Commentary : Obesity - why governments must act

The commercial drivers of the obesity epidemic are so influential that obesity can be considered a robust sign of commercial success – consumers are buying more food, more cars, and more energy-saving machines (1). It is unlikely that these powerful economic forces will change sufficiently in response to consumer desires to eat less and move more, or to corporate desires to be more socially responsible. When the 'free market' creates substantial population detriments and health inequalities, government policies are needed to change the ground-rules in favour of population benefits.

Political competition and environmental reporting: evidence from New Zealand local governments

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between "political competition" and "environmental reporting" by New Zealand local governments. Design/methodology/approach - The research method includes a longitudinal analysis of environmental reporting by New Zealand local governments in their annual reports for the financial years 2005-2006 to 2009-2010. "Content analysis" was used to attach scores to the extent of environmental reporting. The "number of candidates divided by the number of available positions at the previous election" was used as the proxy for "political competition". Findings - The study reports a positive relationship between "political competition" and "environmental reporting" in 2007-2008. The number of local governments reporting voluntary environmental information increased in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 compared to 2005-2006, followed by a reduction in such numbers following the 2007-2008 financial year. This trend in disclosure can be attributed to the local government elections in October 2007. This finding is consistent with the expectation of "agency theory" and provides insight into the pattern of perceived agency costs. The study also finds a dearth in reporting "monetary" and "bad" news. Originality/value - The study contributes towards the previous literature on environmental reporting by concentrating on the public sector and New Zealand, together with investigating the relationship of such reporting with "political competition" through a longitudinal analysis. The theoretical contribution of this study is the adoption of "agency theory" in the context of public sector voluntary reporting and investigating the significance attached by agents to environmental reporting to minimise agency cost. The practical contribution of the study is in the area of future development of reporting standards in regards to environmental reporting.

Rural realities: digital communication challenges for rural Australian local governments

Purpose – This article explores challenges for rural Australian local governments during the transition to high-speed broadband infrastructure. Despite the National Broadband Network’s promised ubiquitous connectivity, significant access discrepancies remain between rural and urban areas.Methodology – Empirical findings are drawn from a full-day workshop on digital connectivity, which included participants from seven rural local governments in New South Wales, Australia. Thematic analysis of the workshop transcript was undertaken in order to extrapolate recurring nuances of rural digital exclusion. Findings – Rural communities face inequitable prospects for digital inclusion, and authorities confront dual issues of accommodating connected and unconnected citizens. Many areas have no or poor broadband access, and different digital engagement expectations are held by citizens and local governments. Citizens seek interactive opportunities, but rural authorities often lack the necessary resources to offer advanced participatory practices. Research limitations/implications – While this research draws from a small sample of government officials, their insights are nonetheless heuristically valuable in identifying connectivity issues faced in rural Australia. These issues can guide further research into other regions as well as civic experiences of digital inclusion. Practical/social implications – There is a need to reconceive Australia’s current policy approach to broadband. Greater rural digital inclusion may be achieved by focusing on connectivity as a public interest goal, targeting infrastructure developments to suit local contexts, and implementing participatory digital government practices. Originality/value – The actions suggested would help ensure equity of digital inclusion across Australian municipal areas. Without such changes, there is a risk of rural citizens facing further marginalisation through digital exclusion.

The financing of subnational governments

Includes bibliography

The reactions of the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to the international crisis: an overview of policy measures up to 31 May 2009

Includes bibliography

The reactions of the governments of the Americas to the international crisis: an overview of policy measures up to 31 December 2009

Includes bibliography

The reactions of the Governments of the Americas to the international crisis: follow-up to policy measures adopted up to 31 December 2011. (Preliminary version)

Includes Bibliography

A preliminary assessment of the policies implemented by the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean in response to the crisis - May 2010 Meeting

Includes bibliography

Fiscal rules for subnational governments in the EMU context

Includes bibliography

Non-tax revenue of subnational governments: theoretical background, experience from an international perspective and recommendations

Includes bibliography

Consistency of the population projections prepared by CELADE with those of the national governments

El CELADE elabora proyecciones nacionales de poblacion para los 20 paises de la region, en la mayoria de los casos en colaboracion con las oficinas gubernamentales, lo que le otorga a aquellas un caracter oficial. El Centro tambien asesora a los paises en la elaboracion de proyecciones especificas y presta asistencia tecnica; en forma reciente ha disenado un paquete computacional para la preparacion y analisis preliminares de las proyecciones de poblacion. Los problemas mas frecuentes que surgen del trabajo conjunto con los paises dicen relacion con la rotacion del personal administrativo y profesional, la falta de personal calificado, la formulacion de metas no consistentes con la realidad demografica del pais.

External debt: why don't our governments do the obvious?

Examina el proceso de la renegociacion de la deuda externa y la necesidad de instaurar una logica mas compatible con los intereses de los paises latinoamericanos. Expone como condicion necesaria para lograrlo, la capacidad de los liderazgos politicos para presentar a sus pueblos las verdaderas opciones, asi como los costos y riesgos de cada una de ellas.