Bliss v. Attorney General of Canada: From Legal Defeat to Political Victory

This article rests on the distinction between the legal and political meanings of a judicial decision. Cases that are resolved in legal terms may have unpredictable political consequences. Bliss v. Attorney General of Canada (1978) demonstrates this brilliantly: Stella Bliss\u27s argument that Canadian Unemployment Insurance maternity benefits violated the equality provisions of the Bill of Rights was soundly defeated in the court& Ultimately, however, a loose coalition of feminist and civil liberties groups took Bliss into the political process and succeeded in forcing a revision of Unemployment Insurance along with a dramatic expansion of the scope of section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The article traces the complex transition from personal case to political cause, demonstrating that Supreme Court decisions have a specious finality: disputes may only be conclusively resolved by a broader political process wherein organizational strength, not legal principle, prevails

Diplomski studiji javne uprave i javnih politika: analiza sveučilišnih programa i stručnih kompetencija u Kanadi

We review Canadian Master’s of Public Administration and Master’s of Public Policy (MPA/MPP) academic programs by examining both general curricula but also – using a new web tool called the Public Policy and Governance (PPG) Portal – the detailed content (concepts) taught in those courses and their match with »competencies« as defined by several international public administration standards setting organizations. In total, we examined 22 academic units across the country, which in total offered 33 distinct programs (some units offered more than one program). We also provide data on certificate and diploma programs and their various concentrations. Despite the variety in programming (jurisdiction over education in Canada is at the sub-national or provincial level, with a relatively high degree of autonomy for individual universities, unlike the more national-state dominated systems in the European tradition), we note several trends: most programs offer concentrations; a recent trend has been »hybrid« degrees (often combining administration or management with some aspect of international relations); a general reliance on internships; a set of core courses for most programs consisting of governance, macroeconomics, theory of public administration; research methods; public policy; quantitative methods. Using the PPG Portal, we were able to match detailed content of courses and curricula with the competencies template. We find that most Canadian programs fall short in offering (or requiring) courses in »policy analysis theory and techniques« and »implementation strategy and design«. We close with a call for better dialogue between academics and practitioners specifically in the Canadian case, but more generally, since MPA and MPP programs are professional degrees that prepare candidates for work in the public sector. The academic »supply« should at least be cognizant of the practitioner »demand«. We think that the PPG portal and the design and data-gathering that produced it provide a possible model for inquiries in other countries on the fit between academic programs and practical needs.Analiziraju se kanadski sveučilišni programi diplomskih studija javne uprave i diplomskih studija javnih politika pregledom općih programa studija, ali i korištenjem novog web alata nazvanog Portal za javne politike i upravu, koji detaljno analizira sadržaj (koncepte) koji se predaju na takvim studijima te ih automatski povezuje s kompetencijama koje se stječu. Njih je pak definiralo nekoliko međunarodnih organizacija koje se bave postavljanjem standarda na području javne uprave. Ukupno su pregledane 22 sveučilišne institucije iz cijele države, s ukupno 33 različita programa (neke institucije nude više programa). Daju se i podaci o potvrdama i diplomama o završenoj naobrazbi i različitim modulima koji postoje. Iako su programi raznoliki (obrazovanje u Kanadi spada u nadležnost federalnih jedinica – provincija, a sveučilišta imaju relativno visok stupanj autonomije, za razliku od europske tradicije u kojoj visokim školstvom dominiraju središnje vlasti), primjetno je nekoliko trendova: većina programa nudi module; najnoviji su trend »hibridne« diplome (u kojima se često kombiniraju uprava i menadžment s nekim vidom međunarodnih odnosa); opće oslanjanje na stažiranje u odgovarajućim institucijama; većina programa ima skup temeljnih predmeta koji se sastoji od upravljanja, makroekonomije, teorije javne uprave, metoda istraživanja, javnih politika te kvantitativnih metoda. Korištenjem Portala za javne politike uspjelo se usporediti detaljan sadržaj predmeta i programa s kompetencijama koje bi se trebale steći završetkom studija. Pronađeno je da je većina kanadskih programa podbacila u ponudi (ili traženju) predmeta vezanih za »teoriju i tehnike analize javnih politika« i »strategiju i oblikovanje provedbe«. Poziva se na bolju suradnju između akademske zajednice i praktičara, posebno u kanadskim prilikama, ali i općenito, budući da su diplomski studiji javne uprave i javnih politika profesionalni studiji koji pripremaju kandidate za zanimanje u javnom sektoru. Sveučilišna »ponuda« trebala bi biti barem minimalno uzeti u obzir »potražnju« prakse. Smatra se da Portal za javne politike i upravu, kao i oblikovanje i sakupljanje podataka koji su omogućili njegovo postojanje, mogu biti jedan od modela za istraživanja o istim temama i u drugim zemljama

