of government organizations has existed since the Scientific Management Movement. "Public Sector Performance" brings together in a single volume the classic, enduring principles and processes that have defined the field of public sector performance, as written in the words of leading practitioners and scholars. Taken as a whole, this volume provides a performance compass for today's public managers, helping them to reconstruct the public's confidence in, and support of, government.Defined here as managing public organizations for outcomes, performance is examined in all its varied dimensions: organizing work, managing workers, measuring performance, and overcoming resistance to performance-enhancing innovations. The selected articles are interesting, thought provoking, and instructive. They are classics in that they have been widely cited in the scholarly literature and have enduring value to public managers who seek to understand the many dimensions of performance. The book is organized into three sections: Performance Foundations, Performance Strategies, and Performance Measurement. Excerpts from additional selected articles feature special topics and wisdom from performance experts.

This book presents a comprehensive analysis of tax consequences in an oligopolistic market. It provides the reader with a systematic and precise way of understanding the research content of tax incidence. A major feature of the book is its analysis of tax incidence from both domestic and international oligopolies. Then, by examining various oligopoly models, it approaches the essence of domestic and multilateral tax issues. Starting with the general theory of commodity tax incidence in an oligopoly, the topics addressed in this book include tax reform, environmental regulation, and policy coordination in international oligopolies. In addition to the usual oligopoly model, managerial oligopoly, the public pricing problem for firms in an oligopoly, and mixed oligopoly are dealt with. By presenting individual issues and explaining the relevance of each topic, this book is highly recommended for readers interested in policymaking and the global market in relation to the interdisciplinary developments of public economics, regional economics, and international economics. This book is also valuable as an advanced textbook on applied economics.

The world of modern capitalism is a global network both of corporations and of cities - 'world command cities' such as New York, London and Tokyo; 'specialized command cities' which concentrate on particular industries, such as Detroit; 'state command cities' such as Washington and Brasilia; and so on. These cities, linked by an organizational web of transnational corporations, are the pins holding the capitalist world economy together in the new international division of labour.
In The Capitalist City a group of eminent scholars analyzes the intricate relationships among cities, state policies and urban politics at a time of economic restructuring at global, national and local levels to provide an original and timely contribution to one of the most important areas of political and social science.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:0415920175

Taxation in Modern China explores the tax and public finance issues arising from China's economic transition. The contributors, among the leading authorities on public finance, transitional economics and policy reform in China, direct attention to the largest and most comprehensive fiscal reform programme in modern history. The essays collected here cover the main institutional, intergovernmental and industrial issues and address the long-term challenge facing China as well as transitional changes.

Financing Decentralized Expenditures presents new original research papers on the structure of intergovernmental fiscal relations in virtually all types of countries and the design and implementation of transfer mechanisms between different levels of government.In developing, transition, and industrial countries alike, the process of decentralization of government expenditures has proceeded apace to provide better accountability and quality of services to consumers. At the same time, tax administration constraints dictate the central collection and assignment of the major sources of revenues - particularly income taxes and VAT. This generates an imbalance in favour of the central government. The manner in which this imbalance in redistributed affects the degree and nature of decentralization generating considerable debate in countries as diverse as Italy and Denmark, those in North America, as well as countries in transition, such as China and Russia. The book includes a balance of overview pieces that explore the general issues supplemented by a large number of studies of intergovernmental transfer systems in specific countries. It offers a unique source of reference by providing a wealth of information of grant systems around the world.

This volume provides a history of tax limitation movements in America, showing how direct democracy can, ironically, lead to diminished public involvement in government. Contrary to conventional wisdom, recent ballot initiatives to limit state taxes in the USA have not been the result of a groundswell of public outrage. Instead, they have been carefully orchestrated from the top down by professional tax crusaders: political entrepreneurs with their own agenda.

