bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Policy Windows and Two-Level Games: Explaining the Passage of Acid-Rain Legislation in the Clean Air Act of 1990
Authors: Simon M V , Alm L R
Published: October 2006

Because of the transboundary nature of most environmental problems, environmental policy often lies at the intersection of domestic and international forces. Yet, because domestic and international issues are usually examined with different sets of theories and models, we tend to explain the policy process and outcome by emphasizing only one arena. Analysis of domestic policy is often dominated by process models, whereas scholars of international relations tend to apply rational models to explain state behavior. We apply Kingdon's ‘policy windows’ model of agenda setting and Brams's dynamic game theory framework to the development of acid-rain legislation enacted by the USA in the Clean Air Act of 1990. We compare the explanations of these theories with the work of other analysts, as well as with perceptions of policymakers by using data from interviews of policymaking elites in Canadian and US government, industry, and interest groups. It is demonstrated that process models and models of strategic interaction can complement each other, providing improved explanations of policy outcomes.
From Urban Competition to Urban Collaboration? The Development of Interurban Telematics Networks
Authors: Graham S
Published: October 2006

In this paper an exploration is made of the potential offered by combinations of computing and telecommunications technologies (known as ‘telematics’) for supporting a shift from competitive to collaborative urban policies in Europe. First the context for such policies is set by an analysis of the ways in which the uses of telematics by transnational corporations have helped to encourage ‘zero-sum’ competition between cities and localities for investment. The resultant competitive telecommunications-based policies of cities are then discussed and criticised. Then, a review is provided of emerging examples where telematics-based policies are being explored as supports for interurban collaborative policies, first at the national, regional, and cross-border level, and then at the international and trans-European level. In the conclusion, an assessment is made of the potential that these policies offer for supporting truly beneficial shifts towards collaborative urban policymaking.
Processes of Suburbanisation and its Effects on the Finances of Cities in West Germany: The Example of Bremen and the Surrounding Communities
Authors: Pohlan J
Published: October 2006

This paper is an analysis of the effects of suburbanisation processes on the finances of cities in West Germany, taking the metropolitan area of Bremen as an example. The main thesis is that, under the present socioeconomic conditions, the German system of public finance and public responsibilities has led to a growing gap between the financial situations of central cities and of their surrounding communities in urban agglomerations. For the purpose of describing the differences in developments in the central city of Bremen and its suburban area, the main local tax revenues, as well as some indicators of ‘fiscal stress’, and their developments between 1982 and 1992 were analysed. The empirical results verify a significant shift of economic and financial strength to the suburban belt during the period under investigation. Although since the beginning of the 1970s a severe imbalance between the development of revenue and of expenditure needs has generated a dramatic budget situation in Bremen, in the surrounding communities in Lower Saxony budgetaty situations were sound in every respect. Similar processes, which have led to a relative weakness of revenues and increasing debts, have been observed in other central cities in Germany. Obviously the negative effect of suburbanisation processes on the financial situation of the central city is not a problem specific to Bremen. Generally, the larger cities are convinced that their functions for the hinterland and the resulting burdens have not been adequately taken into account in the systems of municipal finance and fiscal equalisation.
Strengthening the Links between Housing Estates and the Labour Market: A Model for Consideration
Authors: Pinto R R
Published: October 2006

The pronounced housing-market and labour-market changes which have intensified in recent decades have had a particularly severe impact upon the social housing sector. In this paper it is argued that within this tenure, social housing estates have experienced a progressive dislocation from the mainstream in economic and social terms. A generic model of Estate Development Trusts is presented which is an attempt to redress not only the balance of labour-market opportunities by targeting such issues as education, training, and (un)employment, but is equally directed at related aspects such as the housing-management, social, and health functions at the estate level. The primary purpose of the model is to provide a framework which highlights the attributes which ought to be considered when seeking to bring about the effective and holistic regeneration of social housing estates.
Disconnected Policy: The Shaping of Local Energy Management
Authors: Guy S , Marvin S
Published: October 2006

