Developing local knowledge centre for health policy

With the support of the European Union, the Health Knowledge Centre in DR Congo was initiated. The Centre is a small independent organisation, that has strategic liaisons with three Schools of Public Health in DR Congo and with the National Biomedical Laboratory. The Centre produces policy advice, often based on knowledge generated in the universities. Through its direct relationship with the Ministry of Health it is able to develop new policy directions in the health sector, e.g. through analysing and advising on healthcare financing. The Centre produces policy briefs, organises round tables, and has a website to inform stakeholders on policies in health. Most important lesson learned: an organisation that mediates between universities on the one hand and policy makers on the other hand is able to formulate evidence-based policies.

Unknown Pages from the History of Ukrainian-Lebanese Relations

The article describes the period of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Lebanon at the time of the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate in the light of the ruling of Governor Muzaffer Pasha, or Władysław Czajkowski (1902–7), a representative of the Ottoman Empire of Ukrainian origin. By examining historical and information sources, the author proves Ukrainian descent of the Governor of Lebanon, while also presenting riveting facts from the life of his father, Michał Czajka-Czajkowski. The article offers an insight into the political activities of the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate in the realms of land, economic, tax, law and election relations along with their consequences for the development of Lebanon in general. At the beginning of his tenure, Muzaffer made a number of decisions, which he further tried to implement. He was sure that the lack of arable land was an obstacle for the well-being of the Lebanese nation and the primary reason for its migration abroad in search of greener pastures. He thus stood for the accession of lands to Mount Lebanon and supported Lebanese businessmen in the establishment of an independent organisation responsible for imports and exports regulation and spread of hookahs and tobacco in Mount Lebanon. Muzaffer vigorously supported the aspiration of some Lebanese to create an international seaport. He also initiated an increase of indirect taxes that caused loud public outcry. Muzaffer attempted to introduce special identification documents for citizens of Lebanon. He was the first to offer elections by secret ballot and unbiased control at all stages of the electoral process. The author stresses it is a thankless task to evaluate activities of any politician. However, it is worth mentioning Muzaffer Pasha went down in political history and became the common link between Ukraine and Lebanon due to his origin and activities. Keywords: Mount Lebanon, Mutasarrifate, rule, Governor, political history of Ukraine and Lebanon.

Autonomy and control: Danish university reform in the context of modern governance

In 2003 the Danish government reformed universities to 'set them free' from the state. Yet ministers are actively trying to shape universities and even set research agendas. How does the government's notion of 'freedom' reconcile independence with control? We identify three discourses of freedom: freedom to use academic judgement over what to research, teach, publish and say publicly; a free trade discourse where universities are free to pursue profit; and a modernising state discourse where government steers universities to contribute to the knowledge economy. Danish universities were reformed as part of the modernisation of the welfare state. We explore the assemblage of administrative and funding mechanisms through which the government now steers independent organisations: a chain of contracts for outsourced services, newly appointed managers, output payments and accrual accounting. While responsibility for achieving government policy is passed downwards through the independent organisation, formal lines of accountability run back up to the government. University leaders and academics are set free to manoeuvre within the system, but their economic survival is firmly dependent on responsiveness to centralised steering mechanisms

Transnationalism and the League of Nations: Understanding the Work of Its Economic and Financial Organisation

This article explores the work of the little-studied Economic and Financial Organisation of the League of Nations. It offers a sustained investigation into how this international organisation operated that assesses the transnational aspects of its work in relation to its inter-governmental responsibilities, and demonstrates the wide-ranging contribution of the organisation's secretariat. The second part of the article establishes the way in which transnationalism enabled the United States, the League's most influential non-member, to play a crucial role in shaping the policy agenda of the League. It also shows how a growing sense of frustration in its work prompted EFO to attempt to free itself from inter-governmental oversight and become an independent organisation to promote economic and financial co-operation in 1940 – a full four years before the creation of the Bretton Woods agreements.

Institut de recherches agronomiques tropicales, Paris

The Research Institute for Tropical Agriculture and Food Crops was created in 1960 as an independent organisation for technical assistance and cooperation in the field of tropical agricultural research. It has its headquarters in Paris and some laboratories in Nogent, in the suburbs. There can be found not only its administrative staff, but also a group of agronomists specially prepared and trained for overseas work; they spend most of their time travelling to the different countries where I.R.A.T. has been asked to work by and for the governments concerned, giving advice to their fellow agronomists on problems in which they have specialised, or following for several months a particularly interesting study. But, of course, most agronomists are permanently assigned to the different stations where the assistance of I.R.A.T. has also been requested officially. Some of these are quite important centres—for instance, Bambey (Senegal), Ambatobé, near Tananative (Madagascar), and Boukoko (Central African Republic), with more than 20 scientists at work in each. But in several other countries, only two or three people are working in a station, and it is here that more help is needed from the central scientific team.