Suchergebnisse

Power relationships in US primary care policy are discussed, focusing on the "mobilization of bias" by dominant interest groups against structural alternatives. The structure of the primary care sector is briefly reviewed, noting the dominance of private enterprise, the separation of individual from population health responsibility, & the primacy of MDs in the decision-making process. The initiation of neighborhood health center projects in the mid-1960s is discussed as a challenge to this structure; while the centers were designed to serve all members of the immediate community, it is demonstrated that bias mobilization established them as access points for lower income people, thus preserving the structure of mainstream health care. Modified Author Conclusion.

The prevalence of public management principles in the American administration : e.g. the civil service reform act of 1978

After a short description of the development and present situation of the US public administration, the author discusses the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act which explicitly purports to change in-depth the behaviour of the US Civil Service, to transform a bureaucracy into an efficient body likely to meet satisfactorily the requirements of the political power and the administered. This analysis of the recent reform of the American Civil Service shows the ways along which moves the new public management which operates unquestionably under the key-words "targets" and "participation".

Abstract Technology, the application of science to achieve practical results in the area of production (as economists use the term), can be understood only in a limited way from a strict disciplinary framework such as those prevailing in the social sciences. Perhaps the most restrictive is the limitation from the viewpoint of economics. The author (an economist) illustrates this contention with some interdisciplinary dimensions of technology encountered in developing countries, such as those pertaining to indigenous technological generation and technology transfer. A development framework incorporating such interdisciplinary dimensions, it is argued, is a prerequisite for formulating meaningful technology policies which help to promote an improved quality of life in developing countries.

Abstract
The paper begins with a proposal for a reconstruction of three major statements of the traditional Marxian version of historical materialism. The general concept of an adaptive mechanism is introduced to explain how, in the Marxian sense, several parts of the superstructure are to be thought of as determined by the economic base. The paper proceeds by asking whether the classical type of economic determination is valid not only for precapitalist and capitalist societies, but for socialist societies as well. An answer in the negative is given. The author tries to outline a type of historical materialism which takes into account the autonomous role of political institutions and social relations as determinants in socialist societies.

This article addresses the allegation that the Supreme Court has been biased in deciding constitutional cases in favor of federal interests. The author concludes it is at least possible for judges to be biased, in light of positivist and realist views on how judges choose between conflicting interpretations of the law, but an examination of federal judicial appointments and the outcomes of constitutional cases from January 1950 to May 1979 leads him to conclude that the allegation of bias is unfounded. In tracing judicial doctrine, he insists the Supreme Court has adhered to principles laid down by the Privy Council, siding as much in favour of the provinces as Parliament when competing interpretations surface.

The author presents an overview of surface mine reclamation activity in the United States. The paper focuses on four areas. The first consists of a chronology of governmental involvement in surface mine control, and sets the stage for current surface mining activities in the United States. The second area provides an explanation of the Federal Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 as it pertains to reclamation form and process. Reactions of the states and the mining industry to the provisions of the Act and recent administrative regulations comprise the next area. Finally, physical problems associated with reclamation are presented, and the role of land use planning in the reclamation planning process is discussed.

Small businesses have needs and problems Chat are quite similar to those of larger businesses. In the past, some of these problems (such as computer simulation and 'number crunching tasks) could only be solved on large computers that small businesses could not afford to use, let alone purchase. The coming and ever-increasing use of very lowcost microcomputers in government and industry have now made computing power available to small businesses in convenient and affordable form. This paper discusses the application of a microcomputer to decision making in investment portfolio selection for a small business. The author acted as a consultant to help evaluate the feasibility of this microcomputer-based application.

Modernizing administrative structures : the British experience (1970-1974). The Tory government published in October 1970 an ambitious plan for the reorganization of central government. Examining the sources and consequences of this reform, the author focuses on the decision-making procedures in the governmental machinery and tries to evaluate the relations between administrative structures and politics. His conclusions are rather pessimistic. Those who are in charge of devising macro-structural changes are only marginally concerned with considerations of efficiency ; the factors "time" and "probability" play a negative role, and moreover the joint responsibility of the Cabinet actually never came into action and the decision-making process remained extremely narrow and moved in a closed circuit.