OECD i globalna reforma javnog menadžmenta

The last two decades have seen substantial public sector reforms efforts around the world. A leading global actor in these reform efforts has been the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD launched its governance efforts in 1990, and published its path-breaking review of public sector reform in 1995 (Governance in Transition). The paper examines the OECD’s role as a key actor in a global public policy network devoted to public sector reform, and how it has contributed to changes in state structures and administration. It re views the OECD’s key publications, examines how the organization developed its public sector reform agenda, and assesses its relationships with and influence over national governments. The methodology consists of a review of documents and publications, as well as interviews. The key findings are that the OECD is a key node in what is emerging as a global network around public sector reform.U zadnja dva desetljeća uloženi su značajni napori za reformom javnog sektora zemalja širom svijeta. OECD je bio veliki zagovornik takvih reformi. On je 1990-ih započeo s takvim reformskim naporima te je 1995. objavio prijelomni pregled reformi javnog sektora. U radu se istražuje uloga OECD-a kao ključnog aktera u globalnoj mreži posvećenoj reformama javnog sektora, kao i pitanje kako je on pridonio promjenama u strukturama države i javne uprave. Analiziraju se ključne publikacije OECD-a, način na koji je ta organizacija razvila svoje reformske upute, kao i njezini odnosi s nacionalnim vlastima i utjecaj na njih. Metodološki, analiziraju se dokumenti i publikacije OECD-a, a dio podataka prikupljen je intervjuima. Glavni nalaz je da je OECD ključno čvorište u nastajućoj globalnoj mreži aktera posvećenih reformi javnog sektora

Dealing with the challenges of legitimacy, values, and politics in policy advice

Policy advice has been the subject of ongoing research in the policy sciences as it raises fundamental issues about what constitutes policy knowledge, expertise, and their effects on policymaking. This introduction reviews the existing literature on the subject and introduces the themes motivating the articles in the issue. It highlights the need to consider several key subjects in the topic in the contemporary era: namely the challenge of legitimacy, that of values, and the challenge of politics. The papers in the issue shed light on the ongoing delegitimization of conventional knowledge providers, the problem of the normative basis of experts’ advice, the increasing politicization of expertise in policymaking, and the relevance of political context in influencing not only the role of experts but also whether or not their advice is accepted and implemented. It is argued that these modern challenges, when not addressed, reinforce trends toward the inclusion of antidemocratic values and uninformed ideas in contemporary policymaking

Transnational policy transfer: the circulation of ideas, power and development models

The study of policy transfer initially focused on transfers and transmissions among developed countries or from developed countries to the developing world. Today the circulation of policy and knowledge has become more dense and complex. The articles in the special issue concentrate on the growing velocity of policy innovations spreading from the developing world to other parts of the developing as well as into developed countries and towards international organisations. The context of international development cooperation has been particularly fertile in the cross-pollination of ideas, models and policy experiments, and the articles in this Special Issue draw deeply on this insight. Using a ‘development lens’ enables the authors to view processes of knowledge diffusion and policy transfer not from the centre, in the ministries of national governments, but from policy perimeters, in cities and local government, among those outside political power in opposition groups and movements, and bottom-up from policy implementers

