published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

During the years 1941 to 1968, issues relating to workers’ compensation in British Columbia were subjected to the unprecedented number of three royal commissions. An explanatory framework that evaluates the merits of the commissions and their recommendations, both perceived and otherwise, and the degree to which governments adopted the recommendations, is presented in this paper. The framework is designed to make use of the available relevant primary sources, particularly minutes of the commission proceedings, newspaper accounts and legislative statutes. All three of the Commissions were thorough, well-received exercises whose recommendations were almost wholly adopted by B.C. governments, though in differing time frames. The need for the second Commission, which was created a mere six years after the finish of the first, primarily arose because of rapid developments in the B.C. labour movement during the mid-1940’s. An infusion of leaders with communist ties caused it to harden demands for workers’ compensation benefits and reforms. The first Commission had been considered a success by all parties, but the context of its recommendations had changed due to the increase in labour’s militancy. This second Commission was also considered to be reasonably successful. However, dissatisfaction with a Workmen’s Compensation Board that had completely turned over shortly after the second Commission, led to demands, particularly by labour, to create another commission to review its work and procedures. Board members, at that time, were subject to long tenures and were without any formal mechanism with which to be reviewed. Critical to the success of the three Commissions was the independent, non-partisan nature of their proceedings and recommendations. Because of this, the credibility accorded to the recommendations, particularly by labour, caused the Commissions to supercede the traditional mode of cabinet or legislative committtee deliberation for public policy formation in this case. The series of Commissions ended because of satisfaction with the Workmen’s Compensation Act, a much higher turnover rate of the Board and increased strength of the provincial labour-backed New Democratic Party. Thus, the Commissions and the three B.C. Supreme Court Justices that served as the Commissioners, must go down in history has having played a significant role in the evolution of occupational safety and health policy in British Columbia.

This study aims to explore the relationship between the Transitional Local Council of Pietermaritzburg, and various arts and culture bodies in the Pietermaritzburg area. It has seemed that there is a power differential in this relationship, with a very high concentration of power in the hands of the TLC, while very little of it resides with the arts and culture organizations. The findings of this study have shown that the relationship is, in all cases, built on funding. However, secondly, the problem with this is that the TLC has no real policy on the allocation of funding to arts and culture. There is some informal policy, but nothing concrete. Thirdly, the study shows that the TLC does in fact have a power base from which to work - the finances it controls. And, finally, the study has shown that the transition to democracy in 1994 has not substantively changed the situation in which arts and culture organizations find themselves. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Thesis (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Dissertation (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan.