Suchergebnisse

IN GREAT BRITAIN, THERE HAS ARISEN A "NEW LANGUAGE" OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNMENT: CORE BUSINESSES, MARKETING, CLOSENESS TO THE CUSTOMER, UNIT COSTS, AND ADDED VALUE HAVE ALL BECOME ESTABLISHED JARGON IN WHITEHALL AND WESTMINSTER. IN A WORLD DOMINATED BY MARKET SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS, STATE INTERVENTION IS TO BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM, ITS ORGANIZATIONS DECENTRALIZED WITHIN A CENTRAL REGIME OF SYSTEMIC CONTROLS, AND OPERATION MANAGES GIVEN MORE ACCOUNTABLE FREEDOMS AND REWARDS AND MADE MORE RESPONSIVE TO CUSTOMERS. THIS ARTICLE ARGUES THAT IT IS TIME TO TAKE A HARD AND CRITICAL LOOK AT WHAT THE NEW MANAGEMENT REALLY IMPLIES FOR THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, AND IT ATTEMPTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH AND EXAMINATION.

AS BRITISH POLITICS MOVES INTO THE POST-THATCHER ERA AND THE NEW EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF POST-1992, THERE IS RENEWED INTEREST IN THE STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES OF BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE SHAPE, SIZE AND FUNCTION OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE EVENTFUL LAST FEW MONTHS IN THIS TRANSITION ARE THE SUBJECT OF THIS ARTICLE. IT STUDIES THE CABINET AND THE EXECUTIVE; PARLIAMENT, SELECT COMMITTEES AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE; CENTRAL DEPARTMENTS AND POLICY MANAGEMENT; EXECUTIVE AGENCIES; PRIVATIZATION; THE CIVIL SERVICE; LOCAL GOVERNMENT; AND, THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE. IT CONCLUDES THAT THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENT IN ALL THIS NEEDS TO BE CLARIFIED AND THAT IT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REASSERT ITS POSITION AS CUSTODIAN OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND THEREBY RESOLVE THE AMBIGUITY OF THE QUASI-MARKET WORLD OF PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION.

A "School Teacher's Certificate" awarded to Emily A. Babbott by W. B. Jenkins, School Commissioner of Warren County. This certificate was printed by Smith's Print in Monmouth, Illinois and dated July 13, 1853.

The social norms approach is an increasingly widely used strategy of behaviour and attitude change that is based on challenging misperceptions individuals hold about their peers. Research to date has been carried out predominately in the US college system, with a focus on substance use behaviours. The aim of the current study was to explore peer perceptions of both substance use and other behaviours in a British student sample, as the first step in determining whether the social norms approach may be applicable within Europe. Students at eight further education colleges in the UK were surveyed on their personal and perceived peer health and college engagement behaviours and attitudes by means of a printed and online survey. Respondents reported a perceived norm of frequency of substance use that was higher than the reported norm. Results relating to the injunctive norms of substance use were mixed but demonstrated that the majority of respondents do not actively approve of tobacco, cannabis or other drug use. Respondents also reported a norm of academic engagement that was more positive than the perceived norm of their peers. The results relating to substance use are consistent with work conducted in the US college system, despite the differences in culture and legislation. In addition, the results indicate that there may be similar misperceptions around other areas of health and college engagement. This suggests that the social norms approach may be a viable method of behaviour change in UK students.

Examines the report of the Efficiency Unit, Improving Management in Government: the Next Steps (1988) and the Treasury and Civil Service Committee report, Civil Service Management Reform: the Next Steps (1988). Regardless of pace and scale of change, the reports could well herald a major onslaught on the conventional organisation of the civil service. (Abstract amended)

The Water Authorities Association guide 'Sewers for Adoption' has achieved considerable success in unifying practice and establishing well‐understood and recognized standards for the design and construction of sewers by developers under Section 18 of the Public Health Act 1936. However, the supervision provided by the adopting authorities — particularly in relation to supervision fees — has been an area of dispute for some time.The Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) has recently completed a study on the optimum levels of supervision for sewer construction. The study included a national survey on the nature and extent of problems occurring during the course of Section 18 work and the supervision practices presently being undertaken. The study puts forward recommendations on the nature and timing of periodic inspections undertaken during construction. Several specific problem areas are discussed, ranging from measures required to ensure that design submissions are of an adequate standard, to the timing of any pre‐adoption closed‐circuit television inspection. This paper draws upon the contents of the report and discusses some of the principal findings and recommendations of the study.