Canadian public service employee satisfaction and its main drivers

Using the results of the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), this paper identifies which factors have the greatest effect on employee satisfaction in the Canadian public service. Several hypotheses are tested against the backdrop of existing literature. In general, public servant satisfaction is affected by belief in opportunities for promotion, fair classification, adherence to client service standards, life balance, recognition by immediate supervisors, team relationships with colleagues, how well information is shared and, finally, belief in the abilities of senior management. Some interesting elaborations of these basic findings emerge when other variables are controlled. The discussion considers how the public service can be seen as a more desirable career choice.     

Reunification in Intrafamilial Child Abuse Cases: A Model for Intervention

In response to a growing number of requests to help reunify parents and children separated by allegations of child abuse, we developed a model for intervention informed by clinical experience, feedback from clients and professionals, and insights from a growing body of interdisciplinary literature. This article presents a retrospective analysis of 29 intrafamilial cases describing the intervention, outcomes, and problems presented by these challenging situations. The safety and protection of the child was the paramount consideration in determining success, whether or not reunification was achieved. Using informal follow‐up data, 24 of the 29 cases were categorized as successful, 21 resulted in full or partial reunification, and 3 cases resulted in the voluntary or court‐ordered withdrawal of an accused father believed to pose a risk to the child. In 5 cases, the nonaccused parent thwarted efforts at reunification, and the case returned to the court of relevant jurisdiction.     

Toward a Signaling Explanation of the Private Choice of Corporate Law

Corporate actors can choose their corporate domicile and haveconsiderable freedom to choose terms in corporate charters.Although contractarian corporate law literature almost alwaysanalyzes the private choice of corporate law through the lensof agency costs, this article considers the choice for its informationalcontent. A particular law may be chosen by an entrepreneur notbecause it reduces agency costs, but because it signals qualityto outside investors. The article considers the choice of aDelaware domicile. Higher expected litigation costs for relativelylow quality firms that accompany a Delaware domicile could implythat choosing Delaware signals a relatively high quality firm.Alternatively, the size and structure of the franchise tax inDelaware could give rise to a signal of quality from locatingthere. The article considers the ambiguous welfare implicationsof the signaling analysis and the debate over mandatory versusenabling rules in corporate law. It also suggests how the signalinganalysis might apply to the debate over the private choice ofa securities regulation domicile.     

Alternatives to trusts: a brave new world?

The UK's changes in the taxation of trusts have not inspiredconfidence in the long-term tax treatment of trusts in the UKand practitioners are considering new alternative mechanisms.The author examines the alternatives.