The freedom of information act and its costs: A brief overview

Adopted by Congress in 1966, the Freedom of Information Act was implemented by the Executlve Branch with little interest or commitment. In the aftermath or the declsive amendment of the statute in 1974, the departments and agencies set about reforming their administration of the Act and complying with its new requirements. Of late, however, this sltuatlon has eroded, partlcularly among law enforcement and intelligence entitles, and an attack is being made upon tne FOIA in terms of its administrative costs. This article examlnes these allegacions and the cost problems attendant to this law.     

Public official associations and public administration: A shared history

This essay focuses on the development of public official associations—those organizations that represent the interests of incumbent public officials in public affairs and their sense of the public interest—as a way to illustrate major issues of professionalism and intergovernmental management. Associations are seen as vehicles for linking an otherwise fragmented federal system and profession. Concentrating on the groups representing general government officials, efforts to make public official associations financially secure, intellectually stimulating, and influential in policy formulation will be reviewed from 1891 to 1940. An understanding of the history of Public Administration is incomplete without recognizing that the early development of the field was based on the logic of reform, a central feature of which was an alliance of nongovernmental associations dedicated to the public good.     

Between history and nation: Paul Robert Magocsi and the rewriting of Ukrainian history

“Getting history wrong is an essential factor in the formation of a nation,” wrote Ernest Renan, basing this observation on his analysis of the nation-building experience in nineteenth-century Europe (qtd. in Eric Hobsbawm, On History. New York: New York Press, 1997: 270; for a different translation of the same sentiment, see Ernest Renan, “What is a Nation,” in Nationalism in Europe from 1815 to the Present: A Reader. Ed. Stuart Woolf. London: Routledge, 1996: 50). Many historians today tend to agree with Renan's statement and are doing their best to “get history right” as they search for alternatives to national history. More often than not they face an uphill battle in that regard, both within and outside their profession.     

校园学生运动猝死与学校的法律责任

近年来,学生在上体育课或参加学校组织的体育锻炼活动时突然死亡的不幸事件时有发生。家长认为孩子平时身体健康无疾病,却突然死亡,实在难以接受;而学校认为这是突发事件,防不胜防,与学校责任无涉。那么,此类校园人身伤亡事故有什么特征?造成死亡的原因是什么?可否采取措施加以预防?有无现场救护的办法挽救患者生命的可能?学校在这类事故中承不承担责任?本文结合案例对这些方面的法律及其相关理论问题作了深入、细致的探讨。