British public policy and multinationals during the “Dollar Gap” era, 1945–1960

This article examines the role of British exchange and import controls in stimulating the dramatic increase in overseas (particularly American) multinationals in Britain from the end of the Second World War to the late 1950s, together with the ways in which the government used controls to regulate the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow. Exchange controls were both an important stimulus to inward investment and a powerful and flexible means of regulating its volume and character. Government was relatively successful in using these powers to maximize the dollar balance and industrial benefits of FDI to Britain, given initially severe dollar and capacity constraints, and in liberalizing policy once these constraints receded and competition from other FDI hosts intensified.

Public policy and foreign-based enterprises in Britain prior to the Second World War

This article examines the early evolution of British policy, prior to the Second World War. The British government adopted an ‘open’ policy towards foreign direct investment (FDI), despite periodic fears that some foreign acquisitions of UK firms in key sectors might be detrimental to the national interest, and a few ad hoc attempts to deal with particular instances of this kind. During the 1930s, when the inflow of foreign firms accelerated following Britain's adoption of general tariff protection, the government developed a sophisticated admissions policy, based on an assessment of the likely net benefit of each applicant to the British economy. Its limited regulatory powers were used to maximize the potential of immigrant firms for technology transfer, enhanced competition, industrial diversification, and employment creation (particularly in the depressed regions), while protecting British industries suffering from excess capacity.

Offensive advertising, public policy, and the law: the rulings on the Zagorka case

This paper examines the case of a controversial beer advertisement which was promulgated in Bulgaria in 2001, and which provoked eight lawsuits against the brewery, its advertising agency, and the Bulgarian National Television. The case set a precedent in Bulgaria and generated considerable public interest and debate. To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first case in Eastern Europe when individuals have challenged companies in the courts of law because of offence caused by an advertisement. The present study discusses how the public bodies responsible for protecting consumer interests and the courts of first instance assessed the advertisement in the context of Bulgarian public policy regarding offensive advertising.

Chinese multinationals and public policy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the interaction between large Chinese firms as they internationalize and their home and host governments. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is that of an analysis of relevant literature and the application of a popular theoretical framework by Rugman and Verbeke to the case of Chinese firms as they expand abroad. Findings – First, the paper adapts a well-known business-government framework to analyze emerging economy issues, all in a Chinese context. Then the paper relates this analysis to the existing literature on the international expansion process of Chinese firms. The paper finds that in their attempt to seek strategic assets, Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs) face conflicts with host countries and Western firms in which host government support for international competitiveness can be used as quasi protectionist defense mechanisms. Using the public policy and MNE framework, the paper examines several recent disputes and finds that Chinese MNEs have complementary goals with the Chinese state, but they have conflicting goals with Western governments. Originality/value – These findings have important academic research, managerial, and public policy implications.

The drivers of corporate climate change strategies and public policy: a new resource-based view perspective

Effective public policy to mitigate climate change footprints should build on data-driven analysis of firm-level strategies. This article’s conceptual approach augments the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and identifies investments in four firm-level resource domains (Governance, Information management, Systems, and Technology [GISTe]) to develop capabilities in climate change impact mitigation. The authors denote the resulting framework as the GISTe model, which frames their analysis and public policy recommendations. This research uses the 2008 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) database, with high-quality information on firm-level climate change strategies for 552 companies from North America and Europe. In contrast to the widely accepted myth that European firms are performing better than North American ones, the authors find a different result. Many firms, whether European or North American, do not just “talk” about climate change impact mitigation, but actually do “walk the talk.” European firms appear to be better than their North American counterparts in “walk I,” denoting attention to governance, information management, and systems. But when it comes down to “walk II,” meaning actual Technology-related investments, North American firms’ performance is equal or superior to that of the European companies. The authors formulate public policy recommendations to accelerate firm-level, sector-level, and cluster-level implementation of climate change strategies.

Commitment of the Mentally Ill in Maine: a History of Public Policy

This paper traces the historical development in the State of Maine of the procedures by which persons found to be mentally unsound can be committed to institutional care against their will. Beginning in 1820 and continuing to the present, specific changes in the statutes governing this area are noted. Both the criminal and civil commitment procedures are dealt with. Following the historical trace, pending legislation relating to the criminal commitment process is examined in detail. Finally, consideration is given to the need for a complete reexamination of the practice of involuntary commitment involving ethical and constitutional issues.

A note on growth, welfare and public policy

In this note the growth anti welfare effects of fiscal anti monetary policies are investigated in three economies where public investment is part of the productive process It is shown that growth is maximized at positive levels of income tax and inflation but that there is no direct relationship between government size, productivity and growth or between inflation and growth. However, unless there are no transfers or public goods in the economy, maximization of growth does not imply welfare maximization and the optimal tax rate and government size are greater than those that maximize growth. Money is not superneutral anti the optimal rate of money creation is below the maximizing rate of growth.

Reengenharia social: reconstruindo o BOP em novas bases sociais

Esta pesquisa propõe um modelo teórico chamado de Reengenharia Social onde os quatro atores governo, sociedade civil, academia e empresas atuam de forma interconectada com o objetivo de promover o inferior da pirâmide para o topo. Considerou-se os conceitos de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa, Sustentabilidade e Estratégia voltados para os países em desenvolvimento sob um novo olhar para o BOP: como mercado produtivo. O modelo retrata o processo através do qual os quatro atores atuam num ciclo virtuoso com oportunidades para o inferior da pirâmide com benefícios mútuos, sugerindo como consequência a redução da pobreza. As implicações deste modelo são examinadas para futuras pesquisas no processo de redução da pobreza.

