Collectivization in china: Some comparisons with the USSR∗

The ‘collectivization’ of agriculture, in 1955–56 in China, and after 1929 in Russia, marked the transition from a private to a predominantly collective system of agricultural ownership, production and distribution; it was probably the most important event in the agrarian histories of the post‐revolutionary periods in these two countries, and the unique way in which it took place has had profound implications for the subsequent development of China and Russia. It would appear obvious that any discussion about’ the transition to collective agriculture would have a great deal to gain from looking at the comparative experience of these countries; this paper is a preliminary attempt at this task.¹     

Raising the curtain: experiences with training managers in eastern europe and the nis

As Eastern Europe and the NIS open up, US universities are doing more and more training of professionals from the region. Although much of this training is successful, differences in societal and organizational culture have created problems in the design and delivery of programs. This article discusses the experience of Pittsburgh's International Management Development Institute, and focuses on some of the problems encountered in training managers and officials from a variety of Eastern European countries. By examining and analyzing these problems and why they occur, trainers and training organizations will be better prepared to work effectively with their Eastern European counterparts and colleagues.     

The Appointments Dilemma

In a separation of powers political system, effective bureaucratic control may be undermined by the fact that the power to appoint bureaucrats is controlled by a different set of principals from those that may control them through statutory or budgetary means. In particular, executives have proposal power over bureaucratic appointments and removals while legislators have proposal power over laws. In this article, I explore the consequences of this division of authority for bureaucratic outcomes. I argue that this pattern of authority often produces outcomes inferior to those generated when appointment, removal, and legislative powers are centralized as is the case in many parliamentary systems. The model reveals that restricting executive removal power can mitigate these problems. Finally, I discuss the relevance of this appointments dilemma for bargaining over bureaucratic structures with a focus on removal powers, independent commissions, and civil service rules .     

Just and honest government

This article addresses the ways in which the United Kingdom has sought to apply principles such as ethics and values as the foundation of a strong public sector, the evolution of values, specifically the tensions between old and new values, and the ethical challenges brought about by the new public administration and management. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Nature of Contracting Hazards in Public–Private Partnerships—Evidence from Ireland

The use of public–private partnerships (PPP) for the procurement of infrastructure and related services can be a complex and challenging process. This article adopts a transaction cost regulation perspective to examine two PPP cases from Ireland that encountered significant obstacles to successful procurement. It finds that both procurements met hazards including uncertainty about the viability of the bids and opportunistic behavior by preferred bidders that held quasi-monopoly positions. The public nature of both cases provided a fertile ground for opportunistic behavior by political opponents and other “interested” parties. The analysis shows how the governance of PPPs is shaped by the attributes of the transactions and the interaction of economic and political hazards that create transaction costs.     

The Time to Give: PAC Motivations and Electoral Timing

There has been much discussion about how members of Congressdesire money early in the campaign season. However, theoreticalmodels of how contributions are allocated during the electoralcycle have been lacking. Our analysis attempts to remedy thisgap by providing and testing a model which specifies how theprocess of bargaining between members of Congress and organizedinterests produces the pattern of donations observed over thecourse of the electoral cycle. Most notably, our results suggestthat strategic incumbents can receive money early in the campaignif they desire but that they are generally unwilling to paythe price of lower aggregate fundraising and greater provisionof access. These findings buttress earlier empirical findingsthat question the instrumental value of early money. In addition,our results highlight that contribution choices are fundamentallyinfluenced by short-term factors, especially electoral conditions,that do not lend themselves to the routinized behavior necessaryfor contributors to invest in incumbents for long-run payoffs.     

The illicit preparation of morphine and heroin from pharmaceutical products containing codeine: 'homebake' laboratories in New Zealand

Since 1983 a large number of small-scale illicit laboratories producing morphine and heroin from commercially available, codeine-based pharmaceutical products have been encountered in New Zealand. The codeine demethylation procedure is based on the use of pyridine hydrochloride. Very simple laboratory equipment and reagents are required and these can be utilised by people with little or no chemical background, following a recipe-like procedure. The process yields a characteristic product known as 'homebake'. This process is fully described.