Public administration in hong kong: Crises and prospects

Current studies on Hong Kong public administration have overlooked three emerging crises of the administrative system -- the crises of mediocrity, the public service, and the metapolicy -- which may result in a complete collapse of the colonial regime. The analysis reveals the following. Firstly, operating within a paradoxical context, civil servants find it difficult to maximize their contribution. Hard pressed by the delimma of “to strive for excellence or to observe medicoirty,” many choose the latter. Thus, the overall performance of many Hong Kong public agencies and civil servants is unacceptable. Secondly, at the absence of a political theory which redefines the relationship between the political system and socio-economic system and thus the mission of the public service, many civil servants lack commitment to the public service and therefore the norm of medicority is reinforced. And thirdly, the government has reformulated its metapolicy in a way that system overloading is likely, thus making Citizen insubordination probable. It is conclusded that the future of Hong Kong is bleak and that remedial actions are awaiting: the first task is the quest for a new set of political ideology and public philosohgy; the next is reformulation of a new metapolicy, followed by forceful pulbic sector management reform.     

Transformational Government? The role of information technology in delivering citizen-centric local public services

Following on from five years of ‘electronic government’, the Labour Government has recently announced a new five year plan for ‘transformational government’. Like its predecessor, t-government emphasises the important role of information technology in enabling the delivery of modernised public services. Modernisation is defined as an increasing emphasis on citizen choice, personalisation of services and understanding and responding to service user needs. This paper explores the appropriateness of the t-government agenda by drawing upon lessons learned from the preceding e-government era. Arguably the most significant citizen-focused technology of the e-government era was customer relationship management. The potential of CRM to support service transformation is explored and co-production, an alternative approach to citizen-centric service design, is examined both as a way of addressing weaknesses in IT-enabled service transformation and as a candidate later stage in the evolution of citizen-centric local public services.     

Radioimmunoassay detection limits for 19-OH F1 alpha/F2 alpha prostaglandin in normal, infertile and vasectomized semen stains. Analysis of saliva, sweat and urine for possible non-specific or matrix effects

The sensitivity of a simple radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the detection of 19-OH prostaglandin F1 alpha/F2 alpha (PG F) has been evaluated on a number of semen samples from vasectomized, infertile and fertile donors. The specificity of the test has been examined by testing saliva, sweat and urine from a number of male and female donors. The assay technique could readily detect the PG in semen stains prepared from 0.2 microliter of semen from normal, infertile and vasectomized donors. The detection limit of the assay system, based on the observed displacement, was calculated to be approximately 0.05 microliter semen. The assay could be conducted over a pH range of 7.5-10.5 even after the PG has been heated to 100 degrees C. The 19-OH series of PG were absent from sweat, saliva and female urine using the normal assay protocol; volumes in excess of 100 microliters of some urines particularly from women in labour and those with acute urinary tract infection showed some displacement. Low levels of PG were detected in 50% of the male urine analysed. However, urine samples from men who had engaged in recent sexual activity contained relatively high concentrations of PG which could be readily detected in 10 microliters of urine. These results emphasise the potential of these compounds as specific and sensitive markers for the presence of human semen.     

Baby makers Inc

The in vitro fertilization business is taking off. But is it ripe for abuse?     

India’s South-South Cooperation in Human Resource Development

ABSTRACT

The article reviews several of the main modalities of India’s human resources’ involvement with other developing economies, and especially those in Africa. These involve the provision of long-term scholarships and short-term professional training awards. Comparison is made, in the case of international students, between the scholarship and privately funded categories, and also between those from Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries. Comparable data on such assisted foreign student flows are also offered in respect of South Africa. Other modalities of India’s HRD engagement with Africa are analysed, including those associated with the India-African Forum Summits (IAFS). India also does capacity building through non-state actors, notably nongovernment organisations and the private sector. Furthermore, it promotes cultural diplomacy through its Indian Cultural Centres and Chairs of Indian Studies, though these are not restricted to developing economies. Although attention is paid to the Commonwealth dimension in these comparisons, it is acknowledged that the classification of students and countries as Commonwealth may not be as widespread or meaningful today as 60 years ago.