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Since the 1980s, there has been a global trend to give more power to local governments. Even in Korea and the United Kingdom, the most centralised countries in the OECD, local government powers have increased, with substantial economic benefits. Within the European Union, the principle of subsidiarity has enshrined the idea of devolution. New member states, particularly in central and eastern Europe, have significantly created new and self-sufficient local and regional governments. However, this process has been complicated. Devolution is not a panacea in its own right, and need not lead to economic growth. While it can encourage savings through collaboration, it can also lead to confused lines of authority and can complicate policy formation and implantation. Devolution can strain local budgets, forcing local governments to rely on their own sources of finance, rather than central government transfers. Suburbanisation, rural depopulation, the growth of some regions, and the decline of others have raised new problems, particularly related to inter-governmental cooperation among local governments and different levels of government. In many cases, an increased number of governments has increased administrative costs. This book looks at experience in government restructuring and devolution from a variety of national and international perspectives, both within the European Union and elsewhere, focusing on lessons learned and ways forward.

Should school governance be shifted from local school boards to the additional and direct control of elected political leaders? -- Do teachers' and other employees' unions reduce the ability of principals and superintendents to run and reform schools? -- Has the increased role of the federal government in the governance of schools through various initiatives, such as No Child Left Behind, improved public education? -- Should the role of the judicial branch of government be reduced in the governance of public education? -- Should school leaders have the primary responsibility for lowering the achievement gap for minority students? -- Are school administrators being prepared to adequately address gender issues? -- Are school boards necessary in today's public schools? -- Do charter schools improve governance within the public education system? -- Will giving school administrators more control over the structure and policies that govern high schools lead to improvements in the education offered to students? -- Have allowing and encouraging private corporations to participate in public education positively affected school governance? -- Has the increased emphasis on parent involvement hindered the ability of administrators to lead public schools and districts? --

In today's uncertain world, the concept of global governance has never been more relevant or widely discussed. But what does this elusive idea really mean, and why has it become so important? This pacey introduction sheds new light on the issues involved, offering readers a comprehensive account of competing conceptions of global governance, and evaluating the ways in which rival theories strive to make sense of our complex world. In a series of short, accessible chapters, Timothy Sinclair guides readers through the key perspectives on this crucial topic. In each, he assesse.

"Climate change is the greatest threat humanity has ever faced. This realisation is prompting an unprecedented questioning of the fundamental bases upon which society is founded. Businesses claim that technology can save the environment, while governments champion the role of international environmental agreements to secure global action. Economists suggest that we should pay developing countries not to destroy their forests, while environmentalists question whether we can solve environmental problems with the same thinking that created them and exhort individuals to take direct action. Governance is central to achieving collective action to steer society towards a more sustainable future. Environmental Governance is the only text to discuss the first principals of governance while also providing a critical overview of the wide ranging theories and approaches that underpin contemporary practice today. This book places governance within its wider political context to explore how the environment is controlled, manipulated, regulated, and contested by a range of actors and institutions. It shows how governance has shaped established approaches to environmental issues such as networks and markets, focusing on Kyoto and the post-Kyoto mechanisms to deal with climate change. It highlights how the different approaches currently in play frame environmental problems in distinctive ways, privileging different solutions and types of change. This text provides a groundbreaking overview of dominant and emerging approaches of environmental governance, drawing on cutting edge debates and forging critical links between them. It is complimented by case studies, key debate boxes and end of the chapter questions and further reading. It is essential reading for students of the Environment, Politics and Sociology, and anyone concerned changing society in order to prevent global environmental crisis"--

Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 - Basic Responsibilities of a Board and Its Members -- Chapter 2 - How to Operate Your Board -- Chapter 3 - How to Build Your Board -- Chapter 4 - How to Work with the CEO -- Chapter 5 - How to Ensure Quality Care -- Chapter 6 - How to Provide Fiscal Oversight -- Chapter 7 - How to Work with the Community -- Chapter 8 - The Board and Nonconventional Medicine -- Epilogue -- Appendix 1 - Sample Conflict of Interest Policy -- Appendix 2 - Sample Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement -- Appendix 3 - Sample Board Member Performance Appraisal, Short Version -- Appendix 4 -Sample Board Member Performance Appraisal, Long Version -- Appendix 5 - Sample CEO Employment Contract -- Appendix 6 - CEO Separation Agreement -- Appendix 7 - Common Healthcare Abbreviations and Definitions -- Index -- About the Author.

In the wake of the recent global financial collapse the timely new edition of this successful text provides students and business professionals with a welcome update of the key issues facing managers, boards of directors, investors, and shareholders. In addition to its authoritative overview of the history, the myth and the reality of corporate governance, this new edition has been updated to include:analysis of the financial crisis;the reasons for the global scale of the recessionthe failure of international risk managementAn overview of corporate governance guidelines and codes of practice;n.