Federal Preemption and State Regulation of Transportation and Telecommunications

Transportation and telecommunications are two of the most importantinfrastructural industries in the American economy. As theseindustries are so vital and because they exhibit characteristicsthat have frequently rendered them quasi-monopolistic, theirgrowth has been accompanied by state and federal regulation.We document how the imposition of regulation has led to continualconflicts over the extent to which federal regulation shouldtake precedence over state regulation. We illustrate how thejustifications for federal preemption have been applied notonly to the regulation, but also to the recent deregulation,of railroads, trucking, and telecommunications. We contend thatpolitical factors, such as congressional support, precedent-settingcourt rulings, and, most important, political pressure fromaffected interest groups that is related to the revenues stillgenerated within states by these industries, ultimately determinethe form of preemption that emerges from the Congress.     

Economics and the Vulnerability of the Pan-European Institutions

Political Behavior -     

Political parties in MENA: their functions and development

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the development of parties and party systems in the MENA region from early oligarchic pluralism to the mass single-party systems of the populist era and the limited multi-party experiments of the 1990s era of political liberalization. The survey shows how parties develop in parallel with the deepening of politicization and become nearly indispensable adjuncts in the construction of political order. The article then examines parties in the post-2010 period, with case studies of Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia demonstrating how very different configurations of party development dramatically impact on regime trajectories, ranging from democratization to hybrid regimes.     

Les nouveaux développements dans I'administration publique: La planification des effectifs dans la Fonction publique québécoise

Sommaire. Le 28 novembre 1969, le Gouvernement du Québec à voté une loie créant le ministère de la Fonction publique en lui codant, entre autres rôles, celui d'élaborer et de proposer au gouvernement des mesures visant à accroître l'efficacité du personnel de la fonction publique, de surveiller l'application de celles-ci et d'en coordonner l'exécution. Afin d'apporter une première réponse à ce mandat, le ministère de la Fonction publique a conp une méthodologie de planification des effectifs, laquelle a été traduite en un programme identifié sous le titre: « Préparation du plan d'effectifs ». Ce programme, amorcé en septembre 1970, visait à prévoir les besoins en ressources humaines qui seront requises au moment approprié pour assurer l'exécution des programmes gouvernementaux. Un plan d'effectifs est ainsi défini comme une représentation dans le temps, de la sorte (qualité) et du nombre (quantité) d'employés nécessaires à une administration pour l'exécution des programmes sous sa responsabilité. Pour mettre au point un tel plan, cela suppose (1) que l'on connaît les postes actuels de travail, (2) que l'on détermine si des postes nouveaux sont nécessaires à la réalisation des programmes et si des postes sont à supprimer parce que n'étant plus requis au sein d'une unité administrative. La première étape consiste en un simple inventaire des postes actuels en distinguant ceux qui sont occupés de ceux qui sont vacants. A la deuxième étape, par ailleurs, il faut faire appel à me mèthode d'analyse du travail dont les modalités d'ap plication varient selon le genre de personnel et la nature du travail étudiés. Cette méthode, basée sur les estimations analytiques, prévoit trois étapes majeures de réalisation: (1) l'identification des postes actuels de travail, (2) l'identification du genre de personnel selon que celui-ci est liéà la structure (matérielle ou humaine) ou au volume de travail (exécution ou étude et recherche), (3) l'analyse du travail et la détermination du nombre total d'effectifs requis. L'analyse du travail proprement dite a été réalisée à l'aide de la technique des critères. Celle-ci a pennis d'identifier des critères d'activité significatifs et par la suite de dégager des normes et des charges de travail. L'ensemble de ces données d'analyse a permis au ministère de la Fonction publique de jouer un rôle de conseiller du gouvernement en matière d'effectifs depuis avril 1971. Bien que ces travaux d'analyse sont exécutés en faisant l'hypothèse que les structures administratives et les procédés et méthodes de travail en place sont adéquats, ceux-ci ont permis au ministère de la Fonction publique de relever un certain nombre de dysfonctions et de formuler des propositions et recommandations portant sur la réorganisation, les procédés d'exécution et le taux d'utilisation du personnel. Abstract. On November 28, 1969, the Quebec Government passed a bill establishing the Civil Service Department and giving it, within its frame of reference, the mandate of developing and presenting to the government a series of measures for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of civil service personnel, supervising the application of these measures and coordinating their implementation. As a first step in the discharge of this mandate, the Civil Service Department established a methodology of manpower planning, which was translated into a program known as ‘La prkparation du plan d'effectifs“’ (development of a manpower program). The purpose of this program, on which work was started in September 1970, was to project the needs of human resources required at a given time, to insure the implementation of government programs. A manpower plan is defined as a projection in time of the kind (quality) and number (quantity) of employees required by an administrative department to implement progams under its respunsibility. In order to develop such a plan, it is necessary (1) to know the existing positions, (2) to determine if new positions are required for the implementation of the programs and if some existing positions should be eliminated as no longer required within the administrative unit. The first step consists in a simple inventory of present positions, distinguishing occupied positions from vacancies. For the second step however, a work analysis method should be used and its application techniques will vary according to the kind of personnel and the nature of the work under study. This method, based on analytic projections, includes three major steps: (1) identification of existing positions; (2) identification of the kind of personnel as regards the structure (material or human) or the workload (implementation or inquiry and research); (3) work analysis and determination of the total size of required manpower. The work analysis as such has been done with the criteria technique. It has made possible the identification first of significant criteria of activities and later on, of standards and workloads. All this analytic data will enable the Civil Service Department to play the role of adviser to the government in matters of manpower, starting April 1971. Although these analyses are made on the assumption that present administrative structures, processes and work methods are adequate, they have made it possible for the Civil Service Department to discover a certain number of dysfunctions and to formulate proposuls and recommendations on reorganization. implementation, and rate of personnel use.     

