Privatization

In Privatization, a distinguished interdisciplinary group of scholars in political science, law and philosophy examine the implications of transferring state-provided or state-owned goods and services to the private sector. The twelve essays in this volume consider how we should evaluate the decision to privatize, both with respect to the quality of outcomes that might be produced, and in terms of the effects of privatization on the core values underlying democratic decision-making. Privatization also affects the structure of governance in a variety of important ways, and these essays evaluate the consequences of privatization on the state. This new addition to the NOMOS series sheds new light on these highly salient questions of contemporary political life and institutional design.

Author(s):  
Shahrough Akhavi

The doctrine of salvation in Islam centers on the community of believers. Contemporary Muslim political philosophy (or, preferably, political theory) covers a broad expanse that brings under its rubric at least two diverse tendencies: an approach that stresses the integration of religion and politics, and an approach that insists on their separation. Advocates of the first approach seem united in their desire for the “Islamization of knowledge,” meaning that the epistemological foundation of understanding and explanation in all areas of life, including all areas of political life, must be “Islamic.” Thus, one needs to speak of an “Islamic anthropology,” an “Islamic sociology,” an “Islamic political science,” and so on. But there is also a distinction that one may make among advocates of this first approach. Moreover, one can say about many, perhaps most, advocates of the first approach that they feel an urgency to apply Islamic law throughout all arenas of society. This article focuses on the Muslim tradition of political philosophy and considers the following themes: the individual and society, the state, and democracy.


Author(s):  
Moshe Halbertal

This concluding chapter explains that sacrifice is an essential phenomenon of religious, ethical, and political life. In its two senses, as “sacrificing to” and “sacrificing for,” the linguistic use of the term covers immensely diverse experiences. It touches on ritual, atonement, substitution, self-transcendence, war, the responsibility to the past, and the state. Yet there is something at the core of this varied, rich phenomenon that justifies the use of the same word to express both meanings in so many languages. The term has to do with the identification of the sacrifice with the noninstrumental realm.


Author(s):  
Ian Taylor

Africa is a continent of over a billion people, yet questions of underdevelopment, malgovernance, and a form of political life based upon patronage are characteristic of many African states. ‘Introduction to Africa and its politics’ explains that the core questions underpinning this VSI centre on how politics is typically practised on the continent; the nature of the state in Africa; and what accounts for Africa’s underdevelopment. This VSI aims to appraise sub-Saharan Africa’s recent political history, examining post-colonial political structures, the impact of colonialism, and the form and nature of post-colonial states. The type of politics practised in many African states continues to be hostile to genuine nation building and broad-based, sustainable development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Guthrie ◽  
Lee D. Parker ◽  
John Dumay ◽  
Markus J. Milne

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the focus and changing nature of measuring academic accounting research quality. The paper addresses contemporary changes in academic publishing, metrics for determining research quality and the possible impacts on accounting scholars. These are considered in relation to the core values of interdisciplinary accounting research ‒ that is, the pursuit of novel, rigorous, significant and authentic research motivated by a passion for scholarship, curiosity and solving wicked problems. The impact of changing journal rankings and research citation metrics on the traditional and highly valued role of the accounting academic is further considered. In this setting, the paper also provides a summary of the journal’s activities for 2018, and in the future. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on contemporary data sets, the paper illustrates the increasingly diverse and confusing array of “evidence” brought to bear on the question of the relative quality of accounting research. Commercial products used to rate and rank journals, and judge the academic impact of individual scholars and their papers not only offer insight and visibility, but also have the potential to misinform scholars and their assessors. Findings In the move from simple journal ranking lists to big data and citations, and increasingly to concerns with impact and engagement, the authors identify several challenges facing academics and administrators alike. The individual academic and his or her contribution to scholarship are increasingly marginalised in the name of discipline, faculty and institutional performance. A growing university performance management culture within, for example, the UK and Australasia, has reached a stage in the past decade where publication and citation metrics are driving allocations of travel grants, research grants, promotions and appointments. With an expanded range of available metrics and products to judge their worth, or have it judged for them, scholars need to be increasingly informed of the nuanced or not-so-nuanced uses to which these measurement systems will be put. Narrow, restricted and opaque peer-based sources such as journal ranking lists are now being challenged by more transparent citation-based sources. Practical implications The issues addressed in this commentary offer a critical understanding of contemporary metrics and measurement in determining the quality of interdisciplinary accounting research. Scholars are urged to reflect upon the challenges they face in a rapidly moving context. Individuals are increasingly under pressure to seek out preferred publication outlets, developing and curating a personal citation profile. Yet such extrinsic outcomes may come at the cost of the core values that motivate the interdisciplinary scholar and research. Originality/value This paper provides a forward-looking focus on the critical role of academics in interdisciplinary accounting research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 406-416
Author(s):  
O. Dontsova ◽  
G. Sich

