Is it really performance that is measured？ A reflection of the South African Government＇s performance management system

The institutionalisation of performance management in the South African public service is a post-1994 intervention necessitated by the need to counteract the legacy of poor performance in public service institutions. Performance management as an integrated system is not a standalone intervention, but has direct links with other organisational processes. At both the micro- and macro-levels, PMS （performance management system） recognises institutional performance relationships between individuals＇, teams＇ and departments＇ performance contributions for attaining government performance targets. These institutional performance relationships in the South African public service have attracted excessive attention, whilst their performance impact in communities has been overlooked. In addition, the interdependence between the dichotomies of PMS： institutional performance relationships and performance impact have also been overlooked. In the South African context, this condition creates a disparity in terms of which government employees are rewarded for outstanding performance, whilst targeted beneficiaries express dissatisfaction, often with violent protests, over government＇s performance in the delivery of basic services. The protestors cite poor service delivery in prioritised key performance areas of the South African Government. The granting of performance rewards to government employees is an expression of performance excellence, which should translate into quality service delivery. Such delivery should not only meet the levels of service delivery expectations of targeted communities, but should also result in their total satisfaction. The article is founded on the basis that any disparity between targeted beneficiaries＇ service expectations and level of satisfaction can be linked directly to government progress in PMS implementation.     

Productivity Improvement and Public Personnel Management： An Analysis of Presidents Reagan and Obama Administration

Considering the financial crises, all the recent presidents have emphasized the importance of productivity improvement in government, especially in public personnel management. Though there is a general agreement on the concept of productivity, the means to achieve productivity vary with president＇s ideology. President Reagan championed the cause of conservatism. On one hand, despite Obama＇s attempt to diffuse ideological question, his actions can be regarded as liberal. This study seeks to make a comparison between Presidents Reagan and Obama on their efforts in productivity improvement in public personnel management, based on their ideological preferences. President Reagan campaigned on an anti-Washington agenda. He promoted the idea that the government is the problem rather than the solution. He popularized the idea that the people are burdened with heavy taxation as a result of the big government. Therefore, the solution to heavy taxation was to cut big government, which can be accomplished by reducing unnecessary and expensive regulations. On the other hand, when President Obama came to office, the country was faced not only with a deep recession, but two difficult wars, the collapse of the banking and the auto industries, the housing crisis, and overall capacity crisis in the government. Obama resisted ideological level in his campaign speeches to diffuse the criticisms of the conservatives.     

Negotiated agreements in the Dutch context and its inspirations for Chinese environmental management

Covenants have become a widely used policy instrument in European countries. Covenants are negotiated agreements between government and industry in which industry obliges to take ＇voluntary＇ action to help realizing policy objectives. This paper describes and analyses the evolution and development of the use of such covenant model in European environmental policy practice. After an extensive evaluation of the effect of the covenants in the European context, the paper conducts a comparable study of the Chinese environmental policy context with that in European countries, expose that Chinese environmental policy and environmental practice is still in the first stage of Europe environmental policy and practice evolution. As a conclusion, the paper explores the possible application of covenants as a ＂third strategy＂ in Chinese environmental policy.     

Kazakhstan＇s energy policy： Its evolution and tendencies

As a young sovereign state, Kazakhstan tries to conduct policy that makes it an equal partner among other countries of the world community. Rich deposits of oil and natural gas in the country and the Caspian Sea attract the interests of energy consuming states. At the same time, the landlocked position and weak infrastructure lead a more active foreign policy based on the energy factor. This paper is an attempt to study the development of energy policy of Kazakhstan focusing on the country＇s relations with Russia, China, the USA and the European Union. The complex geopolitical environment and relatively small, young economy of Kazakhstan emerge as the main reasons for conducting multi-vector and balanced foreign policy. The author defines peculiarities and tendencies of possible future developments with respect to Kazakhstan＇s place in the energy sphere.     

The Impact of Exchange Rate on the Growth of Nigerian Economy From 1960 to 2010

This paper examined the impact of exchange rate on the growth of Nigerian economy using time series data from 1960 to 2010. The paper utilized secondary data and explored various econometrics and/or statistical analytical （E-view 7.0） method to examine the relationship between exchange rate and economic growth. The paper tested the stationarity--through unit root test （ADF）, Vector Autoregressive Estimates （VARs）, cointegration test, Granger-Causality test of Nigeria＇s time series data, and used an error correction model through over-parameterization and parsimonious model to determine the long-run relationship among the variables examined. It was discovered from the findings that the growth rate of national income was directly related to domestic investment and economic growth. The paper recommended based on the econometric results among others that the government should ensure that prevailing economic situation in Nigeria is tolerable in order to reap the full benefit/advantage of exchange rate policy, encourage domestic production of goods and services to enable the domestic economy to benefit from the exchange rate policy, ensure the stability of macroeconomics variables, and ensure the exchange rate policy which is to encourage exports and discourage imports in order to avoid cash drain （or flight） in the economy.     