In the public sector at the moment resources are scarce - or at the very least finite and limited - how they are allocated is therefore of crucial importance.
This book analyses this process and examines the competing values that underlie the public service ethic, including the role of markets and quasi-markets, in the delivery of public services.
Topics discussed include:
* whether people should be denied the public services they need because public bodies are short of money
* what balance we should strike between markets and public organisations to provide public services
* whether the use of markets has gone too far and whether we need to return to a public service ethic

The widespread restructuring and privatization of UK public services has fundamentally changed the nature of society. This text is an examination of all aspects of public sector management. It includes: recent developments in the public sector and policy making; analysis of the role of markets and quasi markets in the allocation and delivery of public services; the heuristics and dialectics of resource allocation; news stories from the press, such as the story of "child B" to illustrate arguments; and two diagnostic inventories "Monksbane and Feverfew" and "RAPS" which readers can use to assess their own values about public services.

The main focus of downsizing has shifted from the private to the public sector. The cutbacks began in the Department of Defense. Now the goal is a federal civilian workforce reduction of 12 percent by the year 2000.

This pioneering study looks at the management of workforce reductions in the public sector both in theory and in practice. Three case studies -- of the Defense Logistics Agency, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Food and Drug Administration -- illustrate the organizational, managerial, and human dimensions of attempting to improve performance with reduced resources. The author draws on extensive interviews with senior executives and middle managers in the three agencies; at the General Accounting Office, the Office of Personnel Management, and the National Performance Review; the Senior Executives Association and the Federal Managers Association; and scholars and researchers.

In a larger sense, this work pushes the boundaries of knowledge concerning organizational change and makes a significant contribution to organization theory. It offers important new insights not only for public sector managers but for organization theorists and management specialists whose work on downsizing has been presumed but not shown to be applicable to the public sector.

The main focus of downsizing has shifted from the private to the public sector. The cutbacks began in the Department of Defense. Now the goal is a federal civilian workforce reduction of 12 percent by the year 2000. This pioneering study looks at the management of workforce reductions in the public sector both in theory and in practice. Three case studies -- of the Defense Logistics Agency, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Food and Drug Administration -- illustrate the organizational, managerial, and human dimensions of attempting to improve performance with reduced resources. The author draws on extensive interviews with senior executives and middle managers in the three agencies; at the General Accounting Office, the Office of Personnel Management, and the National Performance Review; the Senior Executives Association and the Federal Managers Association; and scholars and researchers. In a larger sense, this work pushes the boundaries of knowledge concerning organizational change and makes a significant contribution to organization theory. It offers important new insights not only for public sector managers but for organization theorists and management specialists whose work on downsizing has been presumed but not shown to be applicable to the public sector.

This set gathers together ten essential texts on Taxation. Covering the history of taxation from the seventeenth century to the modern day, these titles range over tax legislation, income taxes, taxation in communist countries, tax and government, and universal income.

This volume contains the scientific papers presented at the 2nd International Conference Perspectives of Business Law in the Third Millennium that was held on November 2, 2012 at Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania. The scientific studies included in this volume are grouped into three chapters: Recent developments and perspectives in the regulation of business law at European Union level; Transposition of European Union directives into national law; Recent developments and perspectives in the regulation of international business law. The present volume is addressed to practitioners and researchers in juridical sciences, who are interested in recent developments and prospects for development in the field of business law at European and international level.

Financial Regulation presents an important restatement of the purposes and objectives of financial regulation. The authors provide details and data on the scale, nature and costs of regulatory problems around the world, and look at what sort of countries and sectors require special attention and policies. Key topics covered include: * the need to recast the form of regulation * incentive structures for financial regulation * proportionality * new techniques for risk management * regulation in emerging countries * crisis management * prospects for financial regulation in the future.

This book presents an in-depth analysis of key recommendations of the consecutive state finance commissions (SFCs) across states of India in the local and national perspective. It reviews the working of SFCs and their critical role in strengthening local governments, both Panchayats and municipalities in the various states. The volume attempts to identify some of the emerging issues related to the efficacy of SFC in fiscal decentralization. It appraises nearly eighty SFC reports and actions taken thereon by the respective State Governments with contextual analysis.

