Establishing an independent legal aid authority in Hong Kong : lessons from overseas jurisdictions

This report is an interview based comparative study of the independence (institutional, operational and financial) of Legal Aid Authorities (LAA) in a range of advanced jurisdictions. It forms part of a larger report to the Hong Kong Legal Aid Services Council (LASC) who have commissioned the project. This part of the project sought, inter alia, to establish "the exact working relationship between the Government and the legal aid bodies and to determine the actual degree of independence of the latter" in each of the jurisdictions. In so doing the report analyses the independence of legal aid authorities with respect to a range of factors: the legal status of the legal aid authorities and their Boards (if any), accountability, staffing, the independence of the process of granting or refusing legal aid, responsibility for legal aid policy, and budgeting and finance

International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers: Canada

[Excerpt] The International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers is an initiative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Global Applied Research and Information Network on Employment and Training (GLADNET). It reflects ILO and GLADNET joint aims of establishmg a base for cross-national research and strengthening links between research analysis and policy reform in the field of employment of disabled people. The Project is a response to a combination of developments which highlight the need for more effective policies and practices in support of workers whose prospects of remaining in employment are jeopardised by work injury, illness or disability. Persons with disabilities are increasingly claiming rights to stay in work as well as to access employment. Pressures on state budgets, the rising costs of compensation claims and disability benefits, and changes in the structure of the labour market are strengthening policies in favour of job retention and return to work. Enterprises are developing their own strategies to minimise the costs of disability and to retain valued employees. Overall, the balance of responsibility is shifting from the state to the enterprise. Policies and practices to prevent disabled workers from leaving work unnecessarily, and to facilitate rapid return to employment if job loss cannot be prevented, are recent developments in many countries. The cross-national exchange of information on initiatives and their effects is limited. The first aim of this Project has been to gather information about what has been attempted, by whom, for what purposes, in which contexts and to what effects. The second, more ambitious, aim, is to examine the interaction between the various policies and practices, identify dysfunctions, and work towards more coherent and cost-effective strategies for job retention and return to work which might be applied in different national systems. The ultimate objective is to identify strategies which can be put into effect in the workplace

THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF AMALGAMATION: THE CASE OF THE CITY OF TORONTO

The rapid population and economic growth of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in the late 1940?s and early 1950?s put a significant strain on the financial and administrative capabilities of the existing municipal governments. However, the existing municipalities wanted to preserve local interest and citizen participation. The province?s solution was a two-tier system of local government that more or less satisfied both objectives

THE CANADA-U.S. FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AND CANADA'S AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRIES

International Relations/Trade,

Research on approaches to public funding and development of tertiary education within selected OECD nations

No abstract available

Upgrading the investment policy framework of public pension funds

Public pension funds have the potential to benefit from low operating costs because they enjoy economies of scale and avoid large marketing costs. But this important advantage has in most countries been dissipated by poor investment performance. The latter has been attributed to a weak governance structure, lack of independence from government interference, and a low level of transparency and public accountability. Recent years have witnessed the creation of new public pension funds in several countries, and the modernization of existing ones in others, with special emphasis placed on upgrading their investment policy framework and strengthening their governance structure. This paper focuses on the experience of four new public pension funds that have been created in Norway, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. The paper discusses the safeguards that have been introduced to ensure their independence and their insulation from political pressures. It also reviews their performance and their evolving investment strategies. All four funds started with the romantic idea of operating as'managers of managers'and focusing on external passive management but their strategies have progressively evolved to embrace internal active management and significant investments in alternative asset classes. The paper draws lessons for other countries that wish to modernize their public pension funds.Debt Markets,,Emerging Markets,Investment and Investment Climate,Non Bank Financial Institutions

A DISCUSSION PAPER ON CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD GOVERNANCE

Crop Production/Industries, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,