CONTEXT Coalition research has shifted from delineating structures and processes to identifying intermediate, systems changes (e.g., changes in policies) that contribute to longterm community health improvement. OBJECTIVE The University of New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Health, and community health councils entered a multiyear participatory evaluation process to answer: What actions...

In their essay in the April 2004 issue of PLoS Biology, Elizabeth Blackburn and Janet Rowley (2004), two distinguished cellular biologists and members of the President’s Council on Bioethics, strongly question the scientifi c foundation of two reports from the Council (President’s Council on Bioethics 2003, 2004). The Council on Bioethics was formed by executive order “to advise the President o...

Improving the performance of local authorities is high on the political agenda. Central government has implemented a range of policies to stimulate and focus improvement, there are extensive systems of support through national agencies of local government, and councils themselves are demonstrating ways of strengthening service and corporate performance. The desire by central government level to...

cern about the population of the locality in which we live. Basically, neighbourhood councils are equivalent to parish councils in an urban setting. Members elected to the councils will not have party political labels, they will normally represent an area with a population of about 10,000 and their main task will be to keep in touch with and represent the wishes of local people?keeping the larg...

Mass media, and especially television, are powerful discursive instruments, responsible for the construction of social imagery through ideologically determined content. For this reason, creation a regulatory body with authority over audiovisual sector in countries without one was urged by Committee Ministers Council Europe 2000. Spain is only EU country an council at state level. Currently, Aud...

SUMMARY Social work practice is increasingly concerned with support not just for service users but also for unpaid carers. A key aspect of practice is the assessment of carers' needs. The Government has recently passed legislation that will widen eligibility for carers' assessments and remove the requirement that carers must be providing a substantial amount of care on a regular basis. This art...

In the UK, licensing of taxi drivers is dealt with by local government authorities. In Scotland, before the recent reorganization of local government, taxi licensing was under the jurisdiction of District Councils, so a telephone survey was conducted of all 52 mainland Scottish District Councils to ascertain the procedures which were being employed in assessing medical fitness to drive a taxi, ...

Recent findings in the Umpqua River Basin in southwestern Oregon illustrate a tension in the rise of both community-based and watershed-based approaches to aquatic resource management. While community-based institutions such as watershed councils offer relief from the government control landowners dislike, community-based approaches impinge on landowners' strong belief in independence and priva...

This paper investigates the cost and incidence of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests within councils in Scotland and in particular, the cost and incidence of requests which have been defined as ‘vexatious’ in order to investigate if the negative perceptions surrounding the cost and misuse of the legislation are justified. Additionally, the criteria and guidelines that councils are using to d...

AIM This research examined 1) the extent and nature of smokefree outdoor area (SFOA) policies in New Zealand, and 2) the process of developing, implementing and promoting compliance with a SFOA policy. METHOD An online survey was carried out with 43 of the 67 Local and District Councils, supplemented by other means. The survey assessed whether the council had a smokefree policy and if so, wha...