The state of Ontario's municipal performance reports: A critical analysis

Abstract: Focus on results and accountability in public performance management is now firmly entrenched. Governments around the world, at all levels, have invested significant time and resources into measuring and reporting performance, with very mixed results. In 2000, Ontario became the first state or province in North America to mandate a municipal performance measurement program for all municipalities. One measure of the system's effectiveness is the documentation produced to show citizens how their government is doing – in this case, an annual performance report. Although the legislation is clear in terms of measurements and some reporting standards, there are clear differences in the overall quality of the annual reports produced by each of the 445 municipalities. This article will focus on the reports as the primary communication tool between the municipalities and citizens. The primary question that frames this research is the current quality of municipal performance reports in Ontario.     

Explaining the use of planning consultants in Ontario cities

Consulting firms providing policy advice to governments is a widespread phenomenon. This article asks why municipalities employ urban planning consultant firms to advise on public sector projects. Municipal employees from 19 mid‐sized Ontario cities responded to online survey questionnaires asking for their opinions on why urban planning consultant firms are hired by their cities. In testing four hypotheses, this study found functionalism (the need for expertise because of a lack of in‐house talent or time) to be the strongest explanation for this phenomenon. In addition to a lack of staff time and resources, the ideational hypothesis — perceived specialized knowledge and expertise of consultants — was also found to be relevant.     

实现转型:高职院校办学管理体制的研究--以长沙民政职业技术学院为例

在我国高等职业教育体制改革进程中,长沙民政职业技术学院办学的宏观管理体制实现了从面向行业办学到立足行业办学,同时面向市场(社会)办学的转型;以人事、分配制度改革和后勤服务社会化为突破口,学院内部管理体制实现了从行业到市场、从中专到高校、从身份管理到岗位管理、从行政权力到学术权力、从“自己办”到“分而不离”的转型,形成了具有鲜明特色的民院发展模式。制度创新是实现高职院校办学管理体制转型的保障。高职院校承担着培养“数以千万计的专门人才”及服务社会的办学责任,相对于研究型大学和教学研究型大学的办学功能而言,高职院校应该有其存在的社会价值和地位,应该有更多的政策关怀,制定科学合理的政策是高职院校走特色发展之路的保障。     

孔子天命思想与殷周文化传统

近年来对孔子思想的研究已逐渐由伦理、政治层面上升到形而上学的哲学层面 ,其天命思想受到了越来越多的研究者的重视。孔子天命思想所具有的多重内涵 ,与孔子对殷周文化传统的继承和发展有关。孔子继承殷文化原始宗教之天 ,对之进行了主体性的改造 ,使之成为满足主体精神慰藉需要的道德情感之天。孔子继承周文化代表民心民意、作为政权转移依据的政治化的天 ,对之进行改造 ,使之成为个体道德的依据。孔子的天命思想相对于殷周文化传统凸显了人在道德领域的自由 ,但由于脱离人类改造世界的实践活动 ,天命又成为决定人事成败、带有宿命论色彩的消极因素     

Canadian cities and the American example: a prologue to urban policy analysis

Abstract: The developmental pattern that characterizes metropolitan areas in the United States often serves as a basis for evaluating the condition of Canadian cities and attributing a distinctive thrust to Canadian urban policy. To be meaningful, however, comparative evaluations have to take account of the way government activities have helped to shape U.S. metropolitan areas over an extended period of time. A criticism implicit in much US. urban analysis is that government activities have persistently contributed to large inequalities in the social and economic condition of metropolitan area municipalities. In Canada, by comparison, interjurisdictional equalization has played a larger role in federal-provincial relations than it has in federal-state relations in the United States. It also seems to have influenced the way provincial governments dealt with municipalities during the 1960s and 1970s. At the present time, however, provincial governments are allowing the governmental systems of metropolitan areas to become more fragmented. They are also under pressure to reduce or abandon their efforts to equalize services and property tax burdens among municipalities. How they respond to that pressure will help to determine how closely the development of Canada's metropolitan areas conforms to the pattern of urban development characteristic of the United States.     

