Safeguarding public accountability in horizontal government

Abstract

The trend towards horizontalization in government prompts a debate on safeguarding public accountability. This article contributes to the debate by presenting categories of horizontalization in government, types of horizontal accountability and criteria for judging the appropriateness of arrangements for public accountability. Accountability arrangements must meet the requirements of the democratic constitutional state to provide adequate checks and balances. This implies, among other things, that responsibilities must be clear and the information supply, debate and sanctioning options must all be established. A discussion of existing mechanisms for horizontal accountability indicates that the requirements of a democratic constitutional state are generally not sufficiently met. This makes it imperative to establish more balanced arrangements for public accountability that fit more horizontal forms of government.     

Local Democracy Ltd

Abstract

A number of European countries have witnessed a proliferation of local government enterprises in recent years. Norwegian local councillors are seemingly particularly exposed to this ‘enterprise fever’. Our article explores local governments' approaches to the political control of such companies. We observe a reluctance to intervene directly in the affairs of an enterprise, but there is a last-resort preparedness to take more resolute action. Lastly, in contrast to what the prototypical agency model postulates, we find that those who attach strong aspirations of increased capacity to the establishment of companies appear to lack trust in the same companies' performance capability.     

America's Engagement in Iraq: Insights and implications for public management research

Abstract

There are lessons to be learned in the matter of public management in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially in the importance of the management cultures in which decisions are made. This review is of four books, by different authors, sharing their journalist approach. Four shared themes emerge from these works: the importance of training, organizational culture, strategy, and governance. The authors develop an awareness of the inter-connectivity of the leadership and management cultures of the military and civilians, with significant implications for future public management research. Each of the four books in this review offers contributions that extend the knowledge and practice of public management and public policy, providing hard-learned lessons that can be cross walked into teaching, practice, and research.     

Governance for climate-change adaptive capacity in the Swedish electricity sector

Abstract

This article analyses the capacity for climate change adaptation (CCA) in the Swedish electricity grid sector. Utilizing two perspectives from organization theory it directs attention to changes in the sector, from the 1980s until 2010, with radical change with an NPM-reform in 1996. For the time before 1996 findings indicate a high CCA capacity. The reform led to a reduction in this capacity through an increased emphasis on economic efficiency, although there also has been some room for robustness-considerations. This article shows that organizational culture and formal structure influence the capacity to adapt to climate change.     

Comparative HRM: European views and perspectives

The US originated notion of HRM has been widely accepted across the world – and also widely criticized. The underlying features of the European economy are different from those of the USA and it is argued that these have led to a different approach to HRM being developed in Europe. Differences in features such as more limited individualism, a greater role for the State, different patterns of consultation and patterns of ownership, are linked to these different practices and have led to more varied patterns of research and a more critical literature.     

美国陆军初级职业军事教育研究

美国陆军初级职业军事教育在借鉴中形成,在创新中不断发展,其主体结构相对稳定,又可根据战争经验、客观需求适时调整,整个体系科学、合理、灵活应变。     

How accurate are government forecasts of economic fundamentals? The case of Taiwan

A government’s ability to forecast key economic fundamentals accurately can affect business confidence, consumer sentiment, and foreign direct investment, among others. A government forecast based on an econometric model is replicable, whereas one that is not fully based on an econometric model is non-replicable. Governments typically provide non-replicable forecasts (or expert forecasts) of economic fundamentals, such as the inflation rate and real GDP growth rate.In this paper, we develop a methodology for evaluating non-replicable forecasts. We argue that in order to do so, one needs to retrieve from the non-replicable forecast its replicable component, and that it is the difference in accuracy between these two that matters. An empirical example to forecast economic fundamentals for Taiwan shows the relevance of the proposed methodological approach. Our main finding is that the undocumented knowledge of the Taiwanese government reduces forecast errors substantially.     

建筑防水质量控制探析

房屋漏水给老百姓的生活带来了很大不便,容易引起邻里之间的矛盾、业主与开发商的纠纷,造成社会的不和谐。文章阐述了我国建筑防水的现状,分析了影响广西防水工程质量的因素,对杜绝建筑设施漏水提出建议。     

浅议我国政府会计改革

自20世纪90年代以来,西方国家纷纷掀起政府会计的改革浪潮,各国改革的核心内容是在政府预算编制和政府会计核算中逐步引入权责发生制。我国目前各类政府业务增加,对政府会计核算信息也提出了更全面的要求,政府会计改革势在必行。本文通过对我国目前的预算会计核算体系进行分析,探讨中国政府会计改革的方向。提出对中国政府会计改革的建议,服务当前我国政府会计改革的需要。     

基于政府门户网站建设浅析日文版网站建设与发展

在信息化社会中,政府网站在电子层面发挥着重要的职能作用。本文就国内政府门户网站的发展现状和发展前景进行分析总结,对日文网站的建设和维护提出建议。