Suchergebnisse

Europäische und nationale Fördermittel zur Verbesserung der regionalen Strukturen werden zunehmend im Rahmen von Wettbewerben vergeben. Bei dieser Form der Mittelvergabe treten oftmals Parameter wie 'regionale Bedürftigkeit' oder geographische Besonderheiten in den Hintergrund, an denen sich früher die öffentlichen Förderstrategien ausgerichtet haben. Der Artikel beleuchtet die Ursachen, die zu der Änderung der Vergabeverfahrens geführt haben. Dabei wird deutlich, dass die Globalisierung und die zunehmende Innovationsförderung zur Erzielung von Produktivitätsfortschritten maßgeblich zu der neuen Vergabepraxis beigetragen haben. Wesentlichen Anteil an der Durchsetzung von Wettbewerbsverfahren hatten auch Behörden der EU, die zur Umsetzung ihrer Politik auf Partnerschaften mit regionalen und lokalen Akteuren angewiesen sind. In dem Artikel wird dargestellt, dass Wettbewerbe einen Beitrag liefern können, neuartige Pilotverfahren zu entwickeln und zusammen mit regionalen Partnern umzusetzen. Gleichzeitig kann diese Wettbewerbsorientierung zu einer Polarisierung zwischen Kommunen und Regionen führen und bestehende regionale Disparitäten verstärken. ; European and national subsidies intended to improve regional structures are increasingly being granted within a competitive framework. Parameters such as 'regional need' or geographical specificities, which in the past were the focus of public subsidy strategies, often take a backseat with this form of subsidy award. This paper sheds light on the reasons that have led to the change in subsidy distribution. It becomes clear that globalisation and the increasing promotion of innovation intended to advance productivity have significantly contributed to the new award practices. An important role in the establishment of the competitive awards was also played by the EU authorities, who rely on partnerships with regional and local actors for the implementation of their policies. The article illustrates that competitions can contribute towards the development of new pilot processes and their implementation in cooperation with regional partners. At the same time this competitive orientation can lead to a polarisation between municipalities and regions and intensify existing regional disparities.

Society often turns to scientists to decide what research should be done, but the author has observed that scientists bring different interests & ethical frameworks to this decision than do other societal stakeholders. These differences are described. When there are public policy arguments about whether to start or maintain a line of public interest research, it is important to make explicit the interests & assumptions of the various stakeholders, including the scientists, & to let this information inform the public policy discussion. 2 Figures, 8 References. [Copyright 2002 Sage Publications, Inc.]

A California Department of Health Services program dealt with possible health effects from Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) from power lines. With the advice of stakeholders, and well before any risk determinations were made, transparent policy analyses about the power grid and schools asked the question, "How confident must one be of how big an effect before one would adopt cheap or expensive EMF avoidance measures?" A risk evaluation was carried out with features that promoted transparency. It was formatted to provide a policy-neutral "degree of certainty of causality" to adherents of utilitarian, environmental justice, and libertarian policy frameworks. Though the program had many features advocated by adherents of the precautionary principle, it might be better characterized as following "Transparent Democratic Foresight Strategies," since no single principle justifies the strategies used in this participatory program, and it examined the pros and cons of options but made no recommendations, precautionary or otherwise.

Abstract Over the past two decades, courts have unsuccessfully attempted to develop a consistent approach to the treatments of a professional degree in divorce actions. After reviewing the conceptual issues involved, a measurement method is suggested which would provide the fact finder with both an upper and a lower bound for the value of a degree. Hypothetical future income streams for average lawyers and physicians, and their spouses, are used to examine the impact of basing property settlements upon each of these bounds. It is argued that both equityand conceptual considerations support the conclusion that past decisions have very often inappropriately failed to consider the upper bound in valuing a degree in divorce settlements.

Matthew Marlin's analysis does not support his position. Our earlier research of industrial revenue bonds is correct and we continue to argue that the IRB program creates economic inefficiencies, increases the federal deficit, and serves no apparent public purpose. The elimination of the program is in the best interest of the nation.

Tax-free Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) have become a very popular method of stimulating economic development among local communities. IRBs impose few direct costs upon the issuing jurisdictions while the perceived benefits, to business people and communities, are substantial. However, important social costs are associated with the use of IRBs: reduced federal tax revenues, dilution of the municipal bond market, legal and administrative expenses, and lowered real national output. A study of the use of IRBs in Ohio between 1974 and 1978 showed that few social benefits were generated to offset the real social costs of the program. IRB investments were not directed toward high unemployment areas, and the jobs they created did not appear to yield disproportionately direct benefits to the low-income segments of the issuing jurisdictions. These findings suggest that the federal government should effectively abolish the IRB program by removing I RBs' tax-exempt status. If this proves politically impossible, then IRBs should be directed instead toward severely distressed areas. This form of targeting is consistent with the role envisioned for IRBs in the Reagan administration's enterprise zone concept.

International audience ; The mode of governance of the temporary occupation of urban wastelands is close to a system of decentralised self-organisation. Although it often involves a collaborative approach between the various stakeholders (owners, local authorities, associations and inhabitants), the management of the site is nevertheless subject to phases of tension and even conflict between actors. Thus, we will examine the social and political dynamics at work in these areas, as well as the relations of dependence between institutional actors and managers of these areas, and the spin off power of engagements, of ways of proceeding and of setting actors in motion from these temporary local territories that are the urban wastelands. Aware that the spaces studied and observed offer a large number of formal and informal uses, we have chosen to focus on participatory workshops. ; Le mode de gouvernance de l'occupation temporaire des friches urbaines se rapproche d'un système d'auto-organisation décentralisée. S'il implique souvent une démarche collaborative entre les différentes parties prenantes (propriétaires, collectivités, acteurs associatifs et habitants), la gestion du site est tout de même traversée par des phases de tensions voire de conflits entre ces acteurs. On interrogera les dynamiques sociales et politiques à l'œuvre sur ces espaces, aussi bien les relations de dépendance entre les acteurs institutionnels et les gestionnaires des espaces, que le pouvoir d'essaimage de formes d'engagement, des manières de « faire » et de mettre en mouvement des acteurs à partir de ces ancrages locaux temporaires que sont les friches urbaines. Conscients que les espaces étudiés et observés offrent un grand nombre d'usages formels et informels, nous avons fait le choix de nous focaliser sur les activités de type chantier participatif.