Around half of all the CO2 emissions relate to the energy consumed in buildings. Management of energy demand is, therefore, a central concern of environmental policymakers. But how does local environmental policy actually shape local energy-management practices? Rather than analysing how the intensity of energy flows are shaped by institutions and regulatory forces, makers of local environmental policy have tended to adopt a ‘rational’ modelling approach, increasingly divorced from the operational realities of the restructured energy sector. Such an approach misses the way in which privatised utility companies are now reaching ‘beyond the meter’ in order to manage local energy consumption actively. In this way privatised utilities are emerging as important regulators of energy flows in the territories they serve. Local environmental policy is largely bypassed in this process. Policymakers therefore need to acknowledge the role of regional energy companies as key energy managers and to coordinate local energy policy accordingly.
Nationalism and the Power of Business: The Manufacturers' Association of Israel
Authors: Levi-Faur D
Published: October 2006

One of the few areas of consensus in the research on Israeli politics is that of the political weakness of the Israeli business sector during the first two decades of statehood. The author claims that this consensus does not, however, justify the avoidance by scholars of the Israeli polity of conducting a systematic research into the factors that shaped the weakness of such an important sector, and therefore aims to suggest an explanation of the power of the Israeli businesses through an examination of the role and the behaviour of one of the leading interest groups in Israeli society—The Manufacturers' Association of Israel (MAI). The passive role played by the MAI in shaping the industrial-development policy during the period 1956–65 is analysed through: (a) analysis of the organisational resources of the MAI; and (b) examination of the MAI's role in two cases of public-policy making, namely the Textile Industry Development Plan and the Trade Liberalisation Program. The current political science literature regarding the factors that are often mentioned as shaping the power of business only partially explains the weakness of Israeli businesses. The author's main arguments are that nationalism can explain the weakness of the MAI better than can any other factor, and that the literature concerning the power of business should therefore pay more attention to the relationship between nationalism and the power of business. In the concluding part of the paper the findings are used as a basis for a discussion of the weakness of the Israeli civil society, and of the role played by nationalism in shaping this weakness.
Privatizing the Russian Economy: The Nizhny Novgorod Experience
Authors: Buss T F , Yancer L C
Published: October 2006

Nizhny Novgorod became the first city in Russia to privatize its small businesses, transportation industry, and collective farms after the collapse of communism and became a model for other cities. The authors review the innovative, unprecedented, and little-known public auctions responsible for successfully privatizing Nizhny's economy. Keys to success were dedicated enlightened public leadership, consensual intergovernmental partnership in a federal system, and effective use of Western privatization experts. High and capricious taxation, over regulation, public corruption and private criminal activity, near hyperinflation, lack of commercial law, politics, and vanishing markets jeopardize privatization gains.
Urban Regeneration, Property Development, and the Land Market
Authors: Jones C
Published: October 2006

The author examines the interactions between the process of grant aid to property developers for urban regeneration projects and the operation of land markets. He begins with a brief overview of this financial support, in which the basic principles of this assistance are set out. The author's principal purpose is to assess the fundamental input assumptions behind the public support of these projects. As a prerequisite he outlines the nature of the property-development decisionmaking process. In the subsequent analysis of the funding-appraisal process of urban regeneration projects he considers a number of issues about the level of the developer's profit, land values, and the value of completed projects. In conclusion the author makes an overall assessment of the approach to grant aid for urban regeneration.
Emission Trading in Theory and Practice: An Analysis of RECLAIM in Southern California
Authors: Fromm O , Hansjürgens B
Published: October 2006

After the national Acid Rain Program, Southern California's tradeable permit system RECLAIM is the second comprehensive attempt in US environmental policy to create a workable system of tradeable permits. In this paper analyses of the most important regulations, of the environmental, legal, and economic background, and of the first results of this program are provided. The focus is on the conditions under which this instrument of environmental policy can be effective in practice.
Financing Local Governments in Spain: New Solutions to Old Problems
Authors: Suárez-Pandiello J
Published: October 2006

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the financial behavioural analysis of Spanish municipalities since the start of the ambitious process of political and economic decentralization linked to the restoration of democracy at the end of the 1970s. Specifically, the author presents financial figures, reviews the characteristics of the local finance system and the evolution of that system through what has been a series of unfinished reforms, and concludes by suggesting some possible corrections to the imperfections, or loose ends, detected.
Safety and Shopping: Peripherality and Shopper Anxiety in the City Centre
Authors: Thomas C J , Bromley R D F
Published: October 2006

