Concepts and signs of public administration

The article is devoted to the definition of the concept in the signs of public administration. It was found that the transition from the state-centric paradigm of state administration to the concept of a service state led to the renewal of the conceptual apparatus of administrative law. There was a need to substantiate the essence and characteristics of public administration, with the help of which the goals of the existence of a service state are realized.It is substantiated that the category “public administration” occupies an important place in modern scientific research. Scientists of public administration are mainly considered as: a) a way of realizing public interest as the interest of a certain social community, united within the territory of the state; b) as a mechanism for the implemen-tation of state policy; c) as the activity of public authorities (or state bodies and local self-government bodies) aimed at achieving socially important goals.It has been established that the definition of the concept of “public administration” in a broad sense depends to a certain extent on the level of development of democratic relations in society. If the state is characterized as democratic, then public administration can be defined as professional, paid, funded from the state and local budgets, the activities of state bodies and local self-government bodies, their officials, aimed at ensuring the rights, needs and interests of man and citizen, civil society, subjects objects of entrepreneurial activity and other participants in public relations within the framework of a unified state (public) policy. In a narrow, technocratic, understanding, public administration of any state can be considered as a set of actions of state-authorized bodies and their officials aimed at implementing public policy measures in all spheres of society.It has been proved that the signs of public administration are: a) the relationship between the direction of actions of persons directly carrying out public administration measures and state (public) policy; b) the professional nature of public administration; c) detailed legal regulation of most of the public administration activities; d) the presence of a distribution of competence between various subjects of public administration in order to avoid duplication of their functions.

Frontier zones of public policy

Referring to the traditional interpretations of “public policy”, the author substantiates the need for analytical correction of its content on the basis of identifying universal parameters of publicity, reflecting a special format of open (public) relations between the state and society. In this context, there are three social spaces of the public sphere, each of which determines the possibilities of implementing the course of citizens' participation in the management and strengthening the social orientation of government policy. The features of the implementation of such a variant of state public policy in modern Russia are briefly outlined.

MIGRATORY MOBILITY AND DRUG TRAFFICKING. EXCLUSION AND POVERTY AS SPACES OF CONVERGENCE

The purpose of this article is to identify those processes that converge as common roots in the interaction and strengthening of drug trafficking and migratory mobility. These two issues were not born in contemporary times, but they do acquire the characteristics and socioeconomic impact on the system of nations at the same time as the reaffirmation of the consequences of the current economic model. The aim is to recognize, through those directly affected, the impact of these two phenomena on the weakening of the social fabric at the same time as the consolidation of actors parallel to the State, who to a large extent become social competitors of State public policy, hence the need to propose strategies for managing these two problems from an integral perspective, under the premise that attention to one issue must run parallel to the management of the other, as synergistic and not dissociated phenomena. To this end, a qualitative analysis based on the search for documentary sources and statistics on migratory mobility and poverty, among others, has been used as a starting point, along with the organization and systematization of life testimonies, which give support and a relevant role to the experience of the actors

Constitutional politics as an interdisciplinary category

This article is dedicated to interdisciplinary, institutional and comparative analysis of the terminological construct of “constitutional politics”. Analysis is conducted on correlation between the legal and political components of constitutional politics. The author indicates the peculiarities of legalistic and macro-sociological approaches towards the essence of the phenomenon in question; determines key peculiarities of the American and European models of constitutional politics; as well as examines the correlation between constitutional politics and state (public) policy. The article presents an original definition and outlines the object field of the Russian constitutional politics as an interdisciplinary term. This work is first to apply the terminological inter-paradigm construct of “constitutional politics” in terms of the analysis of corresponding processes within the history of Russian legal and political science. to apply the terminological inter-paradigm construction "constitutional policy", widely spread in Western thought, to the analysis of relevant processes. A brief overview is presented on the European and American approaches towards constitutional politics is presented. The author draws conclusions on the prospects of the indicated interdisciplinary approach, and proposes the subject of research with regards to the Russian constitutional politics.

The left and right hands of the Portuguese state: Welfare retrenchment of public employment

This article focuses on welfare retrenchment in Portugal by analysing the evolution of public sector employment up until 2013. A multidimensional analysis of the structure of public employment in the Portuguese state was developed, theoretically guided by the ‘hands of the state’ model proposed by Bourdieu, which divides the main functions of contemporary states between its left hand (more redistributive) and its right hand (more rational economic-oriented). Bourdieu’s approach is especially useful in addressing the transformations of the Portuguese public employment between 1979 and 2013, characterized by specific economic, social and political changes. In 2013 – a year in which the adjustment measures agreed by the Portuguese government, the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund during the global crisis were especially intense – we observed the tendency towards the disqualification of public employment and the shrinking of the left hand of the Portuguese state. Public policy orientations in the areas of education and science were particularly troubling, considering the structural backwardness the country faces in these fields in the context of the European Union.

