An Inquiry into Balanced Scorecards within Best Value Implementation in UK Local Government

The aim is of this paper is to conduct an exploratory study into the use of Balanced Scorecards as an approach to implementing Best Value in UK local government. Furthermore, a participant-observation method is used to study the development into a Balanced Scorecard within local government.
There is a need to critically evaluate approaches to implementing Best Value so that local government can determine how to achieve the service performance levels laid down in the framework. There is a paucity of systematic studies exploring and critiquing the effectiveness of using the Balanced Scorecard in Best Value implementation. The paper describes an exploratory multiple case research study followed by longitudinal participant-observer research on Balanced Scorecard development in a Best Value context. The findings show that the Balanced Scorecard can play a key role in Best Value implementation. Moreover it is also useful in linking other improvement initiatives. However, the Balanced Scorecard process must be informed by organizational and environmental information that is both accurate and adequate. The audit functions of the Business Excellence Model go some way to providing this information.     

Evaluating the best value framework in UK local government services

The aim of this article is to conduct an exploratory multiple case analysis of local government delivery of Best Value by focusing on Environmental Waste Management Service (EWMS) delivery. EWMS is chosen as a key area of Best Value development and application. The Best Value framework was developed by the UK Government to introduce performance management to local government as part of the ‘Modernising Government’ agenda. There is a need to critically evaluate Best Value so that local government can determine if this is a suitable and sustainable framework for the management of public services and that it can make a contribution to increased public service effectiveness. The article describes an exploratory multiple case research study and shows that the imposition of Best Value in local government must recognise the complexity and diversity within local government services, rather than adopting an inflexible approach to deployment. There is a need to go beyond generalised performance measures and benchmarks and to attempt to understand the difficulties and complexities of localised conditions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gender equality and social security

He is author of Capitalism and the Welfare State; Clients and Constituents;and co-author (with Barbara Gilbert) of The Enabling State: Modern Welfare Capitalism in America;and (with Joel Duerr Berrick) With the Best of Intentions: The Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Movement.     

Generic Prejudice and the Presumption of Guilt in Sex Abuse Trials

In 25 Canadian criminal trials involving charges of sexual abuse, 849 prospective jurors were asked under oath whether they could hear the evidence, follow the judge's instructions on the Jaw, and decide the case with a fair and impartial mind. Knowing only the nature of the charges against the accused, on average 36% of the jurors stated that they could not be impartial Some jurors explained that they themselves had been victims of abuse, others expressed fears for children, while others stated simply that they could not set aside a presumption of guilt. These findings from real trials are consistent with a body of social science literature about attitudes toward sexual abuse and sexual assault charges. The article distinguishes between prejudices arising from specific pretrial publicity and generic prejudices that cause prejudgments of the case of any defendant perceived as belonging to a general class of defendants who likely are guilty of the crime(s) charged.     

PPB: Its relevance to financially constrained municipalities

Abstract. This paper assumes that Planning-Programming-Budgeting (ppb ) is preferable to the current historical budgeting procedure of municipalities. This is in part because ppb necessitates policy-making (defined as the setting of goals). The paper argues that the ability of municipalities to adopt ppb and policy-making is severely constrained by fiscal imbalance. The reliance of Canadian municipalities on conditional transfers and on the property tax has negated ppb procedures by distorting priorities and narrowing decision-making. The paper further argues that inflation will accentuate the financial problems of municipalities because of different revenue and tax elasticities. The point of departure is a brief examination of the logic behind urban government and the division of responsibilities. The second section looks at municipal fiscal imbalance, and the third analyses how fiscal imbalance negates policy-making and ppb . A final section suggests three remedies that might induce adoption of ppb . One would reduce the distortions of transfers and the other two would ease fiscal imbalance. Sommaire. Cet article suggère que le processus de Planification-Programmation et Budgétisation (ppb ) est préférable au processus de budgétisation couramment en usage dans les municipalités, en partie parce que le ppb implique la détermination d'objectifs politiques. L'article soutient que la possibilité d'adoption du ppb et d'une politique précise par les municipalités est très limitée à cause du déséquilibre fiscal. La subordination des municipalités canadiennes aux subventions conditionnelles et a Fimpôt fonder, en changeant les priorités et en limitant le pouvoir de décision, a rendu impossible le ppb. L'article soutient de plus que l'inflation accentuera les problèmes financiers des municipalités à cause des différentes élasticités des taxes et des revenus. L'étude commence par un bref examen des principes qui régissent l'administration urbaine et 3a division des responsabilités. La deuxième partie traite du déséquilibre fiscal des municipalités, et la troisième indique pour quelle raison le déséquilibre fiscal rend impossible une politique suivie et l'application du processus du ppb . Une dernière partie suggère trois solutions qui pourraient faciliter l'adoption du ppb. L'une réduirait les distortions dues aux subventions conditionnelles et les deux autres permettraient d'alléger le déséquilibre fiscal.