Rethinking the Notion of a ‘Higher Law’: Heidegger and Derrida on the Anaximander Fragment

The Anaximander fragment, in the readings of both Heidegger and Derrida, speaks of that which exceeds positive law. In this article, the author provides a detailed reading of Heidegger’s Der Spruch des Anaximander, showing how Heidegger relates this fragment to his thinking of Being, the latter having been ‘forgotten’ by metaphysics. Heidegger’s reading at the same time involves a contemplation of technology and of the ontological relation of beings to each other. Derrida’s reading of Heidegger’s Der Spruch highlights specifically those parts of Heidegger’s text where that which precedes Being’s gathering, Being’s disjoining or dissemination, is pointed to. This disjoining, Derrida contends, speaks of the gift of a day more ancient than memory itself and ties in closely with certain aspects of the thinking of Marx. Derrida’s focus on that which precedes Being is in turn related to his contemplation of the law or condition of possibility of technology and also of that which makes possible a relation to the other as other. This condition of possibility, or the gift of Being, which Heidegger’s text also speaks of, involves a ‘higher law’ which can serve as a ‘measure’ for the evaluation, interpretation and transformation of positive law.

La gestion du rendement à la croisée des chemins: entre la rigueur et le laxisme

Sommaire: Apparue dans la gestion publique pendant les années 1970, l'évaluation du rendement devait permettre aux organisations de mieux canaliser les énergies des gestionnaires vers les buts corporatifs, de fournir une mesure plus juste du rendement des gestionnaires et de contribuer à la détermination des salaires. Plusieurs ont déploré son formalisme superficiel et ses coûts organisationnels supérieurs à ses effets bénéfiques. Depuis quelques années, les programmes de gestion du rendement semblent se trouver dans une impasse: la réduction de formalisme rend le processus moins précis et utile alors que son maintien Crée des difficultés d'acceptation aux divers niveaux de cadres. En fait, la gestion du rendement fait partie intégrante de tout processus de gestion et nécessite, pour qu'il y ait réussite, une contribution réelle des organisations et des gestionnaires. Les premières doivent fournir tout le support organisationnel nécessaire au succès, tandis que les seconds doivent être capables de réaliser toutes les tâches de cette gestion (fixer des objectifs, superviser, développer des informations de gestion, réussir des communications “ face à face ”, poser des jugements évaluatifs et objectifs et enfin, envisager des moyens de correction). Ils doivent aussi accepter d'y consacrer le temps et l'énergie nécessaires. Nous avons interviewé un échantillon de cadres de huit organismes publics oeuvrant au Québec aux paliers municipal, provincial, fédéral, et dans les domaines scolaire et de la santé, ceci afin de vérifier le degré de conformité de l'application du modèle classique d'évaluation du rendement et les impacts observés. Il s'agissait de savoir s'il existe une relation entre le degré de conformité et l'ampleur des impacts positifs. Abstract: Introduced in public management during the 1970s, the purpose of performance evaluation was to enable organizations to channel better managers' energy towards corporate goals, to provide the means required for a more accurate measurement of manager performance, and to help determine remuneration. Its superficial formalism and the fact that its organizational costs were greater than its benefits have been often criticized. For the last few years, performance management programs appear to have been stuck in a dilemma. Reducing formalism renders the process less precise and less useful, while its own existence makes it difficult to be accepted by the various executive leveis. In fact, performance management is an integral part of any management process: to be successful, it requires an actual contribution from organizations and managers. Organizations must provide all the organizational support required for successful performance management, while managers must be able to fulfil all the tasks involved in its management (setting objectives, supervising, developing management information, communicating successfully “face to face,” making sufficiently objective evaluation judgments, and propcbsing corrective measures). They must also be prepared to devote to it the time and enf'rgy required. We have interviewed a sample of executives of eight public agencies operating in Quebec at the municipal, provincial, federal, and school and health administration level in order to check the application of the conventional performance evaluation model and the impacts noted. The purpose was to ascertain whether there was a relationship between the appropriateness of the implementation and the magnitude of the positive impact.     

Policy representation

This paper examines the extent to which conditions for the 'representative party government' model of representation exist in the EU. It suggests that, although application of the model is obviously limited, there is some support for its relevance. Using surveys of voters and candidates for the European Parliament the paper shows that some policy positions of representatives are constrained more by their party group than their nationality, and to some degree there is obvious congruence between the opinions of candidates and their voters. This is particularly so with respect to left–right orientation; far less with respect to European Monetary Union where elites appear much more enthusiastic than their electorates.     

Author Index Volume 13

Authors Index

Author Index Volume 13     

The dynamics of household structure in the event of the father's death

This article looks at the survival strategies used in traditional societies by households that were greatly disrupted by the death of the father, usually their principal provider. Research is based on data from two parish censuses (1716 and 1744) of the city of Québec that describe the composition of urban households. Data from the Registre de la Population du Québec Ancien (RPQA), the register of the Québec population before 1800, were also used to complement the information required. Depending on the survival of a mother after the father's death, it appears that households could maintain their nuclear structure, except for those who were dispersed among other households.     

Beyond collective representation: individual members of parliament and interest representation in the Netherlands

In political representation research it is now generally recognised that in parliamentary systems political parties rather than individual members of parliament are the key actors in the process of political representation. However, this focus on political parties might have led to an underestimation of the role of individual members of parliament in this process, even in purely parliamentary systems. It tends to neglect the efforts of representatives to secure particular benefits for individuals or groups in their constituencies. In this paper we will address the question to what extent these forms of representation are part of the repertoire of activities of members of the Dutch parliament as compared to other European parliaments.