Search

The article offers information on various aspects related to government information in Thailand. Topics discussed include the importance of information dissemination for democratic society and citizenry, federal laws governing information distribution, and various government information agencies such as Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and Government Printing Office (GPO).

Using original survey data, we investigate how British, French, and Swedish managers scanned their political environments during the crisis in the Eurozone. We expose instances when country of origin has a significant effect on scanning practices: British managers claimed to possess the most developed political scanning capabilities, making the most frequent use of government information sources. British and Swedish managers used business associations as intelligence sources more frequently than their French counterparts. We also found that exposure to the Euro crisis significantly affected scanning behaviours: irrespective of country of origin, managers strongly exposed to the crisis considered it strategically important to scan political events during the crisis, developed formal scanning routines, and reported frequent use of both governments and business associations as sources of political information. Combined, our findings contribute to county-specific research into executives' environmental scanning practices by suggesting a universal mindset of environmental scanning during times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter provides context for understanding external reporting burdens and a brief examination of the ongoing shift in institutional reporting demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the Canadian government's electronic information management strategy as of March 2014. It states that the way publications and documents are produced, disseminated, and accessed have been affected by the changes to information procedures and policies. It provides a background of the information management strategy as well as the challenges in managing information.

Collective memory is a general category that includes various kinds of memories such as popular, official, autobiographical, cultural, and historical (that produced by scholars). The impact of the passing of time on the collective memory of conflicts, despite its importance, is narrowly addressed in the literature. This article addresses that lack. Empirically, the article is based primarily on a study that examined Israeli collective memory from 1949 to 2004 regarding the causes for the 1948 Palestinian exodus. Methodologically, it is based mostly on content analysis of publications of seven main Israeli-Jewish institutions: the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the National Information Center, the Ministry of Education, newspapers, the research community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and 1948 war veterans' memoirs, as well as interviews with key people in these institutions. Theoretically, the article offers various contributions, such as: it proposes that time is a meta-factor which includes fifteen factors influencing collective memory and describes which kind of memory is influenced by each factor and in what way (with focus on the historical memory). The article also discusses the intra-generational process that occurs within the direct-experience generation, differentiates between different modes of influence of the factors (for example, direct and indirect), and proposes that time is an apolitical meta-factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on how the Slovenian government official Anton Martin created a government office, called the "Frag- und Kundschaftsamt" (Intelligence and Information Office) in 1781 in Pressburg (Bratislava), Slovakia. Several topics are discussed, including how the role of this type of government office in other European cities was to provide information about a country's citizens in order to promote the transmission of goods, jobs, real estate, and capital, and how the office in Pressburg performed those duties in addition to working with libraries, starting a foreign language exchange program, and publishing a newspaper called the "Preßburger Kundschaftsblatt." Also mentioned is that Martin closed the office in 1783 for financial reasons.

