Ideology,economic interests,and congressional roll-call voting: Partisan instability and Bank of the United States legislation, 1811–1816

We introduce a wrinkle into the study of Congressional roll-call voting by focusing on a period of partisan instability in American History: the Era of Good Feelings. During deviations from normal periods of two-party rule, the dominant model of voting behavior, the ideological model, loses precision in correctly classifying individual votes. We contend that a “pooled” voting model – comprised of both ideological and economic variables – performs better than the basic ideological model during these unstable periods. When party mechanisms no longer constrain or structure actions, we believe the “electoral connection” is especially important, and, thus, economic-based constituency factors must be included in models of vote choice. To explore this belief, we focus on a particularly contentious issue – the rechartering of the Bank of the United States (BUS) – which was dealt with before and after a partisan decomposition occurred in the House. Using measures developed by Poole and Rosenthal (1985, 1997), we find that the vote on the First BUS in 1811, during a stable partisan period, is organized along ideological lines. By 1816, the two-party system collapsed, and we do not find the vote on the Second BUS to exhibit much ideological structure. Conversely, we find that our pooled model predicts the vote on the Second BUS quite well, providing a substantial improvement in fit over the basic ideological classification.     

Marginal cost sharing and the Articles of Confederation

Between 1781 and 1789 the American states attempted to share the costs of national, public goods through a system of requisitions. This paper uses a simple public goods analysis to show why rational states would not share costs as intended by the Articles of Confederation. This normative argument illustrates a potential flaw in the constitutional design of the Articles and provides insight into the decline of the American Confederation.     

Staff transfer and management in the government health sector in Balochistan,Pakistan: problems and context

Despite the existence of rigid civil service systems in many developing countries providing relative stability of public officials, staff posting and transfers are often based on short‐term political criteria. This means high staff circulation in key government posts, leading to a situation of ‘instability within stability’. This article analyses high staff circulation in the government health services in Balochistan, Pakistan. The analysis is based on literature review, a small pilot study and authors' experience in the province. The article notes that high staff turnover and, more specifically, circulation are context‐specific. Four issues are raised. Firstly, the extent of staff turnover is analysed and references are made to its frequency, the organization and cadre. Secondly, the social and political underpinning of high staff circulation is outlined: political patronage, low implementation of rules, staff preferences and public sector control. Thirdly, the problems of staff turnover are raised with specific reference to the problems of continuity, change and participation. Fourthly, the issue of solutions is raised at two levels: structural change to lessen high staff turnover, and dealing with it on a day‐to‐day managerial level. Lastly, substantive and methodological issues are raised with respect to taking the analysis further. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Blast Suppression Foam,Aqueous Gel Blocks,and their Effect on Subsequent Analysis of Forensic Evidence*

In addition to having blast mitigation properties, aqueous foam concentrate AFC-380 blast suppression foam is designed to capture aerosolized chemical, biological, and radioactive particles during render-safe procedures of explosive devices. Exposure to aqueous environments and surfactants may negatively affect forensic evidence found at the scene, but the effects of AFC-380 foam and aqueous gel on the preservation and subsequent analysis of forensic evidence have not previously been investigated. Sebaceous finger and palm prints and DNA samples on paper, cardboard, tape, and various metal and plastic items, along with hairs, carpet and yarn fibers, and inks and documents, were exposed to AFC-380 foam. Similar mock evidence was also exposed to a superabsorbent gel of the type found in aqueous gel blocks used for shrapnel containment. Exposure to foam or aqueous gel was associated with a dilution effect for recovered DNA samples, but quality of the samples was not substantially affected. In contrast, exposure to AFC-380 foam or gel was detrimental to development of latent finger and palm prints on any substrate. Neither the hair nor the fiber samples were affected by exposure to either the foam or gel. Indented writing on the document samples was detrimentally affected by foam or gel exposure, but not inks and toners. The results from this study indicate that most types of forensic evidence recovered after being exposed to aqueous gel or blast suppression foam can be reliably analyzed, but latent finger and palm prints may be adversely affected.     

Parallel universes: Canadian and U.S. public administration study

Abstract: In this article, the discipline/profession of Canadian public administration is compared to its American counterpart. As parallel universes of inquiry and application, both have evolved from administration to management to governance. In spite of this and other similarities, possibilities for greater collaboration and cross‐fertilization have been overlooked and impeded by what the author calls an American attitude of “benign neglect.” The Canadian study of public administration reciprocates with self‐sufficiency and an enviable coherence in spite of similar divisions in the two countries between political science/policy and generic management approaches. To confirm the neglect, the author conducted a mini‐survey of Canadian content in the journal Public Administration Review and in papers presented at U.S. conferences and – for contrast – of American content in the journal Canadian Public Administration and at Canadian conferences. Modest proposals for rectifying the evident parallel but separate trajectories are suggested through greater interaction that would enrich both study and practice. Exploring some of the overlooked successes in Canadian administration would be useful for students of public administration in the U.S. Sommaire : Le présent article établit une comparaison entre la discipline/la profession de l'administration publique canadienne et son homologue aux États‐Unis. En tant qu'univers parallèles d'enquêtes et d'application, les deux ont évolué, passant de l'administration au management, puis à la gouvernance. Malgré cela et d'autres similarités, les possibilités d'une plus grande collaboration et d'enrichissement mutuel ont été ignorées et empêchées par une attitude américaine qualifiée par l'auteur de «négligence bienveillante ». L'étude canadienne de l'administration publique a réagi par l'autosuffisance et une cohérence enviable malgré des divisions similaires dans les deux pays entre les approches de sciences politiques et de gestion générique. Pour confirmer cette négligence, l'auteur a entrepris un mini sondage sur le contenu canadien dans la revue Public Administration Review et lors de conférences américaines et, par contraste, sur le contenu américain dans Administration publique du Canada et lors de conférences canadiennes. De modestes propositions sont faites pour rectifier les trajectoires évidentes, parallèles, et cependant distinctes, suggérant une plus grande interaction qui enrichirait à la fois la théorie et la pratique. Il serait utile pour les étudiants américains en administration publique d'examiner en profondeur certains des succès ignorés de l'administration canadienne.