Presenting emphases on and approaches to issues such as government spending, reporting, pricing and fiscal federalism, the Handbook of Public Finance demonstrates the utility of integrating public finance theory with actual public policy practices. It discusses applications in major subfields of public finance, including public education, environmental regulation, energy policy, social welfare programs, and local and state politics. Other topics of discussion include the theory and practice of tax incidence analysis; the marginal costs of taxation and regulation, the economics of expenditure incidence, discounting and the social discount rate; passive use benefits, and public sector pricing.

Following the introduction of the uniform business rate in 1990, local property taxation changed dramatically, whilst retaining many of its historical and familiar characteristics. Rating Law and Valuation details the existing, non-domestic rating system from the principles of rate liability and the definition of hereditament, the rateable value, to the procedure for compiling and altering the rating lists. The book also discusses how the methods of valuation are used by rating valuers to produce rateable values for the more common property types. The text concludes with a similar treatment of Council Tax which is levied on domestic property. Rating Law and Valuation is written primarily for those studying property valuation as part of their course, and is an indispensible reference book for those taking professional courses of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers (ISVA), and Institute of Revenue and Rating Valuation (IRRV). It is also a useful resource for practitioners who are required to deal with rating law and valuation but who do not do so on a regular basis.

This wide-ranging, up-to-date and detailed account of all aspects of public economics covers topics as varied as:

* classical theorems of welfare economics
* the theory of public expenditure
* the effects of taxation on savings, labour supply investment and risk-taking
* commodity, income and expenditure taxation
* public sector and cost-benefit analysis
* fiscal federalism.

Written by Raghbendra Jha, an author with an established reputation, this book fills the gap in literature on this topic and will be a valuable reference for undergraduates in the fields of economics and public finance.

Modern Public Economics covers this popular subject area in an accessible and user-friendly way. Topics are coherently explored and include welfare economics, taxation theory, applied problems in public economics and fiscal federalism. All results are explicitly derived, making analysis of topics much clearer for students. The book also interweaves topics from the frontiers of research, giving students a basis from which to participate in contemporary discussions. This book will be of great use to advanced undergraduates and also postgraduates in Public Economics.

First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This text clarifies and consolidates existing knowledge about the development of the Treasury's role in public policy making. The book focuses on three main areas: the development of the Treasury from earliest times to the present, giving special attention to the last 25 years; the Treasury's current structure and organization at both ministerial and official level, including the radical changes that were introduced in 1995 as a result of the 1994 Fundamental Expenditure Review; the Treasury's role in the financing and responsibility of Next Steps Agencies, including brief case studies of the Civil Service College, the Contributions Agency and the Royal Mint. The structure and organization of the Treasury was radically changed in 1995 following a new statement of its aim, mission and objectives. These changes are explained here, with details of its new directorate and team structure.

Economists studying comparative economic systems have generally neglected the important question of taxation in socialist countries. This is somewhat surprising since taxation plays an important role in the regulation of economic activity in these countries. This book, first published in 1985, aims to restore the study of taxation to its rightful role in comparative economic studies. It stresses the importance of taxation and the state budget and argues that these are tools of economic policy which complement central economic planning.

Talk about government cutbacks is as common as actual program elimination is rare. Even the most ardent proponents of downsizing government are reluctant to name the programs they have in their sights.

This short and very readable book examines why and when policies or organizations are terminated, how they can be terminated successfully, and what often prevents them from being terminated. The author reviews the literature on termination and a variety of case studies in order to identify the theories of termination that have been supported by research. He advances seven conclusions about program terminations that should be taped to the refrigerator of every social scientist, citizen, and public official committed to achieving a balanced budget by 2002.

Talk about government cutbacks is as common as actual program elimination is rare. Even the most ardent proponents of downsizing government are reluctant to name the programs they have in their sights.

This short and very readable book examines why and when policies or organizations are terminated, how they can be terminated successfully, and what often prevents them from being terminated. The author reviews the literature on termination and a variety of case studies in order to identify the theories of termination that have been supported by research. He advances seven conclusions about program terminations that should be taped to the refrigerator of every social scientist, citizen, and public official committed to achieving a balanced budget by 2002.