The anxieties and fears of shoppers in the traditional shopping centres of Britain have emerged as an important aspect of the process of retail decline. Central and local government, and commercial interests in the retail sector, have responded to this challenge with the introduction of enhanced security and improved design and management strategies to combat the growing problem. However, policy initiatives have not been firmly based on the perceptions of shoppers. The authors seek to redress this imbalance by analysing consumer surveys undertaken in Cardiff and Swansea to examine the scale and nature of shopper anxieties. Although anxieties had not yet reached crisis levels, considerable causes for concern were identified which related to environmental deterioration, incidents of antisocial behaviour, and fears for the safety of shoppers' cars. Peripherality and isolation were particularly associated with the generation of fears in a variety of situations on the streets, in car parks, and in transport termini. Conversely, the advantages of a compact city centre, and improvements to the shopping environment and car parking facilities all served to reduce shoppers' anxieties and to maximise the attractions of city-centre shopping. The authors conclude that the investigation of strategies designed to maintain a safe shopping environment in British city centres warrants continued attention.
Fragmentation, Concentration, and Local Government Structure: Top-Tier Authorities in England and Wales, 1831–1996
Authors: Boyne G , Cole M
Published: October 2006

The structure of local government in England and Wales is evaluated on the basis of public-choice theories concerning structural effects on performance. The concepts of fragmentation and concentration are applied to changes in the pattern of top-tier units since 1831. For most of this period the structure of this set of authorities became much less fragmented and more concentrated. Public-choice theory suggests that the net effect of these changes is likely to have been a reduction in the allocative and technical efficiency of service provision.
The Delivery of Planning Policy in Great Britain: Explaining the Implementation Gap. New Evidence from a Case Study in Rural England
Authors: Gilg A W , Kelly M P
Published: October 2006

The authors outline the reasons why an implementation gap, between policy and practice, occurs and discuss three theoretical and methodological approaches to explaining and assessing the significance of this gap. From these approaches a participant-observation methodology is chosen to examine the policy-implementation process, with particular reference to the decisionmaking process over applications to erect agricultural dwellings in the local government district of North Devon in England. It is found that a few councillors with agricultural or rural connections were able to overturn policies and the recommendations of planning officers. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings for the British planning system, which still treats each application for development on its own merits rather than in the more mechanistic zoning system practised elsewhere.
Where Territorial Political Culture Makes Urban Institution: The ‘Metropolitan City’ of Bologna
Authors: Jouve B , Lefèvre C
Published: October 2006

After national legislation in 1990, Bologna decided to equip itself with an area-wide government. Seen against the background of Italian administration and politics which has, for many decades, been characterised by the reluctance, even opposition, of local governments to the country's many territorial planning reforms, the very existence of this institution represents an innovation which merits explanation. The formation of the institution is examined through its process of legitimisation. This involves highlighting the collective representations and social codes activated, even created, by certain political figures with a view to legitimising this public action. The authors insist on the fact that the process of legitimisation can only be understood within the context of the political and social relationships which structure an urban area such as Bologna and which have evolved considerably in recent years, particularly as a result of social segmentation and differentiation, hitherto limited in a region where the Italian Communist Party has been the preponderant influence since 1946.
Public Administration Reform: An Incentive for Local Transformation?
Authors: Grochowski M
Published: October 2006

Local self-governments at gmina (municipality) level have become primary components of Poland's democratization. The establishment of self-governing units in 1990 was the most important achievement of the first period of transformation and a very promising sign for potential political and economic changes in the future. An attitude to local self-governments presented after 1993 by postcommunist parties that came back to power, have not allowed these governments to build the infrastructure essential for the efficient operation of the jurisdiction. It also was impossible to establish the next level of self-governance— powiat (county)—designed as a complementary one to gminas. The second phase of self-government reform has been halted. There is still no clarification of the functional responsibilities between different levels of government and no authorization of revenue sources corresponding to functional responsibilities. These facts have a negative influence on local transformation processes including those of an economic nature. That is why public administration reform is perceived as a very necessary step to continue democratic reforms and to make regions and counties or municipalities well managed and administered. However, reorganisation of central government or the introduction of new levels of self-governing units will not automatically promote local transformation. In order to do so public administration requires complex and deep changes. The starting point for these changes will be a new definition of the state and of central government's roles and responsibilities. If public administration reform is to bring real changes its role must be redefined from the perspective of a decentralized state. The reform should be designed and implemented in such a way that helps to work out transparent and efficient mechanisms of intergovernmental relationships. The reform should also change the position of local government relative to central government. New professional standards as well as training programs for local government employees must be prepared to improve human resources and to overcome bad bureaucratic customs and practices inherited from the communist era.
State Control and the Delivery of Health Care: A Preliminary Study in Eleven European Countries
Authors: Westert G P
Published: October 2006

