Who Gets What, When, and How? The Contested Conceptual and Disciplinary Nature of Governance and Policy-Making in the European Union

The present essay seeks to review state of the art literature in the field of European Union (EU) policy-making and governance. In studying the nature of governance in the contemporary Union disciplinary parsimony is of limited utility. Increasingly, disparate disciplines employ different models in order to describe, explain, and hopefully understand the nature of governance and policy-making in the EU. To arrive at 'one' model for studying the EU implies both disciplinary formalism and the fruition of an intellectual 'endgame'. Alternative 'views' of EU governance – in the form of disparate models – are presented and critiqued. The essay begins with an assessment of policy networks, garbage can models, advocacy coalitions and epistemic communities. It sets out the main components of each model; then goes on to critique each model, and finally, makes a considered conclusion on the utility of each model as a tool for understanding the EU's policy process.     

The efficacy of a classification system: Its relationship to resource-procedure management

The efficient and effective operation of an organization is of major concern to any manager. For those managers responsible for service organizations, especially in the public sector, this is especially true due to the scarcity of resources. Lacking the capacity to manage resource-procedure interactions through the use of inventory, other methods must be found and used.One approach toward efficient management is to segment service users in order to identify the most appropriate resource-procedure interaction. In this study, a correctional agency that segmented its service users (offenders) by using a classification system was analyzed. It was found that even though a sophisticated classification system was in place, other elements necessary for the efficient and effective management of resource-procedure interactions were not present.     

WOMEN IN NEW SOUTH WALES LOCAL GOVERMENT

following the 1977 triennial elections, a total of 158 women were elected to 196 local government councils in New South Wales. The distribution of women representatives through the State is extremely uneven, as the accompanying tables show.