Reform: intergovernmental relations

The Italian system of territorial government-traditionally a quite centralized one- is presently sustaining deep changes that expand the role played by sub-national governments. Tax autonomy of sub-national governments has been expanded and new legislation has devolved many of central government administrative responsibilities to regional governments, provinces and municipalities. In Italy, the growing dissatisfaction with the dismal performance of the central government and with the redistribution among regions operated through the central budget seems to be the main factor behind the reform movement.     

Reform: pension system

This paper covers the main aspects of the reforms of the pension system in Italy. The reform process -concerning the automatic adjustment mechanisms, the eligibility requirements and the determination of benefits- is directed to correct the weakness of the previous system (overprotection, excessive fragmentation, complexity) and to enhance its efficiency and financial sustainability. Overall, the reduction of pension benefits is leading to an increasing role for complementary retirement plans.     

Reform: health care

The Italian National Health Service was established in 1978 as three-tier system, involving State, Regions, USLs (Unità sanitarie locali, Local Health Care Units). The division between the responsibility of determining the general features of health care policy and financing it, on one side (the State), and that of managing services, on the order side (Regions and USLs), was bound to lead to increasing levels of expenditure and large financial deficits. An important reform has been carried out over the last five years, aiming toward a more decentralized system, which, although still public, were based on competition among suppliers and free choice for consumers. We argue that although the reform seems to have been successful in containing public expenditure, it has left some important issues still unresolved: the relationship between patients' freedom of choice and competition among providers, and the definition of a model of rationing the bundle of health services financed by the public sector.     

Reform: economic policy administration

Beginning in 1992, Italy has undergone a dramatic process of fiscal consolidation. Within that framework, the policy strategy has covered a broad range of objectives and addressed the main structural imbalances of the Italian economy. This paper describes how the new policy course has been reshaping the role of the State within the Italian economy, with a view of reducing the State's weight and direct involvement in the management of businesses. This has also implied a profound transformation at the decisional and administrative levels, as testified by the ongoing merge of two separate administrations, the former Ministry of the Treasury and Ministry of the Budget, into a single entity.     

Reform: international affairs administration

In Italy, the role of the State and the procedures and techniques adopted by government and the civil service are coming under close scrutiny, and major changes are being introduced. The fall of the Iron Curtain, coupled with the globalization of the economy and information, is extending opportunities for medium range powers with long cultural and commercial traditions, like Italy, while demanding renewed structures and know-how in order to successfully meet the new challenges and seize the new opportunities. The Foreign Ministry is therefore set for internal reorganization, empowering posts in Rome and abroad by freeing them of many of their administrative burdens, so that they can act and react more effectively in this new environment.     

Reform: the audit system

This study discusses the reform of the Italian audit system initiated by law in 1990 and subsequently regulated by the Executive branch through delegation from Parliament. Despite the redundancy of the regulations, the new system appears to be coherent with the wider design of public administration reform. Audit is no longer limited to preventing illegal acts issued by public administrations, but it is also directed to detect anomalies and inconsistencies of public management and propose corrections to improve performance. The real challenge of the reform lays in its implementation.     

奥巴马的医改政治

现任美国总统奥巴马在竞选期间中,曾向美国人民作出了许多许诺,医疗改革是其中的重中之重。这个问题的重要性和敏感性在于它是美国政治新自由主义与新保守主义政治角逐的焦点之一。美国是主要发达国家中唯一没有实行全民医保的国家,     

The Prefect and State Reform

The article intends to explain why although tremendous changes have occurred in the structure of government – especially the laws organizing decentralization since 1982 – the institution of the Prefect is still alive in the year 2000. Created in 1800, the institution of the Prefect derives from the will of the central authority to rely on its own representatives to ensure that public policies will be equally implemented over the whole territory. This objective remains but it has to be combined with the objectives of decentralization which are to transfer a number of responsibilities to elected bodies. Consequently, the task of the Prefect is to co-ordinate locally the action of the representatives of the ministers with the action of the elected body. To study the conditions under which the institution carries out this task the article focuses primarily on the limited capacity of the Prefect to mobilize the relevant actors. The second point concerns the difficulty of bringing together the information produced by field services. The third point considers the valuation of proximity and its impact on the action of the Prefect. The article concludes that the function of the Prefect is still the framing of local action but within the new context this can be done more often through the diffusion of information and less often through authority.     

国外国有企业改革的主要做法

如何搞好国有企业的改革,提升其竞争力,国外 的一些做法可供借鉴。 一、对国有企业实施“私有化” 国有企业“私有化的”浪潮是20世纪70年代末从英国开始的,以后迅速扩展到西欧各国、北美、东欧各国和地区。各国的“私有化”各具特色,可划分为五种模式:     

Reform: budgeting and financial management

In compliance with the commitments undertaken at the European Union and in harmony with the general restructuring of public administration, a far-reaching budget reform was approved in 1997 changing the philosophy and the structure of the existing budget system and the management of public resources. The new system is based on the linkage between budget allocation and performance, on specification of functions, programs and objectives and assessment of results. This study illustrates the major developments of the previous system and the dramatic changes introduced with the 1997 reform.     

韦伯夫妇社会改良思想与实践

韦伯夫妇信奉改良主义,并深受功利主义的影响,"最大多数人的最大效率"是其一生的信条.他们活跃于学术与社会改革等多个领域,在英国乃至世界范围内产生了广泛的影响.     

古巴经济改革的特点

古巴的经济改革始于1993年.20世纪80年代末90年代初,东欧剧变、苏联解体,"社会主义大家庭"骤然消失,古巴失去了85%的市场、75%的进口和石油供应.美国趁机加紧对古的经济封锁,力图搞垮古巴社会主义政权.在双重打击之下,古经济形势急剧恶化.     

戈尔巴乔夫政治体制改革的教训

苏联问题的根子在政治体制,进行政治体制改革是苏联改革的题中应有之义。苏联改革政治体制的核心是解决公民与政权分离的问题,消除经济改革的障碍机制。但是,在选择政治体制改革的方向和目标上,戈尔巴乔夫不切实际地试图恢复列宁所提出的"一切权力归苏维埃",想通过全民选举苏维埃代表来实现公民与政权的结合,实践的结果证明在现代条件下这么做行不通。这一选举导致了苏联的政治过热和混乱,更使苏共威信丧失,难以控制局面,最后不得不实行总统制。匆忙推行的总统制仍难以挽回局面,反而促进了民族分离主义的发展,最后使苏联倾倒,苏共失去了政权。