The author's thesis is; in health systems primarily controlled by the state there is an emphasis on (primary) general care and less on (secondary level) specialised services, both in supply of medical staff and in facilities. The opposite is predicted for health systems with less state control and more room for control by the medical profession. Empirical support is found for this thesis, but it needs to be underlined that this conclusion is preliminary, because much work needs to be done to get more and better data.
Political Power and Corporate Managerialism in Local Government: The Organisation of Executive Functions
Authors: Collinge C
Published: October 2006

The history of British local government since the 19th century reveals two opposite organisational tendencies. On the one hand there has been the entrenchment of a decentralised political structure based around the committee system; on the other hand there have been recurrent expressions of concern at the absence of executive unity within councils, and the development of a number of reintegrative corporate initiatives. Sometimes these initiatives have taken a political and sometimes a managerial form; the most prominent managerial expression of the pursuit of corporate cohesion is the post of chief executive, but this post is to varying degrees disabled by the absence of a cohesive political structure in those authorities where politicians actively seek to govern. It is only where politicians are relatively weak, and where local democratic accountability is attenuated and power transferred to the officers, that the post of chief executive can live up to its corporate expectations. The perpetuation of these circumstances reflects in part a reluctance amongst councillors to concentrate local political power in a centralised political executive; a reluctance which, in practice, plays into the hands of those who favour a managerialist future for local governance.
Ideology and Privatization Policy in Israel
Authors: Harris M , Katz Y , Doron G , Woodlief A
Published: October 2006

In this paper we explore the impact of economic ideologies on one important area of policy. We compare the periods of 1968–77 (Labor) and 1978–87 (Likud) to determine whether differences in the stated economic ideologies of the Likud and Labor parties are reflected in their privatization policy. Furthermore, we examine whether there are differences in the techniques used to privatize by the Labor and the Likud parties. Although Labor and Likud policymakers may both choose privatization as a policy, different political environments and political bases may affect such choices. We explore the impact of these differences on the design of the specific privatization techniques selected, assess whether differences in the techniques exist, and attempt to account for such differences. Our analysis reveals that both Labor and Likud parties undertook similar privatization policies. The empirical findings contradict the hypothesis that ideological differences between the two large parties in Israel will be reflected in significant variation in privatization policy. There arc no significant differences between the two parties in number, type, or implementation of privatization policy. We find evidence that an important factor for all Israeli governments is budgetary pressure, operationalized as a deficit variable. We also find some difference between parties in the implementation of privatization, with Labor demonstrating a greater propensity to sell complete enterprises, and Likud engaging in more partial sales of state assets. We argue that this difference results from the differing ability of each party to negotiate with Israel's largest labor union. The fact that there were no significant differences in the number of actions taken by Likud and Labor administrations suggests that there are other barriers to this process. Two explanations for this process are indicated.
Evaluation and Assessment of Privatization Outcomes: A Conceptual Model and Empirical Evidence
Authors: Molz R , Hafsi T
Published: October 2006

The authors develop and apply a schema to evaluate outcomes of privatization. The schema is applied to evaluative research conducted on privatizations in France, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The findings indicate that comprehensive evaluations of privatization outcomes are wanting.
The Agri-Environment Regulation EU 2078/92: The Role of the European Commission in Policy Shaping and Setting
Authors: Jones A , Clark J R A
Published: October 2006

We examine the role of the European Commission in the formulation and negotiation of a Council regulation on agri-environmental policy (EU 2078/92). We show how this regulation was shaped largely by political opportunism and financial and administrative realities, rather than by stringent environmental considerations and targets, We also reveal how the debate over EU 2078/92 has been dominated by only a few actors at supranational and national levels, and identify the key role played by the European Commission at all stages of the progress of the regulation through the route ways of the European Union's (EU) decisionmaking process. Of further interest is the way in which well-established agricultural policy communities have attempted to keep a tight rein on the development of the regulation in order to prevent this new policy area from being infiltrated by nonagricultural interests. For such interests, the regulation provided an opportunity to penetrate the long-established policy network surrounding agriculture in the EU.
Crisis and Dysfunction of Spatial Development and Management in Taiwan
Authors: Chou T-L
Published: October 2006

