THE POLITICS OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS: PROFESSIONALS IN PUBLIC BUREAUCRACY*

Abstract: This case study explores how organisational professionals cope with politics. It examines engineers responsible for synchronising traffic signals in Brisbane. How do engineers, working with complex statistical models of traffic flow, handle disruptive political demands for a pedestrian crossing or a shopping mall in the middle of an otherwise coordinated traffic signals system? And how do these organisational professionals, committed to installing and operating traffic signals, deal with politicians' recent preference for roundabouts as the preferred traffic control device? Simon's notion of “bounded rationality” is evoked, when it is suggested that traffic engineers deal with politics by restricting their world view to problem-solving rather than system control.     

TAX SHARING IN AUSTRALIA AND WEST GERMANY*

Abstract: Certain aspects of the new Australian tax sharing arrangements are analysed against the background of West German experiences. Emphasis is laid on Federal-State relations in outlining the basic characteristics of the German machinery and the Australian arrangements. Compared to the Australian situation, the tax sharing base in West Germany is much broader and has indeed contributed to the safeguarding of State autonomy to a large extent. On the other hand, the German States have no individual power to legislate on taxes or tax surcharges. Although tax sharing is a powerful instrument in mitigating financial imbalances in a federation, it tends to conflict with the idea of a centrally controlled stabilization and distribution policy. In Germany, tax sharing is complemented by a complex coordination machinery stabilizing joint decision making of the Federal government and the States. In areas such as demand management, financial planning and allocation policies there seems to be need for such complementary arrangements, since tax sharing alone cannot achieve sufficient coordination among the different administrative levels of a federation.