LL.D. / Powers are granted to local authorities in South Africa by way of the specification of each power in the empowering legislation. The possibility has been mooted to change this way of empowerment to a specification of powers, combined with an additional general grant of powers to the effect that local authorities be authorized to do anything which may be required in order to perform their functions. Such a general form of authorization is in accordance with the situation in France and other continental systems as well as the majority of the federal states comprising the United States of America...

The foster care system is responsible for taking care of society’s most vulnerable children and it is important that the system can be reformed as needed to meet the needs of these children. Institutional reform litigation is an ineffective method of improving the child welfare system and should no longer be relied upon. Although widely used institutional reform litigation is not efficient or effective in improving the foster care system. Litigation is unsuccessful in achieving reform because it does not embrace collaboration, cooperation, or communication but instead fosters a hostile environment in which the agencies under court mandate are expected to enact change. In 2006, two new organizations were established in California, the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care and the California Child Welfare Council. Both of these organizations created recommendations for improving foster care. Unlike institutional reform litigation, these two organizations worked collaboratively with various agencies and government branches in order to come up with recommendations that were feasible. These two organizations provide a method of reform that is less myopic and more supportive, allowing for meaningful improvements within California’s foster care system.

This study explores the ways in which federal and state authorities have sought to deal with a difficult problem of political power in the context of the U.S. Constitution. Oregon reapportionment history offers an appropriate introduction to a critique of the national reapportionment decisions of Baker vs Carr and Reynolds vs Sims. Its Constitution stipulated population and the ratio derived from a population based formula were the means by which apportionment was to be determined and noncompliance had been particularly evident from 1933 to 1952. Also, by the initiative process and a decision by the Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon had resolved its reapportionment problem before national action was taken, demonstrating that a state could resolve such problems without national intervention. The critique of Baker vs Carr is an attempt to examine the soundness of its judicial logic and thereby to demonstrate the impact it has had in perpetrating certain concepts of government. The data consulted included interviews with people directly involved in the events considered, Supreme Court decisions, secondary studies, state documents containing legislative minutes and exhibits. Oregon reapportionment history shows the ability of a state to solve a controversial political problem through the initiative process. However, the judicial logic in Baker vs Carr has created a new majoritarian philosophy of government that is unmindful of traditional concepts of federalism, and the Oregon experience.

The process of judicial decision-making is not well understood. This paper has tried to shed some light on that process by examining the impact of presentence report recommendations upon the sentences handed down by the judges of a circuit court. Very little empirical work has been done on this problem, even though the presentence report recommendation is generally regarded by those in the judicial system as extremely important to the sentencing process.

Passed in May 19, 1977, House Bill no.92 of the 99th General Assembly provides ongoing funding from Washington County, Tennessee for the establishment and maintenance of the Washington County Cooperative Law Library. Located in East Tennessee State University's Sherrod Library, the Cooperative Law Collection provides an openly accessible and free law library to the citizens of Northeast Tennessee.

The Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana, established by the first state constitution (1812) as the only appellate court in the judicial system, commenced its work on March 1, 1813. The Court's jurisdiction was limited to civil cases. It also had control over admissions to the bar and the rules for the administration of its own business. Created in the wake of the conflict between proponents of Louisiana's traditional civil law system and the promulgators of the federal government's territorial policy of common law imposition, the Supreme Court reinforced the ultimately accepted continuance of civil law within the limitations of the United States Constitution and Statutes. The First Minute Book of the Supreme Court is a small, yet significant, part of the documentation of the Court's past. It is a segment of the extensive Louisiana Supreme Court records housed in the Department of Archives and Manuscripts of the Earl K. Long Library at the University of New Orleans. Dating from March, 1813 to May, 1818, the 340-page manuscript details the business of the Court's sessions at New Orleans, the seat of the eastern appellate district. Daily entries include the judges present, the cases before the Court, the disposition of cases, Court rules, and admissions to the bar. The purpose of this edition is to provide a readable, accessible, and comprehensible document for use by the scholarly and research community. With the addition of missing docket numbers which serve as access points to Supreme Court case records and the annotation of persons, cases, and legal terms, the manuscript becomes an important guide for further investigation. The rendition of the text conforms to modern practices of historical editing recommended in the Harvard Guide to American History. No attempt was made to produce a facsimile of the original.

