The recent publication of the revised Estimates of Expenditure 2012 are a further, if limited, step on the road to reform of the national finances. Nonetheless, the publication does indicate a shift towards an outcome based financial management process rather … Continue reading
As announced in last month’s newsletter the Regional Studies Association-Irish Branch is jointly hosting a major symposium on local government reform. The Speakers have now been fully confirmed and details are set out in the following programme. Theme The Programme … Continue reading
As far back as 1997 the OECD suggested that:“Aligning central and sub-national government policies is critical to the successful implementation of reform programmes which are aimed at improving public sector efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness.” What the OECD was highlighting was … Continue reading
Land use, to a significant extent, determines the level of pressure exerted upon the natural and economic environment. Such pressure in turn, when combined with the degree of vulnerability of the environment, determines the quality of the environment. Pressures and … Continue reading
The corporate planning of the public sector, notwithstanding mandate or legislative function, has increasingly to take on network forms to enable coordination take effect within a multi-level policy environment. This is the result of public policy bodies having to operate … Continue reading
The Programme for Government sets out a broad set of objectives in regard to the reform of local government and the local institutional environment generally. Among the key aspects of the Programme are: • Migration of water and waste water … Continue reading
A recently published report addresses the possible application of new models for community based participative planning in Ireland. The Report highlights a range of approaches to undertaking participative community based planning. It acknowledges that the application of integrated socio-economic planning … Continue reading
In one of the most significant policy initiatives that will be undertaken by the Government, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has just published a draft Framework for Sustainable Development in Ireland. The draft is now open … Continue reading
Scotland with a population of 5.2 million people shares many cultural and demographic links with Ireland. Indeed the organisation of local and national government is also unsurprisingly similar albeit that with the establishment of the Scottish Executive, recent reforms in … Continue reading
One of the bright spots of the Irish economy of the past number of years has been the continued growth of the agricultural sector. In several aspects it could be argued that this has been due to successive governments taking … Continue reading
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