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661. Russian Health and Social Welfare: Limited Progress

Author:
Judyth L. Twigg
Publication Date:
08-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
It has become routine for Russian policy makers to characterize their various health and social problems—rising male mortality, HIV/AIDS, illegal drug use, even pension system reform—as threats to the stability and national security of their country. Russia's importance to American national interests was thrown in sharp relief by the events of September 11 and their aftermath. A stable, prosperous Russia is a crucial partner in the war on terrorism. The fact that so many of Russia's health and social indicators remain stagnant or in decline, despite limited improvement along some dimensions, should therefore be troubling to the United States.
Topic:
Government, Health, Human Welfare, Science and Technology, and Terrorism
Political Geography:
Russia, United States, Europe, and Asia

662. Enhancing U.S. Leadership at the United Nations

Author:
Lee Feinstein, David Dreier, Lee Hamilton, and Adrian Karatnycky
Publication Date:
10-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Council on Foreign Relations
Abstract:
Enhanced American leadership at the United Nations is beneficial for U.S. interests and can help strengthen the UN and the international system. For many years, however, the United States has not been nearly as effective at the UN as it can or should be.
Topic:
Government, International Cooperation, and United Nations
Political Geography:
United States and America

663. How Shareholder Reforms Can Pay Foreign Policy Dividends

Author:
James J. Shinn and Peter Gourevitch
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Council on Foreign Relations
Abstract:
Corporate governance—the rules that govern the relationship between managers and shareholders—belongs on the foreign policy agenda of American decision-makers. The vigorous debates underway about corporate governance, both at home and abroad, present an opportunity for the United States to advance its foreign policy goals of enhancing free trade and financial stability.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Economics, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
United States

664. Defense White Papers in the Americas: A Comparative Analysis

Author:
John Cope and Laurita Denny
Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Abstract:
In preparation for the October 2000 Defense Ministerial of the Americas (DMA) in Manaus Brazil and at the request of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) studied the global trend toward the creation of Defense White Papers. The study aimed to understand the nature of these documents in order to prepare the U.S. delegation to discuss the tendency in Latin America and the Caribbean during the DMA. The INSS study team found no agreement about what constitutes a 'white paper' other than each is a consensus statement on a topic. The team examined 15 defense documents worldwide and interviewed participants in the development process and independent analysts. The results suggest that the formative, often difficult, process through which governments must move to solidify their approach to national security defense policy, and the structure to implement it and build consensus for it is the essential part of a 'white paper,' providing a constructive experience that benefits the country. Governments tended not to want a template for this process, although at the working level there is some interest in the experience of other states. Defense White Papers become highly stylized nationalistic documents that reflect a state's unique domestic circumstances and international geopolitical situation. The attached chart provides an overview comparison of the Defense White Paper processes of Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and South Africa. Past efforts by U.S. agencies to design templates have failed.
Topic:
Defense Policy and Government
Political Geography:
United States, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Latin America, Caribbean, and Chile

665. Government Expenditures and Equilibrium Real Exchange Rates

Author:
Ronald J. Balvers and Jeffrey H. Bergstrand
Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Kellogg Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
Economists have long investigated theoretically and empirically the relationship between government spending and equilibrium real exchange rates. As Frenkel and Razin (1996) summarize for a small open economy, government expenditures (financed by lump-sum taxes) influence real exchange rates via a resource-withdrawal channel and a consumption-tilting channel. Recent theoretical and empirical studies, such as Froot and Rogoff (1991), Rogoff (1992), De Gregorio, Giovannini, and Krueger (1994), De Gregorio, Giovannini, and Wolf (1994), De Gregorio and Wolf (1994), and Chinn and Johnston (1996), have focused only upon the effects of government spending through the resource-withdrawal channel. Extending Frenkel and Razin (1996), this paper generates closed-form theoretical solutions for the relationships among the real exchange rate, relative per capita private consumption, relative per capita government consumption, and relative per capita tradables and nontradables production in a two-country general equilibrium model. Using relative price level, private and government per capita consumption, and relative productivity data from the Summers and Heston (1991) Penn World Tables and OECD (1996) data for a sample of OECD countries relative to the United States, we estimate the model's structural equations. The results suggest that government expenditures influence equilibrium real exchange rates approximately equally via the resource-withdrawal and consumption-tilting channels. Moreover, the results imply that government spending and private consumption are complements in utility.
Topic:
Economics, Government, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
United States