Based upon the development of export-oriented industrialization (EOI), Taiwan has undergone a well-known economic miracle, especially since the 1960s when the capitalist world entered a deep Fordist crisis. Nevertheless, the EOI development was imbued with development contradictions, and caused crisis and dysfunction in Taiwan's spatial development and management. The author aims to analyze this crisis and dysfunction from political-economic perspectives, by discerning how the state intervened in spatial development and management along with the development of EOI. As the author demonstrates, the state manipulates the crisis and dysfunction of the planning mechanism to satisfy the political-economic requirements of Taiwan's EOI development. EOI development provided good environments for capital accumulation, but led to poor living conditions. The environmental results have brought Taiwan much wider political, social, and economic tensions, and have made increasingly unlikely the possibility of constructing a social coalition of sustainable development. The author contends that it is time for Taiwan to reorganise the development of EOI before the current crisis becomes destructive.
Geographies of Justice: Preschool-Childcarc Provision and the Conceptualisation of Social Justice
Authors: Holloway S L
Published: October 2006

During the 1990s geographers of diverse philosophical orientations have shown a renewed interest in questions of justice. The author draws on empirical work on childcare provision in Sheffield, England, in order to evaluate two different approaches to the geography of justice and hence the theories of social justice which lie behind these; in particular she explores the different geographies of childcare produced by the territorial-justice approach, which is based on a liberal conception of social justice, and a study of childcare cultures, which owes more to poststructuralist understandings of justice. The specific differences between these approaches in terms of their conceptualisation of what counts as childcare, who needs it, and how its delivery is structured raise broader questions about the understandings of society and space, about the importance of moral geographies, and about the possible strategics for achieving justice that underpin the different traditions of thought on social justice.
Potentials for East — West Integration: The Case of Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: van Geenhuizen M , Nijkamp P
Published: October 2006

Reshaping the relationships between Western Europe and the former communist bloc is one of the most intriguing challenges for the coming years. Will Central and Eastern Europe become passive players in the European and world economy, or will companies located there become integrated as fully fledged partners? Foreign direct investment (FDI) is heavily concentrated in a few countries in Central and Eastern Europe. It is argued that the type of FDI is more important than the amount of FDI. There is a need for a critical assessment of the strategies of the investors and the impacts on local entrepreneurship. In this vein, the authors describe various interesting future research paths and make policy recommendations.
Restructuring, Democracy, and Geography in New Zealand
Authors: Lewis N , Moran W
Published: October 2006

The speed, transparency, and extent of the reregulation of New Zealand society over the last decade offer many insights into issues of social change and systems of regulation and governance. The forms of reregulation have been embedded by the set of new regulations and reorganised state practices referred to as the ‘reforms’. These have involved a major shift in the sites and exercise of power within and between economic, social, and political spheres. They have been promoted and articulated in a restructuring discourse which has dominated New Zealand's reaction to the expiry of its social democratic settlement. Reconstructions of space and democracy have been heavily implicated within the processes of change, both as explicit goals of the reform programme and as overt strategies for the achievement of other redistributions. They are also definitive outcomes of a decade of upheaval. The authors explore the spatialities of core-state reform. They develop the concept of an altered dominant representation of space to explore new configurations of space and democratic practice. They seek to inform contemporary debates over the stability of New Zealand's reconstructed social formation. The discussion is illustrated with references to the spatial reorganisation of the institutions of government and core-state activities; in particular the altered administration of education and public health, and changes in local government organisation.
Local Policymaking under Fiscal Centralism in the Netherlands: Consequences for Local Environmental Policy
Authors: Groenendijk J G
Published: October 2006

Fiscal centralism affects central—local relations in more ways than simply constraining local autonomy. In the case of the Netherlands, central—local policy communities, in which nongovernmental organizations may play a significant role, divide local policymaking into sectors. Responsiveness to local requirements is highly skewed. Decentralization to improve local policymaking is frustrated by the urge for equality in this one-constituency state. The pillarization in the formative decades of the welfare state contributed to the development of this characteristic of the Dutch polity. These central—local relations are not conducive to innovation, which is required for local implementation of environmental policy. Sectoral boundaries preclude the essential integration of this policy. Municipal development plans, essentially designed to improve local resources, defy centrally devised norms and even prevent proper application of environmental impact assessments in central government's decisions on motorways.
The Siting Problem of Nimby Facilities: Cost – Benefit Analysis and Auction Mechanisms
Authors: Quah E , Tan K C
Published: October 2006

