Suchergebnisse

In this paper, we examine the prospects for base realignment and closure in Peru and develop an initial strategy for the realignment and closure process. While previous research has focused primarily on the realignment and closure process in developed countries, we instead focus on the need for the realignment and closure process to complement the government's objectives of democratic governance and economic growth. Given concerns about the reemergence of internal threats, most notably the Shining Path and significant constraints on public finances, realignment and closure may have to proceed at a significant pace in the near term. We argue that these conditions should not create an environment in which the requirements for the process to support the government's objectives of improving transparency, accountability, and civil-military relations are sacrificed for the sake of expediency.

The Republic of Serbia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) is attempting to implement a program‐oriented, multi‐year budgeting system in 2010. This paper reveals several challenges that threaten the success of this initiative. First, we find that the proposed budget system confuses organizations and programs. Second, there does not appear to be a centrally coordinated effort to implement program budgeting, leading to significant disparities in comprehension, organization, and implementation amongst the subordinate commands in MoD. Finally, there is a distinct lack of communication within the MoD regarding the necessity of a program budget and how the process should move forward. These issues inhibit the implementation of program budgeting in the MoD and diminish the possible gains associated with the multi‐year, programmatic allocation of defense resources.

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09584930701800412 ; For many years, conventional wisdom stressed that developing countries such as Pakistan face a guns versus butter trade-off, with increased defence expenditures coming at the expense of improved economic growth. Later, statistical studies suggested that, depending on the circumstances, defence expenditures could either aid or hinder economic growth. However, these studies were silent on the key role governance structures played in affecting the environments in which defence expenditures occur. Our findings suggest that governance patterns relative to defence determine to a large extent whether increased defence allocations interact with the economy in a positive or negative fashion. Unfortunately for Pakistan, defence expenditures have outrun governance to the extent that their impacts on the economy are negative. Furthermore, this effect is likely to persist even if defence expenditures are significantly reduced. Improved governance is the only option open to the authorities in their attempts to neutralise the adverse impacts of military expenditures.

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) is the latest in a series of attempts to introduce performance-based management and budgeting techniques at the federal level in the United States. In the past, these attempts largely failed due to administrative complexities, lack of investment in managerial, accounting, and information systems, and the absence of institutional incentives to promote gains in economic efficiency. Whereas we find the objectives of the GPRA laudable, we question whether this current incarnation of performance budgeting can succeed in transforming the traditional focus of federal budgeting from annual appropriations and obligations to multiyear outputs and outcomes.