In the past, British industrial relations developped as " voluntary relations " between employees — or unions — and employers, with very little State interference. However, to cope with the industrial relations crisis of this decade, the State came to intervene more frequently. Each government sets up its own regulations, which the next one turns down. How profound are these changes in law ? Do they also alter the behaviour and practices of the bargaining partners ? The author considers that the voluntarist ideology, still widely shared, has been somehow successfull in resisting State corporatist pressures and encroachments up to now. But what about the future ? Are not the now prevailing economic conditions propitious to corporatism ?

A summary and reinterpretation of Weber's Sociology of Religion and The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism provides the framework within which four contemporary studies in political culture, which purport to be in the Weberian tradition, are examined. The framework distinguishes three levels of analysis in which "religion," as a social fact, can be defined. The social, economic, or political consequences that can be attributed to religious adherence are different depending on the doctrine of the charismatic founder, the practical religion, or the practical religion of the converted. The author suggests a new, perhaps more fruitful agenda for research based on the methodological arguments of the paper.

Writing about fascism can get one in trouble. "Fascist" is used to describe every nasty person—from Mussolini and his henchmen to ill-tempered policemen and professors who expect their students to complete assignments. No wonder that anyone using the term to analyze politics in the Third World is immediately suspected of being in the pay of the Israelis—or worse. (The present author can state categorically that he is in the pay of no government, Alas!) Nevertheless, many political scientists have concluded that fascism models are useful for coming to grips with the tumultuous politics of the underdeveloped world. This article explores some of the reasons for and implications of that conclusion

The author proposes that the problem of controlling and regulating the consumption of opiate-type and other kinds of drugs be removed from Federal jurisdiction and turned over to the states as was done with alcohol and is now quietly beginning to be done with marihuana. This proposal includes drastic reduction and redistribution of present Federal enforcement functions, especially of those that constitute duplication of effort and could more appropriately be handled by other agencies, state and Federal. A review of the past record of this enforcement bureaucracy indicates that it merits substantial dismemberment and that its elimination as a Washington lobbying power would create a more favorable environment for needed reform.

The author reviewed OD evaluation as described in the literature and assessed twenty-six studies against Campbell and Stanley's twelve criteria for validity; only three met all criteria. The studies varied from highly rigorous, experimental designs to nondesigns totally inadequate for an assessment of validity. Most of the studies reviewed did not utilize designs rigorous enough to adequately determine the outcomes of the OD process. The present underdeveloped state of the art of OD evaluation demonstrates that practitioners must (1) determine appropriate meas ures for assessing; (2) develop more adequate instruments for measuring change related to OD; and (3) consistently utilize more rigorous designs for their studies.

In the last two years, changes in public policy affecting
agriculture in Pakistan have come in rapid succession. Of these, the
announcement in January 1977 of the introduction of tax on agricultural
incomes came as a major surprise to this author. For one thing, leading
spokesmen for the government in 1974 saw "little potential surplus"
which a tax on incomes in agriculture could generate without adversely
affecting the prospects of agricul¬tural growth. The agricultural lobby
had quite obviously won the argument then. More importantly, there
existed no estimates to counter the much publicized low magnitudes. I
have found in only one published study a systematic attempt to derive
estimates of agricultural tax in Pakistan [2].

Perhaps no person is better qualified to present an insight
into India's development experience than the author of this book who was
most intimately connected with the preparation of the first four five
year plans. The scope of the book is broad and comprehensive as it
presents a lucid and objective account of the main goals, constraints,
successes and failures of planning in India during the period,
1950-1971. The book also attempts to draw lessons for the future planner
in India. The evaluation of different plans is mostly in economic terms.
However, this economic evaluation is supplemented with a useful account
of the social, political and administrative aspects of the develop¬ment
process in India.