666. Scientific Research at the Smithsonian Institution

Author:
James E. Colvard, C. William Fischer, Adam Jr. Herbert, Delores Parron, Maxine Singer, and Jerry R. Schubel
Publication Date:
10-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
The Smithsonian Institution is a unique organization, established in 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” It has grown over the years and is now composed of 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad. The Smithsonian participates in the annual federal budget process to receive funding though the federal appropriations process. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, it received 57 percent of its funding through federal appropriation. The remainder came from government grants and contracts, contributions and private grants, business ventures, and investment earnings.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

667. Courts, Congress, And Constituencies: Managing Fisheries By Default

Author:
Mary A. Gade, Terry D. Garcia, Jonathan B. Howes, Theodore M. Schad, and Susan Shipman
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
In 1976, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act established the first federal system to govern fishing in the then newly - declared 200 - mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This management system was uniquely participatory, composed of representatives of states, recreational and commercial fishers, and the federal government. It was organized into eight regional councils that were charged with developing fishery management plans (FMPs), in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and subject to NMFS review and approval. The councils were established to meet the goals of conserving fishery resources and promoting the U.S. commercial and recreational fishing industry. Under a set of statutory standards, the councils were tasked to make the major management decisions, such as the size of the allowable catch, the length of the fishing season, the allocation of any quotas to states and fishers, and permitting/licensing provisions.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

668. Strengthening Senior Leadership In the U.S. Government: Phase I Report

Author:
Sandra J. Hale, Patricia W. Ingraham, Ralph C. Bledsoe, Constance J. Horner, Gilda H. Lambert, and David M. Walker
Publication Date:
12-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
Since its creation in 1978, the Senior Executive Service (SES) has undergone wide - ranging assessments and analyses from a variety of sources. The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), Grace Commission, Packard Panel, and National Performance Review have addressed SES structural, systemic, and operational issues. In 1998, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) raised these issues anew in a broad review about SES' future, and whether SES selection, development, and management produce the executives needed to meet the leadership challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. This work led to policy improvements and set the stage for legislative proposals. However, the review did not show stakeholder consensus on several pivotal areas for effecting change in SES structure and composition. As a result, OPM was encouraged to lead a more comprehensive assessment of structure and composition to identify appropriate changes that would enhance overall accountability.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

669. Models For Change: Efforts By Four States To Address Environmental Justice

Author:
Jonathan B. Howes, Philip Rutledge, A. James Barnes, Jonathan Howes, Valerie Lemmie, David Mora, James Murley, and Eddie Williams
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
In October 2001, the Office of Environmental Justice at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) to study a selected group of state environmental justice programs and identify opportunities for states to address environmental justice concerns more effectively. This study complements a prior Academy effort that analyzed how environmental justice could be incorporated into EPA's permitting programs for air, waste, and water and contributed to EPA's five - step strategy for integrating environmental justice into its permits.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, Industrial Policy, and International Organization
Political Geography:
United States

670. Citizen Participation and Economic Development

Author:
Marcela Tribble, Terry F. Buss, and Stevens F. Redburn
Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The National Academy of Public Administration
Abstract:
The past decade witnessed an increased interest among policy-makers, scholars, and advocates in expanding and deepening citizen participation processes, particularly in community and economic development activities. The Bush Administration, early on in its tenure, philosophized about the idea of a “citizen centric” government. The Clinton Administration, under the leadership of Vice-President Al Gore, worked on numerous citizen participation initiatives as part of its “reinventing government” program. Scholars, most notably, Robert Putnam, in books like Bowling Alone (2001), called attention to the decline in civil society. Redburn and Buss, in their monograph, Modernizing Democracy, called attention to the power of new information technology, and the Internet to engage citizens in public life in more sophisticated ways, and outlined a program to accomplish this goal. Advocates, like the Orton Family Foundation, have invested heavily in development and marketing of software—CommunityViz—to improve the quality of citizen deliberations on community and economic development policy and programming (www.communityviz.com). Representatives from neighborhood groups, the planning profession foundations, think tanks and universities met in Tampa in January 2002 to form a national association to raise the visibility of and expand opportunities for citizen participation in building communities (www.PlaceMatters.com). Hundreds of websites on citizen participation now dot the Internet landscape (e.g., www.democracyinnovations.org).
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, and Politics
Political Geography:
United States