In this paper the authors discuss the characteristics of NIMBY (‘not in my backyard’) facilities as they relate to the impacts on the local neighbourhood. They evaluate the available conflict-resolution instalments used for the siting of NIMBY facilities, and in particular aim to suggest two alternative auction mechanisms for localities affected by these facilities, Some considerations for general compensation schemes arc also presented. Here, efficiency and some cost – benefit rules for compensation are suggested. Finally, some equity concerns are discussed.
Democratization, Economic Liberalization, and Transformational Slump: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Twenty-One Postcommunist Countries
Authors: Dostál P
Published: October 2006

In this paper the author provides some empirical evidence to show that those old, new, or restored countries of the former Soviet-dominated bloc which embarked on the early institutional transformation of their political and economic systems in a broad and intensive way experienced more quickly the resumption of economic stability and growth and thus left behind the severe downturn of a transformational slump (that is, economic contraction, hyperinflation, and a highly unbalanced governmental budget). The early postcommunist transformation is examined in terms of a general transformational equation. The author provides a cross-sectional explanation of early differences throughout the twenty-one countries both in the institutional transformation and in the transformational slump. Two complementary LISREL (linear structural equations) models show that a successful early postcommunist transformation means (1) a quick resumption of macroeconomic balance and economic growth resting on (2) genuine democratization and economic liberalization, and (3) higher levels of inherited modernization.
Urban Sustainability: Problems Facing the ‘Local’ Approach to Carbon-Reduction Strategies
Authors: McEvoy D , Gibbs D C , Longhurst J W S
Published: October 2006

Urban policies which include energy and environmental objectives are seen as potentially effective instruments in the quest for urban sustainability. Recent consensus is that the modern city region forms an important focal point for assessment and implementation of energy strategies, facilitating practical solutions to local problems as well as providing beneficial additions to national policies. Reducing the carbon intensity of economies both prevents environmental degradation and supports the regional economy in the medium to long term. The authors look at the construction of a CO2 inventory for the Greater Manchester region, an urban conurbation set for economic growth after recent restructuring and diversification. The authors argue that, by providing an indication of the localised carbon flows specific to the region, it is possible to target problem areas, prioritise carbon-reduction strategies, and recommend policies that will case the transition to a more sustainable urban settlement. The increased focus on finding ‘local’ solutions to the reduction of carbon intensity has coincided with privatisation of much of the energy industry. The newly competitive energy market conflicts with the shift to local-scale evaluations and has resulted in energy details at the regional level becoming increasingly harder to obtain. The problems experienced in the construction of this inventory will be common to other cities in the United Kingdom and will have to be addressed if the ‘local’ approach is to be as effective as is hoped.
Localism in the NHS Quasi-Market
Authors: Exworthy M
Published: October 2006

The organisation of the British National Health Service (NHS) has been hierarchical and based on defined geographical areas [for example, health authorities (HAs)]. These areas have formed the basis of local health systems in which the social relations between individuals and agencies were contained within the territorial boundaries of the respective organisation and thereby engendered, in most eases, a degree of trust and cooperation. The introduction of quasi-market mechanisms in the NHS in 1991 inferred that the social relations between local actors were not essential and hence transactions could be independent of them. Economic transactions need not therefore be confined to the local area. However, social relations have continued in various forms since the quasi-market was implemented as manifested through, inter alia, the persistence of localism in the market. Localism is evident, for example, in HA expenditure, which remains highly skewed towards local providers and, it is argued here, is a function of social relations between purchaser and providers. Localism and the social relations associated with it exemplify the relational nature of the quasi-market, which has shown signs of moves towards longer term contracts, risk-sharing and cooperation (rather than competition). Thus, by noting the persistence of localism and social relations, the author suggests that the quasi-market has yet to evince the paradigm shift intended by the 1991 reforms.
The Urban Implications of the Developing European High-Speed-Train Network
Authors: van den Berg L , Pol P M J
Published: October 2006

