The Role of the Judiciary in the Protection of Human Rights and Development: A Middle Eastern Perspective

One of the vital ways to keep human rights safe is by preserving the prevailing role of the judiciary. Standards developed by the judiciary have a significant beneficial effect of making the lives of people better and the accomplishment of the government\u27s goals easier. In addition, these standards may ensure a better understanding of the relationship between the people and their government, on the one hand, and among the members of the international community, on the other. Moreover, major countries, such as the United States, have a great responsibility, by virtue of their international weight and technological advancement, to help promote human rights. The major countries should play an active role, especially in situations where the people of the Middle East are willing to contribute to the development of human rights and to show that they have serious intentions to spread peace and stability

ROLE OF REGIONAL HEAD OF STATE’S ATTITUDES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF FINANCE POLICY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING STANDARDS IN INDONESIA

ndonesian state financial policies have undergone major changes since the release the Law on State Finance package in 2003 and 2004 as well as the Law on Local Government Package of 2004. The legislation has been set up clearly financial management with a transparent and accountable as well as the financial management in the region from President to the Regional Head. This implies a stronger role of the Regional Head in implementing the financial policy in the local government. The financial policy communication to local governments are often disruption whereby the policy is not communicated clearly and consistently. This study is a single case study for examining the phenomenon in which the object of research is the Semarang City Government as the only one that has been implemented government accounting standards accrual-based policy. In adequately of the financial policy’s communication about implementation of government accounting standards accrual-based policy from the central government to the local government can be overcome by the attitude of the Regional Head avoiding uncertainty (uncertainty avoidance) and has a vision for the future (confucian dynamism) so to encourage the attitude of the staff at the local government and also encourage the emergence of support from external parties to support the implementation of the financial policy of the country

A Reconsideration of Environmental Federalism

This paper provides a review and assessment of the debate over environmental federalism-the issue of the roles of different levels of government in environmental management. The paper begins with the presentation of three benchmark cases that provide a framework for thinking about the issue. It then offers a review, first of the theoretical literature and second of some new, provocative empirical literature on the race to the bottom. The paper contends that there remains, under certain circumstances, an important role for decentralized government in the setting of environmental standards and the design of regulatory programs. The central government, in addition to setting standards for "national" pollutants, has a fundamental contribution to make in supporting research in environmental science and pollution control technology and in providing needed information and guidance to state and local governments.environmental federalism, environmental management, environmental policy, environmental regulation

The Transaction Costs Perspective on Standards as a Source of Trade and Productivity Growth

This paper discusses the design, implementation and use of standards from the perspective of transaction costs economics. A proper design and implementation of standards may lead to a considerable reduction of transaction costs, which enhances trade and, consequently, economic welfare. A major example is the use of containers, which has drastically changed the worldwide transport infrastructure, and lowered the costs of transport of goods considerably. The example of containers also shows that network externalities play a major role in the use of standards, and that, on the other hand, worldwide standards with large sunk investment costs may lead to a lock-in. This may call for government intervention in the design and use of standards, and in the transition processes to new standards. The paper provides ample further examples of standards and on the role of the government, or clubs, with respect to these standards

Government as a Digital Standard Bearer

This article explores the key role the government can play in promoting the digital economy through the uptake of global digital standards. The potential of digital standards can be illustrated by the revolutionary impact in the 20th century of the introduction of barcodes on logistics, and the impact of standardised containers in accelerating the growth of world trade and global economic integration. In the 21st century, will digital platforms and standards play a similar role in enabling economic development in the information age? The key challenge in the digital standards space is for the government to find the sweet spot that is the equivalent of the Goldilocks zone – neither too hot nor too cold: this is where the government acts as a digital standard bearer – establishing the overall regulatory regime and then acting as an agile fast follower, not the leader getting out in front or going alone

The Richard Review of Apprenticeships

In his independent report Doug Richard calls on the government calls to improve the quality of apprenticeships and make them more focused on the needs of employers. His recommendations include: Redefining apprenticeships: They should be targeted only at those who are new to a job or role that requires sustained and substantial training. Focusing on the outcome of an apprenticeship - what the apprentice can do when they complete their training - and freeing up the process by which they get there. Trusted, independent assessment is key. Recognised industry standards should form the basis of every apprenticeship. All apprentices should reach a good level in English and maths before they can complete their apprenticeship. Government funding must create the right incentives for apprenticeship training. The purchasing power for investing in apprenticeship training should lie with the employer. Greater diversity and innovation in training - with employers and government safeguarding quality

Streamlining or watering down? Assessing the 'smartness' of policy and standards for the promotion of low and zero carbon homes in England 2010-15