Normalization and Anti-normalization： Value Differences in Sino-EU Relations

As a would-be normative power, the European Union （EU） has the willing to expand its values to the rest of the world, especially to the developing countries. However, China always adheres to sovereignty principle and cultural diversification, never accepting to be normalized by European values. This indicates that there is some ideological collision between these two global actors, which could undermine the base of their bilateral relations. The collision is reflected by the conflict of China＇s exceptionalism, modernity, and socialist-label with the EU＇s universalism, post-modernity and capitalist-label. In order to escape the ideological conflicts, both sides should concentrate on shared values, interests and global governance rather than only on the bilateral political issues.     

Public Policy： The Reality in the Practice of Management Agreements

This paper presents the new version of public policy for government transparency, outlining state＇s required functions, in the context of economic globalization, to enable fulfillment of social demands and Brazil＇s competitive insertion in international markets. In this sense, public policies were adjusted to the role of social and economic development promoter and regulator： Strengthening government capacity for formulating and evaluating them; increasing governance, i.e., government＇s ability to implement public policies, from the viewpoint of efficiency, efficacy, and effectiveness through the introduction of new organizational models and new partnerships with civil society; establishing management contracts, agreements, and partnership terms; and finally modernizing public management. E-government （e-gov） includes three of the seven lines of action of the information society： universal service, government available for all and advanced infrastructure. The Integration and Intelligence Government Information System （i3-Gov） was developed in open platform. Thus, new trends in shared and interagency management for public, productive, and growing third （voluntary） sectors are contemplated. The paper presents the results obtained with the Federal Government Voluntary Transfers Integrated System （SICONV）, which adequately fulfills the expectations of service and transparency, but needs improvement in regard to government participation without state interference.     

A game-theoretic model of the participants in the rural migrant workers＇ work-related injury insurance system

According to the game theory, the efficiency of a policy depends on the coherence between the Nash equilibrium and policy maker＇s ideal focal point. A game-theoretic model is used to study the relationships among rural migrant workers, enterprises and governments under the policy that rural migrant workers were requested included in urban social insurance system. As each participant seeks to maximize his utility, the problem can best be analyzed as an n-person cooperative game. This paper tries to relocate the roles of governments, and put forward some policy suggestion on promoting rural migrant workers＇ work-related injury insurances system with effective incentive and restrictive mechanisms.     

A study of social exclusion： Vietnamese and mainland Chinese brides in Taiwan

This paper interviews Vietnamese and mainland Chinese brides in Taiwan to explore their experiences of social exclusion. It finds that both Vietnamese and mainland Chinese brides more or less experience social exclusion in one of the political, social relation and welfare dimensions. The dimension of social exclusion that neither of the groups has experienced is spatial exclusion. In comparison, the Vietnamese brides have been more afflicted by economic and cultural exclusion and use more government services. The government service item that has been used most frequently is ＂eugenic hygiene＂, and ＂life adaptation counseling＂ ranks the second. As to other government service items--＂upgrading of education and culture＂, ＂personal safety protection＂ and ＂guarantee of employment rights＂, Vietnamese brides with strong support from their husband＇s family are the main group who use them. In the future, while planning supportive foreign brides＇ policies, the government can focus more on combining the services with foreign brides＇ family and the communities they live in. Then, it can advocate more effectively usages of services and the goal of combating social exclusion.     

