Moving Towards Performance-Based Specifications in Public Procurement

There are environmental benefits associated with the procurement of services instead of, or in addition to, discrete products. Under the right conditions, transitioning to a more service-intensive purchasing model can reduce natural resource consumption in the production, use and disposal phases of product life cycles. Generally, financial savings can be realized too—even in the short term. In order for public procurers who purchase goods, services, buildings and infrastructure on a significant scale to take advantage of these potential savings and benefits, performancebased specifications are invaluable tools. Performance-based specifications allow public authorities to specify their needs in general terms by describing what general functions they require (e.g. lighting, mobility, information management) rather than specifying the minute details of the inputs and process required to get there. The private sector can then innovate and generate savings in resource use and in operating costs. Generally speaking, suppliers are better suited than public procurers to know what options are available in the market, or to innovate and commercialize towards new products and services in order to meet a required performance level. Performance-based specifications are thus a tool with which, under the right conditions, public procurers can stimulate markets to deliver innovative and environmentally sound solutions

ADHD Medication Protocols in the College Setting: A Standardized Student Provider Agreement

Purpose. Stimulant medication use and abuse is growing throughout the country, especially on college campuses. Diversion, through selling or giving of stimulant medication among college students is a common practice. Over half of college students currently taking a stimulant for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) report diverting medication to a peer at least once. Reasons for misuse of stimulants include increased academic performance, increased attention, weight loss, and increased motivation. A standardized student provider agreement was needed for the student population at a small private college health center given a lack of clear expectations for the use of stimulants for ADHD treatment therapy. The nurse practitioners (NPs) of this college health center identified the need for a new agreement, and also identified the need for an educational session for providers to discuss current diversion statistics and best practice for reducing diversion of stimulant medications. Methods. A closed question pre-test survey was administered to health center NPs to assess knowledge and comfort level in addressing stimulant medication diversion. The current best practice components of existing student provider agreements were reviewed, followed by a post-test survey. Based on discussion during the educational intervention, NP preferences were incorporated into a drafted student-provider agreement followed by iterative refinement of the agreement by the NPs. Results. The educational session was held with 100% attendance from NPs. All pretest and posttests were completed, with results demonstrating increased comfort and knowledge regarding best practice. Over the course of one semester, a student-provider stimulant therapy agreement was successfully developed. Conclusion. The education session resulted in improved participation in best practice guideline changes. The student provider agreement was approved by health center NPs and will be implemented in the fall 2018 academic year

The Impact of a Summer Workshop: Staff Orientation at Mesa Community College

The Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (ACEPT) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to reform teacher preparation in Arizona. One of the major modes for initiating both collaboration and reform between and among university and community college staff has been the Summer Faculty Enhancement Workshops developed and offered by ACEPT co-principal investigators each summer since 1996. The summer of 1999 featured five workshops, one of which was the Geology Summer Workshop which brought participants into close contact with eighteen reformed practices appropriate for large lecture style classes. One of the nineteen participants was Ray Grant, Department of Science Chair at Mesa Community College, one of the collaborating institutions in ACEPT. This report describes what Ray, as department chair, did as a follow-up to the summer workshop. What occurred completely transformed the Department of Science staff orientation meeting held just prior to the fall semester. Some of the surprising events are described in this report. The transformation of the staff meeting not only speaks to the impact of the Geology Summer Workshop, but also suggests creative roles for staff orientation meetings in community college settings

Automobile sales in perspective

Automobile industry and trade

Effective versus Statutory Taxation: Measuring Effective Tax Administration in Transition Economies

Wide differences between effective or realised average tax rates and tax yields that would result if statutory tax rates were strictly applied indicate tax compliance and collection problems. Due to the greater politicisation of tax systems in transition economies (TEs), we would expect the shortfalls in effective tax yields for TEs to be larger than a benchmark for the mature market economies where tax systems are well established, the administrative capacity is stronger and tax arrears are tolerated less frequently. The methodology involves calculating an effective/statutory (E/S) tax ratio. Initial results indicate that the leading TEs have E/S ratios similar to the EU average. We find a positive correlation between progress in transition and effective tax administration, as measured by our E/S ratio. For slow reformers, the effectiveness of tax collection appears to vary with the extent of state control. Those TEs that have maintained the apparatus of the state have done well in tax collection compared to those countries where there is evidence of state decay. This raises a number of broad policy issues relating to the speed of transition, the interaction of politics and economic reforms, the capacity of the state to govern and the need for market institutions to develop.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39731/3/wp347.pd

Effective versus Statutory Taxation: Measuring Effective Tax Administration in Transition Economies

Wide differences between effective or realised average tax rates and tax yields that would result if statutory tax rates were strictly applied indicate tax compliance and collection problems. Due to the greater politicisation of tax systems in transition economies (TEs), we would expect the shortfalls in effective tax yields for TEs to be larger than a benchmark for the mature market economies where tax systems are well established, the administrative capacity is stronger and tax arrears are tolerated less frequently. The methodology involves calculating an effective/statutory (E/S) tax ratio. Initial results indicate that the leading TEs have E/S ratios similar to the EU average. We find a positive correlation between progress in transition and effective tax administration, as measured by our E/S ratio. For slow reformers, the effectiveness of tax collection appears to vary with the extent of state control. Those TEs that have maintained the apparatus of the state have done well in tax collection compared to those countries where there is evidence of state decay. This raises a number of broad policy issues relating to the speed of transition, the interaction of politics and economic reforms, the capacity of the state to govern and the need for market institutions to develop.statutory taxation, average tax rate, tax collection, effective administration, transition economies

A primer on inflation: its conception, its costs, its consequences

Inflation (Finance)

Oil price controls: a counterproductive effort

Petroleum industry and trade

Economic pause - some perspective and interpretation

Economic conditions

Inflation and taxes: disincentives for capital formation

Inflation (Finance) ; Taxation