Administrative reform in Whitehall and Canberra in the 1980s: The FMI and FMIP compared.

This study examines new administrative reforms in Whitehall and Canberra in the 1980s. More particularly it compares and contrasts two programmes of managerial change which were central to the British and Australian governments' drive to introduce a more managerially oriented administration. Whitehall's programme was the Financial Management Initiative (FMI) which, later in the decade, was succeeded by 'The Next Steps'. Canberra's initiative was the similarly entitled Financial Management Improvement Program (FMIP). The study has three purposes: (i) To describe and analyse the progress of the two reform programmes during the 1980s. (ii) Through a comparison between the experience of the two, to illuminate those factors which were critical in advancing the cause of reform and those which retarded it. (iii) On the basis of this analysis, to develop a deeper theoretical understanding of the process by which administrations are changed. Each of these purposes was informed by one more fundamental question. Why is it that administrative reforms seem so often to fail. This dissertation is devoted to an examination and extrapolation of that basic inquiry

The responsibility to protect

The responsibility to protect has succeeded humanitarian intervention as the primary conceptual framework within which to consider international intervention to prevent the commission of mass atrocity crimes. First conceived in 2001, the doctrine has obtained international recognition in a remarkably short time. Its acceptance by the UN World Summit of political leaders in 2005, and later by the UN Security Council, provided the foundation for its further elaboration in international relations theory and political practice. This chapter provides the background to the new doctrine's appearance with a survey of the existing law and practice with respect to humanitarian intervention. It traces the responsibility to protect's subsequent intellectual and political development both before and after the adoption of the World Summit resolutions that embodied it. This analysis discloses that debate about the doctrine has been characterized by significant differences of opinion and interpretation between nations of the North and the South. In that context, the chapter concludes with a detailed consideration of the contemporary standing of the doctrine in international law

Western and Islamic conceptions of the rule of law

My purpose in this chapter is twofold. First, I wish to record my understanding of the idea of the rule of law from a distinctly Western perspective. Then, secondly, I want to examine some of its underlying assumptions and values in a way which will, I hope, open a dialogue between this perspective and that deriving from Islamic jurisprudence. Having said this, I enter an immediate caveat. I do not pretend to any expertise with respect to Islamic jurisprudence. Such reading as I have done in relation to it has revealed to me not only its richness but also its very great heterogeneity and complexity. It is a complexity of which I am in no way a master. The chapter therefore situates the issues I see as relevant on a very broad canvas. I seek here simply to suggest points of intersection and pose questions for discussion

Queensland : The new exemplar of democracy. by Spencer Zifcak

A mini bill of rights? Queensland's Legislative Standards Act. It was introduced in response to the recommendations of the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission

A modest proposal for a democratic republic. by Spencer Zifcak

There have been many articles, notably in the popular press, dealing with the problems associated with Australia becoming a republic. As yet, however, few have proposed concrete and systematic solutions to these problems

Complaint resolution in government owned corporations and privatised utilities : Some legal and constitutional conundrums

This chapter examines a number of issues and problems concerning the legal and constitutional position of one part of the regulatory framework, the industry ombudsman. The hybrid nature of government owned corporations and the public responsibilities of private service providers have presented new constitutional puzzles. The chapter focuses on a particular case-study to introduce the relevant dilemmas and conundrums. It determines whether and to what extent an industry ombudsman concerned with the resolution of consumer complaints about the delivery of essential services can and should be situated within that doctrine. The chapter considers the ombudsman's legal accountability by reference to the review of its decisions by the courts. It outlines in some detail the nature and operation of the innovative Victorian ombudsman scheme. The chapter also examines how, if at all, the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria (EWOV) may be required to provide such an account. EWOV's duty to account politically for its activities and actions is almost non-existent