Smuggling Kidneys and Uranium

2020 ◽  
pp. 82-102
Author(s):  
Danilo Mandić
Keyword(s):  
Damage Control ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
The Public ◽  
Host State ◽  
Enriched Uranium ◽  
Separatist Movement

This chapter examines the exposure of two nefarious criminal episodes — organ smuggling in Kosovo and highly enriched uranium (HEU) smuggling in South Ossetia — which tested the resolve, organization, and patriotism of specialized mafias. Caught red-handed, the traffickers tainted separatists' legitimacy as the public scandals provoked repression from international military authorities (in Kosovo) or the host state (in South Ossetia). Damage control was necessary — but only one separatist movement managed it. The chapter compares three dimensions of mafia capacity: infrastructure, regarding control of borders and sites; autonomy, concerning the ability to leverage separatist ideology and instrumentalize movement institutions; and community, apropos levels of fear, discipline, and clan-based solidarity. Nefarious crime harmed Kosovo's separatists less because mafia capacity was greater, thereby containing the damage.

Mafia Filter

2020 ◽  
pp. 63-81
Author(s):  
Danilo Mandić
Keyword(s):  
South Ossetia ◽  
Host State ◽  
Critical Junctures ◽  
Separatist Movement

This chapter compares the organized criminal filtering of regional smuggling opportunities (in drugs and arms) into separatist movement benefit. For separatists, it is preferable to have transnational smuggling in their region than not. This is trivial, almost axiomatic. Movements are denied formal channels for various resources they sorely need — money, arms, fighters, and propaganda channels. What they cannot procure within host state borders, they must smuggle across them. When separatists have the fortuitous circumstance of regional smuggling routes, it is only natural they exploit it. But the advantage does not come automatically. Mafia capacity and predisposition in these rackets at critical junctures — 1999 in Kosovo and 2008 in South Ossetia — enhanced and stagnated separatism, respectively.

The Third Man

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-62
Author(s):  
Danilo Mandić
Keyword(s):  
Organized Crime ◽  
Black Market ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
Host State ◽  
The Third ◽  
Formal Economy ◽  
Similar Pair ◽  
Separatist Movement

This chapter traces host state, separatist movement, and mafia relations in Serbia and Georgia (1989–2012). Kosovo and South Ossetia are the most similar pair of separatist stories in the ex-Yugoslav and ex-Soviet spaces. Their unique mix of wars (foreign and civil), separatist mobilizations (some successful, others less so), and mafia roles (sometimes tearing states, sometimes consolidating them) offers precious lessons on the agency of organized crime. In Serbia and Georgia, war was mafia as much as state business. Borders were made and unmade by smugglers. The black market was not an anomaly; the formal economy was. What separatists achieved depended tremendously on whether organized crime was multiethnic or not, violent or not, strong or not. Different mafia roles gave different results. Though organized crime in both countries began as a rejoicing third, the mafia's role in Kosovo evolved into a divider and conqueror, while in South Ossetia it evolved into a mediator. These differing trajectories account for the greater success of Kosovo's separatist movement.

The Continuing Problem of Special Districts in American Government

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larita Killian
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Special Districts ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Policy Alignment ◽  
Definition Of

ABSTRACT Due to fiscal constraints and demands for increased accountability, scholars and public officials are reviewing the structure and reporting practices of local governments. These efforts are often incomplete, however, because they bypass special districts, which now comprise over 40 percent of all local governments. The proliferation of special districts has the potential to increase government costs, redirect the allocation of scarce resources, remove debt and expenditure practices from the public eye, and reduce democratic controls over elected officials. This paper highlights some of the public interest concerns related to these entities to inform future, localized research. For decades, scholars have approached special districts from two opposing theoretical perspectives: institutional reform and public choice. Literature from these opposing perspectives is used to analyze special districts along three dimensions: efficiency and economy of operations, policy alignment and allocation of resources, and democratic accountability. This paper uses the U.S. Census Bureau definition of special districts, though alternative definitions are discussed. Efforts by four states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New York) to improve local government, and their varying approaches to special districts, are reviewed, leading to the conclusion that the complex issues related to special districts must be resolved within state contexts.

scholarly journals The Implementation of High Performance Work System in Public Organizations: Implication for Organizational Performance.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (28) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Solomon Ozemoyah Ugheoke
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Work System ◽  
High Performance Work System ◽  
Individual Role

<p>Abstract</p> <p>A principal concern express among organizational researchers is to understand why some organizations irrespective of size, location and sector outperform others. High performance work system (HPWS) offers an explanation for this phenomenon. The implementation of unique practices leads some organizations to outperform others and give organizations the competitive advantage over others. While it has been well established that HPWS practices affect organizational performance within a large and complex organizations, less have been empirically established if they also create benefit for public organizations and this has generated concerns among researchers in the field of HPWS.  Following this argument, this study examines this theoretical gap with a survey data collected from employees in the public sector. Overall, three dimensions of HPWS were identified by the researchers and the level of awareness was assessed on a seven point Likert scale. We found that two out of the three dimensions of HPWS identified in this have a positive relationship with organizational performance.</p> <p>Keywords: HPWS, organizational performance, selective training and development, PMS, individual role.</p> <p> </p>

scholarly journals Selecting a Green, Agile and Industry 4.0 Supplier With the Fuzzy-Swara-Bwm Integrated Method

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Ali Tas ◽  
Serap Akcan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Supplier Selection ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Market Structures ◽  
The Public ◽  
Integrated Method ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Technological Opportunities

