Suchergebnisse

With this study the North Australia Research Unit introduces a new series of monographs designed for the publication of research on Northern Australian topics. The monographs replace an earlier series, the North Australia Research Bulletin which is to be discontinued when number 8 is published during 1982. Other monographs in the new series which are at an advanced stage of preparation include Steven Thiele's study of the Aboriginal-owned cattle station, Yugul, in the Northern Territory, a report on the National Aboriginal Conference election in the Northern Territory in 1981, and a selection of papers dealing with service delivery to Aboriginal outstations from the Research Unit's 1981 conference. The Unit, located in Darwin, is a part of the Research School of Pacific Studies of the Australian National University. It provides services for visitors and maintains its own research program. Patrick Weller, senior lecturer in political science at the Australian National University, visited the Unit in 1981 when he and Will Sanders, one of the Unit's staff, carried out the interviews on which this monograph is based. As field director of the Unit I would like to join with them in acknowledging the cooperation of Northern Territory ministers and departmental heads, all of whom gave generously of their time. To all of them we owe thanks and particularly to the Chief Minister, Paul Everingham. Our thanks go too to Debbie Hill who set the text on the computer.

Monograph examines and discusses the nature government Ministers' work and working environment in the Northern Territory, with conclusions especially centring on Ministers' workload With this study the North Australia Research Unit introduces a new series of monographs designed for the publication of research on Northern Australian Topics. The monographs replace an earlier series, the North Australia Research Bulletin which is to be discontinued when number 8 is published during 1982. Other monographs in the new series which are at an advanced stage of preparation include Steven Thiele's study of the Aboriginal-owned station, Yogul, in the Northern Territory, a report on the National Aboriginal Conference election in the Northern Territory in 1981, and a selection of papers dealing with service delivery to Aboriginal outstations from the Research Unit's 1981 conference.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- List of contributors -- Acknowledgments -- List of abbreviations -- Understanding the governance of international organizations -- Understanding IOs -- Our approach -- Understanding players -- The contributions in this volume -- 1. The World Trade Organization as an institution -- Status of the WTO -- Membership of the WTO -- Structure of the WTO -- Structure of the WTO Secretariat -- Secretariat staff -- Selection of the Director-General -- Organizational issues raised by expanding WTO membership -- Appellate Body and secretariat -- History and culture: from GATT to WTO -- The WTO from 1995 to 2013 -- Interaction between main groups of players -- Decision making -- What fears/expectations have been raised? Have these materialized? -- Conclusion: an organization that needs rebalancing? -- 1.2. Weak organization, strong institution: Comment -- Strong institution? -- 2. Reform at the World Bank -- Opening up the Bank -- Structural adjustment lending and economic policy reform -- The Wapenhans Report and project quality -- The Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative -- IDA grants -- Decentralization -- Conclusion -- 2.1. The World Bank: Comment -- 2.2. The World Bank-plus ça change?: Comment -- 3. Governance at work at the International Monetary Fund -- Governance structure -- Effectiveness: the IMF's hallmark -- Vote and voice: the quest for increased legitimacy -- Consensus building and ownership: why they matter -- Ministerial engagement increasingly indispensible -- Strategic oversight and accountability -- Conclusion: governance reform-too slow, too incremental? -- 3.1. IMF governance and decision-making processes: Comment -- Obligations of IMF members -- Ownership is vital -- Concerns about legitimacy reduce the IMF's effectiveness.

"International organisations (IOs) often receive a bad press, seen as intrusive, domineering and unresponsive to the needs of the people and countries they are meant to serve. They are also seen as sclerotic bureaucracies, unable to move fast or to solve the intractable problems of the countries that need their assistance. The best way to understand the operation of these international organisations is to bring together those who represent their countries at IOs and those who have been working at IOs at various capacities and then to listen to their experiences. The book will set the scene through a theoretical introduction to ask the questions, and then features chapters on each IO from experts, with comments and additional insights from experienced practitioners or observers, and a conclusion that explicitly draws out the comparative lessons and contrasts the insights of practitioners from those of external observers. It seeks to develop an alternative approach to the analysis of IOs that takes account of all those involved, whether state representatives, IO leaders and members of the secretariat. Providing a well informed, innovative and consistently structured analysis of IOs this work will be of interest to students and scholars of international relations, international organizations and global governance. "--

Australia faces major challenges to its forms of governance. Changing expectations from its citizens, global pressures on the economy and technological innovation are impacting on government operations. Yet most of its institutions were designed a hundred years ago. Cabinet government was inherited. Parliament was already established in its forms and procedures. The federal structure, the High Court and the federal public service were created as a consequence. The party structure has been effectively frozen since the 1920s and a tradition of handing some responsibilities to arms-length organisations was well established.So how have these institutions changed over the last hundred years and how well will they adapt to the demands of the modern world? Do they have the capacity to adapt appropriately and enable governments to achieve their preferred outcomes? In this book experienced academics and practitioners explore these questions. They examine each of the institutions in terms of their ability to meet new challenges and provide some hope that Australia's institutions, even if at times slow to move and dominated by internal interests, have a capacity to adapt and govern effectively. The book shows our political institutions in a new light, as dynamic, often flexible organisms; it provides important new insights into the way we are governed and how our system of governance might develop in the future.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is the heart of government in Australia. Its history reveals the growing sophistication in the way politics and government are managed, and provides fascinating glimpses of the day-to-day workings of the most i