Public Policy Commons^™

Transición Democrática Generadora De Gobernabilidad 3, Raúl Manuel Flores Rodriguez

Raúl Flores Rodriguez

No abstract provided.

The Role Tax Preparers Play In Taxpayer Compliance - An Empirical Investigation With Policy Implications, Sagit Leviner Dr.

Sagit Leviner Dr.

In January 2010, the IRS published its Return Preparer Review Final Report, recommending extensive increases in oversight of the tax return preparer industry. The IRS suggests achieving these increases in oversight through numerous measures, including preparer registration, competency testing, continuing professional education, ethical standards, and enforcement. Effective August, 2011, new paid preparer regulation requires all tax return preparers who offer their services for a fee to register and obtain a unique Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) that must be used to sign all returns they prepare. Given that additional preparer regulation is expected to come into effect within the next …

An Assessment Of The Influence Of Advertisement On Patronage Of Beauty Care Products In Lokoja Metropolis, Kogi State, Nigeria, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

In order to survive and successfully operate in a competitive environment, makers of beauty care products attach great importance to advertising products. The essence of advertising product is to provide consumers with product information as well as persuading them to buy. The consumers of beauty care products on the other hand dissect relevant information passed on in an advertisement in order to meet their beauty needs. The article intends to find out consumers expectations from beauty care products, and what aspect of advertisement influences patronage of beauty care products of their choice. It is also aimed at determining the extent …

An Investigation Of Causal Relationship Between Fiscal Deficits, Economic Growth And Money Supply In Nigeria (1970-2009), Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

This study posits to investigate the relationship between fiscal deficits, economic growth and money supply in Nigeria. In Nigeria, huge fiscal deficits had been recorded over some years. What has been the nature of the relationship between fiscal deficits, economic growth and money supply in Nigeria? To answer this question, Granger causality test was conducted to see whether fiscal deficits granger cause economic growth and money supply or economic growth and money supply granger cause fiscal deficits. The results show that fiscal deficits granger causes economic growth and broad money supply in Nigeria. This implies that fiscal deficits positively affect …

The Scramble For Lugard House: Ethnic Identity Politics And Recurring Tensions In Kogi State, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Successive Nigerian constitutions have always sought to legally prevent identities such as ethnic, religion, and regionalism from being the basis of political organisation and contest for state power. In Kogi state, Nigeria, the reality of the situation has been, however, far from its outward appearance. This is because, ethnic identity politics have not only proved to be resilient, but a in a wave of resurgence, have fast become a common feature in its body politics leading to incessant ethno-factionalism and tension in the state. This article explores the linkage between the nature of Nigerian democracy, ethnic identity politics, and escalating …

Boko Haram And The Recurring Bomb Attacks In Nigeria: Attempt To Impose, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Attempt to forcefully impose religious ideology and or belief on Nigeria’s secular society is not new. The leader of the Maitatsine sectarian group attempted it in 1981 and eventually led to large scale uprisings. Since the early 1980s and 2012, Nigeria has witnessed other uncountable religious related crises. Beginning from 2009, the country once again, has been stormed by large scale and unimaginable bomb attacks by the Boko Haram movement. Although Boko Haram can be compared in terms of philosophy and objectives to the Maitatsine sectarian group, its organisational planning, armed resistance, and modus operandi is Taliban and attacks executed …

Normative Approaches To Ethnic Recognition And Accommodation:Their Applicability To The Nigerian Experience, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

This article explores the central theme in the normative philosophy arguments of Michael Walzer; Charles Taylor; and Will Kymlicka and their applicability to the state building processes and constitutional politics in Nigeria. The main argument of these scholars is that, in a multicultural society, equality and justice; unity and stability are likely to prevail if state building and constitutional processes of a country recognises and accommodates ethnic diversity. Critically applied, the article observes that since liberal democratic values are not well rooted in the Nigerian body politics, the specifi city of the Nigerian state would have to be recognised for …

The Role Of Boundary Organisations In The Social Status Of Climate Change Knowledge, Robert Hoppe, Anne Wesselink, Rose Cairns

