From public to mixed ownership in local public services provision: an empirical analysis

There is a long tradition of companies that provide local public services, such as energy distribution or solid waste collection, being strategically important for the promotion of the development of areas where they are present and having a great influence on citizens’ quality of life. This article examines the determinants of the choice of ownership structure for Italian companies that provide local public services, and the effects that this choice has on their performance. Economic and financial data at company level was merged with economic, political, financial and territorial data on the municipality with the majority of shares in it. A two-stage multinomial selection model was employed, in order to carry out the analysis with more than two alternative ownership structures and to control for endogeneity. The empirical evidence indicates that the municipality’s political and budgetary conditions matter in the choice of ownership structure. Although the computed Average Treatment Effects seem to indicate that mixed ownership increases operating efficiency, the profitability indicators provide evidence to the contrary.     

Diamela Eltit: Clearing space for critical performance

Reggaeton's success in the international music scene has incited heated debates about the genre's genealogy. The dominant framework for discussing reggaeton's origin often relies on and reifies nation-based claims to the genre, overlooking how reggaeton resists being fixed to any single locale. In this paper I discuss the emergence of the reggaeton subgenre bhangraton (a mix of bhangra pop and reggaeton) and point to some of the ways that it challenged nationalist claims to reggaeton. Reggaetonera and Hindi-vocalist Deevani, in particular, complicates claims about racial, ethnic, and sonic purity that circulate within reggaeton by highlighting how race, gender, and affinity are performed and felt and by calling attention to the genre's multiple circuits outside the nation.     

Confronting the Governance Challenges of Developing Nigeria's Extractive Industry: Policy and Performance in the Oil and Gas Sector1

The issue of economic growth and human development has been a central concern in the oil and gas sector of Nigeria's extractive industry, and this has featured prominently in the agitations and generalized restiveness in the Niger Delta, the oil‐producing region. While many studies have focused on these problems, policies aimed at confronting them have not received much broad attention. This article bridges this research gap by holistically focusing on the solution to the problem. In doing this, the article examines the policies during the Obasanjo administration from 1999 to 2007 in order to critically assess the efficacy or inefficiency of the policies in reversing the general problem now known as the “resource curse,” and to offer a better understanding of the deeper political, social, and economic issues that drive outcomes. The article finds that while significant efforts were made to avoid the boom and bust cycle of oil and lower volatility by de‐linking public expenditure from oil revenue through the “oil‐price‐based fiscal rule,” generally, progress in this area was not matched by improvement in the other areas examined by this study, notably peace and safety of lives and oil/gas installations, the development of the oil‐producing region, environmental security and sustainability, and the transparent and accountable use of oil/gas revenues.     

Modeling Forensic DNA Database Performance*

Abstract: Over the past decade or more, DNA databases have been a focal point of development for the forensic field. Using this approach, forensic and law enforcement agencies have aided millions of investigations, many of which would remain unsolved but for the intelligence links provided from DNA database comparison. However, despite their widespread use and increasingly broad legislative and operational reach, there has been limited overarching performance modeling or reflection on drivers of operational or financial efficiency. This study derives an inferential model for DNA database performance using data from major national DNA database programs. Parameters that optimize desirable database outputs (matches) are isolated and discussed, as is an approach for maximizing financial efficiency and minimizing ethical impact. This research takes important steps toward identifying measures of performance for forensic DNA database operations.     

政府绩效管理与评估对公务员绩效考核的影响

从20世纪70年代至今,西方国家对公务员绩效考核制度的研究已经比较全面,而我国公务员绩效考核制度的建设尚处于发展阶段。本文分析了目前我国政府绩效评估与管理的实践状况、存在的问题及产生问题的原因,力图从理论上探索出适合我国国情的公务员绩效考核策略和模式,以提高我国公务员绩效考核的科学性、有效性及准确性。     

公共政策执行偏差的再思考——以政策制定主体为视角

以政策制定主体为视角对公共政策执行偏差进行再思考，政策制定主体素质的低下，在政策认知中的缺位等问题成为政策执行偏差的主要原因。提高政策制定者素质，强化政策认知教育和责任，注重政策的配套和再决策，提升政策制定主体控制力以及加强对政策执行的支持和监督力度则是矫正政策执行偏差的有效措施。     

检察机关开展量刑辩论的模式构造

量刑辩论是对法庭辩论的细化和具体,可以有效保障司法公正和当事人的合法权益,将量刑辩论引入庭审,有现实需要、法理及立法依据,检察机关开展量刑辩论活动的模式构造,应当贯穿于庭审之前、庭审过程、庭审之后每个阶段。     

Screening for Corticosteroid Adulterants in Korean Herbal Medicines

The objective of this study was to determine the presence of corticosteroids in illegal herbal medicines using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We collected 212 herbal medicine samples that were advertised as being effective for treatment of joint pain and bone aches. Samples were from the Korean commercial market during a span of four years (2010–2013), and the method was validated. The limits of quantification ranged from 0.47 to 15.0 ng/mL, and recoveries ranged from 80.6% to 119.5%. The intra‐ and interday precision ranged from 0.18% to 8.82% and from 0.09% to 8.96%, respectively. Among the samples, three samples (1.4%) were identified as adulterants. Dexamethasone was the only compound detected in the adulterated products. As the corticosteroid–adulteration of herbal medicines may become a major problem and lead to side effects, the continued development of screening procedures for herbal medicines is critical.     

构建基于职工发展的绩效管理体系

《北京市“十二五”时期职工发展规划》指出，衡量职工权益发展状况的稽标主要包括就业权、收入权、安全权、保障权、参与权和职业发展权等六项基本权益。现代企业管理更加注重“以人为本”的管理模式，管理的重点日趋体现在维护职工的自身权益上。管理者应从战略高度构建基于职工发展的绩效管理体系，从绩效管理战略、绩效管理机制、绩效管理流程和绩效管理实施等方面，最大限度地激发人才潜能，推动组织变革与创新，最终实现组织的持续发展。