The knowledge and enforcement problems faced by governments in defining traditional ‘command and control’ regulation are well known. Significant legal scholarship offers alternative models of ‘smart,’ ‘responsive’ environmental regulation, emphasising the need for policy instrument mixes, including the vital role of voluntary, industry-led sustainability standards. Yet, as is being increasingly recognised, these contributions leave open the need for detailed, qualitative evaluation of instrument mixes as a complement to primarily quantitative cost-benefit analyses that predominate in regulatory impact assessments by governments. Addressing this need, this paper evaluates policy and standards for low and zero carbon homes in England during the Coalition government (2010-2015) when the ecological modernisation discourse of the previous New Labour government became subsumed by a deregulation agenda. Our study, incorporating 70 stakeholder interviews, suggests that, in supplier-driven markets such as housing in England, a ‘smart’ mix of mandatory and voluntary standards requires a strong, central role for government in setting national, mandatory standards and supporting their delivery. There is an important potential supplementary role for voluntary tools and local authority discretion, though our study highlights problems that can arise when such different instruments promote diverging roadmaps towards a policy goal

'The heart of what we do': policies on teaching, learning and assessment in the learning and skills sector

One of the stated aims of government policy in England is to put teaching, training,and learning at the heart of the learning and skills system. This paper provides a critical review of policies on teaching, learning and assessment in the learning and skills sector over the past five years. It draws upon data collected and analysed in the early stages of an ESRC-funded Teaching and Learning Research Programme project. Using evidence from policy sources, we argue that despite policy rhetoric about devolution of responsibility to the 'front line', the dominant 'images' that government has of putting teaching, learning and assessment at the heart of the Learning and Skills Sector involves a narrow concept of learning and skills; an idealisation of learner agency lacking an appreciation of the pivotal role of the learner/tutor relationship and a top-down view of change in which central government agencies are relied on to secure education standards

Industrial policy after the East Asian crisis - from"outward orientation"to new internal capabilities?

Before East Asia's financial meltdown in the second half of 1997, there appeared to be prospects for an uneasy consensus on the East Asian"miracle", a consensus that recognized the role of the entrepreneurialstate in accelerating industrial development but emphasized the"market-friendly'nature of the state's interventions. After the financial crisis, East Asian policies and institutions are once again under scrutiny - for their failures rather than for their miracles. The author finds that the prospects for a consensus that incorporated the East Asian experience were ill founded. East Asian policymakers emphasized growth through quantitative targets; price signals played a significant but secondary role. The author illustrates these propositions by examining trade policy, industrial conglomerates, and the provision of physical infrastructure. The evolving international consensus on industrial policy, which predates the Asian crisis, emphasizes a hands-off approach in which an activist government plays a reduced role and competition policy plays an important role. But policies emphasizing greater competition and a level playing field - implicitly thought to require less government action - may require more government expertise, not less. If implementing a ten percent export subsidy is difficult, consider the difficulty of determining whether a firm is exercising market power or restraining trade. So the prospect of governments stepping back may be unrealistic. The new consensus also proposes"deep integration", or the adoption of uniform standards in such areas as competition policy and labor and environmental standards. For East Asia, the shift to the international consensus may be appropriate because government-driven growth has declined in intellectual respectability. Also, it may be time to consolidate the gains from the rapid trade-led growth by focusing on creating a stronger incentive structure for efficiently using resources. The current consensus is based on strong priors rather than on solid empirical evidence, however, and the dangers of international uniformity in policy are evident.Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Economic Theory&Research,Decentralization,ICT Policy and Strategies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Achieving Shared Growth

Law and Nonlegal Norms in Government Lawyers\u27 Ethics: Discretion Meets Legitimacy

This Essay is about the role of unwritten norms in the ethical decisionmaking of government lawyers. Because the ethical obligations of lawyers, including government lawyers, are closely tied to the legal rights and obligations of clients, this analysis necessarily depends on understanding the relationship between written law and unwritten norms. As we all know, however, written law leaves gaps, ambiguities, and zones of unregulated discretion. Prosecutors in the United States, for example, have virtually unreviewable discretion to decide who to investigate and charge, what charges to bring, and whether to offer immunity in exchange for cooperation. No one has a legal entitlement not to be prosecuted, nor does anyone else—official or private citizen—have the power to compel a prosecutor to bring charges. The president possesses nearly unconstrained discretion to grant clemency to people convicted of criminal offenses. The impeachment power of Congress is constrained only by the Constitution’s requirement that the president be charged with certain enumerated offenses, including the open-ended phrase “high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” In other areas, a government official may possess the legal authority to do something but may nevertheless be criticized for exercising that authority contrary to standards that are not reducible to positive law. The question is, what standards, norms, or ethical values, if any, constrain the actions of lawyers advising government officials who exercise their power within discretionary unwritten areas of the law? In other words, is there a type of official discretion that is distinguishable from the exercise of raw power or whimsical decision-making, despite being unconstrained by positive law? If so, what is its relationship to positive law and its claim to legitimate authority