The renationalisation of rail infrastructure has not been a success. Network Rail has been plagued by crisis after crisis, with major projects hit by delays, mismanagement and large cost overruns. Its problems echo those suffered by the inefficient nationalised industries of the post-war period....

Supporters of free markets often have a general feeling that there is too much regulation or that it is too intrusive, badly formulated, and ineffective. However, proponents of these positions are often lacking in empirical evidence and are susceptible to accusations of either exaggerating the...

Studies a number of aspects of the reform of public finance and public management in France (LOLF), with special attention to science and technology policy, using a pragmatist approach to the sociology of the state.

European civil service law has emerged as an independent law branch relatively recently. At the EU level there were three categories of rules that regulate the public employees' activity, according tothe treaty type that established one of the top three communities (ECSC, EEC, EURATOM)....

While not formally a regulator in the strict sense, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) exercises de facto regulatory powers in retail financial services, as its rules and determinations direct the behaviours of firms. While intended to be independent, the FOS has a close relationship with the...

This report aims to help environmental and other competent authorities in OECD countries to promote green business practices among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It analyses different ways to establish environmental regulatory requirements for facilities with low environmental risk...

This paper examines the relationship between workplace organisation and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It uses data for 30 countries, drawn from the European Company Survey, the OECD Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies and the Community...

The Jamaica Labour Party won The 2003 Local Government Elections in 2003 by a landslide victory. During the 3 year period ALL members of the JLP Local Government have displayed the highest level of effective leadership as they have said and done all the right things. However in terms of...

This paper analyses what is understood by the “key players” involved in the promotion of benchmarking, within a comparative context looking at Germany and the UK. A content analysis of the key components of benchmarking in the leading texts is undertaken which is then used to examine the...

This article examines whether the judges of the French Constitutional Court demonstrated partisanship when ruling on the validity of the elections to the lower house of the French Parliament between 1958 and 2005. It uses a new dataset on the decisions of the Constitutional Court which takes...