罪犯教育改造现状认知实证研究

某省监狱683名罪犯对目前教育改造现状认知持较为肯定态度,特别是"三课教育"、文明管理与心理矫治,70%以上的罪犯认同或认为有帮助。罪犯在个别教育认知上出现分化,16.3%的罪犯认为开展得好,13.8%的罪犯认为没开展。近半数罪犯认为监狱人文精神一般。罪犯服刑时间与其教育改造现状认知显著相关,表现为随服刑时间推移对教育改造工作认知评价趋向负面。服刑一年以上与一年以下罪犯在教育改造认知评价上存在显著差异,表现为前者负性认知显著地多于后者。     

The impact and role of officers of Parliament: Canada's conflict of interest and ethics commissioner

Officers of Parliament play a vital role in providing parliamentarians with access to critical information and resources that allow them to hold the government of the day to account. Critics have argued officers have exceeded their mandates and even threaten to supplant the opposition. Canada's Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner (CIEC) holds a unique mandate, given that her primary focus concerns the behaviour of public office holders. This article draws on a comprehensive examination of the commissioner's reports and recommendations, and a content analysis of committee appearances to analyze and understand the impact and role of the CIEC. In contrast to the portrayal of other officers in the extant literature, we find that the office of the CIEC is constrained in its mandate and its impact limited by the nature and extent of its relationship with Parliament.     

L'engagement civique local : de l'incantation générique à la valorisation segmentée

The changing role of municipalities within the state action raises their concern for local civic engagement. Increased civic engagement benefits both local democracy and local governance, while exacerbating tensions between the two. If municipalities want to boost civic engagement, they have to understand all its dimensions and cannot reduce it to formal participation in decision making. This article proposes a typology of roles played by citizens in local communities. By segmenting local citizenship, this typology identifies and validates multiple manifestations of local civic engagement. It also reveals many challenges faced by local public management, which must focus less on what its administration does and more on the multiform contributions of its citizens.     

公司内部人治理模式评介——兼及对独立董事制度的反思

建立于企业专用性知识投资理论基础上的内部人治理模式强调,作为内部人的知识工人与货币股东一样,承担了剩余风险,有配置控制权予以特别保护的必要,应当在公司董事会中占有重要的席位,这样的董事会由不拥有投票权的中立人充任主席.内部知识工人作为董事有很多外部独立董事所不具有的优势.     

Overview of ecofiscal powers for municipalities: Implementation of new measures in Québec

A variety of taxes, charges and user fees deployed by municipalities can mitigate the negative impact of activities and infrastructures on the environment while diversifying revenue sources. Existing studies on ecofiscal instruments in Canadian municipalities, however, have focused primarily on the pricing of water and waste material while neglecting other environmental issues and the potential of taxes and regulatory charges. This article presents a picture of municipal ecotaxation in Québec and includes four new instruments crafted by Québec municipalities.     

A shift towards collaboration: Examining practitioner's economic development practices in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic

Regional collaboration has been suggested as a more effective way to promote economic development than competitive approaches. In Ontario, despite attempts by the provincial government to encourage regional collaboration, research finds that municipalities are still engaging in inter-territorial competition. In this article, we conducted interviews with thirty-seven practitioners to determine if economic development practices in Ontario have shifted towards more collaborative approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article finds that regional collaboration, as an economic development practice, has intensified in the province during the recent pandemic. Practitioners noted three reasons for engaging in regional collaboration: pool resources, reduce duplication, and complete regionally task-oriented goals.     

Cooperation,coordination and competition: Why do municipalities participate in economic development alliances?

Economic development is a policy area typically seen by municipalities as competitive in nature. Cooperation with neighbouring municipalities is rare, as the benefits are often selective. This paper examines the formation and governance of economic development alliances in Canada, specifically exploring the motivations of municipalities entering into these cooperative relationships. Four main factors influenced a municipality's decision to cooperate on economic development: reducing duplication, increasing international visibility, filling service gaps, and allowing for greater access to federal and provincial grants. Economic conditions dictated the course of partnership. Dividing mutual gains is the major challenge to overcome in order to keep economic development alliances together.     

