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Government Actions (government + action)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	50%
Humanities and Social Sciences	22%

Distribution within Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting

General & Introductory Economics	22%

Selected Abstracts

The Privatization of Health Care Cleaning Services in Southwestern British Columbia, Canada: Union Responses to Unprecedented Government Actions

ANTIPODE, Issue 3 2006
Marcy Cohen
This paper analyzes the political dynamics between a newly elected, right-leaning provincial government and a left-leaning public sector union that resulted in the privatization of 4000 health support housekeeping jobs in southwestern British Columbia in less than a year. The article documents how government set the stage for privatization, the struggle that ensued when the union resisted concessionary bargaining, and the new challenges that emerged for both union and management once housekeeping and other support services were taken over by multi-national service corporations. This case is significant because the size and scope of this privatization and the legislation that facilitated it are unprecedented in Canadian history. [source]

St. John's ocean technology cluster: can government make it so?

CANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 1 2006
Bruce Colbourne
The St. John's cluster is compared to a more developed Finnish Maritime cluster and some recent literature on clusters and economic development. The comparison indicates that government policy towards the St. John's cluster needs to shift emphasis from research per se to a stronger industrial presence, supported by research, and a background economic environment that is broadly attractive to business and individuals. An active domestic market in primary marine activities is identified as a potential base for a stronger ocean technology industries cluster. Government actions, including continued investments in education research and infrastructure, creation of an attractive tax environment and the use of government operational requirements in ocean activities to create support industry opportunities, are recommended. Sommaire: La grappe technologique océanique de St. John's (Terre-Neuve et Labrador) découle d'un intérêt régional naturel et d'activités économiques historiques reliées à l'océan, ainsi que d'une série récente d'investissements du secteur public dans les établissements de recherche et d'enseignement. La grappe de St. John's est comparée à un groupement maritime finnois plus développé, avec l'appui de documents récents sur les grappes et le développement économique. L,étude indique que la politique gouvernementale à l'égard de la grappe de St. John's doit changer d'emphase et passer de la recherche en soi à une présence industrielle plus forte qui s'appuie sur la recherche et sur un climat économique de fond qui soit plus attrayant pour les entreprises et les particuliers. On estime qu'un marché national actif en activités maritimes primaires pourrait servir de base à une grappe de technologies océaniques plus solide. Des mesures gouvernementales sont recommandées, notamment des investissements continus en recherche en éducation et infrastructure, la création d'un climat fiscal attrayant et le recours à des exigences opérationnelles gouvernementales dans les activités océaniques pour créer un soutien aux opportunités dans cette industrie. [source]

CONSTITUTIONALISM, FEDERALISM AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2004
Norman Barry
The purpose of a constitution should be to restrain governments. The proposed EU constitution does not do that - it provides agendas for government action. There is also no mechanism to facilitate jurisdictional competition. As such, if adopted, it will lead to further centralisation and abuse of statutory powers. [source]

Minimum income schemes for the unemployed: a case study from Dalian, China*

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 179 2004
Ge Daoshun
This article summarizes the background, implementation, and impact of a study of social welfare in Dalian, China, designed to enhance the efficiency and fairness of the minimum living protection scheme for unemployed people. While the scope of the case study is fairly narrow, its significance is much broader. In social and economic terms, China is currently undergoing a transitional period in the context of which social welfare reform is an important task. The setting up of a community public service agency in Dalian, as the result of both policy research and government action, is a successful example of Chinese social welfare reform. To that extent, the study is significant for social welfare reform at the national level, as well as providing references for the management of social transition in other developing countries. [source]

Socio-economic changes and sacred groves in South India: Protecting a community-based resource management institution

NATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 2 2004
M.G. Chandrakanth
Abstract The sacred groves along the forest belts of south India, which were traditionally managed by village communities, are gradually disappearing. This study conducts an analysis of how this community-based resource management institution has evolved over time and what socio-economic factors have caused its gradual disintegration. Commercial agriculture, changing demographics and weak property-rights systems are found to be some of the enabling factors. While the grass-roots enthusiasm to save the sacred groves is still alive, government action is needed to strengthen the traditional village organizations, which are still perhaps in the best position to manage local resources. Several economic and financial incentive mechanisms at the local level that might lead to more efficient and equitable resource use outcomes are suggested. [source]

