Local Government in a Devolved Scotland
Since the arrival of devolution on the political agenda in the 1970s, there has been an expectation that its introduction would inevitably lead to a reconsideration of the structure and functions of local government (Gunn 1977; Page 1979). Indeed, both the SNP and the Liberals committed themselves in electoral manifestos to transferring functions from local government to a Scottish Parliament, dismantling the big regions, and shaping local authorities around the former district councils. Even after the recent reorganisation, that anticipation of further structural change remains.
Population size and functional efficiency in public library authorities: the statistical evidence
Regression analysis is used to analyse the available statistical evidence on the range, cost and usage of UK public libraries to determine whether any gen eral relationship exists between the pop ulation size served by a public library authrority and its functional efficiency, while recognizing that some aspects of the impact of size require a more quali tative assessment. Examines the perfor mance of the smallest authorities against the UK national average. The statistical analysis of service provision over the 1980s is based on the returns made by the chief librarians to the annual Public Library Statistics (Actuals) produced by CIPFA's (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Statistical Information Service. The general mea sures of service used in the study consist of: total number of service points; lend ing limit (maximum number of items allowable on loan); issue period; and opening hours (including mobile libraries). Results provide some confir mation of diseconomies of scale in small library authoritites, which incur greater per capita expenditure than larger author ities. Concludes that size is not the only factor determining the scope and range of services. The research was supported by a grant from the British Library, Research and Development Department.
Cultural constraints on the delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention in Ireland.
HIV appeared in Ireland following an opiate epidemic in the early 1980s. Initially, however, the gay community mounted the only response to the spread of the virus while the implementation of early actions by the government was hampered by the constructions of the disease within Irish society. This paper considers the influence of the religious hierarchy in both the development of AIDS policy and in the shaping of public perceptions of the disease and those affected. A qualitative methodology is used to examine the role of such cultural constraints in an evaluation of the social context within which the prevention of HIV infection occurs. Three key issues pertinent to the policy context in Ireland are explored in depth. These are the role of the Catholic Church, the influences on health education programmes, particularly information giving, and the development of services and other interventions. These findings are discussed within the social and political contexts in which health policy is formulated.