THE ROLE OF TENURE SECURITY IN HOUSING SELF-IMPROVEMENT: A CASE-STUDY OF SURABAYA, INDONESIA

Some developing countries are tapping into the opportunities offered by self-help gradual improvement of houses in order to relieve the environmental problems besetting their urban areas. For decisionmakers and planners it is important to know the factors that can entice slum dwellers to improve their houses. Using Indonesian data, this paper has tested and verified the assumption that tenure security is a powerful factor that can entice slum dwellers to internalize the benefits from neighborhood environmental quality improvement.     

A REVIEW OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY REPORT,PUNCHING OUR WEIGHT: THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IN PUBLIC POLICY MAKING1

The report argues that policy‐makers fail to make effective use of the high quality research of UK academics in the humanities and social sciences. Yet greater co‐operation between the government and academia could undermine the independence of the latter by increasing the role of the state in the funding and direction of university research.     

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOLO PATROL IN POLICING A LIBERAL SOCIETY: A RESPONSE TO JOHN BLUNDELL

Police deployment strategies have a direct bearing on the general relationship with the public. In this article, the author reviews the research and argues that not only is routine deployment of officers in pairs wasteful of finite resources, it can lead to increased alienation from the public.     

COMMUTING PATTERNS IN THE OSAKA METROPOLITAN AREA: A GIS-BASED ANALYSIS OF COMMUTER RAIL PASSENGERS

The urban economic growth and suburbanization had increased the number of suburban commuters using rail transit in the Osaka metropolitan area for 40 years since the 1950s. This trend reversed to continuous shrinkage in the 1990s. The reduction in passengers may lead to financial problems for the operators and an increase in railway fares or decline in quality of service. This study investigates the factors responsible for the decline in demand for rail service by analyzing changes in population and commuters using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and small area statistics linked with locations of urban rail networks. The results indicate that the dispersion of jobs from 1990 to 2000 significantly reduced commutes by rail. Demographic analysis shows that because of low fertility rates and the rapidly aging population the decline in the number of commuters will intensify in coming decades, causing serious financial problems for railway operators.     

DESTROYING A COUNTRY IN ORDER TO SAVE IT: THE FOLLY OF ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST MYANMAR

The government of the United States has imposed economic sanctions on the Union of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, due to the ruling junta's lack of respect for democracy and human rights. This paper proposes that those sanctions, while well intended, are ineffective, unethical and harmful to the people to whom they are intended to help.     

THE IMPACT OF OWNERSHIP AND CAPITAL STRUCTURE ON MANAGERIAL MOTIVATION AND STRATEGY IN MANAGEMENT BUY-OUTS: A CULTURAL ANALYSIS

This study examines, from a cultural perspective, owner-managers’and other stakeholders’interpretations of the partial fusion of ownership and control through high leverage in eight UK management buy-outs (MBOs). Owner-control and debt-control are interpreted as having positive effects on managerial motivation, organizational decision-making processes and implementation of cost reduction strategies and negative ones on fundamental changes in strategy and acquisition. These interpretations accord broadly with agency theory propositions but show that owner-managers place less emphasis on wealth incentive effects and more emphasis on the enabling and facilitating roles of collective ownership and the freedom it gives from inappropriate corporate control.     

THE IMPACT OF LABOR MARKET REGULATION ON EMPLOYMENT IN LOW‐INCOME COUNTRIES: A META‐ANALYSIS

Controversy over labor market policy often centers on achieving a balance between preventing worker exploitation, and avoiding loss of productivity or employment through excessive regulation. Although the literature documenting the impact of labor market regulation on employment is extensive, there is a dearth of evidence on the impact of such policies in low‐income countries (LICs). Since it is easier for workers, especially women, to slip into the informal sector in LICs, regulations are likely to have stronger impacts on formal employment in these countries (but lower impacts on unemployment). We systematically reviewed available research from countries that are, or were until recently, LICs. Most studies document that more stringent labor regulations are associated with lower formal sector employment and higher informal sector employment. We also conducted a metaregression analysis of the impact of minimum wages on formal and informal employment. After controlling for publication bias, higher minimum wages are associated with lower formal employment and a higher share of informal workers.