Information technology has transformed the manner in which personal identifying information is collected, stored and shared in government agencies and private businesses. The social security number has become the de facto identifier for individuals due to its notable qualities: a nine-digit number assigned to one person by the United States government. As individuals are increasingly asked to disclose personal information, the question arises: How does the lack of awareness of social security number laws contribute to the loss of privacy, loss of control of personal information and the threat of identity theft? This study examines awareness levels of social security number laws and policies that affect individuals’ daily lives from the perspective of the information science profession. This study also examines concerns relative to widespread usage of the social security number. A quantitative research method using an online survey was employed using convenience and snowball sampling of adult university students and other community members. Survey results were analyzed by age, gender, educational achievement and student status. Awareness levels were shown to differ significantly by age. There were no differences in overall concern found to exist by any demographic. Survey results showed libraries were consulted for privacy information less often than search engines. Study findings support increasing awareness levels of privacy laws by encouraging use of library resources.

Information technology has transformed the manner in which personal identifying information is collected, stored and shared in government agencies and private businesses. The social security number has become the de facto identifier for individuals due to its notable qualities: a nine-digit number assigned to one person by the United States government. As individuals are increasingly asked to disclose personal information, the question arises: How does the lack of awareness of social security number laws contribute to the loss of privacy, loss of control of personal information and the threat of identity theft? This study examines awareness levels of social security number laws and policies that affect individuals’ daily lives from the perspective of the information science profession. This study also examines concerns relative to widespread usage of the social security number. A quantitative research method using an online survey was employed using convenience and snowball sampling of adult university students and other community members. Survey results were analyzed by age, gender, educational achievement and student status. Awareness levels were shown to differ significantly by age. There were no differences in overall concern found to exist by any demographic. Survey results showed libraries were consulted for privacy information less often than search engines. Study findings support increasing awareness levels of privacy laws by encouraging use of library resources.

