Divided government in Canada refers to the common situation when the federal and provincial governments are held by different political parties. The study of divided government can aid in the understanding of voter behaviour. The thesis reviews the relevant literature on divided government, split-ticket voting and party identification in Canada and the United States. From the literature several voter strategies are extracted that describe the possible individual level processes that result in the aggregate outcome of divided government. This linkage, between individual decisions and collective outcomes, is crucial to understanding divided election outcomes and it is to the exploration of this concept that the thesis contributes. Using a dataset of party vote shares in provincial and federal elections from 1904 to 2003, the thesis looks for aggregate effects of the individual level strategies that it identifies. The thesis argues that divided government in Canada is a result of staggered election timing and policy learning across levels which combine to produce a cyclical effect in election results. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

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The purpose of this study is to explore the administrative setting of the Office for Civil Rights, treating especially the functional requisites of agencies: namely, the development of a viable role within its set and the internal necessity of developing among its functionaries a degree of cohesion and sense of common purpose. This case study is designed, moreover, to challenge the naturalistic assumptions of the pluralist model of administrative theory. Chapter I develops the theme of "social engineering agencies" as a distinctively new genre of public agency in the American political setting and adumbrates the theoretical challenges which these organizations present to the conventional pluralist paradigm.

Despite the obvious importance of federation in the political and general history of Australia it has received surprisingly little attention from historians. The three major accounts of the federal movement by Deakin, Wise, and Quick and Garran, were all written during or immediately after the events narrated, by men who had participated in them; though each is a valuable primary document, all exhibit inevitable limitations of bias and concentration on those aspects of the subject best known to the author. The only full length academic study of the federal movement, H.L.Hall's, Victoria's Part in the Australian Federal Movement (London,1931), relies heavily on the earlier accounts, concentrates narrowly on one colony, and is generally disappointing. The excellent scholarly articles more recently published by Parker, Blainey, Bastin, Martin, McMinn, MacCallum et al have been concerned mainly with the reassessment of the role of a few key individuals, and discussion of the significance of economic factors in promoting federation. The general emphasis of the whole corpus of material available is on the domestic politics associated with the federal movement with particular reference to New South Wales and to the eighteen-nineties.

The United States Department of Homeland Security has proposed that the nationâ s system of response to terrorism and catastrophic disasters would be more practical and efficient if handled on a regional basis throughout the country. Regionalization is one of three overall priorities under the National Preparedness Goal. The primary hypothesis is there is a mismatch between the federal governmentâ s expectations of regionalization and the understanding of it by state and local governments. This lack of understanding will negatively impact the expenditure of federal funds in the future. The author proposes that there are six major reasons regionalization may fail and that a change of policy by the federal government will be necessary to increase the chance of success. The reasons include a lack of definition for regionalization; the impact of federalism; the influence of risk-based funding on local interest in regionalization; the impact of home rule and local autonomy; risk and liability questions; and the lack of leadership. Three options are considered including maintaining the same program, creating a Regional Homeland Security Service Agency, and the Regional Council of Governments (RCG) approach.