Implementação da política de assistência social em Mossoró/RN : uma avaliação a partir dos centros de referência da assistência social

The current National Policy for Social Assistance (PNAS) is the instrument that regulates the organization and procedures of social-welfare actions. Developed and approved in 2004 since the Unified Social Assistance System (ITS) was crated in 2003, it reaffirms the democratic principles of the Social Assistance Organic Law (LOAS) focusing on the universalization of social rights and equality of rights when accessing the social-welfare system. In the SUAS point of view, the PNAS highlights the information, monitoring and evaluation fields for being the best way to assure the regulation, organization and control by the Federal Government paying attention to the principles of decentralization and participation. This political-institutional rearrangement occurs through the pact among all the three federal entities. The pact deals with the implementation of the task. It says that it has to be shared between the federal autonomous entities, established by dividing responsibilities. To the cities, considered as the smallest territorial unit of the federation and closer to the population, was given the primary responsibility, which is to feed and maintain the database of SUAS NETWORK and identify families living in situations of social vulnerability. In addition to these responsibilities, the cities that have full autonomy in the management of their actions, have the responsibility to organize the basic social protection and the special social protection, that using the Center of Social Assistance Reference (CRAS) and the Center of Specialized Social Assistance Reference (CREAS), are responsible for the provision of programs, projects and services that strengthen the family and community; that promote people who are able to enjoy the benefits of the Continuing benefit of Provisions (BPC) and transfer of incomes; that hold the infringed rights on its territory; that maximize the protective role of families and strengthen its users organization. In Mossoró/RN, city classified as autonomous in the social assistance management, has five units of CRAS that, for being public utilities, are considered the main units of basic social protection, since they are responsible for the connection between the other institutions that compose the network of local social protection. Also known as Family House, the CRAS, among other programs and services, offers the Integral Attention to Families Program (PAIF), Juvenile ProJovem Program, socio-educational coexistence services programs, as well as sending people to other public policies and social-welfare services network, provides information, among others. In this large field, social workers are highlighted as keys to implement the policy of social assistance within the city, followed by psychologists and educators. They should be effective public employees, as a solution to ensure that the provision of the services are to be continued, provided to the population living around the units. However, what we can find here is inattention to the standard rules of social assistance, which not only undermines the quality of programs and services, but also the consolidation of policy on welfare as public policy of social rights

Desenvolvimento e assistência social : uma avaliação da efetividade da política de assistência social nos municípios de Assú e Mossoró (2004 -2008)

This thesis, whose title is DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE: AN EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION IN SOCIAL ASSISTENCE POLICY IN THE CITIES OF ASSÚ AND MOSSORÓ/RN (2004/2008), has as main aim to evaluate effectiveness in Social Assistance Policy in the cities of Assu and Mossoró/RN, from 2004 to 2008, identifying its impacts and effects in life of its users. The methodological process for the research was composed by: a) Literature review on this theme, development of public policies; social public policies, public policy evaluation and Social Assistance Policy in Brazil; b) Documental research from Municipal Management of Social Development and Municipal Counsels of Social Assistance in the cities of Assu and Mossoró/RN about the object of this study and empirical field; c) Field Research constituted by the realization of Focal Groups with Social Assistance users and semistructured interviews with municipal managers from Assú and Mossoró. It was also taken into account participant observations in events and activities related to Social Assistance previously mentioned, considering field management and also the response to users demands. Articulating the themes of Development and Public Social Policy in Social Assistance was the theoretical purpose for this thesis. To achieve this purpose, it was performed two theoretical displacements related, at the same time, to the notion of development and to the concept of Social Assistance, which means to comprehend development as social change and improvement in users life quality, expressed in the expansion of their capacities and liberties (SEN, 1993, 2000), and the Social Assistance as an element for development. Such displacements provide a view of Public policy and Social Policies and evaluate National Policy of Social Assistance achieved in those cities. As product, this thesis presents a methodological purpose for effectiveness evaluation in Public Policy, taking into account expansion of capacities and liberties, concluding that Social Assistance Policy in Assú and Mossoró/RN, even in lesser extent had its impact and caused effective results in the life of their users and provided an expansion of their capacities and liberties, improving life quality and empowered agent condition for those subjects. The results show that this Policy has been proved to be effective, and consequently, it was considered, in this thesis, to be also an element and an allied for development

As faces do corredor cultural de Mossoró-RN: cenários e práticas sociais

This work aims to understand the ways in which the social practices and the scenery within a public space located at the city centre of Mossoró - RN, named `The Cultural Corridor` , are constructed. The public space in question will be looked at and analyzed considering it`s components and specificities that, in relation to each other, work as a `public scenario`. The concept of `scenario` is the key for explaining the human actions in the physical space, that is, in the Cultural Corridor. This work also discusses about the action of the public in general and the political groups, and their relationship, within the context of the social practices related to the use of the Cultural Corridor`s space

Latin America and the Caribbean in the transition to a knowledge-based society: an agenda for public policy

Includes bibliography

Toward a conceptual framework and public policy agenda for the information society in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Regional integration and public policy. Evaluation of the European experience and possible implications for Latin American integration

Includes bibliography