Towards inclusion: Local government, public space and homelessness in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND GEOGRAPHER, Issue 3 2006
Penelope Laurenson
Abstract:, This paper considers the political and normative dimensions of local government responses to homelessness in New Zealand. It outlines the context for local government action, the approaches adopted by three case study cities, and arguments for rejecting anti-homeless regulations in favour of supportive policies conducive to forging inclusive public space. It contributes to debates over homelessness policy by articulating an approach that integrates regulatory, funding and leadership roles. It argues that in addressing antisocial behaviour in public spaces, policy-makers must eschew approaches which effectively criminalize the sight, and status, of poverty. [source]

Discretionary government intervention and the mispricing of index futures

THE JOURNAL OF FUTURES MARKETS, Issue 12 2003
Paul Draper
This article examines how and to what extent direct market intervention by the Hong Kong government in both the stock and futures markets affected the pricing relationship between the Hang Seng Index futures and the cash index during the period of the Asian financial crisis. The study avoids infrequent trading and nonexecution problems by using tradeable bid and offer quotes for the constituent stocks of the index. The results show that arbitrage efficiency was impeded during, and in the immediate aftermath of, the intervention. The findings suggest that discretionary government action introduces an additional risk factor for arbitrageurs that continues to disrupt normal market processes even after the government ceases to intervene. The continued disruption following the government's actions in the market also stems from a poorly developed stock loan market that impedes short selling, as well as a lack of liquidity in the market. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:1159,1189, 2003 [source]

NEW ZEALAND CREDIT UNION MERGERS

ANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2010
Lynn Mcalevey
ABSTRACT,:,Research into the benefits of mergers in small financial institutions, in particular credit unions, is sparse. This study helps to fill this gap by analyzing recent intense merger activity in New Zealand credit unions. The major driver for these mergers was not the usual reason of attempting to increase efficiency for competitive purposes but rather enforced government action. Data envelopment analysis is used to explore changes in efficiency in merged credit unions between 1996 and 2001. Those credit unions not involved in merger activity are used as a control group. Overall, credit unions have become more efficient over the period, notably in those that undertook mergers. The Malmquist index indicates significant technological progress over the period but a slight regression in terms of efficiency. [source]

Referral pathways and diagnosis: UK government actions fail to recognize complexity of lymphoma

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 6 2007
D.A. HOWELL rgn
Referral pathways and diagnosis: UK government actions fail to recognise complexity of lymphoma To gain survival advantages potentially associated with prompt diagnosis, the UK government introduced identical waiting-time targets for all cancers, and guidelines to ensure that general practitioners make appropriate hospital referrals. For lymphoma, the evidence guiding these actions is limited. This study examined referral pathways in patients with lymphoma and variations in time to diagnosis by discipline of first referral. A case series study was conducted including all patients aged over 25 years, newly diagnosed with lymphoma in the UK county of West Yorkshire, during 2000. Data were extracted from primary care and hospital records of 189 patients. Referral pathways were described, and the number of days between first referral and diagnosis calculated. A distinct referral pathway did not exist; patients were initially referred to many disciplines. Surgical referrals predominated, and only 12% of patients were sent directly to haematology. Time to diagnosis varied by discipline and was shorter for patients sent to haematology than for most other common disciplines. UK government actions to ensure the prompt diagnosis of patients with lymphoma are not evidence-based. The complexity of the referral pathway in patients with lymphoma, which affects time to diagnosis, has been underestimated. Further government actions should be evidence-based, ensuring prompt diagnosis of lymphoma from whatever discipline patients originate. [source]

