Fonctionnaires au Travail : bureaucratie et personnalité au ministère du Travail dans la période de son cinquantenaire

Des lendemains de la Libération à 1956, année du cinquantenaire du ministère, la Direction générale du travail et de la main-d’œuvre connaît une stabilité remarquable, sous l’autorité de cadres pour l’essentiel issus des anciens concours de recrutement – si l’on met à part la figure et la carrière exceptionnelles d’Olga Raffalovich, sous-directeur puis directeur-adjoint de 1945 à 1971. À partir de 1957, un directeur général venu du Conseil d’État, Pierre Laurent, entreprend une réorganisation interne, en même temps qu’il engage l’action vers une transformation de la politique de la main-d’œuvre – débouchant sur la notion d’une « politique active de l’emploi ». Tandis que s’accroissent la présence et l’influence de cadres formés par l’ENA, Jacques Chazelle, successeur de Pierre Laurent en 1963, et lui aussi venu de l’extérieur, projette, avec un tout autre style, la transformation de ces objectifs externes dans l’organisation et les méthodes. En partie enrayé après son départ, en 1966, ce processus (générateur de conflits internes étudiés sur le moment par M. Crozier et son équipe) aboutit, près de dix ans plus tard, à la création de la Délégation à l’emploi. En étudiant le travail des fonctionnaires dans ses différentes dimensions (la carrière, la tâche, la fonction), et en ré-envisageant la problématique classique des rapports entre bureaucratie et personnalité, cet article – au carrefour de l’histoire administrative et d’une sociologie des organisations appliquée à une période délimitée par les deux décennies encadrant le cinquantenaire – , rend compte des dynamiques et tensions internes survenant alors au Travail.From post-war era beginning until 1956 – the year which the ministry of Labour celebrated the first half-century it had been in existence –, its division for Labour and Employment was a strikingly stable organisation. Nearly each of its high-ranking managers (the assistant principals, the principals, the secretaries) had still been recruited through the ancient pre-war examination system, at a time ENA did not yet exist. Yet in 1957, Pierre Laurent (a member of the Conseil d’État), who had just been appointed to the position of principal assistant Secretary, launched an internal re-organisation ; he also started supporting a shift in Employment public policy. A few years later on, after a new employment law had been passed on (in 1963), Pierre Laurent’s successor, Jacques Chazelle, endeavoured to reshape in a quite different way the division’s management and goals. In the meanwhile, ENA-trained servants were starting increasing their own influence within the whole structure. These changes (which were not devoid of conflicts), were then studied by a team of sociologists, following up M. Crozier’s famous findings about the French bureaucratic phenomenon. This paper deals with the civil servants’ daily work and its organisation, their career, their sense of duty, the goals which they were pursuing during the two decades surrounding the ministry’s fiftieth anniversary. Relying upon some of H.A. Simon’s seminal concepts, it attempts to think about R.K. Merton’s insights about bureaucratic structure and personality again, and it ains at explaining the dynamics of change inside this ministry. Its viewpoint encompasses history of Public administration and sociology of organisations

La mobilité géographique pour optimiser la gestion des ressources humaines publiques ?