This article content is aimed at characterization of urgent problematic issues, which are connected with determining the place of forensic expertise in cases related to the protection of consumer rights and the development of ways of solving emerging problems. The article emphasizes that in accordance with the current legislation, consumers have the right to protect their rights to the necessary quality, safety of goods and services, as well as the right to compensation for losses caused by goods of inadequate quality, dangerous to life and health, etc. It is determined that the main control in the sphere of trade is exercised by the State Service for Product Safety and Consumer Protection, and it is established that the problems are the inability of this service to carry out an instant check on a consumer complaint of a particular point of sale. At the present stage, the problem of citizens' rights including rights in the sphere of consumption, is extremely urgent, because accession of Ukraine to the European Union requires the application of European standards of product quality. In developed country, the consumer is a major player in market relations, which is focused on the production and improvement of the quality of goods and services. The application of sanctions to sellers, manufacturers of poor-quality products does not always give the necessary effect, because usually an unscrupulous manufacturer (seller, executor) pays a fine and continues to provide poor quality services, to supply products that are dangerous to life and health. Important factor in improving the quality of products and services provided is the legal knowledge of consumers themselves in protecting their rights. Consumer rights have a prerogative over the rights of sellers and producers, since human life and health under the Constitution of Ukraine is a fundamental value of the state. The authors described the actions that the consumer should take to protect their violated rights, and emphasized that in cases where the consumer seeks to restore justice for this issue, he should ask an expert institution to perform a forensic trade research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 2885
Author(s):  
Zişan Korkmaz Özcan

Governence which means that governing structures act in unision instead of acting seperately is also very significant in the field of health. In this regard, governence approach aims at accomplishing the sense of simultaneous governing corresponding with creating policies and decision-making process by ensuring the participation not only the state but also citizens,private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOS)  as important factors of change.This study aims at assessing whether deficiency in relation with the health tourism in Turkey relates to the governence or not. For that purpose, Antalya that is one of the most important provinces of Turkish tourism has been chosen as a range of application and magnitude of governence of Antalya in the field of health has been tried to be measured by carrying out survey study consisted of public-private institutions and organizations, and the authorities of non-governmental organizations with the over 106 people.According to the results of the suvey, there is a lack of governence in the field of health tourism in Antalya, and this endangers the potential of health tourism. So, being collaborated an advertisement, information and application activity in harmony on the health tourism, and being established public politicy are an important acqusition for both the country and Antalya in terms of economic, political, social and cultural. ÖzetYönetim yapılarının tek başlarına hareket etmeleri yerine, birlikte hareket etmeleri anlamına gelen yönetişim, sağlık turizmi alanında da önemli bir yer tutmaktadır. Bu bağlamda yönetişim yaklaşımı, politika oluşturma ve karar verme süreçlerine değişimin önemli aktörleri olarak sadece devletin değil; yurttaşların, özel sektör ve Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları (STK)'nın da katılımını sağlayarak birlikte yönetim anlayışını hayata ge­çirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye'nin sağlık turizminde eksikliğinin yönetişim olup olmadığını belirleyebilmektir. Bu amaçla, Türk turizminin en önemli illerinden biri olan Antalya, uygulama bölgesi olarak seçilmiş ve kamu-özel sektör kurum ve kuruluşları ile STK'nın yetkili kişilerinden oluşan 106 kişi üzerinde yüzyüze yapılan anket çalışması yöntemiyle Antalya bölgesinin sağlık turizmi alanında yönetişim boyutu ölçülmeye çalışılmıştır. Anket çalışmasının sonuçlarına göre, Antalya’da sağlık turizmi alanında yönetişim eksikliği vardır ve bu eksiklik sağlık turizmi potansiyelini tehdit eder sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bu bağlamda sağlık turizmi alanında yapılacak olan tanıtım, bilgilendirme ve uygulama faaliyetlerinin işbirliği içerisinde yapılması, kamu politikalarının da bu çerçevede oluşturulması hem ülkemiz, hem de Antalya ili açısından ekonomik, siyasal, sosyal ve kültürel anlamda önemli bir kazanç olacaktır.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kabuye ◽  
Benon C. Basheka