论我国上市公司独立董事制度

从 2 0世纪 90年代开始 ,独立董事制度作为一项规范和完善公司治理结构的制度日益受到世界各主要国家和地区的重视。在我国 ,随着证券市场的发展 ,上市公司暴露出越来越多的问题 ,我国的独立董事制度 ,还不是一项十分成熟的制度。要完善这一制度除了赋予独立董事一定的权利之外 ,更重要的是要加大对独立董事的监管 ,建立自律组织 ,从而在根本上保证独立董事的独立和公正 ,更好地完善公司的智力结构     

生菟丝子、盐菟丝子的高效液相色谱特征图谱和5种主要成分含量测定

目的 建立生菟丝子与盐菟丝子样品的高效液相色谱特征图谱及多成分含量测定方法。方法 采用高效液相色谱法建立生菟丝子和盐菟丝子的特征图谱并进行5种成分的含量测定,通过层次聚类分析、主成分分析、正交偏最小二乘-判别分析和皮尔逊相关性分析评价不同批次菟丝子生品、盐炙饮片的质量差异,找寻质量差异性的主要成分。结果 生菟丝子、盐菟丝子的高效液相色谱特征图谱中有18个共有峰,指认出绿原酸、芦丁、金丝桃苷、紫云英苷、异鼠李素5个共有峰,峰面积占比＞70%。相似度分析结果显示,生菟丝子、盐菟丝子的相似度＞0.9。聚类分析可将两者聚为2类;主成分分析结果显示,前3个主成分可区分生菟丝子与盐菟丝子;正交偏最小二乘-判别分析结合变量投影重要性值＞1的原则,筛选出金丝桃苷、紫云英苷、异鼠李素3种与菟丝子生品、盐炙饮片质量相关性较强的化学成分。含量测定结果表明,生菟丝子、盐菟丝子中的金丝桃苷、紫云英苷、异鼠李素含量差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。皮尔逊相关性分析显示,金丝桃苷与紫云英苷、异鼠李素含量呈显著负相关。结论 基于化学计量学方法建立的生菟丝子与盐菟丝子高效液相色谱特征图谱及含量测定方法简便准确,可为菟丝子生品、盐炙饮片质量评价提供依据。     

A developing context: Evaluation and FedNor's evolving institutional context

Context matters when understanding evaluation. This case study illustrates how the internal dynamics of the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) since 2008 were affected by evaluation priorities. Recent changes meant evaluation of FedNor programs focused on indicators of short‐term growth. This prompted a range of adaptive responses by actors within FedNor concerned with securing its developmental mandate, while meeting the requirements of evaluation.     

论水土保持法的执法障碍及对策思考

《中华人民共和国水土保持法》实施以来,水土保持执法工作取得了很大的成绩,但目前我国水土保持执法中还存在一些问题,这在一定程度上影响了水土保持工作的进程,降低了水土保持部门行政执法的能力。强化水土保持执法工作的对策有:修改现行的水土保持法、加大水土保持法制宣传力度,强化水土保持执法责任制、赋予执法主体更多的权利,加强水土保持执法的民主性等等。     

Diversification des populations dans la région de Montréal: de nouveaux défis de la gestion urbaine

Sommaire: Certaines organisations municipales s'efforcent de mieux répondre aux nouveaux besoins associés aux transformations de la population métropolitaine. Une perspective de meilleures pratiques face aux nouveaux défis de la gestion urbaine se dessine progressivement pour les banlieues et anciennes banlieues des villes situées dans les différentes couronnes au Nord et au Sud de Montréal. Après un bref aperçu des transformations de la population, nous examinons les groupes susceptibles d'avoir des besoins particuliers. S'ensuivent un exposé des types d'interventions entreprises par les municipalités québécoises dans ces domaines, puis les objectifs de recherche ainsi que la méthodologie. Finalernent, nous présentons les résultats à partir de l'analyse des données recueillies dans dix‐sept municipalités de plus de 3 000 habitants, excluant la Ville de Montréal. Nous avons retenu quatre variables: population immigrante, minorités visibles, familles monoparentales et familles à faible revenu. Les municipalités retenues se situent à un niveau élevé pour l'un ou l'autre de ces fadeurs ou encore pour leur combinaison. Il n'y a pas forcément de liens entre la forte présence des divers sous‐groupes et l'existence de politiques et programmes. Un phénomèe intéressant se présente quant à la présence de politiques pour les personnes âgées car la majorité des municipalités font preuve d'innovation à cet égard. Abstract: Some municipalities are adopting initiatives designed to better respond to needs associated with the changing composition of the urban population. This research aims to identify “best practices” of municipal administration in the suburban ring around Montreal, in particular with respect to the development of programs and policies designed to accommodate emerging populations with special needs. After a brief presentation of the changing demographics of such populations, the authors examine in greater detail specific groups that require special attention. They then present the different types of initiatives developed by Quebec municipalities to respond to identified needs discuss the objectives and methods of their research. They analyse data collected in seventeen municipalities in the Montreal area that have at least 3,000 residents, excluding the City of Montreal. Research focuses on four types of sub‐populations: immigrants, visible minorities, single‐parent families, and low‐income families. All of the municipalities included in our study have a higher than average incidence of one or more of these sub‐populations. Data does not reveal a strong relationship between municipal initiatives and the presence of the different sub‐groups. On the other hand, nearly all municipalities have developed initiatives to respond to the increasing presence of the elderly.     