Uncovering Wholesale Electricity Market Principles

This paper examines, enunciates, and makes explicit a set of market principles historically relied upon by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to regulate wholesale electricity markets as required under the Federal Power Act (FPA). These identified competitive market principles are supported by policy and legal foundations that run through a myriad of FERC orders and court decisions. This paper seeks to make that history and those implicit market principles explicit by distilling and organizing Commission Orders and court decisions. It concludes that five market principles, each with multiple subprinciples, can be identified as elemental to how FERC understands and implements its statutory authority. Clear articulation of these foundational principles should help guide engaged entities as wholesale power markets continue to evolve. Market Principle 1 states that wholesale market revenues should predominantly flow from well-designed energy and ancillary services markets. Market structures generally are found to be preferable to non-market structures. Moreover, energy and ancillary services markets, in relationship to wholesale capacity markets, are better able to efficiently promote a least-cost resource. Market Principle 2 states that when altering market design, FERC and Independent System Operators (ISOs) should focus on only those services that are clearly needed, and ensure that any market design change does not unduly discriminate between resources. Market design changes focused on technology-neutral and well-defined granular services will help ensure that the design change does not lead to undue discrimination or preference that effectively favors certain resources. When such an impact still occurs, strong evidence showing that the rules are not unreasonable and arbitrary and that no non-unduly discriminatory and preferential alternative exists must support the change. Market Principle 3 states that interventions that distort transparent and accurate pricing should be minimized. Out-of-market interventions, in particular, have the potential to distort price signals and undermine competition. Market Principle 4 states that FERC’s just and reasonable standard strongly favors rate decreasing outcomes. Markets are premised on the economic presumption that competition reduces prices, in furtherance of the just and reasonable standard. Market Principle 5 states that FERC and ISOs should facilitate and not undermine state public policy preferences. FERC and ISOs are not well-situated to serve as decision-makers in determining which state public policy preferences should be given effect. State public policy preferences that do not run afoul of FERC’s authority under the FPA should thus be given full effect.

PRETTY GOOD PRACTICES: GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS AND LIFELONG DISABILITIES

Growing old with lifelong disabilities is a recent reality that is catching healthcare providers unprepared. While there’s little extant federal or state public policy on aging with lifelong disabilities, and aging, disability, and healthcare systems lack a history of intersystem collaboration, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs) can lead the way in developing curricula, training, policy, and standards to respond. The GWEPs can intervene to create meaningful intersystem knowledge and skills and better prepare providers. Two GWEPs are filling the best practices void, operationalizing de facto public policy and “pretty good” practices to improve care for individuals with lifelong disabilities. In metro Richmond, VA, the GWEP at the Virginia Geriatric Education Center (VGEC) has built on the successful Area Planning and Services Committee on Lifelong Disabilities (APSC) intersystem partnership to provide this expertise. In Rhode Island, the RI Geriatric Education Center (RIGEC) has aligned its GWEP Alzheimer’s disease supplemental funding with other federally funded programs to build dementia capability into the systems that support adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD). RIGEC incorporated expertise previously gained through the University of Rhode Island’s CMS-funded LivingRIte Innovation, which established pilot centers to support individuals with I/DD living with dementia and other chronic conditions, through novel person-centered approaches. This symposium examines how the two GWEPs expanded upon a foundation of previous efforts to serve older adults with lifelong disabilities, the methods by which they built and fostered effective networks, the resulting system improvements, and suggested strategies to move from “pretty good” to best practices.

COMMUNITY NETWORKS ADDRESSING AGING WITH LIFELONG DISABILITIES

Adults aging with lifelong developmental disabilities (I/DD: Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, etc.) continue to pose a challenge to the Aging Network, developmental services, and healthcare systems. Some funded projects, model programs, and episodic initiatives have helped advance intersystem collaboration but there is still scant federal or state public policy specific to aging with lifelong disabilities. The Area Planning and Services Committee (APSC), a product of three consecutive AoA grants on building and testing intersystem cooperation/collaboration between these systems, is a partnership of community based organizations and academe operating in metro Richmond since 2003. Its successful hands on, interdisciplinary management process has implemented needs assessments, statewide training, staff development, dementia awareness, etc., and been a model for the Virginia Geriatric Education Center (VGEC) Plenary overseeing all GWEP programs. The APSC history informs VGEC GWEP’s incorporating I/DD content into faculty development programs, microlearning, ECHO, and other practitioner training.