Stimulated by the European integration process, the need for high-grade transport connections between the major European urban agglomerations is growing. Coinciding with the reurbanisation efforts of the major cities, the high-speed train (HST) is eminently suitable to fill that need, as it essentially connects urban centres, and is relatively environment-friendly. The authors set out to analyse how the HST can make an optimum contribution to the development of welfare in urban regions. The paper is based on an international comparative investigation in fourteen European cities: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brno, Brussels, Cologne, Geneva, Liège, Lille, Lyons, Marseilles, Nantes, Rotterdam, Strasbourg, and Turin. Some criteria have been derived for the successful integration of the HST system in an urban area: accessibility, economic potential, the quality of the living environment, a balanced spatial distribution of activities, a balanced social distribution of effects, and organising capacity. HST integration should contribute to harmonious long-term urban development, and a balance should therefore be struck between, among other elements, internal accessibility and the quality of the living environment. There is no such thing as a standard solution for optimum HST integration in a city. Each individual city must take account of its own spatial-economic structure and the criteria identified to find out what solution will contribute most to a balanced development of urban welfare. A clear vision of and a well-considered strategy for HST integration remains essential, in order not to lose out on the profitable prospects of economic development opened to the urban region.
The Three Faces of Synthesis: Bringing Together Quantitative Findings in the Field of Transport and Environmental Policy
Authors: Button K J
Published: October 2006

Good policymaking is based on sound information. Seldom, however, does any research work generate findings that are genuinely new. Much research draws upon and extends bodies of existing knowledge to gain better insights or to refine the accuracy of key parameters. Modern information-retrieval systems allow increasingly easy access to the findings of previous work. One of the bigger challenges today is to keep abreast of what is actually going on, and to extract insights from the existing body of knowledge where gaps still exist and the most fruitful research may be conducted. There are three broad approaches towards our existing body of knowledge, and the aim of this paper is to examine the usefulness of these alternatives and to pinpoint the types of circumstance where one may prove more helpful than the others. It places particular attention on work done which relates to the effects that transport has on the environment.
Improvements, by Using a New Set of Data, to the English Standard Spending Assessments: The 1991 Census of Population Samples of Anonymised Records
Authors: Gardiner C
Published: October 2006

A critical examination is undertaken of a new set of data—the 1991 Census of Population samples of anonymised records (SARs)—as an instrument for improving the quality of the indices used in the English Standard Spending Assessments system for the allocation of central government funds to local authorities. The ‘additional education needs' index is used as a case study. Application of the Department of the Environment's existing methodological approach in conjunction with the SARs produces significant improvements in the explanatory power of the regression-based models. It is concluded that the SARs represent an invaluable source of data to supplement or replace the databases currently utilised in the standard spending assessment indices. The implications of this for the 2001 Census of Population are also identified and discussed.
Modelling Regional Changes in US Household Income and Wealth: A Research Agenda
Authors: Caldwell S B , Clarke G P , Keister L A
Published: October 2006

The aim of this paper is to outline a research agenda for the estimation of household wealth in the USA. The authors argue that, although much progress has been made with the estimation of household income, such research has concentrated on wage and benefit income. A dynamic microsimulation model called CORSIM is used to estimate new indicators of wealth. These include household income derived from stocks and shares, retirement accounts, and financial gains made from house sales and inheritances. New indicators of debts include all household debts, especially mortgage debts. Although these indicators have been calculated at national levels in the past, it is argued that considerable benefits will accrue to our understanding of social problems and changing consumer lifestyles if these indicators can be estimated at regional and subregional levels of resolution.
Competition, Regulation, and the Privatisation of British Rail
Authors: Gibb R , Shaw J , Charlton C
Published: October 2006

The privatisation programme pursued by successive Conservative administrations in the 1979–97 period was based on neoliberal values, and was aimed at the reduction of public sector involvement in industry by the promotion of a competitive ‘free’ market. However, despite this ideological objective, several large utility companies were privatised as regulated monopolies. Against this background, in a notable reorientation of privatisation policy, the Major administration attempted to secure a genuine movement towards market liberalisation when it divested British Rail (BR). An elaborate methodology was used to break BR's monopoly and establish a competitive market for the provision of passenger rail services. The authors argue that, notwithstanding the complexity of the rail sell-off, competition has not materialised and BR's monopoly has to ail intents and purposes been reconstituted in the private sector.
Task Expansion: A Theoretical Overview
Authors: Zito A R
Published: October 2006

In this paper the author investigates how well five theoretical approaches explain the task expansion witnessed in European Union (EU) environmental policy since the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957. He explores the arguments of the five perspectives and examines their utility in illuminating four chronological periods in EU environmental policy history, The author then presents an overview of key issues and processes that shed light on the merits of the analytical approaches.
European Union Environmental Policy at 25: Retrospect and Prospect
Authors: Haigh N
Published: October 2006