Les professionnels de l'information traversent actuellement une période de redéfinition de leur profession provoquée par la transformation de l'information et des processus informationnels vers un mode de plus en plus électronique. Les systèmes d'information Web (SIW) — c'est-à-dire des systèmes d'information basés sur les technologies Web tels que les sites Web externes, les intranets, les systèmes de commerce électronique et les extranets — font partie des technologies à l'origine de ces changements. Ces systèmes sont de plus en plus adoptés par les organisations et, en particulier, par les gouvernements dans leur volonté de devenir électroniques. Le gouvernement fédéral canadien est reconnu comme un des plus innovateurs en matière de SIW et doit adapter son environnement informationnel, dont font partie les professionnels de l'information, à l'introduction de ces systèmes. Malgré l'innovation que les SIW représentent, peu d'études empiriques ont été menées pour identifier quels sont les intervenants nécessaires à leur mise en place. Aucun consensus n'émerge de la littérature quant à la nature de l'intervention des professionnels de l'information dans ces systèmes. Cette recherche vise à accroître les connaissances sur l'intervention des professionnels de l'information dans les SIW. Pour les besoins de cette recherche, les professionnels de l'information sont définis comme les personnes ayant une maîtrise en bibliothéconomie et sciences de l'information ou toute autre formulation équivalente. Cette recherche étudie quatre questions de recherche qui portent sur : (1) les rôles des professionnels de l'information décrits dans les politiques d'information pan-gouvernementales liées aux SIW ainsi que ceux des autres intervenants mentionnés en lien direct avec les SIW, (2) les types de SIW dans lesquels les professionnels de l'information interviennent, (3) les tâches des professionnels de l'information dans ces SIW, et (4) les autres intervenants qui travaillent dans ces systèmes. Une approche qualitative a été utilisée pour répondre à ces questions et implique quatre modes de collecte des données : (1) des entrevues en profondeur en personne avec des professionnels de l'information impliqués dans des SIW, (2) une analyse des SIW où interviennent ces professionnels de l'information, (3) une analyse des politiques pan-gouvernementales liées aux SIW, et (4) la documentation pertinente. Les professionnels de l'information rencontrés proviennent de sept ministères du gouvernement fédéral canadien, ministères retenus pour leur implication dans les SIW. Les résultats indiquent que les professionnels de l'information rencontrés interviennent dans les SIW aux niveaux micro et macro, c'est-à-dire dans des SIW spécifiques ainsi que globalement au niveau de l'ensemble des SIW d'un ministère ou du gouvernement fédéral. Ces professionnels de l'information sont impliqués dans toutes les dimensions et les phases de développement des SIW. Les tâches liées au contenu sont prédominantes mais les tâches technologiques sont aussi très présentes. Trois variables se dégagent de cette étude qui ont un impact sur l'intervention des professionnels de l'information dans les SIW : les types de SIW, les types de postes occupés par les professionnels de l'information et les types de gouvernance. / Information professionals are rethinking their role, which is being challenged by the transformation to the electronic environment of information and information processes. Web information systems (WIS) — that is, information systems based on Web technologies such as external Web sites, intranets, extranets and electronic commerce systems — are one of the technologies that is bringing these changes about. Organizations are making massive investments in WIS. Governments are implementing WIS as they move toward e-government. The Canadian federal government is one of the most innovative in term of WIS, and has to adapt its information environment, including information professionals, to cope with these systems. Despite the innovative character of WIS, few empirical studies were found which try to gain a better understanding of the players needed to implement such systems. No consensus seems to exist in the literature on the role of the information professional in WIS. This study aims at increasing knowledge of the roles information professionals play in WIS. In this study, an information professional is someone with a graduate degree in library and information science or equivalent. The study examines four research questions: (1) the role of information professionals described in the WIS-related cross-governmental information policies as well as those of the other players directly related to WIS, (2) the types of WIS in which information professionals are involved, (3) the WIS-related tasks of information professionals, and (4) other players involved in WIS. A qualitative approach has been used based on four data collection techniques: (1) in-depth face-to-face interviews with information professionals involved in WIS, (2) an analysis of the WIS in which those information professionals are involved, (3) an analysis of the WIS-related pan-governmental information policies, and (4) relevant evidence in the existing documentation. The information professionals interviewed are from seven departments of the Canadian federal government. These departments were chosen because of their work in the area of WIS. The results show that information professionals are working with WIS at the micro and macro levels, involved with specific WIS as well as with all the WIS of a department or of the government. The information professionals are involved in all the dimensions and the development phases of WIS. Their content-related tasks on the WIS are predominant but the technological tasks are also very present. The study found that three variables impact on the role of information professionals in WIS: types of WIS, types of jobs of information professionals, and types of governance. / Fondation J.A. DeSève Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH) Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l'Aide à la Recherche (FCAR)

