Search results

The Haitian gourde is one of the most curious and exotic currencies of the world. On it is printed the striking statement: “The banknote, in conformity with the Constitution of the . Republic of Haiti, is payable to the bearer in legal money of the United States of America at the rate of five gourdes for one dollar.” Amazingly, the gourde stands exactly where it was set by the Convention of April 12, 1919 at five gourdes per dollar. This fixity in the exchange rate is a remarkable achievement of an otherwise totally squalid economy record, which has been made very much due to the total convertibility of gourdes into dollars and their easy co‐existence and use in Haiti. Such a feat runs counter to early suggestions in the newly developing currency substitution literature that currency competition promotes instability in rates. A very different story emerges due west on the largest English‐speaking island in the Caribbean, Jamaica, where monetary turbulence has been the rule since 1978. The currency there was initially backed 50 percent by pounds sterling when the Bank of Jamaica began operation in May 1961, but switched to a dollar peg in January 1973 at $1,10 US, a rate maintained through 1977. After the economic problems of 1976–77, the Jamaican dollar was devalued 15½ percent in January 1978 and, under the strong advice of the International Monetary Fund, a further 32 percent in May 1978. Following was a “crawling peg” devaluation of 1½ percent per month until October 1978, then 1 percent a month until May 1979, when the current dollar peg of 56.13 cents per Jamaican dollar was established. This dramatic decline in the currency was caused in part by expansionary monetary policies of the Bank of Jamaica monetizing budget deficits, and in part by the decline in tourism, the fall in bauxite and steel output, and the oil shocks Jamaica experienced. (From 1974 to 1979, the government budget deficit went from 168 million Jamaican dollars (J$) to 551 mill J$ with a peak of 625 million in 1978, holdings of government debt by the central bank from 72 to 898 mill J$, and net foreign assets or reserves of the central bank plunged from 141 to minus 778 mill J$ (Source: International Financial Statistics, IMF 1980 Yearbook and IFS January 1981 issue).) The International Monetary Fund set specific performance criteria such as devaluation and ceilings on government budget deficits for successive draws on a substantial loan of 351 million U.S. dollars or 360 percent of Jamaica's quota at the end of 1979.

Radical reform of the health and community care sectors has been a major undertaking of recent Conservative governments. The 1989 White Papers Working for Patients and Caring for People, together with subsequent development, have introduced a significant restructuring of both services. The essence of this is the creation of what has been variously called a planned market (Saltman and Von Otter, 1992), a quasi‐market (LeGrand). This in turn reflects a wider trend in redefining the role and nature of the welfare state within western democratic societies. This is captured by notions of “enabling” and “contracting” — hence the term “the contract state”.

In September 2001, the Professional Headship Induction Programme was implemented in Wales. This programme is intended to support the professional development of new headteachers and is made up of a professional headship profile, mentor support, peer networking and a directory of training resources. The programme was developed by a consortium comprising the Glamorgan University, the educational advisory service for the Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda‐Cynon‐Taf local education authorities, the Welsh Primary Schools Association and the Welsh Secondary Schools Association. This paper describes the programme and its development and, on the basis of interviews with those involved, reports the tensions and shifts that emerged during the development process. These include the timescale of the development, the programme structure and content, determination of the balance between support and challenge for new headteachers, historical and political tensions and the inter‐relationship between the participants in the development. In the final section, success factors are identified.

This paper is an application of the Girton‐Roper (G‐R) exchange market pressure model to Mexico for the period 1953 through 1980. The analysis is both a test of the basic thesis of the model as well as an attempt to incorporate improvements in the model as suggested by recent literature on the monetary approach to the balance of payment.

The aim of the chapter is to examine whether the challenges to administering the EU outlined by Les Metcalfe in his famous article, ‘After 1992, can the Commission manage Europe?’ have now been met. Metcalfe not only identified a ‘management deficit’ in the implementation of the single market programme arising from an oversight among policy makers, but highlighted a neglect of the administrative dimension of European integration among scholars.

The chapter draws on primary and secondary literature to track developments in respect of the three elements identified by Metcalfe: the small size of the European Commission, its poor internal coordination and weak leadership; the responsiveness of administrative bodies in the member states to the need for inter-organizational coordination; and the network-building and management capacity of the Commission.

Despite changes, such as further enlargement, agencification at national and EU levels, and the expansion of EU competencies that have exacerbated the management challenge confronting the EU, there have been significant developments that have closed the deficit. First, the Commission has become far better integrated, coordination upgraded, and leadership strengthened. Second, through networking, cooptation and other strategies the Commission has sought to assure the effective implementation and enforcement of the single market rules. Third, member state governments, ministries and agencies have sought to cultivate networked relations that have increased the manageability of EU administration.

To the knowledge of this author, this is the first attempt to revisit Metcalfe’s diagnosis and to review the extent to which the management deficit he identified has been addressed subsequently.

The chapter has implications for how inter-organizational coordination within the EU administrative system could be improved.

The chapter bears on the administrative capacity of the EU to deliver the policies decided by EU policy makers.

As well as offering an assessment of the extent to which progress has been made in addressing the management deficit identified by Les Metcalfe in his classic article, this chapter conceptualizes the EU administration as an entity that encompasses both EU institutions and administrative bodies in the member states. It advances the concept of the EU as a multi-level administration.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the introduction of a quality assurance system in a new, private university in Syria, and considers the extent to which the theoretical model based on institutional theory and isomorphism is reflected in practice.

A five year longitudinal study which reviews the design, implementation and embedding of a quality assurance system was undertaken. The approach reflects on the prevailing practice and adoption of quality assurance systems at key points throughout the existence of the institution.

The findings show that for any organisation or institution which is creating a new model, which is outside the conventional or prevailing models of the sector, there will be multiple challenges.

The research was conducted during the many visits made throughout the period, but the changes witnessed to key staff at Kalamoon throughout the five years has impacted on the institutionalisation model, and generated both increased and reduced isomorphic responses from staff at various points in the study.

The paper is a useful source of information to any new organisation creating policies and processes which they hope will quickly become embedded within the organisational culture, especially in countries where strong state leadership has been the historical norm.

The paper reports on the first private university in Kalamoon, Syria, and the strategies adopted to deliver the quality assurance agenda. In addition, it uses the theoretical approach of institutionalization in a novel manner.

The literature concerning the subject of inflation and relative prices has been growing so fast in the last few years that a review in chronological order allows for a greater understanding of the subject. This approach is taken here.