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In the literature on political economy and public choice, it is typically assumed that government size correlates positively with public corruption. The empirical literature, however, is inconclusive, owing to both measurement problems and endogeneity. This paper creates a corruption index based on original data from a survey covering top politicians and civil servants in all Swedish municipalities. The effect of more politicians on corruption problems is analyzed using discontinuities in the required minimum size of local councils. Despite the fact that Sweden consistently has been ranked among the least corrupt countries in the world, the survey suggest that non-trivial corruption problems are present in Sweden. Municipalities with more local council seats have more reported corruption problems, and the regression discontinuity design suggests that the effect is causal. ; Funding agencies: Swedish Research Council; Torsten Soderbergs Foundation

"This book tests the disquieting hypothesis that our most powerful leaders acquire strange quirks, making them take unnecessary risks. The author scrutinizes some of the best-known top politicians of the largest western or G6 nations over the last half century, when they approached or reached the highest executive office, such as Berlusconi, Bush, Clinton, Kennedy, Reagan, Thatcher and others. All gave in to a slightly amended version of the seven temptations or mortal sins: Lust or sexual obsession, Gluttony or substance abuse, Greed or hidden corruption, Wrath or power abuse, Denial of mortal illness, Folly or mental disease, or Pride and over-confidence. Well documented with references to primary sources in four different languages, this study examines the psychological forces tugging at the top level of political leadership"--

"This book tests the disquieting hypothesis that our most powerful leaders acquire strange quirks, making them take unnecessary risks. The author scrutinizes some of the best-known top politicians of the largest western or G6 nations over the last half century, when they approached or reached the highest executive office, such as Berlusconi, Bush, Clinton, Kennedy, Reagan, Thatcher and others. All gave in to a slightly amended version of the seven temptations or mortal sins: Lust or sexual obsession, Gluttony or substance abuse, Greed or hidden corruption, Wrath or power abuse, Denial of mortal illness, Folly or mental disease, or Pride and over-confidence. Well documented with references to primary sources in four different languages, this study examines the psychological forces tugging at the top level of political leadership"--

Roennegaard et al. from Odense University Hospital, Denmark report their institutional experience, as tertiary cancer centre, on a nation-based head and neck cancer (HNC) fast-track programme, taking care of patients from the general practitioner (GP) suspicion of HNC to the start of initial treatment when the diagnosis of cancer is confirmed [1]. The decision to launch such a programme was made when it was observed during the 1990s that survival rates for HNC patients were worse in Denmark than in the other Scandinavian countries [2], [3]. Long waiting time from initial cancer symptoms to the start of treatment was considered as the main reason for the poor outcome of patients in Denmark. Studies have clearly shown disease progression during waiting time [4], [5]. [.]

Roennegaard et al. from Odense University Hospital, Denmark report their institutional experience, as tertiary cancer centre, on a nation-based head and neck cancer (HNC) fast-track programme, taking care of patients from the general practitioner (GP) suspicion of HNC to the start of initial treatment when the diagnosis of cancer is confirmed [1]. The decision to launch such a programme was made when it was observed during the 1990s that survival rates for HNC patients were worse in Denmark than in the other Scandinavian countries [2], [3]. Long waiting time from initial cancer symptoms to the start of treatment was considered as the main reason for the poor outcome of patients in Denmark. Studies have clearly shown disease progression during waiting time [4], [5]. [.]

Ten of the 100 Top Global Thinkers of 2012 are profiled. These are: 1. Aung San Suu Kyi, 2. Moncef Marzouki, 3. Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, 4. Sebastian Thrun, 5. Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, 6. Malala Yousafzai, 7. Barack Obama, 8. Paul Ryan, 9. Cheng Guangcheng and 10. David Blankenhorn, Narayana Kocherlakota and Richard A. Muller. Adapted from the source document.