M.Com. (Economics) / The primary purpose of this study is a theoretical analysis of the allocation of the primary functions of the authority, with specific reference to the distribution function in a system of fiscal federalism in South Africa. An effort is made to find an answer to the question: On what level of government should the various functions of authorities and, in particular, the distribution function, be executed? South Africa is on the threshold of a new democratic system with an interim constitutional dispensation and for this reason, existing views concerning the distribution function in South Africa were also briefly investigated. The method of research comprised a literature study. In chapter two the rationale for government functions I in other words, the allocation, distribution and stabilisation functions, are theoretically analysed. The analysis also defines the nature of collective goods and services. This definition is essential because it has to serve as a point of departure in the discussion of the spatial dimension of government functions. Since the distribution function represents the central theme of the study, this function is discussed in more detail than other functions. It appears that there are different approaches to the distribution function and that it can be implemented in numerous ways. The approaches can be classified into two theories: Firstly, there is the theory which advocates equity in the execution of the distribution function. This view requires the centralisation of authority in a system of fiscal federalism. The second theory is in favour of the promotion of decentralisation of authority on the basis of economic efficiency. In chapter three the spatial aspects of government functions are concentrated upon more specifically. The spatial aspects of the allocation function indicate that economic efficiency is promoted by effective decentralisation so that autonomous sub-authorities can accept responsibility for the provision of collective goods and services with limited geographical advantage. According to this, the national government will only be responsible for services which have a national tenor, such as defence and foreign affairs. An analysis of the stabilisation function indicates that subnational authorities cannot apply stabilisation management in an effective manner. There is considerably less consensus about the allocation of the distribution function. Various reasons exist as to why the distribution function should be vested in the central authority. The possible mobility of individuals, the necessity for the establishment of minimum standards of service and the desirability of central control over fiscal resources are the primary motivation for the execution of the distribution function to be vested in the central authority.

Esta dissertação busca contribuir para a reflexão a cerca da produção habitacional autogestionária voltada para a população de baixa renda. Para desenvolver essa discussão, primeiro construímos uma abordagem histórica da trajetória do movimento de moradia em torno da apropriação do princípio da autogestão, a partir da política habitacional do Regime Militar ao Governo Lula. Partimos do pressuposto de que o desenho das políticas públicas, particularmente a habitacional, é resultado da disputa de interesses e da interação entre Estado, mercado e sociedade civil. E que a partir dessa interação o movimento popular se formou, amadureceu e passou a interferir na formulação das políticas habitacionais. Assim, o processo de criação do Programa Crédito Solidário, parte integrante da atual Política Nacional de Habitação, não é uma simples reivindicação pontual, mas um passo na trajetória decorrente dessa interação. Ao analisarmos os processos de pleito, elaboração, operacionalização e implementação do Programa Crédito Solidário, definido como o instrumento de análise para compreender qual a importância da autogestão na política habitacional do Governo Lula, foi possível verificar os limites e potencialidades para a efetivação do princípio da autogestão na atual ação pública habitacional. / The present dissertation is a reflection about the selfmanagement housing production directed towards the low income population in Brazil. To achieve our objective, we first devoted our research to a historical reconstruction of the popular housing movement trajectory and its relation to the selfmanagement principle, inside the national housing policies, from the Military Regime until the President Lulas Government. In this context, we assume that the construction of any public policy, and especially the housing one, is a result of the natural dispute of interests between the Government, the market, and the civil society. Furthermore, we believe that the popular housing movement is a result of this interaction, where it grew, matured, and started to interfere in the housing policies formulation. Therefore, the creation of the Program of Support Credit, as part of the National Housing Policy, is not a simple punctual claim, but another step in the trajectory resulted from this interaction. In the process of analysis of the of election, elaboration, operation, and implementation of the Program of Support Credit defined as our instrument of analysis to understand the importance of selfmanagement in the Housing Policy of Lulas Government we verified the limits and potentialities for an effective use of the selfmanagement principle in the current public housing action.