Progressing Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise, the body being formed from the amalgamation of the Scottish Development Agency (SDA) and the Training Agency (TA), will become operational on 1st April 1991. Its likely impact has been considered elsewhere (for example Moore, 1989; Hayton, 1989; Danson et al, 1989). The purpose of this article is to look at progress in setting up the new organization and to consider the characteristics of those who will be directing the activities of the Scottish Enterprise “core” and of the 13 Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) that will be responsible for delivering a range of economic development and training services.
Towards a local labour market strategy
Introduction Despite the wide range of local economic development policies pursued in the 1980s it is arguable that no local authority has yet developed a comprehensive local labour market strategy (LLMS). Nor, despite the growing range of initiatives directed at the inner cities, has central government a clear LLMS. Moreover, whilst it is too early to judge, the terms of reference of the new locally based Training and Enterprise Councils suggest clear constraints on their ability to do so. Yet there are overwhelming arguments for LLMS. This section of the paper sets out the case for developing and pursuing such a course of action, firstly in terms of conceptual arguments and secondly in terms of recent changes in the labour market. Later sections of the paper examine the need for improved local labour market information (LLMI), the nature of local labour market problems, especially the so called "skills shortage" problem, and the strategy and policies that may be required to assist in overcoming them.
Deliberative Democracy and the Resource Curse: A Nationwide Experiment in Tanzania
Oil and gas discoveries in developing countries are often associated with short-sighted economic policies and, in response, calls to insulate resource management from populist impulses. We report on a randomized experiment testing methods to overcome this apparent tension between sound resource governance and democratic politics. Soon after Tanzania’s discovery of major natural gas reserves, we invited a nationally representative sample of voters to an intensive public deliberation of policy options featuring nationally recognized experts and small-group discussions. Democratic deliberation reinforced the public’s strong preference for rapid spending of gas revenues, but also increased support for various prudential and economically orthodox measures, including independent oversight of gas revenues, limits on government borrowing, and selling gas abroad rather than subsidizing fuel at home. These effects were driven by deliberation per se, rather than a pure information treatment, and show no evidence of contamination by facilitatoror peer-effects in group deliberations. www.cgdev.org Justin Sandefur, Nancy Birdsall, James Fishkin, and Mujobu Moyo