Transparency In Government Essay Example for Free

Transparency In Government Essay Introduction. Government organs and state owned enterprises are major buyers and sellers having a great impact on international trade. According to an OECD estimates, the total government procurement worldwide was estimated to be roughly equivalent to 82.3% of world merchandise and commercial services exports in 1998 alone[1]. Such public spending is essential in running government welfare programs such as, health, education, and pension and managing the infrastructure for future development. In order to obtain cost effective prices for contracting the services to run these projects, an efficient public procurement policy that incorporates elements of transparency and competition needs to be established to ensure that the tendering process is open to all interested parties. Besides, knowledge about a country’s contestable shares is important not only for investors, but also governments and trade negotiators. The Chairman of the WTO Working Group on Transparency in Government Procurement Practices, established after the 1996 WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore, identified Transparency in Government Procurement as one of the twelve issues around which discussions on procurement matters at the WTO have been organized. This paper analyses in depth this issue with a view to improving market access and national welfare. For this purpose, we present the following structure. (SECTION II) The relationship between public procurement, market access and national welfare: Traditionally, public procurement is viewed as a sovereign domain of governments except when it is relinquished in favour of international trade agreements such as the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Though it’s easy to agree on a policy for ensuring transparency in Public Procurements, the implementation of such a policy depends on, among other factors, whether such an agreement will improve market access for suppliers at the same time cater for the county’s national welfare. Hence the main objective of this paper is to answer the question on whether transparency in Public Procurement can achieve both objectives. Here, we confirm that lack of transparency in PP reduces market access and national welfare only in the short run where the government’s demand is initially more than the total domestic supply but does not affect prices in the long run under perfect market conditions. {Baldwin and Richardson (1972)} at the same time, we examine the trade impact of transparent procurement policy and support the view that non-preferential procurement policy results in huge gains in national welfare. {Lowinger (1976) and Deardorff and Stern (1979)} (Section III) Actual data on the size of government procurement practices: Though the Data on government procurement markets are both scarce and non-standardized, we intend to measure the quantity of government procurements markets in the international trade. We shall also analyze the methodology used in collection and calculation of data from various countries with emphasis on SNA, WTO notifications, EC study based on EU official journal and the â€Å"bottom up approach[2]† The role of the OECD Trade Committee in respect of its analysis of government procurement practices shall also be examined.[3]. Section IV Rationale for discriminative practices: Cost effectiveness, geographical proximity especially for non-tradable goods[4] nationalism, corruption,[5] and protectionalism are some of the rationales that we shall discuss. We shall review the Keynesian theory associating procurement discrimination to macroeconomic development. Some projects that are prone to preferential treatment such as the aviation industry and defence contracts are also discussed. forms of discrimination such as the â€Å"outright exclusion† in which foreign bidders are excluded from tendering process, â€Å"preferential price margin† in which local bidders are preferred as long s the price difference doesn’t exceed specific margin and the concept of   â€Å"domestic content requirement† in which foreign suppliers are automatically disqualified from bidding unless they commit to purchase some components from domestic firms[6] have been reviewed. Section V Summary of the effect of preferential treatment: We present that procurement policies favouring domestic firms and products can impede international commerce especially when there is an outright ban for foreign suppliers. But at the same time local firms will greatly benefit thereby boosting national income. A liberalized policy on the other hand may achieve the WTO aim of market access, which in turn will positively affect national welfare, but transparency reform need not improve market access and welfare simultaneously[7]. We shall also highlight the importance of transparency in PP to global trade initiatives. Section VI Measures to improve transparency in procurement policies: We shall review reform initiatives and the factors aiding or hindering such reforms. International commitment in improving market access and national welfare shall also be discussed. We shall provide an overview of the achievements and failures of the following agreements in this regard. GATT 1947 The Tokyo round 1979 The Uruguay round 1994 The Singapore ministerial conference (1996) The Doha ministerial declaration (2001) Beyond the Cancun collapse The concluding remarks are given in section VII.   ACRONYMS OECD WTO World Trade Organisation SNA EC European Commission EU European Union PP Public Procurement GATT General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs. [1] OECD, The Size of Government Procurement Markets 11-Feb-2002, Available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/14/1845927.pdf [2] This is a method of gathering national data on procurement expenditure directly from the national procurement agencies of various countries. [3] Please study OECD Draft instrument on Government Purchasing Policies, Procidures and Practices forwarded to GATT in 1976 for better understanding. [4] Breton and Salmon, (1995) [5] Corrupt officials expand expenditures (Hines, 1997). For a detailed political economy rationale for reform see Hoekman (1998) [6] OECD, The Size of Government Procurement Markets 11-Feb-2002, Available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/14/1845927.pdf [7] Government procurement: market access, transparency, and multilateral trade rules Simon J. Evenett, Bernard M. Hoekman

