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This timely book describes and explains the American people's alleged hatred of their own branch of government, the US Congress. Intensive focus group sessions held across the country and a specially designed national survey indicate that much of the negativity is generated by popular perceptions of the processes of governing visible in Congress. John Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse argue that, although the public is deeply disturbed by debate, compromise, delicate pace, the presence of interest groups, and the professionalization of politics, many of these traits are actually endemic to modern democratic government. Congress is an enemy of the public partially because it is so public. Calls for reform, such as term limitations, reflect the public's desire to attack these disliked features. But the authors conclude, the public's unwitting desire to reform democracy out of a democratic legislature is a cure more dangerous than the disease

Thaumatins are a mixture of proteins first isolated from the katemfe fruit (Thaumatococcus daniellii Benth) of West Africa. The two principal proteins found in thaumatin (thaumatin I and II) have been sequenced. Thaumatin has previously been assessed for safety for consumers by both JECFA and the Scientific Committee for Food, neither body proposing an ADI. It is currently authorised for use as a sweetener and flavour enhancer in the European Union. Thaumatin at a recommended use range of 1 to 5 mg/kg complete feed is safe for all animal species with a considerable margin of safety. With respect to this margin of safety thaumatin can be administered simultaneously via feed or water for drinking. Thaumatins are highly digestible proteins and no residues in edible tissues/ products are expected. Consequently there are no concerns for the consumer safety. The MSDS provided by the manufacturer identifies as potential hazards irritation to the eyes and sensitisation following inhalation. Sensitisation and irritation to the skin are not addressed. The precautions for handling the product proposed by the manufacturer (respiratory, hand, eye and skin protection) are considered sufficient to ensure user safety. Thaumatins occur in nature, albeit with a narrow distribution, amongst plant species. Its use in animal nutrition is not expected to affect the environment as it is not excreted due to its essentially complete digestion. Thaumatin is used in food as a sweetener/flavour modifier. Since its function in feed is essentially the same as that in food, no further demonstration of efficacy is considered necessary.

This article contributes to a better understanding of the possible interaction between the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the ECOWAS countries and the state of governance. More specifically, it determines the relationship between governance and the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases by the end of September 2021, the relationship between tourist arrivals and external debt and the number of confirmed cases. The data was collected over 2020 and 2021. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to assess the strength of association between the variables and possible causation respectively. The study found positive and significant correlation between all the governance variables, except for political stability. There was a strong association between tourist arrivals, external debt, and infection rates. Governance did not significantly impact the infection rate, whereas the number of tourists and per capita external debt did so significantly. It is therefore recommended that more stringent actions be taken to reinforce safety measures at all entry points in the ECOWAS region and that development partners look closely at the reliability of the numbers of confirmed cases to ensure th t the data collected is not manipulated simply to attract foreign resources.

Le déploiement des controverses scientifiques et techniques dans l'espace public interroge les modes d'organisation du débat démocratique. Ce phénomène s'est largement accéléré au cours du xxe siècle avec l'avènement des technosciences. En situation de controverses, qui a droit à la parole ? Selon quels critères ? Comment est organisée la confrontation des arguments, et comment sont départagés des acteurs aux valeurs et aux intérêts bien distincts ? Cet article se propose de revenir sur les rapports entre controverses et débat public, à partir des deux principales acceptions de cette dernière notion : le débat au sein de l'espace médiatique ; les instruments de démocratie participative sur les sujets scientifiques et techniques. ; With the arrival of scientific and technical controversies into the public sphere, questions arise on the way democratic debate is organised. This phenomenon accelerated considerably in the 20th century with the advent of the techno-sciences. In situations of controversy, who should be entitled to speak? According to what criteria? How are opposing arguments presented, and how do we arbitrate between exponents of very different values with very different interests? This article discusses how controversy and public debate are linked, starting from the two main acceptations of the latter term (debate in the media sphere; an instrument of participatory democracy in scientific and technical topic areas).