Abstract Businesses establish supply chains in order to continue their activities. Choosing the suppliers to take part in these supply chains poses many challenges in rapidly changing conditions. Environmental concerns in the public, competitive market structures, and developing technological opportunities affect the decision-making processes. Different criteria are taken into consideration instead of traditional criteria such as cost and service. In this study, green, agile, and Industry 4.0 dimensions and the criteria under these dimensions are defined. According to these, the problem of selecting the supplier that responds to the expectations of the markets and enables them to increase their competitiveness was discussed. Fuzzy SWARA and fuzzy BMW methods were applied in an integrated way to solve the supplier selection problem under these three dimensions. A real case study was also presented. In the study, the results obtained by creating different scenarios were compared and sensitivity analysis was made. The results obtained show that the hybrid method developed in this study is effective in supplier selection problems. As a result of the study, the most important evaluation dimension is "agile" and the most important criterion is "delivery speed".

scholarly journals Financial sustainability: An annotated bibliography

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-60
Author(s):  
Shivam Kakati ◽  
Arup Roy
Keyword(s):  
Research Methodology ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Annotated Bibliography ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Sectorial Analysis ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Analytical Tools

The literature on financial sustainability is scattered in such a way that a synthesis is indispensable. The present study on an annotated bibliography of financial sustainability seeks to fill this particular gap by presenting a collation of published literature in the sphere. The sectorial analysis depicted that ability to cover the costs from its own resources and ability to pay debt were the key dimensions to measure financial sustainability. The majority of the studies were found in the public sector covering local governments and central governments particularly in such European countries as Spain, Italy and England. Earning enough resources, asset sustainability and the ability to repay obligations are the three dimensions to assess financial sustainability. The study also pointed out the key research areas, variables and analytical tools among other trends in the literature. The present study assists the future researchers in reviewing the literature on financial sustainability and developing research methodology.

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS, SOVEREIGNTY AND THE PUBLIC GOOD

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Francesco Francioni
Keyword(s):  
Public Good ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
International Community ◽  
General Interest ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Investment Policies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Host State ◽  
Investment Protection ◽  
Global Institutions

In spite of occasional references to the “public interest” or the “public good” in legal instruments on foreign investment and in arbitral practice, effective implementation of the concept remains elusive. This is the case first of all due to the fact that arbitrators are faced with the difficulties inherent in performing the delicate function of a quasi “judicial review” of contested host State’s measures. The second factor relates to the fact that the notion of “public good” that emerges from contemporary arbitral practice is confined to the national public interest of the host State and does not include the general interest of the international community as a whole. This article argues that, given the present state of the international economy, the regime of investment protection has to be reconciled not only with the public interest of the host State but also with the emerging concepts of international common goods, which include the global environment, human rights and the cultural heritage of humanity. Given the lack of global institutions responsible for the management of such common goods, this article advocates a functional approach to the exercise of sovereignty that transcends the traditional principles of territoriality and nationality and entails the obligation of both home and host countries to take into account the effects of their investment policies on the general interest of the international community.

The Influence of Charismatic Leadership Communication Towards the Credibility of Public Organisation in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-426
Author(s):  
Jamilah Jamal ◽  
◽  
Hassan Abu Bakar ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Charismatic Leadership ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Leadership Communication ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Organisation ◽  
Task Oriented ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Source Of Information

The credibility of public organisation as the source of information often receives negative intuition and misinterpretation from the public at large. Since credibility of public organisation is very much related to public trust, scholars have focused on antecedents of organisational credibility such as leadership constructs to restore trust and confidence among the public. Yet not much research has investigated the role of charismatic leadership communication in building and establishing organisational credibility of the public organisation. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between charismatic leadership communication and the influence of its three dimensions (task oriented, enthusiasm and empathy) with organisational credibility of public organisation in Malaysia. This study employed a quantitative approach to measure participants' perception on their organisational leadership communication and credibility. A total of 368 public organisation employees which were selected through stratified random sampling participated in the survey. The hypothesis of this study was tested using Pearson correlation to examine the relationship between the constructs, whereas multiple regression was used to examine the variance of each dimension of charismatic leadership communication on organisational credibility. The finding reveals that there is a significant relationship between charismatic leadership communication and public organisation credibility, while task-oriented communication appears to be the most significant dimension influencing the credibility of Malaysia public organisation. The implication of the study suggested that public organisational credibility is influenced by the way the information was delivered by the organisation through its charismatic leaders. Theoretical and practical contributions were advanced in this study. Keywords: Charismatic leadership communication, empathy, enthusiasm, task-related communication, organizational credibility.

Delineating Three Dimensions of E-Government Success

2015 ◽  
pp. 135-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandru V. Roman
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Information Communication Technologies ◽  
Historical Evolution ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
The Public ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Complex Process

This chapter draws upon the historical evolution of e-government and at the extant body of knowledge in order to delineate the dimensions that are critical for the success of the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for purposes of governance. Evaluating the impacts of technology adoption in the public sector is an intrinsically complex process. However, given that currently governmental spending on ICT projects rivals and at times even surpasses allocations for capital developments, the need for an evaluative framework becomes rather obvious. Based on multiple scholarly accounts and practical examples, this chapter suggests that the success of e-government should be examined along three chief dimensions: security, functionality, and transformation. All three vectors are highly interdependent, and it can be argued that the success of e-government in the long run is not possible if significant shortcomings are observed along any one of the three aspects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document