An Adventure Gone Awry

正Istared out at the mountains of sand in front of me-the Taklimakan Desert reaching off into the distance. A few camels yowled somewhere nearby. My guide sauntered over, his feet slipping in the unstable sand. "Ready to go?" he said. "Oh     

Welcome to the Jungle

<正>The rain gods always seem to know when I’m outside without an umbrella. They seldom miss an opportunity;whenever I venture out on an excursion into China’s wild the blue skies turn black, storm clouds rush in and the skies let loose rains of biblical proportions. On any other day, I would have cursed the heavens and sought cover,     

Law and the Protection of Cultural Communities: the Case of Native American Fishing Rights

This essay explores the Salish peoples' quest for protection of traditional culture through the legal protection of traditional fishing practices. Through a history of political confrontation, the politically symbolic and culturally significant issue of fishing rights came before the courts. In one case, the courts came to recognize the cultural import of traditional fishing and made provisions for enhanced fishing opportunities based on treaty rights. Paradoxically, implementation of the decision exacerbated internal divisions in Salish society and the integrity of the cultural community continues to disintegrate at an accelerated pace.     

THE RISE OF THE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL INSTITUTION IN BRITISH PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: THE CASE OF THE ARTS AND TRAINING

During the 1980s there was both centralization and decentralization in the British policy process. The centre was to be responsible for broad policy whilst the institutions in closest contact with those who consumed or used a service were to be responsible for implementation. This style was, in part, a reaction to the perception that organized interests acted as a severe restraint on the centre. Experience, however, demonstrated government's dependence on the cooperation of organized interests and their intermediate organizations. This article argues that effective policy-making requires the formation of intermediate organizations linking macro- and micro-institutions. These organizations are vital for communication, representation and negotiation and therefore they inevitably constrain the centre's freedom. Effective policy requires a partnership between the centre and sub-centre via intermediate institutions and these institutions are likely to become more important as decentralization continues. The role of intermediate institutions are explored via case studies of training and arts policy.