La mobilité géographique s’impose comme un outil incontournable d’optimisation des ressources humaines publiques. Dans certaines grandes administrations, cette mobilité instrumentale est le principal moyen d’assurer l’adéquation entre les besoins et les ressources. Comment concilier ces impératifs de gestion avec les réalités des situations individuelles, professionnelles et familiales des agents ?La littérature suggère deux principes d’action : inciter les agents au mouvement en créant des dispositifs attractifs ; faire respecter leur engagement à être mobiles. À partir d’un questionnement sur la nature rationnelle des outils, nous avons mené une étude de cas dans une organisation particulièrement concernée (1 600 mouvements en 2007, mais de nombreux départs subis). Les résultats montrent des contradictions entre la manière dont les dispositifs sont conçus et celle dont les agents engagés dans les situations de choix les interprètent et les vivent. Ces limites invitent à davantage de prudence dans le déploiement des outils de gestion visant à standardiser et automatiser les procédures, surtout lorsque les conventions qui les sous-tendent sont en cours d’évolution.Geographic mobility is a critical tool to optimize public HR management. In particular, in some main administrations, this implemental mobility is the main way to ensure an adequate balance between needs (job vacancies) and resources (work force). How is it possible to reconcile these management requirements with the reality of agents' individual, professional and family situations?The literature suggests two principles of action: on the one hand, to incite workers to move by creating attractive and incentive systems; and on the other hand, to make them respect their commitment to be geographically mobile. Based on a fundamental question on the rational nature of the mobility management tools, our paper seeks to point out their limits. In order to do that, we conducted a case study in a public organization particularly affected by this problem. The results show some contradictions between the way in which the principles are conceived and used, and the way in which the agents interprete and experience this principle. This can result in the organization losing a large proportion of its employees

Eicosanoid biosynthesis in patients with stable angina: Beneficial effects of very low dose aspirin

AbstractObjectives. We assessed the production of eicosanoids and the effects of very low dose aspirin in patients with stable angina under basal conditions and during rapid atrial pacing.Background. Platelet activation occurs in acute ischemic syndromes but is still controversial in stable angina. Very low dose aspirin is known to be platelet selective and can be used to test the hypothesis of the platelet origin of increased thromboxane production in stable angina.Methods. Urinary excretion of eicosanoids was measured in 42 patients, including 24 patients with and 18 patients without coronary artery disease. The effects of 50 mg/day of aspirin were measured at rest and during pacing-induced ischemia in 10 patients with stable angina and were compared with a similar group of patients not treated by aspirin.Results. Excretion of 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2was 2.6 times higher in patients with stable angina than in healthy subjects (mean [±SEM] 74.8 ± 13.0 [24 patients] vs. 29.0 ± 5.4 [18 patients] ng/mmol of creatinine, p < 0.01). Urinary prostacyclin metabolite levels did not differ between the two groups. Treatment for 8 days with 50 mg/day of aspirin inhibited platelet cyclooxygenase, as reflected by the 97% reduction of in vitro serum thromboxane production. This aspirin regimen normalized the level of urinary thromboxane metabolites in patients with angina (17.3 ± 3.4 ng/mmol of creatinine [10 patients], p < 0.001 from baseline level before treatment) and did not change prostacyclin metabolite levels. Atrial pacing in patients with angina not treated with aspirin caused lactate and thromboxane release into the coronary sinus. In patients with very low dose aspirin therapy, pacing did not cause thromboxane release despite inducing myocardial ischemia. However, fractional lactate extraction decreased less sharply in patients with than without aspirin therapy.Conclusions. Thromboxane production is greatly increased in patients with stable angina. Very low dose aspirin administered to these patients reduces thromboxane synthesis to normal levels, preserves prostacyclin biosynthesis and prevents acute thromboxane release into the coronary circulation during pacing-induced ischemia. Our data suggest that platelets (not monocytes/ macrophages) are activated in stable angina to produce thromboxane

Adopter une vision dynamique de l’innovation soutenable : le cas des circuits courts alimentaires

