Local government in Kyrghyzstan

The Kyrghyzstan government is making the difficult transition from a command economy under Communist Party control to a market economy within a pluralist political framework. For the time being, however, the reality of firm executive, hierarchical control persists. An Akim heads the government structure at provincial (oblast) and district (raion) levels and exercises considerable power; though formally answerable for his budget and socio-economic programme to the local parliament (kenesh), his accountability is virtually nil. Some attention is given to equalizing revenue among the provinces: Bishkek, the capital city, which has oblast status, and Chui oblast provide substantial financial underpinning for the rest of the country. In April 1995 the government accepted the main provisions of the EIPA Report prepared under the European Union's TACIS project ED/052, the effect of which should be to enhance the government's ability to promote development. President Akayev sees local administration, local self-government and privatization as important levers of reform.     

Analysing the associative action of business: policy advocacy and policy participation

Abstract: Generally speaking, the study of interest associations in Canada has focused upon their lobbying or pressure-type activities. As research on these associations has proceeded, we have learned that associations play other roles than policy advocates. They also sometimes participate directly in the design, formulation or implementation of policy. This policy participant role places different organizational and strategical pressures on associations than the usual advocate role. This article defines the two different types of roles that associations might come to play, describes the structural properties that associations are likely to need to play the roles, and assesses the contradictions placed on associations involved in both roles.