In recent years, performance measurement has become the focus of attention in a variety of public sector fields. Unfortunately, too little has been done to develop valid operational definitions of performance, or to identify the weaknesses and biases inherent m certain types of performance...

The author's current decision-making environment is summarized. A short history of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System is given and then the recent changes made by the Reagan Administration are discussed. Some remarks on analysis and decision-making at the top government levels are given.

The regulatory decision on how safe a safeguarded nuclear facility should be depends on a trade-off between diversion risk and the cost of reducing that risk. Given that one plans to build the plant, the optimum level of safeguards is achieved when the cost of further risk reduction exceeds the...

This paper describes a benefit-cost analysis of a proposed $1.4 million runway extension at Kelowna Airport, in Kelowna, British Columbia (Canada's westernmost province). Lengthening the runway as proposed would allow Pacific Western Airlines to operate their Boeing 737 aircraft out of Kelowna...

Indoor air pollution (IAP), especially through the smoke released when burning solid biomass fuel for cooking, is a major environmental health problem in Nepal. About 85 percent of Nepalese households are dependent on solid biomass fuels for cooking energy. Among households using such fuels,...

This research study uses a qualitative approach to examine the implementation of the ‘Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program’ (the 5MHRP) in Vietnam, and to explore the underlying reasons for local people’s participation in the program. The study also uses a transactional...