La reforme de l'administration financière au Quebec*

Abstract. In the first part of his speech given at the National Assembly in presenting Bill 55 (Financial Administration Act) on December 15, 1970, the Honourable Raymond Garneau stresses the need for improving the province's administrative machinery. He points out that the budget has risen from 600 million to around 4000 million while the number of civil servants has increased from 22,000 to 50,000 during the last decade and that management structures which were adequate in 1960 are no longer conducive to efficiency. In the second part, Mr Garneau outlines the objectives which should be aimed at by administrative reform. The basic idea behind the revamping of government structures is one of a more orderly distribution of decision-making powers, freeing the Cabinet from questions of secondary importance so that it may concentrate on major problems, and giving broader responsibilities to the managing authorities of each department. Finally, in the last part of his speech, Mr Garneau explains briefly the main changes in Bill 55. One significant change relates to the functions of the Treasury Board which will exercise statutory powers in all sectors of administrative policy. Among other functions, the Treasury Board will be responsible for preparing estimates and controlling expenditures and will also exercise the powers assigned by law to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council in matters relating to personnel. Other provisions of the Bill regard the Provincial Auditor who, until the changes, was responsible for pre-auditing the provincial accounts and was also carrying out the conventional post-audit function normally expected of a government auditor. From now on, the Provincial Auditor, whose name has been changed for that of Auditor General, will have only one function, that of post-audit. The pre-audit function will be carried out by the Comptroller of Finance, formerly called the Comptroller of the Treasury. Finally, the Bill gives the Minister of Finance the responsibility of carrying out research and advising the government in matters of economic, fiscal and budgetary policy. The Minister of Finance will also be responsible for preparing the public accounts and for the management of cash on hand and public debt. Sommaire. Dans la première partie du discours qu'il a prononcéà l'assemblée nationale le 15 décembre 1970, pour présenter le projet de loi 55 (loi sur l'administration financière), l'honorable M. Raymond Garneau a insisté sur le besoin d'améliorer les rouages administratifs de la province. Il a fait remarquer que dans les derniers dix ans le budget avait augmenté de 600 millions à 4 milliards environ et que le nombre des fonctionnaires était passé de 22,000 à 50,000 et en a conclu que les structures qui étaient adéquates en 1960 ne favorisaient plus l'efficacité. Dam la seconde partie de son discours, l'honorable M. Garneau expliquece que devraient être les objectifs de la réforme administrative. Le but duremaniement des structures gouvernementales, c'est surtout de distribuer defaçon plus méthodique les pouvoirs de prise de décision, en libérant le cabinetdes questions d'ordre secondaire pour qu'il puisse se concentrer sur les problèmes principaux et en donnant des responsabilités plus larges aux cadres supérieurs des différents ministères. Finalement, dans la dernière partie de son discours, l'honorable M. Garneaua expliqué brièvement les principaux changements contenus dans le projet de loi 55. L'une des modifications les plus importantes concerne les fonctions de Conseil du trésor qui exercera des pouvoirs statutaires dans tous les secteursde la politique administrative, Parmi ses fonetions, le Conseil du trésor aura la responsabilité de préparer les estimations et de contrôler les dépenses et il exercera les pouvoirs assignés par la loi au lieutenant gouverneur en conseil pour toutes les questions concernant le personnel. D'autres clauses du projet de loi concernent le vérificateur provincial des comptes qui jusqu'ici avait pour tâche de pré-vérifier les comptes provinciax et de procéder ensuite à la post-vérification des comptes, comme le font normalementles vérificateurs de comptes gouvernementaux. Dorénavant, le vérificateur provincial des comptes dont le titre deviendra vérificateur général des comptes n'aura plus qu'une fonction, la post-vérification. La pré-vérification sera confiée au contrôleur des finances qui s'appelait précédemment contrôleur du trésor. Finalement, le projet de bi charge le ministre des finances de la rechercheet il devra conseiller le gouvemement sur toutes les questions de politique économique fiscale et budgétaire. C'est à lui que reviendra également la préparationdes comptes publics ainsi que la gestion de l'argent et de la dette publique.     