Tom Green Vs. Cheech Maron :: essays research papers

Tom Green is the type of guy who probably got kicked out of class all the time. Teachers, Principal, and administrators knew his name. The guy who was never taken seriously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom Green is a male Stefanie. The reason being, in comparison, both are hyper, crazy, and love to make other laugh and just straight out have a good time. Tom is guaranteed to make people laugh and take his show to the extreme. From particle jokes to crazy pranks pulled, to candid cameras and cruel humor. ( clean humor) No one is hurt while the camera is rolling, with the exception of Tom. a good time   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Little Rascals is a kind of movie that has a cute humor to me. In the movie, it’s based on young kids, between the ages of 6 and 8 years old, who try and accomplish deeds that great of adults. There always getting held back one way or another. For example, when Alfalfa tries to be romantic with Darla, the gang always seems to catch him in the act. So the gang gives him consequences since their club is the â€Å"he man women haters†, so his punishment was to sleep at the club house that was burned down to a crisp, out in a storm, and had to watch it. Thinking there were monsters, and bum’s out there to get him, unable to sleep, all for the love of Darla. Another situation would be when Buckwheat was sent to call the fire department for when the club house was burnt down, and when he finally went to the phone booth, he didn’t’ know the number, and questioned â€Å"what’s the number for 911?† And left..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m pretty† is a song that is from T.L.C’s latest release. The song talks about, Society, how it has changed and how girls will do any type of reconstruction to their body just to look â€Å"better†. This topic really opens peoples eyes in the song. As you listen to it, you will finally/if not already notice how todays women are doing any type of surgery for some attention, and â€Å"love† from another. If you look good, you will be accepted in society, for being so pretty. But the pretty really counts inside if you think about it. To some it is all about what size of bust, waist, or hips you got, wheter you got it â€Å"going on† or not. This topic is really effecting teens in todays world. Stereotyping the look is what it’s all about. Sadly it is true, but I feel the song will help others notice what is really up

Danone and Wahaha Case

The main causes of conflict seem to derive from different attitudes towards key issues in the formation and operation of the joint venture, suggesting major differences in business culture and expectations as to how business should and is being conducted. The first and main problem described in the case study revolves around the ownership structure and the control over the JV. It seems that the Chinese Wahaha expectations were that their 49% of the JV meant full control, as the other 51% were split half-half between Danone and Peregrine through the Singapore registered Jinjia. Danone later took over Peregrne’s part essentially gaining the 51% of the JV and theoretically gaining effective control of the JV. This was not received well by the Chinese partner and later by the Chinese public which interpreted the move as a takeover, resulting in a JV based on distrust and hostility between the partners. Another source of conflict was due to the management structure agreed upon. Effective control of daily operations was handed to Zong and Wahaha, as the local China experts, while the only involvement Danone had was through the board of directors. It seemed Danone was attempting to empower the local partner and was not fully aware of the potential implications. This led to dissatisfaction on both sides, as Danone felt it knows very little in actual JV operations while Zong was feeling that Danone has left him to do all the hard work, only expecting to rip off the benefits of his efforts with little to no contribution.

Twin Early Development Study Nature versus Nurture

Since people began to wonder about our history and making, there has been the question of why. Why do people do the things they do? Are these traits inherited by a person’s ancestors, or are they simply following what they observe? To begin, you must give credit to the two philosophers who initially sparked different opinions about these two ideas. Aristotle theorized, that humans are born into the world with a blank slate and their behavior and thoughts are due solely to experience (Ashcraft, 1998). That theory would suggest that humans learn their phobias, sexuality, gender association, and all other traits through the world that surrounds them. Plato, thought quite the opposite. He believed that believed that behaviors and knowledge were due to inborn factors. Although the view of Plato are heavily opposed today, there must be some connection in the way we as humans turn out. There is so much that is unknown that we come â€Å"prewired† with at birth. Who’s to say that a person is not born with a predisposition of their sexual preference, or in more recent years, the role of gender? I believe that both nature and nurture are responsible for the way one matures. You cannot overlook the fact that some people carry the traits of their ancestors, or the fact that in many situations, people are victims of circumstance. I think the more important question is which side has a larger role in the way people turn out. When assessing the character roles that nurture creates, you mustShow MoreRelatedNature Vs Nurture Debate1343 Words   |  6 Pagespsychologist since the phrase was created in 1869 is â€Å"Nature vs Nurture†. Although the debate was started well before then, 1869 was the first time it was tied to the debate. 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Nurture : Addiction1102 Words   |  5 Pages Nature vs. Nurture: Addiction Introduction Psychology is a developing science which studies the mental functions, processes, and behaviors of an individual. In the science of psychology, many debates arise; nature vs. nurture is one of the most popular ones. These psychological debates are followed by research, backing up either nature or nurture or both. Nature suggest heredity impacts human psychological development; nurture suggests the environment impacts our psychologicalRead MoreThe Long Term Controversy Of Nature Versus Nurture860 Words   |  4 Pages Sexual orientation refers to the emotional, sexual, and romantic attraction to men, women, or both genders. It also refers to a person’s sense of identity based on those attractions. In the early years, to be labeled as a gay, lesbian, or bisexual was known to be a mental illness. In recent years, it has been determined that it is a normal aspect of sexuality. 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Nurture : An Individual s Criminal Behavior Essay1753 Words   |  8 PagesThe objective of this study is to examine whether it is nature or nurture who plays the most vital role in a human’s behavior, specifically an individual’s criminal behavior. Criminal behavior is defined as an act or failure to act in a way that violates public law. Some believe that criminal behavior can be identified as early as conception, meaning that criminal behavior is because of your genes. While others believe that one†™s upbringing and social learning environment directly contributes toRead MoreThe Debate On Nature Versus Nurture Essay969 Words   |  4 Pagesdetermine its form† (Fraser). The debate on nature versus Nurture has been a mystery for years now, constantly begging the question on what has a greater effect on the human development of humans. Is human behavior, ideas, and feelings innate or are they learned over time. Nature, or genetic influences, are formed before birth and shaped through early experiences. Genes are viewed as long and complicated chains that are present thought life and develop over time. Nature supporters believe that genes formRead MoreEssay Biological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour1357 Words   |  6 PagesCrime theories are still in a development stage; it is an evolutionary process that continues to this day. Crime is still a complex and misunderstood phenomenon with no concrete evidence when it comes to human behavior. Throughout time there have b een endless amounts of crime theories, few of which revolve around biological explanations. We have Cesare Lombroso and the Positive School who thought that criminals were genetically different from the rest of the general population, that they were biologically