In contrast to social capital, moral capital remains an under-researched topic in political science. In Asia, however, moral capital is one of the core assets of women politicians on their way to power. Kane defines moral capital as a specific political value of virtue that inclines others, in particular the political public and followers, to bestow (ethical) prestige, respect, loyalty, and authority on a political actor or the representative of an institution that the actor herself/himself can use as a resource to mobilize for political goals, activities, or support. This article addresses two questions. First, in which circumstances does moral capital become a significant asset for women on the rise to the top echelons of political power in Asia? Second, how do women politicians use moral capital as a political strategy, campaign instrument, and/or asset of public imaging? The authors discuss four case studies of female opposition politicians - Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, Malaysia's Wan Azizah, South Korea's Park Geun-hye, and Japan's Tanaka Makiko - in three types of political systems: democratic, semi-authoritarian, and authoritarian. All four women are descendants of political dynasties and each of them used moral capital to reach top political offices in their countries. But significant differences emerge regarding the importance of moral capital as a prime asset in the development of each of their political careers. These differences originate from (a) the power configurations in the political context in which each woman operates, and (b) the legacies of their fathers or husbands. (Crit Asian Stud/GIGA)

Intro -- Contents -- 1: Madam Speaker -- 2: Born into Politics -- 3: Rise to the Top -- 4: The Hundred Hours Agenda -- 5: Thawing the Middle East Ice -- 6: Opposing the War -- 7: "Impeachment Is Off the Table -- 8: Breaking Through the Gridlock -- 9: Rescuing the Economy -- Chronology -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Further Resources -- Index -- About the Author -- Picture Credits.

This paper studies the use of results oriented performance information (outputs and outcomes) by local elected politicians (aldermen) in top managers' performance evaluation. The main goal is to understand the top managers' performance evaluation process conducted by Portuguese aldermen and to identify the dominant evaluation style. In line with Bogt (2001), an exploratory field research was developed in three large municipalities: Porto, Braga and Matosinhos. We intend to answer the following research questions: to what extent are local politicians (aldermen) 1 using results information (about outputs and outcomes) to evaluate top managers' performance? Do aldermen give any importance to quantitative output information and report them on current planning and control documents? Will the output performance information be used on performance evaluation in a different way concerning policy field (task orientation)? Based on the Hopwood evaluation styles (adapted from the private to the public sector by Bogt, 2001), we have found that the performance evaluation process of top managers is more featured by the 'operations-conscious styles' (or 'implicit style'). Portuguese aldermen recognize the importance to quantify outputs and outcomes, but these days they focus on the information about activities and the realized operations when they evaluate performance. We haven´t found significant differences between different tasks (some exceptions for culture and environment areas). However, the municipality of Matosinhos paid more attention on quantitative performance information. This finding is reinforced by the quality of quantitative data on outputs reported on its management report. Generally speaking, aldermen are aware that more attention should be paid to quantitative information about results and performance, taking into account recent reforms introduced in Portuguese municipalities (PLG) on this field, but the 'implicit' style is dominant.

Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Strategy of Inquiry -- 3. Paths to the Top -- 4. Roles and Styles in Policymaking -- 5. The Compass of Elite Ideology -- 6. Democrats, Pluralists, Populists, and Others -- 7. Interactions at the Top -- 8. Energy and Equilibrium in the Policy Process -- Notes -- Prior Publications -- Index.

In both monetary policy and policing there is a case for a considerable degree of operational independence from politicians. The case is (by far) strongest in respect of the Police, where it would be just egregiously unacceptable to have a system in which politicians got to decide who was and wasn’t arrested or charged. It … Continue reading Dismissing top public officials

There are only a chosen few who rise above the rest to lead mankind. Some meet history with favorable review while others meet with infamy. This book presents the most remarkable leaders of all time. Introducing both the good and the bad, readers will learn about rulers who bettered or battered their people, and changed the course of history forever. Leaders include Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Ceasar, Mao Zedong, and Mandela. Colorful, detailed images and gripping descriptions will engage reluctant or struggling readers