Elite Circulation and lnstitutional Consolidation in Eastern Germany

The dual regime change, revolution andunification, distinguishes the case of the former GDRfrom all other regime changes in the former Sovietempire and opened exceptional opportunities foradjustment to democratization and marketization.Administrative and political institutions wereavailable, which had proven effective in the westernpart of the country since 1949. Furthermore, theexceptional circumstances of a dual revolutioncreated extra-ordinary conditions for filling theseinstitutions with life by enabling an extent of elitecirculation unknown elsewhere. Political purge andelite import from the West are inspected as the mostimportant mechanisms. Secondly, on the basis ofsurvey data, the development of trust in institutionsis analyzed. It is argued that the positivedevelopment in this respect might have to do withrecruiting the administrative and judicial elites fromthe western part of the country, for they representthe new institutions and keep them under control

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism, Seminar Report

Im ersten Teil werden die Organisation von Al Qaida analysiert und die Vorgehensweise beim Anschlag am 11. September rekonstruiert sowie Lücken bei der Terrorismusbekämpfung aufgezeigt. Im zweiten Teil werden die programmatischen und institutionellen Änderungen seit 9/11 insbesondere in den USA vorgestellt und kritisch beleuchtet.In the first part the organization of al Qaeda is analyzed, the proceedings of the 9/11 terrorist attack are reconstructed and gaps in the counter-terrorism system are pointed out. In the second part the changes in policy and polity since 9/11, those of the USA in particular, are presented and critically analyzed

The German Public Service - Structure and Statistics

Der öffentliche Dienst in Deutschland ist seit jeher im Wandel. Anhand umfassender Statistik werden Veränderungen des Personalbestandes und dessen Struktur von 1950-2002 aufgezeigt.The German public service is in flux. We point out these changes with numerous statistics covering a period from 1950-2002

Detection of coronary artery stenoses by contrast-enhanced, retrospectively electrocardiographically-gated, multislice spiral computed tomography.

Background-Multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) with retrospectively ECG-gated image reconstruction permits coronary artery visualization. We investigated the method's ability to identify high-grade coronary artery stenoses and occlusions. Methods and Results-A total of 64 consecutive patients were studied by MSCT (4ϫ1 mm cross-sections, 500-ms rotation, table feed 1.5 mm/rotation, intravenous contrast agent, retrospectively ECG-gated image reconstruction). All coronary arteries and side branches with a luminal diameter Ն2.0 mm were assessed concerning evaluability and the presence of high-grade stenoses (Ͼ70% diameter stenosis) or occlusions. Results were compared with quantitative coronary angiography. Of 256 coronary arteries (left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary artery, including their respective side branches), 174 could be evaluated (68%). In 19 patients (30%), all arteries were evaluable. Artifacts caused by coronary motion were the most frequent reason for unevaluable arteries. Overall, 32 of 58 high-grade stenoses and occlusions were detected by MSCT (58%). In evaluable arteries, 32 of 35 lesions were detected, and the absence of stenosis was correctly identified in 117 of 139 arteries (sensitivity, 91%; specificity, 84%). If analysis was extended to all stenoses with Ͼ50% diameter reduction, sensitivity was 85% (40 of 47) and specificity was 76% (96 of 127). Conclusions-MSCT with retrospective ECG gating permits the detection of coronary artery stenoses with high accuracy if image quality is sufficient, but its clinical use may presently be limited due to degraded image quality in a substantial number of cases, mainly due to rapid coronary motion

An international comparison of public-policy assessment

O artigo aborda a tese de que, no período dos anos 60 aos 90, a ênfase política sobre a avaliação de políticas públicas passou da função de informação à de realocação dos recursos públicos. O autor apresenta um breve levantamento das principais correntes de avaliação em alguns países desenvolvidos, durante o período citado, destacando-lhes os mais relevantes aspectos e mencionando as principais áreas visadas pelas políticas públicas. Enfoca a importância do papel da avaliação no cenário político e sua utilização instrumental por parte de distintas instâncias públicas no processo de desenvolvimento.El artículo tiene como tema la tesis de que, en el período de los años 60 a los 90, el énfasis político sobre la evaluación de políticas ha pasado desde la función de información a la de reasignación. El autor hace un breve levantamiento de las principales corrientes de evaluación en algúns países desarrollados, durante el período mencionado, destacando los más relevantes aspectos y mencionando las principales áreas visadas por las políticas. Enfoca la importancia del papel de la evaluación en el escenario político e su utilización instrumental por parte de distintas instancias públicas en el proceso de desarrollo.The article approaches the thesis according to which, in the period from the 1960s to the 1990s, political emphasis on public-policy assessment moved from the information function to that of re-allocating public funds. The author presents a brief survey of the main currents on assessment in some developed countries, during the mentioned period, highlighting their most relevant aspects and mentioning the main areas targeted by public policies. It approaches the importance of the assessment role in the political scenario and its instrumental use by the different public levels in the process of development.Número padronizado: v. 52, n. 1 (2001) Revista do Serviço Público - RSP, ano 52, n. 1, p. 105-124Administração PúblicaEstado e Governo. Governança. GovernabilidadePolíticas Públicas e SociaisISSN eletrônico: 2357-8017ISSN impresso: 0034-9240Texto originalmente publicado na revista Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas, n. 11-12, janeiro-agosto, 1998. Autorizado por el Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública, Madrid, España