We utilised four waves of TIMSS data in addition to the information we have collected on countries' educational systems to examine whether different degrees of standardisation, differentiation, proportion of students in private schools and governmental spending on education influence students' math achievement, its variation and socioeconomic…

The English education system has undergone a large restructuring programme through the introduction of academy schools. The most salient feature of these schools is that, despite remaining part of the state sector, they operate with more autonomy than the predecessor schools they replace. Two distinct time periods of academy school introduction…

Higher education and public research play an important role in economic development, mainly in industrial research and development (R & D) and innovation through the manufacturing sector. Finland has taken great strides in this regard as it represents a Europeanization of a knowledge system in the European Union, being relevant at the…

Describes the development of a bibliographic database in Madagascar through a national inventory of scientific and technical literature. The roles of the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Research for Development (MRSTD) and its information service, CIDST, are described; database products are discussed; and future prospects are suggested.…

Presents an overview of the world scenario of CD-ROM technology and highlights its future. Discusses the CD-ROM industry in India, lists the various CD-ROM products of recent origin, and concludes that India could adopt this technology for publishing Indian databases. (Author/LRW)

This publication has been developed for use as an educational aid and practical reference guide to assessing standards information in Canada, where pressure has increased to implement existing standards and to develop new ones, and where increasing competition in international trade has emphasized the need for industries to comply with foreign…

Traces the development of computerization of library operations in Singapore from 1970 to 1989. Highlights include the role of the Ministry of Finance; institutional computerization; consortiums; the Singapore Integrated Library Automation Service (SILAS), a national network whose main function is to provide online shared cataloging; and access to…

Examines the pattern and distribution of secondary information systems and services in China. Topics include the role of government, government policies and relevant standards, distribution of discipline-oriented bibliographies and indexes, the change from printed materials to databases, and the transition to a market economy. (Author/LRW)

Of major concern to United States position and policy in the telecommunications and information areas is "transborder data flow," the transferring of computer stored data between nations. Many European nations, including France, Austria, and West Germany, have enacted laws regulating the flow of information leaving the country where it…

The five papers in this collection focus on computerized legal databases and their content: (1) "Disk and Dat: Recent Developments in Legal Databases and Emerging Information Technologies in the United States" (Howard Hood, United States); (2) "Online Databanken zum EG-Recht und ihr Angebot (Online Databases for European Community…

Asserts that policymakers and the general public should be well informed about economic and social issues. Contends that a statistical system in a democracy has a heavy responsibility to ensure that the data represent fact, not opinion. Discusses changes made in the Consumer Price Index to prevent it from becoming politicized. (CFR)

The information-based technologies and the accompanying managerial sciences have come to symbolize the ideology of progress and operate as a material instrumentality in social governance systems. Developing countries have incorporated the technologies, but have lacked a developed knowledge or service sector; the linkage of…

The seven papers in this collection describe parliamentary library services and activities in both developed and developing countries: (1) "The Electronic Catalogue of the Library of the Deutscher Bundestag" (Ernst Kohl, West Germany); (2) "Library of the Assembly of the Republic: Modernization Efforts" (A. Cabral, Portugal);…

Describes two phases of the automation of library and information services in mainland China. From 1974-86, much effort was concentrated on developing computer systems, databases, online retrieval, and networking. From 1986 to the present, practical progress became possible largely because of CD-ROM technology; and large scale networking for…

This newsletter's first article is the director's report "Double Standards in Australian Family Policy" by Don Edgar. It asks for government support for families in the form of programs and funding, not just rhetoric. The next article, "IFS Research", also by Don Edgar, details the past, current and future research of the…