In fiscal year 2013, VA provided over 12 billion in benefits for veterans' postsecondary education; however, questions have been raised as to whether some schools are receiving these funds as a result of inappropriate recruiting practices. This book examines how selected schools recruit veterans; veterans' school search and recruiting experiences; and VA's actions to help veterans make informed decisions and to identify inappropriate recruiting practices

This article tests the extent to which the organization and stringency of occupational health and safety regulation complements the dominant mode of coordination in the political economy. While the uk explicitly sanctions risk-cost-benefit trade-offs, other european countries mandate ambitious safety goals. That contrast appears to reflect cleavages identified in the varieties of capitalism literature, which suggests worker protection regimes are stronger in coordinated market economies than in liberal market economies. Our analysis of germany, france, uk and the netherlands, shows that the varied organization of their regulatory regimes is explained through a three-way complementarity with their welfare systems and modes of coordination. However, despite varied headline goals, we find no systematic differences in the stringency of those countries' regulatory protections insofar as they all make trade-offs on safety. Instead, the explicitness, rationalizations and logics of trade-offs vary according to each country's legal system, state tradition and coupling between regulation and welfare system.

A Spanish expert's viewpoint on the European attitudes on matters of Safety in Construction and on the European Directives and their Transposition to Spanish Legislation. ; Visión desde la óptica de un experto español de las posiciones europeas en materia de Seguridad en la Construcción, y de las directivas Europeas y sus Transposiciones a la Legislación española.

What are the determinants of public support for marijuana legalization? In the last 3 years, Uruguay and the states of Colorado and Washington have legalized the production, sale, and consumption of recreational marijuana. Although Uruguay and the United States have followed different paths toward legalization, these cases provide an excellent opportunity to explore the relationship between drug policy implementation and public opinion in different political contexts. Using logistic regressions on data from the 2014 AmericasBarometer cross-national surveys conducted in Uruguay, the United States, and El Salvador, this article examines citizen views toward marijuana regulation and the individual determinants of support for legalization in a comparative fashion. Results underline the role of political socialization variables in those countries in which legalization is being debated. Across countries, some of the most important factors for predicting positive attitudes toward marijuana regulation are related to political tolerance, ideology, and the views toward the government.

A comparison of the cost of selling public rental housing is made between two state housing authorities which have similar sized rental stocks but which have sold different percentages of total constructions. Using data from annual reports, it is found that Victoria's policy of selling to sitting tenants has resulted in higher per unit costs on the unsold rental stock than in South Australia where very few houses have been sold to sitting tenants. It is argued that tenants who do not buy necessarily subsidize those who do buy, and that if governments wish to encourage sales then they, and not the bulk of public tenants, should pay for the cost of sales.

Low fertilizer use is professed to be among the many reasons for low agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Fertilizer application, estimated at 13 kg/ha in 2009 by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is far lower than the 200 kg/ha recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This report reviews the status of the fertilizer sector in Nigeria on the basis of a thorough overview of existing literature on Nigeria, reports on recent survey results, and analytic work conducted by IFPRI in Nigeria under the Global Food Security Response (GFSR) initiative of the USAID. It synthesizes the findings on key fertilizer issues in Nigeria, focusing on the demand and supply environment, the role played by subsidies, the regulatory environment, and the use of the vouchers system to aid fertilizer distribution. A key finding is that the heavy emphasis on price subsidization to the detriment of other approaches, such as complementary actions to improve farmers� fertilizer-use techniques, has hampered market development. Three policy recommendations arise from this report. First, the initial step the government should take should be to eliminate the existence of dual fertilizer markets by establishing the primal role of the private sector in fertilizer production, procurement and distribution. Second, the government should seek policy stability by reducing the frequency of government intervention in preference to building capacity in the private sector to handle all levels of the fertilizer value chain activities. Finally, it should provide a clear assignment of monitoring and regulatory roles, which are needed at every stage of fertilizer production (including blending) and distribution with a broader reach of regulatory activities at peri-urban and rural markets. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; GRP32; NSSP ; DSGD

With the government's current focus on a managerial approach to resource management there are many opportunities for private sector businesses to obtain contracts for the provision of public services. While government work may appear attractive and lucrative, there are new issues that have arisen as a result of this trend that both tenderers and administrators need to be wary of. This article will examine two of these issues and suggest some ways in which these risks may be minimised.