Background: The need for evidence-based decision-making scaled up the need for monitoring and evaluation systems in Africa. The education sector has received increasing scrutiny, owing to its centrality in promoting the national agenda of countries. The higher education sub-sector has expanded in its drive to increase accessibility, albeit with numerous challenges and doubts, especially about the quality of education. Numerous evaluations in this sub-sector in Uganda have been carried out, but their results have not been used for effective decision-making. In this regard, the non-utilisation trend of evaluation findings is attributable to the design of the institutions where these evaluations are carried out.Objectives: The study examined the relationship between institutional design (procedural rules, evaluation processes and institutional capacity) and utilisation of evaluation results at Kyambogo University.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey involving a sample of 118 respondents whose views were obtained through the use of questionnaires and key informant interviews triangulated with documentary analysis.Results: The study found that procedural rules, evaluation processes and evaluation capacity had a positive (0.459, 0.486 and 0.765, respectively) and a statistically significant (sig. = 0.000) effect on utilisation of evaluation results. This means that the dimensions of institutional design were important predictors of utilisation of evaluation results by a public sector agency.Conclusion: Strengthening of the evaluation competences and capacity of the university by empowering the Directorate of Planning and Development to coordinate and harmonise all evaluations and be charged with the follow-up of utilisation of the results is an emerging recommendation from this study.


Author(s):  
Tadhg Ó hIfearnáin

Since gaining independence in 1922, the Irish Government’s pro-Irish language policy has gone through several stages of development, moving from openly coercive maintenance strategies in designated areas (Gaeltacht) and obligatory Irish-medium schooling throughout the country, to a contemporary stance where the state sees Irish speakers as customers who require services. Policy for the majority Anglophone population is now based on a heritage role for Irish. Despite the evolution of state and community policies, some early ideological stances have remained at the core of decision-making. In the first decade of the twenty-first century the state has further reassessed its positions. The power of ideologically driven state language policy has inevitably produced mismatches which may paradoxically have further endangered the future of Irish as a community language. This chapter focuses on the stance of the monolingual English-speaking minority and inactive Irish speakers in Gaeltacht regions.


1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel A. Almond ◽  
Scott C. Flanagan ◽  
Robert J. Mundt

THE ‘NEW INSTITUTIONALISM’ HAS BEEN THE MOST VISIBLE movement in American political science during the last decade. It is a recoil from reductionism that is said to have dominated the political science of the previous decades. During the American Political Science Association presidency of Charles E. Lindblom in 1981, with Theodore Lowi and Sidney Tarrow as co-chairs of the Program Committee, it was decided that all titles of panels and round tables at the annual meeting were to have ‘and the state’ tacked on. The implication was that the behavioural revolution had resulted in the neglect of the power and autonomy of the state. But this adding on ‘and the state’ had very little effect on the content of the papers, and seemed primarily to have ‘buzzword’ significance. A second manifestation of this discomfort was an article in the American Political Science Review of 1984 by James March and Johan Olsen, entitled ‘The New Institutionalism; The Organizational Factor in Political Life’, followed by a book by the same two authors called Rediscovering Institutions: The Organizational Basis of Politics.


1984 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack P. Geise

Despite its enduring appeal, the republican vision of political life has been the subject of numerous recent criticisms. Both its relevance to an age of large-scale organizations and its desirability in an era which professes concern for individual autonomy has been questioned. However, a reconsideration of these challenges to republicanism suggests that they can be effectively met without sacrificing the core values of republicanism. Consequently, by adapting it to contemporary political realities the republican ideal can in fact serve as an apt antidote against many current political ills. Admittedly, though, any form of republicanism that is going to be viable today will assume a character at odds with either republicanism's classical or commercial modes.


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