Newport's mooring regulations: legal and policy analysis

The legal and policy issues facing Newport as it revises and implements its ordinances are numerous. Most of the issues have not been squarely resolved for Rhode Island. While Newport may take guidance from other states, it will be Rhode Island's task going forward to define the reach of its PTD as applied to some novel issues raised by mooring administration. The benefit of the flexibility of the PTD is allowing smaller units of government like Newport to define their regulatory goals based on a locally-tailored balancing test of competing interests facing scarce ocean resources. This report was designed to facilitate decision-maker discussion of how to strike that delicate balance

Newport\u27s Mooring Regulations: Legal and Policy Analysis

The legal and policy issues facing Newport as it revises and implements its ordinances are numerous. Most of the issues have not been squarely resolved for Rhode Island. While Newport may take guidance from other states, it will be Rhode Island\u27s task going forward to define the reach of its Public Trust Doctine as applied to some novel issues raised by mooring administration. The benefit of the flexibility of the PTD is allowing smaller units of government like Newport to define their regulatory goals based on a locally-tailored balancing test of competing interests facing scarce ocean resources. This report was designed to facilitate decision-maker discussion of how to strike that delicate balance

Hong Kong: workfare in the world's freest economy

Workfare was introduced in many countries to suppress welfare dependency and reduce social security expenditures. However, workfare was launched in Hong Kong when there was only a relatively small social security budget and its citizens still strongly adhered to the ideologies of self-reliance. It was found that workfare has performed several functions in Hong Kong. Firstly, it has forced unemployed claimants to give up benefits so that Hong Kong's social security expenditures can be saved. Secondly, workfare had combined with Hong Kong's semi-democratic polity so that extremely stigmatising welfare measures were implemented. Thirdly, it has pushed poor citizens to the labour market without having any protection over wages and working hours. Thus, the combination of workfare and a semi-democratic polity has successfully suppressed Hong Kong's welfare demands and strengthened its self-help spirit. As a result, Hong Kong's minimal social security scheme and its low tax policy have been maintained

Re-thinking the incrementalist thesis in China: a reflection on the development of the minimum standard of living scheme in urban and rural areas

Many commentators contend that the Chinese government adopted an incremental approach to welfare policy reform because its leaders lacked an overall blueprint for it, allowing initiatives to be implemented only after lengthy experimentation. While this perspective has provided an essential account of the implementation and changes of some welfare programmes, it has inadequately addressed the slow progress in rural areas' welfare programmes and the different welfare entitlements for rural and urban residents. Further investigation is therefore required to resolve these anomalies. Using the minimum standard of living scheme (MSLS) as a case example, this article illustrates how the Chinese government's legitimacy needs, during different stages of its economic reforms, have been the principal motivation for the implementation of such schemes. The introduction of an urban MSLS in 1997 aimed to reduce laid-off workers' dissatisfaction following the government's reforms of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The implementation of a rural MSLS in 2007 was intended principally to minimise conflicts between land-losing farmers and local officials after widespread rural riots. These MSLSs are also minimal and stigmatising public-assistance schemes that fulfil the dual objective of securing a stable political environment for economic reform and maintaining poor people's work ethic for China's mixed economy

Seizing the Moment: Guide to Adopting State Work-Sharing Legislation After Layoff Prevention Act of 2012

This report, the second in a series prepared by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the National Employment Law Project (NELP), is a guide for state administrators, legislators and advocates seeking to implement work sharing. The next section summarizes the opportunities presented by the Layoff Prevention act and lays out the timeline for implementation. The middle section explains in detail the new requirements in federal law and the final section highlights a set of additional provisions designed to protect participants in STC programs, set guidelines for employer participation and ensure strong administration

Class sizes (SPICe briefing; 11/09)

"This briefing sets out developments in policy and regulations on class sizes and summarises progress towards the policy of reducing class size in lower primary. It also gives a brief overview of the research evidence on the effect of class size reductions on pupil attainment. This briefing updates Berry, K. SB 08/18." - Cover

The Development of Language Learning Aptitude and Metalinguistic Awareness in Primary-School Children: A Classroom Study

In the typical foreign language classroom, many learners all over the world find themselves in a minimal-input environment. Existing research suggests that in such a setting, adolescents typically outperform younger children. The greater cognitive maturity of older learners manifests itself in greater language learning aptitude, greater metalinguistic awareness, and enhanced capacity for explicit learning. We examined whether the teaching and learning of either Esperanto or French would facilitate the development of language learning aptitude and metalinguistic awareness in 8-9-year-old children (N=28), thus setting the scene for enhanced explicit learning even at a young age. Following instruction in either Esperanto or French over a school year, children made significant gains on measures of aptitude, metalinguistic awareness, and L2 proficiency. Effect sizes in the Esperanto group were larger throughout, however, with greater homogeneity of performance in evidence and a closer association between aptitude, metalinguistic awareness, and L2 proficiency at the end of the treatment. Moreover, Esperanto proved significantly easier to learn than French, with larger gains in L2 proficiency achieved by the Esperanto group compared with the French group. Finally, we found that language-analytic ability emerged as a significant predictor of L2 achievement in the sample as a whole