The idea that the European Union (EU) is a major force in UK environmental policy is now well recognised but was new fifteen years ago, The integration of environmental considerations into other EU policies is now receiving more attention as is the implementation of EU legislation. Both are necessary if the EU is convincingly to pass the test of contributing to the handling of global issues particularly climate change.
The Influence of Bureaucratic Behavior on Land Apportionment in China: The Informal Process
Authors: Wong K K , Zhao X B
Published: October 2006

In the early 1990s China experienced phenomenal, massive, speculative land development that had long range impacts on China's sustainable development. The authors attempt to examine the administrative framework of the current land-apportionment system from the perspectives both of formal or legal and of informal or quasi-legal processes. In particular, they focus on the detrimental consequences of the informal process of land apportionment, which has virtually overridden the formal process in recent years. They also cautiously scrutinize the underlying reasons for land misapportionment. They argue that the informal process is difficult to control and it will continue to impede the normal and healthy development of China's land market in the foreseeable future.
The European Parliament: Agenda Territories and Agri-Environment Policymaking
Authors: Jones A , Clark J R A
Published: October 2006

We investigate the influence of the European Parliament (EP) in European Union (EU) decisionmaking. Two principal concepts are developed to explain EP influence in agricultural policy: those of agenda territories and agenda interlocking. The authors look at the EP's influence in policy shaping and policy setting, and argue that this institution's influence is dependent upon the degree to which its views interlock with the pragmatic options and strategic preferences of the European Commission. In a detailed empirical analysis of EU agri-environment policy, drawing upon seventy interviews with senior officers of the European Commission, members of the European Parliament, and agricultural officials in member states, we demonstrate how the mobilisation of these agenda territories enabled the EP to exert influence in the development of EU agri-environment policy.
The Purchaser—Provider Split: Theory and UK Evidence
Authors: Bailey S J , Davidson C
Published: October 2006

In this paper the authors focus on the purchaser—provider split within UK local government, They assess whether that split has had the effects predicted by the theory, especially in terms of diverting the purchaser's attention away from service production per se and more towards assessing and meeting the needs of service users. This implies a shift of attention from inputs and processes to outputs and outcomes. In making that assessment, the authors review other research and present the results of their own survey of all British local governments. They conclude that, if anything, the purchaser—provider split has increased the amount of attention paid to inputs and processes and has done little to focus attention on outputs and even less in respect of outcomes. Although this evidence is by no means conclusive, it does serve to qualify earlier research results that found improvements in outcomes for some services as a result of contracting.
Local Public Expenditure with Piecewise-Linear Nonconvex Budget Constraints
Authors: Revelli F
Published: October 2006

The author analyses local authority expenditure decisions under the Block Grant system, that is, the grant distribution scheme that was in place in Britain from 1981 to 1990. The Block Grant system creates a piecewise-linear, and potentially nonconvex, budget constraint. As the choice of segment is endogenous—cither as a result of unobserved preference heterogeneity or as a result of random optimisation error—a demand function for local public expenditure cannot be consistently estimated by ordinary least squares (OLS). Instead, a two-error maximum likelihood (ML) estimation procedure is used. The results show a positive income effect and a negative price effect, both of high significance. The OLS estimate of the price coefficient is underestimated relative to its ML counterpart—because of spurious positive correlation between expenditure and price—but the OLS estimate of the income coefficient does not show a substantial bias. The two-error ML estimation results show significant evidence of unobserved preference heterogeneity and some weaker evidence of random optimisation error.
Transport Investment and Urban Regeneration in a Provincial City: Sheffield, 1992–96
Authors: Lawless P
Published: October 2006

The author examines the relationship between transport investment and urban regeneration in an English provincial city. On the whole transport objectives and policy initiatives have not been addressed, in urban policy effected by successive governments since 1977. In part as a consequence, there has been a marked dearth of empirically based intraurban research in which that nexus between transport infrastructure and social and economic renewal has been explored. In the early 1990s, Sheffield proved to be an especially interesting laboratory within which to examine this issue because of the construction of a new light rail-transit system, the South Yorkshire Supertram (SYS), and a substantial programme of new and improved roads. During the period 1992 to 1996, the research team undertook ‘before-and-after’ surveys of the effects of the SYS and enhanced road provision on five elements of urban regeneration: image, property values, land use, business (relocation, and labour mobility. New investment had only a relatively limited impact on regeneration and, where effects could be identified, enhanced road investment proved significantly more beneficial than did the SYS. However, the policy environment within which the SYS was implemented was never likely to maximise regeneration, primarily because of the lack of integration across regeneration agencies and transport providers.