Does school accountability lead to improved student performance?

The leading school reform policy in the United States revolves around strong accountability of schools with consequences for performance. The federal government's involvement through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reinforces the prior movement of many states toward policies based on measured student achievement. Analysis of state achievement growth as measured by the National Assessment of Educational progress shows that accountability systems introduced during the 1990s had a clear positive impact on student achievement. This single policy instrument did not, however, also lead to any narrowing in the Black‐White achievement gap (though it did narrow the Hispanic‐White achievement gap). Moreover, the Black‐White gap appears to have been adversely impacted over the decade by increasing minority concentrations in the schools. An additional issue surrounding stronger accountability has been a concern about unintended outcomes related to such things as higher exclusion rates from testing, increased dropout rates, and the like. Our analysis of special education placement rates, a frequently identified area of concern, does not show any responsiveness to the introduction of accountability systems.© 2005 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management     

Technology,property, and law

Between 1975 and 1986 forty-eight states passed laws specifically criminalizing unauthorized access to computer-based information. Thirty of these states passed their computer crime laws between 1982 and 1985. This flurry of legislative activity occurred in a climate of concern for the need to stem what was characterized as a wave of computer crime. The data presented here, however, indicate that these laws did not result in any corresponding wave of prosecutions of computer criminals. This suggests that social forces other than an instrumental need for a mechanism to prosecute computer criminals played a role in the passage of computer crime laws. Specifically, we argue that the passage of computer crime laws resulted from the need to incorporate a new form of value within the establish framework of property rights, and a desire to preserve established relationships between power and knowledge that were threatened by the emergence of computer technology. We conclude by suggesting that the study of law-making is enhanced by examining the structural bases for the motives of legislators and advocates of legal change, in addition to the motives themselves.     

Reviews

Roget E. Kanet (ed.), Soviet Foreign Policy in the 1980s, New York: Praeger Publishers, 1982, xii + 364 pp. hardback $31.95, paperback $13.95. Adeed and Karen Dawisha (eds.), The Soviet Union in the Middle East: Policies and Perspectives, London: Heinemann for Royal Institute of Interna‐national Affairs, 1982, x+ 172 pp. hardback £13.50, paperback £5.50.

David Holloway, The Soviet Union and The Arms Race, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1983, x + 211 pp. £7.95, $14.95.

P. H. Vigor, Soviet Blitzkrieg Theory, London: Macmillan, 1983, ix + 218 pp. £25.00.

Angela Stent, From Embargo to Ostpolitik: The Political Economy of West German‐Soviet Relations 1955–1980, Cambridge: CUP, 1982, xvi + 328 pp. £22.50.

Stephen T. Hosmer and Thomas W. Wolfe, Soviet Policy and Practice toward Third World Conflicts, Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books/Gower Publishing, 1983, xviii + 318 pp. £19.50.

David A. Dyker, The Process of Investment in the Soviet Union, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983, vii + 254 pp. £20.00.

D. Gale Johnson and Karen McConnell Brooks, Prospects for Soviet Agriculture in the 1980s, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1983, x + 214 pp. UK hardback £12.25, paperback £6.27. Elsewhere hardback $21.88, paperback $11.19.

Marshall I. Goldman, USSR in Crisis: The Failure of an Economic System, London/New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1983, xii + 210pp. $15.00.

Ronald E. Hoyt, Winners and Losers in East‐West Trade: A Behavioral Analysis of US‐Soviet Detente (1970–1980), New York: Praeger, 1983, xiii + 238 pp. $29.95.

Paul Dotsenko, The Struggle for a Democracy in Siberia, 1917–1920. Eyewitness Account of a Contemporary, Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 1983, xvii+ 178 pp. $16.95.

Abram Bergson and Herbert Levine (eds.), The Soviet Economy: toward the Year 2000, London: George Allen and Unwin, 1983, xvi + 452pp. £27.50.