Previous studies have attested to leaders "coup-proofing" their regimes by reducing the ability or disposition of their armies to seek their removal. The following article tests the utility of these efforts. "Structural" coup-proofing such as counterbalancing is expected to reduce the ability to organize a coup plot by creating substantial…

The ABA Division for Public Education asked a panel of experts--Joyce Baugh, Mary Dudziak, Michael Gerhardt, Timothy Johnson, John Maltese, Mark Moller, Jason Roberts, Elliot Slotnick, and David Yalof--to respond to questions about the judicial nomination process. These questions touched on the balance between the president and the Senate, the…

One week after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Congress passed an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (The Authorization) that authorized the president--"... to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist…

This paper analyzes the distribution of power in street-level bureaucracies that deliver public services and critically examines the sources of this power. The mechanisms and political environment which allow street-level bureaucrats to make public policy are discussed in detail. (EB)

Comparing the dynamics of centralisation/decentralisation in Belgium and South Africa has the advantage of revealing discrepancies between the public or official rationale for the (re) distribution of power and the probable or eventual effect of this (re)distribution on educational processes and learning outcomes. It can be seen that local…

This paper describes the government agencies and interest groups active in the highly centralized and politicized French educational system, and the reactions of these groups to the reforms of Education Minister Rene Haby, which impact on all segments of elementary, secondary, and teacher education. (SJL)

Describes the political development of post-colonial Africa. Continuing tension has existed between single party and multi-party solutions to political organization and between mass movements and elitism. While Africans have been responive to socialist rhetoric, the primacy of ethnicity and the weak class structure have militated against genuine…

An information-rich environment is a sharing environment with standards, rules, conventions, and ethical codes different from those created to manage the zero-sum bargains of market trading and traditional international relations. Societies must give all their people a chance at relevant education or be left behind by those that do. (MBR)

Notes the blurring of boundaries between public and private sectors, pointing out that the interaction between governmental and non-profit agencies is increasing in the areas of public policy. Argues that these increasing interactions need to be integrated into the political science curriculum. (GG)

Profiles the process of South Africa's transformation into a democracy. Outlines the many characteristics of the transition from white to majority rule, such as the attempt to achieve catharsis and bury the apartheid past through a process of amnesty and reconciliation. Describes the remaining obstacles to that transition. (MJP)

Asserts that the representative form of government and the public schools in the United States are not supportive of democracy. Argues that the democratic features of representative government envisioned by the writers of the Constitution were undermined by the growth of the nation's population. Recommends some political and educational…