The New Economy: Reality and Policy

FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2001
John Van Reenen
Abstract This paper concerns the new economy (alias the knowledge-based economy). I examine the different meanings attached to the new economy term and the evidence surrounding it, concentrating on the upsurge in US productivity growth between 1995 and 2000. I argue that the reports of the death of the new economy have been greatly exaggerated. There is evidence that information technology has transformed the US economy and is thus likely to have a strong impact on the UK economy in coming years. I discuss how elements of public policy should adapt to these economic changes, both in terms of an overall framework and in applications to specific areas (technology policy, human capital policy, competition policy and industrial policy). The new economy is a place of hope and fear. The hope is that policy activism can cement in potential productivity gains; the fear is that government actions will not mitigate the seemingly ineluctable pressures towards social exclusion. [source]

Transparency in government communication

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2007
Jenille Fairbanks
Basic to a successful democracy is the existence of a public informed about government actions. This requires government information to be open and accessible to the public. This study sought to understand how communicators in government value and practice transparency. Constant comparative thematic analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews of government communicators revealed a transparency model for government communication. This paper outlines that model and identifies practices and structures that promote transparent communication practices. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

DOES PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY WORK?

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2008
AN ASSESSMENT TOOL
In recent years, there has been a drive to strengthen existing public accountability arrangements and to design new ones. This prompts the question whether accountability arrangements actually work. In the existing literature, both accountability ,deficits' and ,overloads' are alleged to exist. However, owing to the lack of a cogent yardstick, the debate tends to be impressionistic and event-driven. In this article we develop an instrument for systematically assessing public accountability arrangements, drawing on three different normative perspectives. In the democratic perspective, accountability arrangements should effectively link government actions to the ,democratic chain of delegation'. In the constitutional perspective, it is essential that accountability arrangements prevent or uncover abuses of public authority. In the learning perspective, accountability is a tool to make governments effective in delivering on their promises. We demonstrate the use of our multicriteria assessment tool in an analysis of a new accountability arrangement: the boards of oversight of agencies. [source]

Window of Opportunity Opens: Asian and American Views of the International Economic Architecture

ASIAN ECONOMIC POLICY REVIEW, Issue 2 2009
Wendy DOBSON
F02; F13; F33; F55; F59 This paper compares US and Asian views of the international economic architecture including Asia's evolving regional institutions. Lessons from the global financial crisis are used to assess reforms of the financial institutions better to prevent and manage future crises. While G-20 leaders have increased the resources of the International Monetary Fund, much work remains to restore its legitimacy and independence and to define clearly the Financial Stability Board's mandate to strengthen financial oversight and regulation. The paper critiques proposals for a global super-regulator and concludes that while the global architecture is important, the tests of its success will be fewer government actions to self-insure and the willingness to heed warnings of future problems and take timely corrective actions. [source]

Environmental management and strategy in the face of regulatory intensity: radioactive contamination in the US steel industry

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 8 2008
Bruce Wayne Clemens
Abstract Recent business literature argues that several incentives drive firms to cooperate with government environmental regulators and regulation without pressure from the government. This study explores and tests such arguments using a metric called regulatory intensity. The study uses survey data from the radioactive scrap metal industry. The findings challenge the recent literature that ,going green pays'. The study found that strong government actions (regulatory intensity) are related to firm cooperation. Firms seem to adopt cooperative strategies when coerced to do so by the government. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Protecting the Nation: Nationalist rhetoric on asylum seekers and the Tampa

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2008
Kieran O'Doherty
Abstract This paper analyses texts from the Australian print media that invoke nationalist discourse in the so-called ,Tampa crisis' of 2001, which involved the boarding by Australian military troops of a civilian Norwegian shipping vessel (the Tampa) that had rescued a group of asylum seekers. In particular, we are interested in how military action was justified in public discourse against a group of civilians through the use of arguments relying in some form or another on the notion of nationhood and national identity. We employ a critical discursive methodology to investigate how some of these descriptions worked to legitimate the Australian government's role in these events and demonstrate some of the mechanisms by which discourses of nation can operate in the marginalization of asylum seekers. We conclude that presenting issues relating to asylum seekers and the Tampa at a level of national identity was critical in justifying the Australian government's stance and actions. We also raise some concerns about the consequences that may follow from the Australian government's actions and reliance on nationalist rhetoric. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]