Unleashing the power of consultations and partnerships through Aboriginal participation

What are the extent to which and the means by which Canada＇s Aboriginals are involved in consultation and more importantly, partnerships with other political actors to achieve indigenous-based change？ This paper examines this question in the larger framework of new public management （NPM） theory. NPM postulates that consultation involving public sector engagement with citizens （community engagement/ participation） will improve the quality of decisions regarding the content and delivery of policies and programs. The degree to which the public is empowered to engage with the public sector can be measured along a public participation spectrum, developed by the International Association for Public Participation （IAP2）, which measures varying degrees of public participation resulting in different forms of consultations and/or partnerships （inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower）. This paper will examine the existing literature on public consultation and public participation which will help identify the level of Aboriginal involvement in the policy process. More specifically, this paper will examine the Government of Alberta＇s 2004 ＂Grades 10-12 Social Studies Consultation＂ and the Government of Canada＇s 2008 ＂Environment Canada＇s Aboriginal Consultations on Wastewater＂, each of which involved government initiatives to carry out consultation with various Aboriginal actors. Ultimately, this paper argues that the different levels of governments in Canada have only employed the first two stages of the public participation spectrum （＂inform＂ and ＂consult＂） and therefore, have not empowered First Nations communities to become meaningful partners in the policy-making process and the democratic process at large.     

Parliamentary Elections Egypt 2011： A Multi-Stakeholder Groups Assessment

This study aimed at conducting a multi-stakeholder assessment of the recent Egyptian parliamentary elections that took place after the Egyptian January 25, 2011 revolution. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, it outlines the directions of different stakeholder groups＇ perceptions toward the elections. The qualitative analysis, based on a review of the literature and an examination of published and online media, emphasized the divergent opinions of the groups studied. The quantitative analysis focused on the results of an online survey distributed to a sample of 299 resident Egyptians representing the different demographic features of the eligible voting community. A valid and reliable scale was used to assess the perception of respondents to six different aspects of elections governance. The empirical study pointed to an overall negative perception of elections. The direction of respondents＇ perception was negative toward elections administration, information access, manipulation, and fairness. On the other hand, the respondents＇ perception tended to be neutral toward freedom and reference the new parliament＇s empowerment and tendency to complete its term. The study concluded with a number of proposed strategies for improving efficiency and enhancing fairness and freedom. Soon Egypt shall witness a new parliamentary election by 2014, and there will be an opportunity to learn from past mistakes.     

Cluster Policy and Smart Specialisation The Case of Bulgaria

Smart specialisation is an innovative policy concept which emphasizes the principle of prioritisation in a vertical logic and has attracted a wide interest in recent years, being implemented in many national technology and innovation strategies. Clusters are considered to be a major driver of innovation and competitiveness and for years, have been assigned a key role in various economic development strategies around the world. The paper looks at the interrelationship between clusters and smart specialisation. While clusters are an important building block of Smart Specialisation Strategies （$3）, cluster policies are also influenced by the concept of smart specialisation as they have increasingly started to target specific industries. The principal objective of the paper is to provide an overview and evaluation of the cluster policy pursued in Bulgaria during the last decade. The extent to which the country has used the principle of smart specialisation in its cluster initiatives is assessed. It has been argued that namely due to the lack of clear focus and prioritisation, Bulgaria＇s cluster policy proved to be highly inefficient. Finally, some policy recommendations for its improvement are put forward.     

Strengthening intergovernmental relations for improved service delivery in South Africa： Issues for consideration

Fifteen years after South Africa＇s first democratic elections in 1994, a significant percentage of the population is yet to access basic services and infrastructure because of government＇s slow pace of service delivery. Following the recent elections in April 2009, various forums have placed the debate on good governance and issues of service delivery high on their agendas. This has led to an increasing call for the present government to speed up service delivery and improve the living standards of majority of the people of South Africa. In this regard, government must seriously consider all mechanisms that have hindered delivery and other issues （that have contributed to government＇s slow delivery pace） must be revisited. Amongst other challenges is the issue of managing intergovernmental relations （IGR） in a more effective and efficient manner. The paper reconsidered the extent to which IGR could be maximised as a facilitative element in governance and argued that what needed to be earnestly pursued are integrated and improved administrative processes, as well as coordinated and aligned governmental systems. This paper therefore sought to position IGR as a possible opportunity for the improvement of service delivery＇. It further reflected on some of the pertinent challenges that impact on IGR, as well as presented some pointers for the future.     

The performance appraisals system types and their applicability： Case and application

This study was conducted to construct a theoretical model of the performance appraisal system that including four types according to two dimensions： the programmed degree of task and the formalized degree of the performance appraisal system. The conclusion drawn by this paper was that, the Chinese enterprise should adhere to the principles of which compounding individual goal with the organization, and balancing the organization＇s adaptability and the stability, to design the performance appraisal system and then promote enterprise performance management innovation and construction of harmonious labor relationshios.     

