Fascinating as the corporate takeovers of recent years have been--with their "golden parachutes" and junk bonds, "greenmailers" and white knights--it is far from clear what underlying forces are at work, and what their long-term consequences will be. Debate over these questions has become polarized: some see takeover threats as disciplinary mechanisms that induce managers to behave efficiently and move assets to higher valued uses or into the hands of more efficient managers; others claim that corporate raiders have produced few observable increases in operating efficiency, but rather have...

Analyses the behaviour of not-for-profit organizations under a variety of conditions and contrasts them with profit maximizing firms, other types of profit-constrained firms and with public bureaucracies.

The transition to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is not complete. The process by which governments make policy is often closed and difficult to penetrate. Frequently, only a few insiders are consulted, and even when the process is more oprn, short time limits and bureaucratic resistance make the process opaque to ordinary citizens. Drawing on interviews with key officials and private sector activists, this book documents existing problems with the policymaking processes in Hungary and Poland and argues for reforms that will enhance the accountability of all democracies in the...

Building a Trustworthy State in Post-Socialist Transition considers the problems and prospects for creating trustworthy and reliable public institutions in the aftermath of the transition from socialism in Central and Eastern Europe. The volume draws on the experience of those who have lived through and studied the transition and contrasts their insights with those of generalist scholars who study government accountability and democracy. The contributions originated in the Collegium Budapest project on Honesty and Trust: Theory and Experience in the Light of the Post-Socialist Transition,...

Beneficial social and economic exchange relies on a certain level of trust. But trust is a delicate matter, not least in the former socialist countries where illegitimate behaviour by governments made distrust a habit. The chapters in this volume analyze the causes and the effects of the lack of social trust in post-socialist countries. The contributions originated in the Collegium Budapest project on Honesty and Trust: Theory and Experience in the Light of the Post-Socialist Transition. A second volume entitled, Building a Trustworthy State in Post-Socialist Transition, is being published...

The transition to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is not complete. The process by which governments make policy is often closed and difficult to penetrate. Frequently, only a few insiders are consulted, and even when the process is more oprn, short time limits and bureaucratic resistance make the process opaque to ordinary citizens. Drawing on interviews with key officials and private sector activists, this book documents existing problems with the policymaking processes in Hungary and Poland and argues for reforms that will enhance the accountability of all democracies in the...

With nuanced perspective and detailed case studies, Due Process of Lawmaking explores the law of lawmaking in the United States, South Africa, Germany, and the European Union. This comparative work deals broadly with public policymaking in the legislative and executive branches. It frames the inquiry through three principles of legitimacy: democracy, rights, and competence. Drawing on the insights of positive political economy, the authors explicate the ways in which courts uphold these principles in the different systems. Judicial review in the American presidential system suggests lessons...

The second edition of Corruption and Government updates Susan Rose-Ackerman's 1999 book to address emerging issues and to rethink old questions in light of new data. The book analyzes the research explosion that accompanied the fall of the Berlin Wall, the founding of Transparency International, and the World Bank's decision to give anti-corruption policy a key place on its agenda. Time has vindicated Rose-Ackerman's emphasis on institutional reform as the necessary condition for serious progress. The book deals with routine payoffs and with corruption in contracting and privatization. It...

The second edition of Corruption and Government updates Susan Rose-Ackerman's 1999 book to address emerging issues and to rethink old questions in light of new data. The book analyzes the research explosion that accompanied the fall of the Berlin Wall, the founding of Transparency International, and the World Bank's decision to give anti-corruption policy a key place on its agenda. Time has vindicated Rose-Ackerman's emphasis on institutional reform as the necessary condition for serious progress. The book deals with routine payoffs and with corruption in contracting and privatization. It...

An interdisciplinary collection that outlines the prospects and problems of developing a trustworthy state in Central and Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Socialist system