Robert Hoppe

A plethora of institutional forms has emerged whose remit is to link climate change science to policy-making. These can be understood as boundary organisations where science and politics meet and intertwine. This article examines the role of boundary organisations in the production and social status of climate change knowledge. A multi-level conceptual model is outlined which demonstrates how context is crucial to understanding the operation and impact of boundary organisations. The framework is applied to analyse climate governance boundary arrangements at the international level and a number of national contexts. In the framing years of the global climate change issue, …

Growing Apart? Ethno-Regional Identity Politics, Tensions And Threats To The Nigerian State, 1960-2010, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

The notion of democracy, the motive behind party formation, ethno-regional spread of parties, voting behaviour and pattern of electoral results, and pre and post election crises among other fissiparous tendencies are all indications that Nigeria is a highly divided society. This article examines manifestation of ethno-regional identity politics, and how identity has re-focused political participation, struggles and conflicts in the Nigerian federation. It concludes that despite institutionalisation of measures aimed at preventing the use of any form of divisive identity in the Nigerian body politic. Nigeria, after over fifty years of state-building and political engineering, appears to be growing apart.

The Oecd And Phases In The International Political Economy, 1961-2011, Judith Clifton, Daniel Díaz-Fuentes

Judith Clifton

In 2011, the OECD turned fifty. To provide a broad foundation for further thinking on this organization, we analyse its evolution over half a century from two perspectives: phases in the international political economy and the literature on IPE. By so doing, we uncover two paradoxes. Firstly, we find that the organization’s evolution closely mirrored major phases in the postwar international political economy until recently. However, the OECD’s long-term dependence on theWest has now become an obstacle to its efforts to adapt to the latest phase, characterised by the rise of non-Western powers. Secondly, we show that, during the OECD’s …

Socio-Statistical Research On The Internalization Of European Administrative Space Principles In The Romanian Public Administration, Ani Matei

Lucica Matei

The authors propose an analysis of the public administration reform in Romania by assessing whether the Romanian civil servants perform their duties according to the regulations of the European Administrative Space.

The paper offers a socio-statistic perspective on the internalization of the European Administrative Space principles, namely, the rule of law, openness towards citizens, and public administration responsibility in a Romanian context, after the European Union accession. Designed within the framework of modern theories of organizational sociology that see internalization as a process of organizational learning and change, and using a relevant sample of Romanian civil servants, the paper offers …

Unanswered Questions Of A Minority People In International Law: A Comparative Study Between Southern Cameroons & South Sudan, Bernard Sama Mr

Bernard Sama

The month July of 2011 marked the birth of another nation in the World. The distressful journey of a minority people under the watchful eyes of the international community finally paid off with a new nation called the South Sudan . As I watched the South Sudanese celebrate independence on 9 July 2011, I was filled with joy as though they have finally landed. On a promising note, I read the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying “[t]ogether, we welcome the Republic of South Sudan to the community of nations. Together, we affirm our commitment to helping it meet its …

Regulating And Deregulating The Public Utilities 1830–2010, Judith Clifton Dr.

Judith Clifton

History can provide invaluable insights into important issues of the economic and social regulation of utilities, and offer lessons towards future debates. But the history of utility regulation – which speaks of changing, diverse and complex experiences around the world – was, unfortunately, sidelined or marginalised when economists and policymakers enthusiastically embraced the question of how to reform the utilities from the 1970s. This paper provides an overview of the three, overarching, `waves' of utility regulation from the nineteenth century to the present, documenting how, when and why the ways in which the roles of the state, the market and …

From National Monopoly To Multinational Corporation: How Regulation Shaped The Road Towards Telecommunications Internationalisation, Judith Clifton, Daniel Díaz-Fuentes, Francisco Comín

Judith Clifton

One of the consequences of major regulatory reform of the telecommunications sector from the end of the 1970s – particularly, privatisation, liberalisation and deregulation – was the establishment of a new business environment which permitted former national telecommunications monopolies to expand abroad. From the 1990s, a number of these firms, particularly those based in Europe, joined the rankings of the world's leading multinational corporations. Their internationalisation was uneven, however: while some firms internationalised strongly, others ventured abroad much slower. This article explores how the regulatory framework within which telecommunications incumbents evolved over the long-term shaped their subsequent, uneven, paths to …

Progress Delayed: State Of Tobacco Control Policymaking In Oklahoma From 2005-2011, Michael Givel, Ami Stearns, Andrew Spivak

