IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A WARM EMBRACE OR AN ARTFUL SIDESTEP?

This article examines the extent to which changing approaches to performance management have had an impact on a range of agencies responsible for local economic development programmes in Britain. It explores the possibility that the effectiveness of public programmes could be more sharply highlighted and incorporated in the performance review of organizations. It demonstrates that major improvements have occurred but that overall the planning and management of local economic development remains largely incremental. While the FMI (Financial Management Initiative) has led to greater understanding of the extent to which corporate and programme accountability can be achieved in public agencies, it is not clear that sufficient momentum has been achieved for future changes to be self-generating. Further progress in performance management continues to be dependent on strong external pressures to publicize, probe and reward demonstrable improvements in public sector performance.     

RECIDIVISM AMONG OFFENDERS AND EX-MENTAL PATIENTS: A Comparative Analysis

Prior work has demonstrated a consistently higher rate of arrest for ex-offenders than for ex-mental patients. although as a group ex-patients are more often arrested than the general population. From 1968 and 1975 data, the current study examines some of the possible explanations for the higher rates of offenders as compared to ex-mental patients. Even when age and prior arrests are controlled, the variables with the strongest association with subsequent arrest, a higher proportion of offenders are arrested after release than ex-patients.