Book reviews: World Bank; Toxic Release Inventory; Public-private partnerships
In the current issue of Governance, Salvatore Schiavo-Campo reviews Hypocrisy Trap: The World Bank and the Poverty of Reform by Catherine Weaver. He says it is a “beautifully written and cogently argued” assessment of the World Bank’s performance. Read the review.
Julien Etienne of the London School of Economics provides an assessment of Coming Clean: Information Disclosure and Environmental Performance by Michael E. Kraft, Mark Stephan and Troy Abel — a work of “rich empirical scholarship” on the impact of U.S. Toxic Release Inventory. Read the review.
And Richard Allen of the World Bank looks at the International Handbook on Public-Private Partnerships, edited by Graeme Hodge, Carsten Greve and Anthony Boardman. The volume “will be valuable to students of public policy and public finance as well as practitioners, government officials, and the growing PPP industry.” Read the review.
Committee seeks nominations for 2013 Levine Book Prize
The committee that will select the 2013 Levine Book Prize has been appointed and is seeking nominations for the prize. The committee is chaired by Daniel Béland of the University of Saskatchewan and also includes Sung Deuk Hahm of Korea University and Agnes Batory of the Central European University. The prize is given to outstanding comparative works in public policy and administration. Download the notice about the 2013 award committee. The 2012 award was given to Alan Jacobs for his book Governing For The Long Term. Read about the 2012 award.
Performance management: Not just taming unruly servants
We normally think of performance management techniques as mechanisms for countering the natural tendency of bureaucrats to pursue their own interests and waste public money. In the current issue of Governance, Donald P. Moynihan, Sanjay K. Pandey and Bradley E. Wright offer an brighter view. Drawing on data from eight public and non-profit organizations, they find that the power of performance management techniques actually depends on the “pro-social, altruistic behavior” of public servants. “When employees believe that their work is making difference in the lives of citizens,” they conclude, “they become more likely to use performance tools.” Read the article.
How courts shape electoral politics in Thailand and Indonesia
In the current issue of Governance, Björn Dressel and Marcus Mietzner of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific examine the divergent roles of Thai and Indonesian courts in shaping electoral politics. Where political power is diffused, as in Indonesia, courts have more autonomy and act to open up the electoral process. Where power remains concentrated, as in Thailand, “elites have both the motive and the means to turn judicial activism to anti-democratic ends.” Read the article.
September newsletter for Governance is now available
The September newsletter for the journal Governance is now available here.
Peters receives Kloeti Award
At its Madrid meeting, the SOG group awarded the 2012 Ulrich Kloeti Award to B. Guy Peters, the Maurice Falk Professor of American Government at University of Pittsburgh and Professor of Comparative Governance at Zeppelin University. The Kloeti Award recognizes distinguished contributions to the study of public policy, administration, and institutions. Read more about the Kloeti Award.
Lan Xue on the shifting global order
In the current issue of Governance, Lan Xue cautions against simplistic assessments about the future of the global order, and says that established powers may encourage instability if they see the rise of other nations “as a threat to their hegemony.” But sound policy can produce a “new global governance system that is stable and effective.” Professor Xue is Dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management. Open access to the commentary in Chinese - and also in English.
Written by governancejournal
September 27, 2012 at 5:08 pm
Posted in commentary, Current issue