Transparency Policies in Italy： The Case of Venice Municipality

Transparency is a complex phenomenon characterised by aspects that can be linked and interpreted differently. In particular transparency is associated with information and participation. In order to better understand how to manage transparency in a municipality, the paper analyses the case of Venice that adopted a strong policy to increase citizen participation through information and communications technology （ICT）. Starting with the idea that transparency is achieved only when perception of transparency between management and citizens （users） is aligned, the author has verified this alignment administering the same questionnaire separately to managers/officers and citizens. The author also analyses the alignment of perception for the different elements （motivation, issues, tools and relation） that administration has to manage to achieve transparency. The results show that for managing administration＇s transparency it is necessary to manage the ＂transparency triangle＂, i.e., addressing the information to a specific necessity of access to services or to citizen participation, with a different mix of high relational tools.     

The industrial regulation： Experiences and lessons in China＇s telecommunication,electricity and public utilities

We trace the development of the regulatory policy in China＇s telecommunication, electricity and public utilities. We find that different characteristics of industry result in different policy evolution processes, different reform strength and methods, which lead to different effects. Some industries have just established the competitive structure, and some others have already formed sufficient competition. Reasons for these differences among industries include： regulatory promise, technical progress and substitutive competition. According to the analysis, the foundation of the regulatory system and the coordination of the regulators＇ behavior can improve the industrial regulation in China.     

Information Freedom in the Contemporary Indonesia： Regulations and Its Dynamics on Public Sphere

The ＂reform order＂ is belief and generates a lot of regulations and laws. Among these are laws that guarantee the public in obtaining information. It is a sign that the society and the people of Indonesia have changed and entered a century of information society. The information freedom contained in openness also requires the support of public sphere. By Habermas＇s concept of the public sphere and its structural transformation in his early writings, it is noted how he takes up similar themes in his recent 1990s work within the context of a structural transformation of his own work in his linguistic turn. At the stake is delineating a concept of the public sphere which facilitates maximum public participation and debate over the key issues of the current conjuncture and which consequently promotes the cause of participatory democracy. From the studies conducted by reading the texts of mass media and primary literature sources that also direct observations, it is likely to find new public management model for bridging the transition after the political change in authoritarian Indonesia associated with public access to the freedom of public information transparent to strengthening citizenship.     

Continuous development in organizations Romanian model

This paper presents the results of an experimental study applied on an average level company, sales/distribution profile, from Mutes County, Romania. The study analyzes the role of formative intervention in the development of a positive organizational environment in an organization. Following the results of this experiment and especially the results that confirm the importance of formative intervention in the development of human resources, the improvement of communication and professional motivation, a nonrefundable financed phare project has been initiated and implemented within the organization-the center of developing and training the human resources from selling-it＇s goal being the development of an ensemble of training services for the company＇s personnel and the development of a human resource consultancy network for other similar companies. The last part of this paper briefly describes the main activities and results of this project. All the elements that we have deciphered during the implementation of the project and also the conclusions of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the experiment＇s results, determine us to support continuous professional development in organizations, which, as proved, can improve communication in the organization, maintain the personnel on a high level of motivation, increase professional and personal performance and efficiency, also can lead to self-awareness and auto-implication, satisfaction with the accomplished work.     

Simplification： A single tax and a single entitlement

The United States is experiencing a very serious economic downturn. It is now necessary to consider some significant changes in government policy. The system of revenue collection should be simplified with a single tax levied and itemized at the national, state, and local levels. Likewise, the system of benefit distribution should be simplified with a single entitlement paid to each individual at every level with absolutely no strings attached. Such simplification would save a massive amount of time and money even if it was neutral in terms of overall revenue and expenditure. And, it would minimize fraud, waste and abuse. The gains in efficiency and accountability would be enormous.     

Social Determinants and E-Disclosure： Empirical Evidence From Spain

In the last few years, new communication tools have been changing the relationship between administration and citizens in order to enhance public accountability that is essential for government transparency. Public accountability and transparency on the web are topics that have attracted the interest of several scholars, who have begun to investigate the determinants of disclosure. The local government＇s websites have become the main channel for communication with stakeholders and the most important disclosure tools. This paper explores the use of websites by local governments; especially, its aim is to find out which social determinants predict the diffusion of e-disclosure in the public sector in light of agency theory and neo-institutional theory. In particular, the paper contributes to increasing the literature on the e-disclosure, moreover, the scoring system for the e-disclosure analysis in public local government is proposed. The analysis is carried out on a sample of local governments （LGs） in Spain during 2012.