Pathways for a Sustainable Future

The strategic vision of the State of Qatar seeks to pursue development while aiming for a balanced approach to the social, human, economic, and environmental pillars of the vision. The legal and governance mechanisms supporting this transition are only effective when implemented, and can be hindered by limited access to data for decision-making. In the last decade, significant changes have taken place, catalyzed by commitments made to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 as well as innovations led by the Qatar Foundation. Yet, as a country with heavy reliance on hydrocarbon resources, the transition toward a more sustainable future involves trade-offs, the options for which present different pathways (from pragmatic to transformative). Climate change will present significant challenges for Qatar, including sea level rise and increasing temperatures, but also impacts on terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Domestically, key areas of the economy (energy, water, food, urban development, waste management) require integrated, systems approaches for moving toward greater sustainability. This future needs to be enabled by new ways of teaching and learning as well as new ways of thinking about and doing business. Not all issues could be covered in this collection (most notably, transportation, heating and cooling systems, desalination, health, and air quality, among others). However, this book has provided a wealth of evidence on diverse subjects, and this concluding chapter brings these diverse options and recommendations together.Scopu

The mass and density of the dwarf planet (225088) 2007 OR10

The satellite of (225088) 2007 OR10 was discovered on archival Hubble Space Telescope images and along with new observations with the WFC3 camera in late 2017 we have been able to determine the orbit. The orbit's notable eccentricity, e$\approx$0.3, may be a consequence of an intrinsically eccentric orbit and slow tidal evolution, but may also be caused by the Kozai mechanism. Dynamical considerations also suggest that the moon is small, D$_{eff}$ $<$ 100 km. Based on the newly determined system mass of 1.75x10$^{21}$ kg, 2007 OR10 is the fifth most massive dwarf planet after Eris, Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. The newly determined orbit has also been considered as an additional option in our radiometric analysis, provided that the moon orbits in the equatorial plane of the primary. Assuming a spherical shape for the primary this approach provides a size of 1230$\pm$50 km, with a slight dependence on the satellite orbit orientation and primary rotation rate chosen, and a bulk density of 1.75$\pm$0.07 g cm$^{-3}$ for the primary. A previous size estimate that assumed an equator-on configuration (1535$^{+75}_{-225}$ km) would provide a density of 0.92$^{+0.46}_{-0.14}$ g cm$^{-3}$, unexpectedly low for a 1000 km-sized dwarf planet.Comment: Accepted for publication in Icaru

Subsequent female breast cancer risk associated with anthracycline chemotherapy for childhood cancer.

Anthracycline-based chemotherapy is associated with increased subsequent breast cancer (SBC) risk in female childhood cancer survivors, but the current evidence is insufficient to support early breast cancer screening recommendations for survivors treated with anthracyclines. In this study, we pooled individual patient data of 17,903 survivors from six well-established studies, of whom 782 (4.4%) developed a SBC, and analyzed dose-dependent effects of individual anthracycline agents on developing SBC and interactions with chest radiotherapy. A dose-dependent increased SBC risk was seen for doxorubicin (hazard ratio (HR) per 100 mg m-2: 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-1.31), with more than twofold increased risk for survivors treated with ≥200 mg m-2 cumulative doxorubicin dose versus no doxorubicin (HR: 2.50 for 200-299 mg m-2, HR: 2.33 for 300-399 mg m-2 and HR: 2.78 for ≥400 mg m-2). For daunorubicin, the associations were not statistically significant. Epirubicin was associated with increased SBC risk (yes/no, HR: 3.25, 95% CI: 1.59-6.63). For patients treated with or without chest irradiation, HRs per 100 mg m-2 of doxorubicin were 1.11 (95% CI: 1.02-1.21) and 1.26 (95% CI: 1.17-1.36), respectively. Our findings support that early initiation of SBC surveillance may be reasonable for survivors who received ≥200 mg m-2 cumulative doxorubicin dose and should be considered in SBC surveillance guidelines for survivors and future treatment protocols

Index finger movement imitation by human neonates: motivation, learning, and left-hand preference

Imitation of a fine motor movement, index finger protrusion, was examined in 39 neonates using an ethologically based objective coding system. Results confirmed that imitation of finger movements exists, and infants demonstrated "learning" as imitation developed through an incomplete imitation stage. Neonatal imitation was more frequently left-handed, an early sign of laterality in motivation to be investigated further. The existence of index finger imitation in human neonates indicates that volitional control of individuated finger movements develops much earlier than previously thought. The differential increase of index finger protrusion movements during the imitation periods suggests that this behavior is not an automatic response triggered by general arousal but instead is a true indicator of purposeful neonatal imitation