A new look at creative finance

Abstract

In his seminal work, Stegman contended that creative finance is an inefficient means of financing low‐income housing production. As evidence, he cited the high transaction costs associated with the complex financing structures that make a low‐income housing development feasible. In this article, we extend Stegman's work by examining the impacts of creative finance over time. We rely on data gathered as part of an evaluation of 36 housing developments sponsored by nonprofits.

The data indicate that most of the developments in our study remained financially viable in part because of their reliance on creative finance. We find evidence supporting three positive impacts of creative finance: the establishment of long‐term partnerships, the increased community acceptance of low‐income housing developments, and the improved technical skills of organization staff. We also find that none of the long‐term negative impacts are inherent in creative finance and offer four suggestions on minimizing them.     

The regulation and deregulation of televison: a British/West European comparison

This article compares and contrasts the systems of regulation and deregulation in the British and West European television industries. Although all television systems were affected by the information revolution and neo-liberal political economy in the 1980s,in many respects the British experience was Unique. The evolution of a mixed public/private system over forty years and the unique position of the BBC as a source of skilled labour and as a cultural benchmark for the entire industry,placed it in a stronger position than other public service systems to meet the new challanges to its hegemony. The British television industry demonstrates the tenacity of well-estabilished social structures and policy-making behaviour. This will be shown by reviewing the history of the recent Broadcasting Act. The European dimension of broadcasting policy and regulation is discussed in terms of the EC Directives and support for high defination television. This shows that the aim of protecting European industry and culture is not dissimilar from the ambitions of national regulation at an earlier stage.     

A novel method for the analysis of discharged smokeless powder residues

A novel method for the estimation of intermediate-long firing distance range is proposed. The method is based on the characterization and chemical analysis of the smokeless powder particles on the target. An adhesive lifter is applied to collect the suspected gunshot residues (GSRs) from the surface of an object, and a Modified Griess Test (MGT) is carried out after alkaline hydrolysis on the adhesive lifter. Visualized particles are removed from the adhesive lifter under a microscope. Two systems are used for the analysis of organic discharge residues from the smokeless powder: (1) gas chromatography/thermal energy analysis (GC/TEA) for the analysis of nitroglycerine (NG) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), (2) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the identification of organic components such as DNT, NG, and some stabilizers. By using this procedure and confirming that the suspected particles are indeed GSR, one can estimate the intermediate-long firing distance of c. 0.75-3 m in the presence of very few particles and provide information for the classification of ammunition type in casework.     

Efficiency evaluation of a police operation to fight the drug plague: distribution unit weight as an objective index

Lod, a city near Tel-Aviv, is considered the main drug distribution center in Israel. A major police undercover operation in Lod, lasting close to a year, was terminated in May 2003. The success or failure of such an operation is frequently measured by the number of arrests made, the hierarchical level of the dealers arrested, the number of drug stations closed down, and the decrease in heroin seizures following the operation. In this work we suggest using an additional parameter, which has a scientific, objective basis, namely, comparing the changes in the average user weight unit ("dose") before and after the operation. We found that prior to the operation the average weight per unit was 1.1 g. Three months after the operation terminated the average weight per unit had decreased to 0.8 g and remained there for at least 4 months before rising again.     

Delegated legislation and the Standing Joint Committee on Regulations and Other Statutory Instruments

Abstract. Since 1972 most orders-in-council, regulations and other statutory instruments of federal departments, boards, agencies and commissions stand referred to a permanent joint parliamentary committee. The committee's task is to scrutinize each instrument according to fifteen criteria it has established. Although the committee has no power to make departments change regulations, it can and does present reports to Parliament indicating which regulations violate its criteria. The study outlines the origins of the committee and the way it went about establishing its procedures. In February 1977 the committee made its first substantive report. This was a thorough examination of the problems of delegated legislation and it contained recommendations to resolve some difficulties encountered by the committee in its first five years of existence. One such problem concerns the definition of ‘statutory instrument’ used in the Statutory Instruments Act. Another relates to the nature of the working relationship between the committee and the departmental officials who draft regulations. Since 1977 the committee has presented several shorter reports each dealing with a particular regulation. The article examines these reports and government reaction to them up to the 30th Parliament. The study concludes that while effective scrutiny is still in the embryonic stage in Canada, much progress has been made since the establishment of the joint committee.     

Province-state trans-border relations: a preliminary assessment

Abstract. This article attempts to explore the relationships between Canadian provinces and American states in a systematic, empirical fashion. The constitutional context within which provinces and states may legitimately interact is far from definitive, particularly on the Canadian side. However, the relative lack of precise constitutional guidance has not prevented the development of a complex mélange of official relations between provinces and states. These trans-border relationships may be classified according to their degree of formality and their function. Oddly enough, there appears to be a larger number of formal as opposed to informal relations. Functionally, province-state contacts may be categorized as regulatory, third-party, protective-environmental, public works, and public service. In addition, the impact of geography and time are considered as conditioning factors. A number of illustrative examples are given, particularly province-state co-operation in pollution control and in the suppression of forest fires. In conclusion, the article finds that province-state trans-border co-operation is natural and involves no challenge to the primacy of the respective federal governments in their conduct of foreign relations. However, the broader significance of these subnational official ties remains to be assessed. Sommaire. Cet article tente d'examiner, dune façon empirique et systématique, les relations entre les provinces canadiennes et les Etats américains. Le contexte constitutionnel à l'intérieur duquel les provinces et les Etats peuvent entretenir des relations officielles est loin d'être définitif, surtout au Canada. Néamoins, ce manque relatif d'un régime juridique précis n'a pas empêché les Etats et les provinces de développer un mélange complexe de liens officiels. On peut classifier ces relations province-état selon leur degré de formalité et selon leur fonction. Singulièrement, il semble y avoir un nombre plus grand de relations formelles que de relations informelles. D'un point de vue fonctionnel, on peut catégoriser les liens province-état comme étant régulatoires, de tiers parti, reliés à l'environnement, aux travaux publics et à la fonction publique. De plus, l'auteur constate le rôle important que jouent la géographie et le temps dam les contacts province-état. Quelques exemples illustratifs sont donnés, particulièrement touchant la coopération province-état dam les domaines de la protection de l'environnement et de la suppression des feux, de forêts. Pour conclure, l'article constate que les relations province-état sont naturelles et qu'elles n'impliquent aucun déft à la primauté du gouvernement fédéral de chaque pays concernant les relations étrangères. Cependant il faut attendre les événements pour analyser les contacts province-état dans une plus grande perspective.