The Politics of Accountability in the Modern State

The Politics of Accountability in the Modern State
Author: Matthew Flinders
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2017-10-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351800825

This title was first published in 2001: In this compelling work, Matthew Flinders examines how far alternative forms of accountability have evolved and the extent to which they remedy the current shortcomings of the parliamentary system. Adopting a pluralistic perspective, this exploration of the accountability of the core executive is clearly grounded in research methodology, thus ensuring the book makes a valid, incisive contribution to the literature. Features include: - A detailed study of the location of power and mechanisms of accountability in modern government which challenges the largely prosaic existing literature - Useful summaries of the key tensions and trends within constitutional infrastructure - A new and refreshing approach to the study of central government - Insightful critiques of major governmental policies This intriguing volume will be of interest to undergraduates, post-graduates and lecturers for courses on legislative studies, central government reform, public administration, British politics and research methods.

Governance Issues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment's Former Local Enterprise Development Unit in Relation to the Establishment and Oversight of the Emerging Business Trust Loan and Venture Funds

Governance Issues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment's Former Local Enterprise Development Unit in Relation to the Establishment and Oversight of the Emerging Business Trust Loan and Venture Funds
Author: Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2006-02-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0102939659

This report examines major weaknesses in the part played by the former Local Enterprise Development Unit (LEDU) in the establishment and oversight of the Emerging Business Trust (EBT). The ETB was created in 1996 with funds of £3 million provided by the International Fund for Ireland and £0.75 million by LEDU, mainly administering a loan fund. In 2000 EBT also established a venture fund, with a total funding of £0.6 million. EBT voluntarily ceased to carry on business in April 2005, and a liquidator was appointed to wind up the affairs of both the loan and venture funds. Invest Northern Ireland (a development agency which assumed the responsibilities of LEDU in 2002) carried out an investigation, which identified a long list of failings: conflicts of interest, especially involving a LEDU board member who was also a partner in MTF Chartered Accountants who were the managing agents of both funds; LEDU's failure to follow its own procedures; normal public sector rules on competitive tendering were not followed; a high level of bad debt (£1.1 million was written off); insufficient monitoring by LEDU. NIAO finds that many of these failings show non-observance of the Public Accounts Committee's recommendations in its report "The proper conduct of public business" (HC 154, 8th report session 1993-94). The poor standards of administration fell far below the normal standards operating elsewhere in the Northern Ireland public sector. Invest Northern Ireland and the Department have undertaken a number of actions and current corporate governance arrangements are very different. NIAO believes there are lessons of relevance here to the wider public sector.

International Network of Public Libraries

International Network of Public Libraries
Author: Nicola Campbell
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 164
Release: 1999
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780810835764

Consists of two studies from an international organization working on future-oriented library issues. Nicola Campbell and Sue Sutherland, of the Canterbury Public Library in New Zealand, offer a case study demonstrating the importance of libraries' adapting to change quickly and effectively. They explore the process of change and outline strategies for maintaining organization and communication throughout the process. Kay Poustie, of the City of Stirling Public Libraries, Australia, proposes a model for successful customer service in libraries. She contrasts models identified in both literature and practice and discusses strategic planning for better customer service through application of these models. Lacks a subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The United Nations and the Pacific Islands

The United Nations and the Pacific Islands
Author: Graham Hassall
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2023-10-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3031341554

This book critically examines the relationship between the United Nations Organization and the small states of the Pacific islands. It provides an in-depth coverage of the United Nations, coupled with how Pacific Small Island Developing States interact. It covers three themes, the first one being the position of the UN on the Pacific Islands, which examines the role of the many UN organs, agencies and programs in strengthening individual countries and the region as a whole. It examines the manner in which the UN’s activities have benefited Pacific nations, territories and peoples. The second theme deals with the Pacific states in the UN, and examines the participation of Pacific nations and territories in the UN’s various organs, agencies, and programmes. It analyses the contribution they have made to the effectiveness of the organization, as distinct from the benefits they have sought to gain from it. The third and last theme deals with small states in global public policy, taking a broader look at how small states are faring within the UN system in the age of global discourse on shared public goods/public policy concerns.