A sizeable effect? Municipal council size and the cost of local government in Canada

This article examines the relationship between council size and municipal expenditures in Quebec's largest municipalities. Two claims commonly found in the literature are tested: the professionalization and the law of 1/n hypotheses. Using cross‐sectional data, the professionalization hypothesis is confirmed: each elected official costs more in a smaller council. As for the law of 1/n, the effect of council size on total government expenditures is not significant. These results refute the cost saving argument for smaller councils and suggest that other aspects, such as quality of democratic life and efficiency in decision‐making, may be more relevant to the debate.     

对农村信用社股份制改革中有关问题的研究

对农村信用社进行股份制改革的重点是明晰产权关系,完善法人治理机制,为了避免“内部人控制”和道德风险,应建立以董事会为中心的法人治理机制,完善对信用社经理人的制约和激励机制,扩大监事会的权力。但是股份制不是灵丹妙药,可根据各地区不同的情况采取股份制、股份合作制和合作制三种不同的方式。     

Radio-Québec: Une institution publique à la recherche d'une mission

Abstract. Radio-Québec is the Quebec educational television service, the Quebec equivalent of the Ontario Educational Communications Authority or of the Public Broadcasting System in the United States. However, Radio-Québec has also had to carry the burden of a ‘second mandate’: a symbolic one. Its foundation was part of Daniel Johnson's strategy to recapture jurisdiction over broadcasting from the federal government. Eventually-so many people thought-Radio-Québec would replace Radio-Canada within the frontiers of Quebec. However, the course of its development led it into a number of severe administrative problems. There was an institutional conflict with the Ministry of Education. There was public criticism of the quality of its productions, to the effect that it resembled a sort of ‘televised radio’ Finally, there was an increasing gap between its costs and its revenues, which led the organization to seek increased funds, ‘to improve the quality of its programming’ It is argued that many of these problems have arisen because of an initial emphasis on local production at the expense of broadcasting as such. Because of Radio-Québec's ‘patriotic’ mandate perhaps, the setting up of production facilities enjoyed the highest priority. Only in this way could ‘made-in-Quebec’ programs be produced. Broadcasting, on the other hand, did not begin until four years after the organization's foundation. Sommaire. Radio-Québec est un réseau d'Etat de télévision éducative, l'équiva-lent québécois de l'Office de la télécommunication éducative de l'Ontario, (Ontario Educational Communications Authority) ou de la Public Broadcasting System aux Etats-Unis. Mais Radio-Québec se voit aussi attribuer un deuxième mandat: de type « symbolique ». En effet, sa fondation faisait partie de la stratégic générale de Daniel Johnson, qui réclamait la juridiction entière du Québec dans le domaine des communications. A long terme-dans l'esprit de nombreuses personnes-Radio-Québec remplacerait Radio-Canada à l'intérieur des fron-tières québécoises. Mais, au cours de son évolution, Radio-Québec fit face à une série de défis assez graves. Il y eut un conflit institutionnel avec le ministère de l'Education, son client principal. Il y eut des critiques faites à l'égard de sa pragrammation, selon laquelle on faisait « de la radio télévisée ». Enfin, il y eut un problème financier; l'écart croissant entre ses coûts et ses revenus, qui l'amena à réclamer un surcroît d'argent « pour améliorer la qualité de la programmation ». L'hypothèse de ce travail est que bon nombre de ces problèmes résultaient d'une décision de développer d'abord le secteur de la production aux dépens du secteur diffusion. Peut-être à cause de son mandat « patriotique », la production eut la premiere priorité. C'était là le seul moyen de réaliser des documents « faits au Québec ». La diffusion, par contre, ne commença que quatre ans après sa fondation.