Reforming Credit Reform

The Federal Credit Reform Act (FCRA) improved the treatment of credit in the federal budget, but failed to make the budget cost of credit and noncredit programs fully comparable. Inconsistencies and downwardly biased credit costs arise from the restriction under FCRA that cash flows be discounted at Treasury rates, and from the omission of certain administrative costs. We describe the shortcomings of FCRA and policy distortions that may occur, and propose modifications to the Act that would more closely align budget costs of credit and noncredit programs.     

The non-reversal of delegation in international standard-setting in finance: The Basel Committee and the European Union

International non-majoritarian institutions (NMIs) in finance have proliferated over the last decades. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) is the main international NMI in finance and the European Union (EU) is one of its core jurisdictions. Despite the far-reaching effects of international banking standards in the EU, especially the Basel accords, there has been limited politicization of delegation to the BCBS and no attempt to reverse it. Why? By taking a “soft” principal-agent approach, this paper points out two explanatory factors: the composite nature of both the principal and the agent. It also identifies a pattern that can be generalized to other international NMIs in finance. Thus, following the initial delegation of international standard-setting to the BCBS, this international NMI considerably increased its activities, going beyond what certain elected officials wanted; the response from elected officials was limited to the use of relatively weak ex-ante and ex-post controls, including delayed compliance.     

Reforming Central Banking STEPHEN KIRCHNER

This book is about which monetary institutions and monetary regimes are most likely to promote: price stability. As such it is a welcome addition to the literature on this much debated question, especially because it provides such a lucid account of Kirchner's side of the debate. The questions he explores are important because central banks have become much more significant in recent times. Indeed, momentous changes in political economy, especially in the last decade in the wake of global and domestic financial deregulation, have propelled monetary policy and central banks to a new prominence.     

Reforming Social Security and Medicare

Books reviewed:
Sheila Burke, Eric Kingson and Uwe Reinhardt, (eds.) Social Security and Medicare, Individual versus Collective Risk and Responsibility     

关于政府采购制度改革的几点思考

深圳市政府采购制度改革始于 1997年 ,1998年首先在全国范围内建立了第一部关于政府采购的法规———《深圳经济特区政府采购条例》(以下简称《政府采购条例》) ,并于 1999年 1月 1日正式开始实施。四年来 ,深圳市关于政府采购制度改革经历了从个案探索实践到初步建立法规制度的新的飞跃 ,取得了显著的成绩。但是 ,由于政府采购制度改革是一项复杂的系统工程 ,再加上现行的政治经济体制以及受旧思想观念的束缚 ,使得深圳市政府采购制度改革在实践中不可避免地遇到了一些发展中的问题和困难 ,如不及时加以解决 ,会严重影响政府采购的广度、力…     

政府管理变革的三个维度

在西方"新公共管理"运动的影响下,政府管理领域的变革已经成为具有全球性的普遍现象。这种变革涉及三个方面的内容,即:政府管理模式的重塑、政府管理职能的转变和政府管理方法的创新。我国的政府管理变革,是在特殊国情的背景下展开的。因此,既要借鉴西方"新公共管理"运动的积极成果,又要有适应我国国情的变通并针对我国特殊问题的新举措。     

Reforming war's administrative rubble in Lebanon

After 17 years of civil strife in Lebanon, an Office of Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) was established in 1993 to plan for short‐term rehabilitation and long‐term institutional development within the public sector. Since external technical assistance to public administration was delivered through OMSAR, its role as a host agency for international aid donors' efforts in reform policy‐making and implementation is critical. The article discusses OMSAR's approach to channelling foreign aid for administrative development in post‐war Lebanon. Lessons from the Lebanese experience in post‐war institutional development may interest countries emerging from conflicts and trying to rebuild administrative infrastructure. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

和谐社会与中国社会主义改革

和谐社会目标的提出,不仅源于中国改革进一步发展的需要,也蕴涵着对中国改革难题的破解,还在逻辑上表达了关于社会主义理想社会模式的重构。     

Reforming Egyptian Intelligence: Precedents and Prospects

Abstract

In 2011 intelligence reform became a timely and pertinent topic in Egypt with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak by mass demonstrations. Yet two outstanding questions persist: can Egyptian intelligence be reformed? What would intelligence reform entail in the Egyptian context? An examination of historical Egyptian intelligence reforms suggests that ‘reform’ in the Egyptian context usually means greater efficiency and centralization at the expense of public oversight and accountability. Prospects for fundamental intelligence reform are further hampered by Egypt's authoritarian traditions, its relatively weak legislature and judiciary, lack of an empowered civil society, censorship and an apparent official addiction to secrecy.     

拓展训练与罪犯教育改造

拓展训练是一种全新的、体验式的学习方法和训练方式。在罪犯教育改造中引进拓展训练,是教育改造罪犯手段的创新,也是提高罪犯改造质量的有效途径。文章以拓展训练内涵及心理学依据分析为切入点,就对罪犯开展拓展训练的意义以及实施等进行了初步探讨,以期引起同行的关注。