The Enterprise University

The Enterprise University
Author: Simon Marginson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2000-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780521794480

Throughout the industrialised world, universities have undergone remarkable changes since the mid-1980s. In Australia, interest has been intense, and publication of The Enterprise University was very timely. First published in 2001, it was the first systematic study of the Australian system since the momentous Dawkins reforms ten years earlier. The book is grounded in case studies of most of the major Australian universities: the authors interviewed a large number of senior managers. They also have taken account of global trends and have prepared the book in the light of international research on the university as an institution. The authors contend that the modern university can be understood as an 'enterprise university', characterised by corporate-style executive leadership. In a hard-hitting conclusion they propose novel policies and directions for Australia's higher education system.

Wine Tourism Around the World

Wine Tourism Around the World
Author: C. Michael Hall
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2009-11-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136348735

Wine tourism is a rapidly growing field of industry and academic interest with changes in the consumer markets in recent years, showing an enormous interest in 'experiential' travel. Wine Tourism Around the World is therefore an invaluable text for both students and practitioners alike and provides: * The first comprehensive introduction to wine tourism from a business, social science and policy perspective * An international perspective on wine tourism and includes detailed examples from Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK and the USA * Detailed information on the growth and development of wine tourism from both supply, demand, marketing and management perspectives Academic researchers and students in tourism and hospitality fields, as well as anyone connected with the wine industry, will find this book an essential guide to understanding the global impacts of wine tourism and the consequent economic, social and environmental impacts and opportunities. C.Michael Hall is based at the University of Otago in New Zealand and is Visiting Professor in the School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University. He has written widely on wine, food and rural tourism and has a major interest in cool-climate wine tourism. Liz Sharples is a lecturer in the School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University. She has extensive practical and academic experience in the hospitality industry and has major research interests in the interrelationships between cuisine, tourism and rural production. Brock Cambourne is the owner/operator of multiple tourism award winning National Capital Wine Tours and principal of Benchmark Tourism Consulting. He has researched and published extensively on wine and culinary tourism and is a member of the Australian National Wine Tourism Working Party. Niki Macionis is a lecturer at the University of Canberra's Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism. Her graduate studies focussed on the development of wine tourism and she has researched and published extensively on wine and culinary tourism.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich
Author: Matthew N. Green
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2022-07-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 070063326X

Newt Gingrich is one of the most polarizing and consequential figures in US politics. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1978, he rose from a minority party backbencher to become the first Republican Speaker of the House in forty years. Though much has been written about Gingrich, accounts of his time in Congress are incomplete and often skewed. In their book Newt Gingrich: The Rise and Fall of a Party Entrepreneur, political scientists Matthew N. Green and Jeffrey Crouch draw from newly uncovered archival material, original interviews, and other data to provide a fresh and insightful look at Gingrich’s entire congressional career. Green and Crouch argue that Gingrich is best understood as a “party entrepreneur,” someone who works primarily to achieve their congressional party’s collective goals. From the moment he entered Congress, Gingrich was laser-focused on achieving two party-related objectives—a Republican majority in the House and a more conservative society—as well as greater influence for himself. Using a conceptual framework taken from theories of military strategy, the authors explain how Gingrich initially struggled because of a mismatch between his lofty goals and the resources available to him. After years of patiently cultivating allies, tempering his immediate objectives, and waiting for favorable circumstances to emerge, Gingrich finally claimed victory in 1994, with Republicans winning control of the House and electing Gingrich as Speaker. Yet while Gingrich had been creative, patient, and ultimately successful at gaining power for himself and his party, he proved ineffective at balancing his goals with the demands of the Speakership, and he resigned from Congress just four years later. Newt Gingrich: The Rise and Fall of a Party Entrepreneur, the latest contribution to the Congressional Leaders series, sheds new light on a historically important congressional leader whose complicated legacy is still debated today by scholars, journalists, and politicians.

Behaviour and Rationality in Corporate Governance

Behaviour and Rationality in Corporate Governance
Author: Oliver Marnet
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2008-03-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134073682

Corporate scandals due to bad accounting happen too frequently for a system of corporate governance to be deemed effective. Exploring the reasons behind corporate misbehaviour, this book also answers the question of whether recent reforms are sufficient to prevent further scandals from occurring in the future.