À partir du cas des circuits courts alimentaires, cet article met en évidence l’importance d’adopter une vision dynamique des innovations soutenables. Nous montrons que l’agriculture biologique, puis les circuits courts, trouvent leur origine au sein d’un même projet de réponse aux dérives environnementales et sociales de l’agriculture conventionnelle. Cependant, face au développement de cette première contestation qu’est l’agriculture biologique, le régime dominant – fondé sur le secteur conventionnel – n’est pas resté passif. Il a intégré cette innovation en l’adaptant à l’échelle industrielle. En réponse, le projet de contestation s’est renouvelé autour de la question de l’autonomie des exploitations, d’où le recours aux circuits courts. Cette dernière innovation soutenable semble aujourd’hui suivre le même trajet que l’agriculture biologique, intégrée et adaptée à l’industrie agroalimentaire. Notre analyse est qualitative et repose sur l’historique du développement des circuits courts en France. Elle aboutit à une proposition de modèle inspirée par l’approche Multi-Level Perspective. L’originalité de notre démarche est de mettre en évidence une dynamique des innovations soutenables, qui interagissent et se reformulent par le biais d’interactions avec le régime dominant.This article introduces farm-to-fork systems as a form of sustainable innovation that attempts to solve both the environmental and social failures of conventional farming. We show that the current socio-technical regime of conventional farming is being challenged by two linked alternative projects. The first of these is organic farming, which integrates environmental expectations into the farming process. However, since organic farming innovations have now been partially integrated into the main conventional farming model, the second project has turned toward the issue of farming autonomy, hence the rise of farm-to-fork systems. The analysis provided in this article is qualitative, and is based on the history of the development of French farm-to-fork systems, through the lens of the Multi-Level Perspective. Our approach is original in the way that it highlights the dynamics of sustainable innovation and its inherent interdependence with the socio-technical regime

Leukotriene E4 elimination and metabolism in normal human subjects

Radiolabeled leukotriene (LT) E4 was infused into three healthy subjects in order to assess the production and elimination of sulfidopeptide leukotriene metabolites in urine. Three different radiolabeled tracers were employed, [14,15-3H]LTE4, [35S]LTE4, and [14C] LTE4 in five separate infusion studies. There was a rapid disappearance of radioactivity from the vascular compartment in an apparent two-phase process. The first elimination phase had an apparent half-life of approximately 7 min. Radioactivity quickly appeared in the urine with 10-16% eliminated during the first 2 h following intravenous infusion; 7%, 2-5 h; 4%, 5-8 h; 4%, 8-15 h; and 1.5%, 15-24 h from the [14C] LTE4 experiments. Unmetabolized LTE4 was the major radioactive component in the first urine collection, but at later times two more polar compounds predominated. After extensive purification by normal phase-solid phase extraction and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, these compounds were characterized by UV spectroscopy, co-elution with synthetic standards, negative ion electron capture gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and tandem mass spectrometry. The two major urinary metabolites were structurally determined to be 14-carboxy-hexanor-LTE3 and the conjugated tetraene, 16-carboxy-\u39413-tetranor-LTE4. Three other minor metabolites were detectable in the first urine collection only and were characterized by co-elution with synthetic standards as 16-carboxy-tetranor-LTE3, 18-carboxy-dinor-LTE4, and 20-carboxy-LTE4. \u3c9-Oxidation and subsequent \u3b2-oxidation from the methyl terminus appeared to be the major metabolic fate for sulfidopeptide leukotrienes in man. The accumulation of the 14-COOH-LTE3 and 16-COOH-\u39413-LTE4 may reflect a rate-limiting step in further oxidation of these compounds which places a conjugated triene or conjugated tetraene, respectively, two carbons removed from the CoA ester moiety. Also in the first urine collection there was another minor metabolite identified as N-acetyl-LTE4, however, no subsequent \u3b2-oxidation of this metabolite was observed. The major metabolites of LTE4 might be useful in assessing in vivo production of sulfidopeptide leukotrienes in humans

Monoclonal anti-CD18 antibody prevents transcellular biosynthesis of cysteinyl leukotrienes in vitro and in vivo and protects against leukotriene-dependent increase in coronary vascular resistance and myocardial stiffness