submitted by Li Jiehui. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-126). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.v / Abstract --- p.vi / Abbreviations --- p.viii / Tables and figures --- p.ix / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- The research question --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The research method --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- The legal and political scales --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- The adaptation of Page's method in China --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- The utilities of the two scales --- p.6 / Chapter 1.3 --- The research plan --- p.8 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Central-local relations in China: an overview --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1 --- Major reforms in central-local relations --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2 --- Provinces under the economic cycle --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3 --- The case of Guangdong --- p.14 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Legal assessment I: China --- p.16 / Chapter 3.1 --- The general legal framework --- p.17 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Omni-competence --- p.17 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Dual subordination --- p.18 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- The role of the Party --- p.20 / Chapter 3.2 --- Legal documents and opportunities --- p.21 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- National laws --- p.21 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Administrative regulations --- p.22 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Government/Party documents --- p.24 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Local legislation --- p.27 / Chapter 3.3 --- Assessing legal localism --- p.28 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Legal assessment II: Guangdong --- p.30 / Chapter 4.1 --- Build up a legal framework: 1979-1988 --- p.31 / Chapter 4.2 --- Recession: 1989-1990 --- p.34 / Chapter 4.3 --- Legislation of interests: 1991 -now --- p.34 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- The case of the regulation for property registration --- p.37 / Chapter 4.4 --- Development of other provinces: a comparison --- p.40 / Chapter 4.5 --- Major findings --- p.43 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Political assessment I: China --- p.44 / Chapter 5.1 --- Page's methodology --- p.44 / Chapter 5.2 --- The conventional approach --- p.45 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- The National People's Congress --- p.46 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- The CCP Politburo --- p.48 / Chapter 5.3 --- The mechanism of maintaining local representation --- p.50 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Patron-clientelism in Italy --- p.50 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Reciprocal accountability and particularism in China --- p.51 / Chapter 5.4 --- Assessing political localism --- p.53 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Political assessment II: Guangdong --- p.55 / Chapter 6.1 --- 1979-1984: harmonious central-Guangdong relations --- p.55 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Preparation of the special policies --- p.56 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- Contents of the special policies --- p.57 / Chapter 6.1.3 --- Ren Zhongyi' s period --- p.58 / Chapter 6.1.4 --- Central criticism and Guangdong' response --- p.59 / Chapter 6.1.5 --- The first five years of reform --- p.61 / Chapter 6.2 --- 1985-1988: the climax of Guangdong's autonomy --- p.62 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- State Council Document (1985) No46 --- p.62 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- State Council Correspondence (1988) No25 --- p.64 / Chapter 6.3 --- 1989-1997: defending local autonomy --- p.66 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Economic retrenchment and Guangdong's response --- p.66 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Introduction of tax-sharing system --- p.68 / Chapter 6.3.3 --- Resisting “northerners´ح --- p.70 / Chapter 6.3.4 --- The coming of outsiders --- p.71 / Chapter 6.4 --- Major findings --- p.72 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- The trend of change --- p.74 / Chapter 7.1 --- The connection between legal and political localism --- p.75 / Chapter 7.1.1 --- Scenario I --- p.75 / Chapter 7.1.2 --- Scenario II --- p.78 / Chapter 7.1.3 --- Scenario III --- p.80 / Chapter 7.1.4 --- Some observation --- p.84 / Chapter 7.2 --- Implications on institutionalization --- p.85 / Chapter 7.2.1 --- Definition of institutionalization --- p.85 / Chapter 7.2.2 --- The lack of institutionalization in China --- p.86 / Chapter 7.2.3 --- Institutionalization and Guangdong --- p.88 / Chapter 7.3 --- Legal localism: a desirable outcome --- p.91 / Chapter 7.3.1 --- Major features of political localism and legal legalism --- p.91 / Chapter 7.3.2 --- Implications on institutionalization --- p.96 / Chapter 7.3.3 --- Desirability of legal localism --- p.98 / Chapter 7.3.4 --- The course towards legal localism --- p.98 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.102 / Chapter 8.1 --- Legal centralism and political localism --- p.102 / Chapter 8.2 --- The lack of institutionalization --- p.103 / Chapter 8.3 --- The prospects: legal localism or dual localism --- p.104 / Chapter 8.4 --- Directions for further studies --- p.106 / Appendices / Chapter I --- A complete list of local legislation of Guangdong --- p.108 / Chapter II --- "Leaders of Guangdong Province, 1949-1998" --- p.118 / References --- p.119

Globalization has significantly increased the number of stakeholders in transnational issues in recent decades. The typical list of the new players in global affairs often includes non-state actors like non-governmental organizations, multinational corporations, and international organizations. Sub-national governments, however, have been given relatively little attention even though they, too, have a significant interest and ability to shape the increasing flow of capital, goods, services, people, and ideas that has so profoundly influenced the global political economy in recent decades. California, arguably the most significant among sub-national governments – its economy would be seventh or eighth in the world at $2.2 trillion annually, it engages in over $570 billion in merchandise trade, and has a population of nearly 40 million, out of which over 10 million are immigrants – is also one of the most active in transnational issues. The state government has opened and closed dozens trade offices abroad since the 1960s. It set up a multi-billion dollar carbon cap-and-trade system jointly with the Canadian provinces of Québec and Ontario under Assembly Bill 32, one of the most significant pieces of climate change legislation to date. California’s educational, technological, and media hubs – its public and private universities, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood – draw some of the best and brightest from around the world. California also has a long history of involvement in transnational issues. State efforts to undermine growing Chinese then Japanese “menace” immigrant populations from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries influenced United States foreign policy. This thesis first takes a look at the federalism and international relations issues faced by California as it plays a greater role in transnational issues. Then, it examines the main actors and institutions, and the issues at play. The states have some leeway under the Constitution and contemporary political order to use their domestic powers to influence global issues, whether through climate legislation, public pension divestment, or non-binding “Memoranda of Understanding” with foreign governments. Such behavior, while less significant than national policy, can fill gaps in national policy, promote policy change, and deepen global ties, promoting a more complex interdependence among nations. California can also exert a moral, soft power influence in leading by example. The structures promoting California’s growing role in transnational issues are poorly organized. If the Golden State is to better leverage its political, economic, and moral authority internationally, it would do well to more explicitly develop a unified vision for its role in the world.