Michael S. Givel

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Oklahoma’s 1987 Smoking In Public Places Act required the inclusion of smoking sections in restaurants and pre-empted more stringent local anti-tobacco laws with state regulations. • With the 2001 arrival of an aggressive new Commissioner of Health, Dr. Leslie Beitsch, the tide turned with new legislation (Senate Joint Resolution 21 in 2003) that prohibited smoking inside public places and restaurants were allowed to build separately-ventilated “smoking rooms.” • In 2004, State Question 713 increased the cigarette tax by 80 cents per package. • Dr. Beitsch resigned in 2003 and since that time, efforts toward clean air have …

Assessing The Anti-Corruption Strategies. Theoretical And Empirical Models, Ani Matei, Lucica Matei

Lucica Matei

The preoccupations about conceiving and promoting efficient anti-corruption strategies exist in most states, especially in

the developing countries.

The opportunity of such strategies derives from the direct link, demonstrated theoretically and empirically, between the

effects of the anti-corruption strategies and government performance, translated both in the economic and social results

and living standard, welfare etc.

In the last decades, the transnational actors – UN, World Bank, OECD, EU etc. - have affirmed as promoters of own

anti-corruption strategies, directing the states’ efforts, conferring adequate levels of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency

or sustainability.

The South-Eastern European states incorporate own anti-corruption strategies in …

El Desarrollo De La Ciencia Política En México. Una Mirada A Través De Los Estudios Sobre El Estado De La Disiciplina, J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

Se presenta una revisión de los títulos publicados hasta 2009 que han analizado la situación de la ciencia política en México o algún aspecto de ésta. Destaca el crecimiento y la diversificación de autores e instituciones, de las revistas publicadas y de los enfoques y temas recurrentes. Hasta fines de los años noventa se ven autores recurrentes y momentos de auge en las publicaciones asociados a coyunturas como congresos, procesos de modificación a planes de estudio, etc., Después de estos años hay la emergencia de nuevos autores y enfoques de estudio, y que el desarrollo de estos trabajos en su …

In Search Of The Less Hazardous Cigarette, Michael Givel

Michael S. Givel

Since the 1950s, despite considerable and long-term tobacco industry and government efforts, attempts to develop a less risky cigarette that reduces harmful ingredients, generally or specifically, have failed. Moreover, even under ideal conditions with adequate scientific testing, the efficacy of purportedly reducing the severe health effects cannot be scientifically verified for up to 20 years after the introduction of a product on the market. A key and central provision in the 2009 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) legislation is to reduce the risk or harm of cigarettes. Because creating a less risky cigarette is not currently possible, this renders …

Deconstructing Social Constructionist Theory In Tobacco Policy: The Case Of The Less Hazardous Cigarette, Michael Givel

Michael S. Givel

Scholars in tobacco control have utilized a social construction approach to test and explain tobacco control policy and advocacy. Some recent tobacco control policy research has contended that Philip Morris's support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco (including purportedly reducing the harm of cigarettes) is to obtain the social construction goal of a socially responsible company. However, the primary motivation for Philip Morris's support of proposed FDA regulation and harm reduction for cigarettes was to maintain the company's market stability and profitability implemented by U.S. political process and institutions. In tandem with this, Philip Morris …

Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

This short nontechnical article reviews the Arrow Impossibility Theorem and its implications for rational democratic decisionmaking. In the 1950s, economist Kenneth J. Arrow proved that no method for producing a unique social choice involving at least three choices and three actors could satisfy four seemingly obvious constraints that are practically constitutive of democratic decisionmaking. Any such method must violate such a constraint and risks leading to disturbingly irrational results such and Condorcet cycling. I explain the theorem in plain, nonmathematical language, and discuss the history, range, and prospects of avoiding what seems like a fundamental theoretical challenge to the possibility …

Lokoja Urban Water Supply As A Basic Service Programme: A Critical Appraisal Of Achievements And Failures, 1991-2011, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

On the 27th August, 1991, through a Presidential announcement, Lokoja became the capital of Kogi state, Nigeria. Prior to this time, it was a Local Government Headquarters. Due to the sudden transformation to a state capital, and coupled with serious neglect of water supply infrastructures, Lokoja immediately started to experience unprecedented water supply problems. This article examines the conditions of water supply infrastructures, population growth vis-à-vis water supply and demand in Lokoja before 1991, and up to 2011. In addition, the article appraised what successive governments in Kogi state had done to ameliorate the water crises and noted with concern …