Background - Cysteinyl leukotrienes (cys-LT) can constrict small and large vessels and increase vascular permeability. Formation of cys-LT arising from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) and endothelial cell cooperation (transcellular synthesis) led to the hypothesis that PMNL-endothelial cell adhesion may represent a key step toward the formation of vasoactive cys-LT. Methods and Results - We studied the effect of pretreatment with a monoclonal antibody directed against the CD18 subunit of PMNL \u3b22-integrin on the synthesis of cys-LT in a PMNL-perfused isolated rabbit heart in vitro and in a model of permanent ligature of the left descending coronary artery in the rabbit in vivo. Challenge of PMNL-perfused rabbit hearts with formyl-met-leu- phe (0.3 \u3bcmol/L) caused synthesis of cys-LT and increase in coronary perfusion pressure that were prevented by the anti-CD18 antibody. Similar results were obtained with the use of A-23187 (0.5 \u3bcmol/L) as a challenge. Persistence of PMNL-associated myeloperoxidase activity in the perfusion buffer was observed in the presence of the anti-CD18 antibody, indicating decreased PMNL infiltration. Coronary artery ligature in vivo increased urinary excretion of leukotriene E4, supporting the activation of the 5- lipoxygenase pathway during experimental acute myocardial infarction. Pretreatment with the anti-CD18 antibody (1 mg/kg) prevented the increase in leukotriene E4 excretion. Conclusions - These data support the importance of adhesion in promoting cys-LT formation, originating from PMNL-endothelial cell cooperation, and contributing to myocardial stiffness and increased coronary resistance

'Aspirin resistance' or treatment non-compliance: Which is to blame for cardiovascular complications?

Aspirin is one of the 'cornerstone' drugs in our current management of cardiovascular disorders. However, despite the prescription of aspirin recurrent vascular events still occur in 10–20% of patients. These, data together with the observations of diminished antiaggregatory response to aspirin in some subjects have provided the basis of the current debate on the existence of so-called "aspirin resistance". Unfortunately, many of the tests employed to define 'aspirin resistance' lack sufficient sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. The prevalence of 'aspirin resistance' as defined by each test varies widely, and furthermore, the value of a single point estimate measure of aspirin resistance is questionable. The rate of 'aspirin resistance' is law if patients observed to ingest aspirin, with large proportion of patients to be pseudo-'aspirin resistant', due to non-compliance. What are the implications for clinical practice? Possible non-adherence to aspirin prescription should also be carefully considered before changing to higher aspirin doses, other antiplatelet drugs (e.g. clopidogrel) or even combination antiplatelet drug therapy. Given the multifactorial nature of atherothrombotic disease, it is not surprising that only about 25% of all cardiovascular complications can usually be prevented by any single medication. We would advocate against routine testing of platelet sensitivity to aspirin (as an attempt to look for 'aspirin resistance') but rather, to highlight the importance of clinicians and public attention to the problem of treatment non-compliance

Regulation of intracellular free arachidonic acid in Aplysia nervous system

We have studied the regulation of arachidonic acid (AA) uptake, metabolism, and release in Aplysia nervous system. Following uptake of [ 3 H]AA, the distribution of radioactivity in intracellular and extracellular lipid pools was measured as a function of time in the presence or absence of exogenous AA. The greatest amount of AA was esterified into phosphatidylinositol (relative to pool size). We found that the intracellular free AA pool underwent rapid turnover, and that radioactive free AA and eicosanoids were released at a rapid rate into the extracellular medium, both in the presence and absence of exogenous AA. Most of the released radioactivity originated from phosphatidylinositol.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48020/1/232_2005_Article_BF01868464.pd

Les problématiques mises en œuvre dans l'étude de l'emploi rural : points de repère

[eng] Theoretical and methodological difficulties explain the low level of knowledge on rural employment, but political and theoretical reasons are impulsing new research. . The author examines the three main logics governing present research : development, spatial distribution of employment, historical approach of territorial diversities. Then, he considers the theoretical renewal suggested by rural employment dynamics and emphizises political implications in the field of economics. [fre] Les difficultés d'ordre théorique et méthodologique expliquent la mauvaise connaissance que l'on a de l'emploi rural ; mais des raisons théoriques et politiques donnent une nouvelle impulsion à la recherche. . L'auteur passe en revue les logiques auxquelles obéissent les approches disponibles: approches du développement, approches spatiales de l'emploi, approches historiques de l'emploi. Il s'interroge enfin sur les renouvellements théoriques suggérés par l'évolution de l'emploi rural avant d'évoquer les perspectives ainsi ouvertes en matière de politique économique.