Côte D’Ivoire’S Instability: Power Struggles Within The Political Elite? Ethnic And Religious Conflict? Impact Of Economic Crisis? What Is Really To Blame?, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Since the November-December, 2010 electoral stalemate between Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara in Côte d’Ivoire, most individuals and bodies that have taken time to engage in the Ivorian conflict have often succumbed to the same superficial explanations of Africa's wars - that they stem from immutable tribal and sectarian differences. Instead of a simplistic assumption and hence conclusion as above, this article explores the background to, and transformation of the current conflict in Côte d’Ivoire through a committed engagement with its history, economic structure, state-society relations and the nature of political power. Despite the prevalence of ethnic and religious faultlines, …

Explaining The Violent Conflict In Nigeria's Niger Delta: Is The Rentier State Theory And Resource-Curse Thesis Relevant?, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Since the early 1970s when crude oil became Nigeria’s main source of foreign exchange, it soon joined the league table of rentier states. However, beginning from the second half of the 1990s to date, the Niger Delta, the heartbeat and the engine that drives Nigeria’s economy has being stormed by large scale tsunamis of unimaginable proportion due to militant activities. Consequently, Nigeria’s quest for unity, stability, national security and accelerated economic development are being undermined. This article explores the relevance of the rentier state theory and the resource-Curse thesis to explaining essence of the renewed violence in the Niger Delta. …

Innovation Cooperation: Energy Biosciences And Law, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

This Article analyzes the development and dissemination of environmentally sound technologies that can address climate change. Climate change poses catastrophic health and security risks on a global scale. Universities, individual innovators, private firms, civil society, governments, and the United Nations can unite in the common goal to address climate change. This Article recommends means by which legal, scientific, engineering, and a host of other public and private actors can bring environmentally sound innovation into widespread use to achieve sustainable development. In particular, universities can facilitate this collaboration by fostering global innovation and diffusion networks.

Where Is Local Government Going In Latin America? A Comparative Perspective, Robert Andrew Nickson

Robert Andrew Nickson

In the light of the decentralisation process now under way in Latin America, this paper seeks to address the direction of local government in the region. It proposes two Weberian ideal types of local government systems – ‘managerial’ and ‘governmental’. Ten basic features of local government systems are then used as a template to ‘situate’ Latin American local government within this typology. On the basis of this comparative framework, the paper tentatively concludes that the ‘managerial’ type of local government is gaining ground in the region.

Proyecto De Investigación: La Primera Agencia Espacial Mexicana: La Comisión Nacional Del Espacio Exterior (1962-1977), J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

No abstract provided.

Proyecto De Investigación: Los Mexicanos En Las Operaciones De La Segunda Guerra Mundial, J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

No abstract provided.

Institutional Constraints And Practical Problems In Deliberative And Participatory Policy Making, Robert Hoppe

Robert Hoppe

No abstract provided.

Agency-Specific Precedents, Robert L. Glicksman, Richard E. Levy

Robert L. Glicksman

As a field of legal study and practice, administrative law rests on the premise that legal principles concerning agency structure, administrative process, and judicial review cut across multiple agencies. In practice, however, judicial precedents addressing the application of administrative law doctrines to a given agency tend to rely most heavily on other cases involving the same agency, and use verbal formulations or doctrinal approaches reflected in those cases. Over time, the doctrine often begins to develop its own unique characteristics when applied to that particular agency. These “agency-specific precedents” deviate from the conventional understanding of the relevant principles as a …

Growing Ethnopolitical Conflict And The Challenge Of "One" Nigeria: Politics Of State Building In A Multiethnic Society, 1960-2010, Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Ali Simon Yusufu Bagaji

Since October 1, 1960 when Nigeria attained political independence, it has being witnessing a steady growth of ethnopolitical and religious crises in its body politics. The central concern of this paper is that, ethnopolitical conflicts are posing great challenge to Nigeria’s unity, sovereignty and legitimacy that may lead to its consequential collapse. The worry of this paper is that, rather than diminishing after over five decades of political independence, ethnopolitical conflict has since the 1990s not only become more ferocious and alarming, but are also shifting from ethnic accommodation to ethnic self-determination. This paper is part of an ongoing PhD …