This article examines the state of the art in relation to government communication. After identifying the specific characteristics of government as an institution that communicates, the authors provide a thorough review of the literature from political communication and organizational communication (including public relations, organizational and corporate communication) in terms of what it can contribute to the study of government communication. The review examines concepts, theories and approaches that can illuminate the study of government communication, permitting the authors to suggest a series of baseline issues that can provide a research agenda for the field. These issues include the establishment of model(s) for government communication, the 'problem of professionalization,' the tension between government information and persuasion, the evaluation and efficiency of government communication, elements for the analysis of a government communication office, international comparative study and the development of theoretical grounding for research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most countries provide access to national labour data on the Internet, but finding it can be a frustrating exercise, especially if the country in question does not provide the information in a language understood by the researcher. Foreign labour data are also often sought when attempting to make international comparisons of particular labour statistics. This article reviews Internet-accessible multi-country compilations of labour data that provide access in multiple languages, with attention given to those that permit international comparisons to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the optimal design and its research-to-operation transition of an integrated global observing system of satellites and in situ observations. The integrated observing system is used for climate assessment using sea surface temperature (SST). Satellite observations provide superior samplings while in situ observations provide the ground truth. Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) were used to objectively design an efficient in situ system to reduce satellite biases to a required accuracy. The system design was peer reviewed and was then transitioned into operations as a U.S. contribution to the international Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). A system performance measure was also formulated and operationally tracked under the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA). Additional OSSEs assisted the planning, programming, budgeting, and execution system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to maximize design efficiency. This process of research to operation and decision making enables NOAA to strategically target its observing system investments. The principles of this specific example may have potential applicability to the other components of GCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the development of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) Uniform Reporting Categories by the Uniform Reporting Categories Task Force, from 2003 to 2007. From the earliest steps of identifying a core team, and core categories based on previous typologies used in a variety of offices, the processes of Broad- and Sub-Category development are described. Mechanisms for discussion and feedback over various iterations based on membership feedback and on-line surveys of acceptability and utility are considered. Results of such surveys are presented. Additionally, persistent difficulties and questions in the development of the IOA categorisations are addressed. The IOA Uniform Reporting Categories (Version 1, 2006, and Version 2, 2007) are attached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the schemes and challenges in collecting government information for international survey data. He cited various problems of government information librarians in collecting survey data, which includes cost, availability and difficult contract negotiations, and confidentiality. However, he also featured a web site developed by the International Household Survey Network (IHSN), an organization that aims to improve the quality, use and availability of survey data from developing country. Moreover, he suggested consulting with faculty, graduate students, negotiation with survey producers, cooperate with consortiums, make strategic datasets purchase and hiring of legal specialists to deal with legal issues in foreign governments.

Copyright of Desacatos is the property of Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Desacatos is the property of Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Desacatos is the property of Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent controversies over intelligence in Iraq, to give one example, have raised problems about the politicization of official advice from government, particularly what we are led to believe is factual or ‘objective’ advice. Objectivity is a contested value and the lines are often hard to draw between fact, spin and misrepresentation. Public servants are held to higher standards of objectivity than politicians, a fact on which politicians trade when they seek to attribute assessments of evidence to their officials. The growing openness of government documentation is placing pressure on departmental officials who wish to be both loyal to their political masters and honest in their factual assessments. These issues are discussed with reference to recent Australian experience (and also with reference to the UK Hutton Inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1990s, the Government of Canada launched a string of initiatives to usher its citizens into the "information age." Recently, the federal government has announced "mission accomplished" in its pledge to become a "model user" of information technology, recognized around the world as the country most connected to its citizens. This paper interrogates the term "model user" as a marker of the changes occurring to techniques of government in our expanding information society. It proposes that the "model user" represents ways to negotiate the changing relationship between nation, state, and citizen associated with economic restructuring and signals a new civilizing discourse for citizen conduct amid the dynamic flows of information and ideas. Further, the "model user" suggests an emphasis on innovation that is implicated within larger discourses of economic globalization and the premium placed on adaptability and creativity. Finally, this paper makes vivid the connections between the "model user" and emerging discourses of Canada as a "model democracy" and Canadians as "model citizens" within the global context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Freedom of Information Act which was passed in the United States in 2000. It discusses whether the act has been successful or whether it still needs improvement. Substantial use has been made of the act -- more than 38,000 requests had been made of bodies monitored by central government by the end of 2005, and approximately 4,000 requests are seen a month. One area which needs improvement is the time taken to respond to a request. Currently that time is 20 days. Another problem area appears to be the Information Commissioner's office which is having trouble responding to complaints by citizens who are not able to get requested information from public authorities. The article notes that improvements will be seen when changes are made in government organizations.

This article discusses the essentiality of ensuring the quality of policy information, with an emphasis on third-party information. A theoretical framework is illustrated here which was designed on the basis of examples from the Dutch experience and was aimed to ensure the reliability of this information by classifying it according to risk. According to the authors, society is increasingly demanding that government be transparent about the effects of its policies. To meet this demand, it is suggested that governments need to provide the right policy information and ensure its quality. In a recent Dutch survey, about three-quarters of the policy information studied came from outside sources, that are called as third-party information. Four categories of sources have been identified by the authors: organizations with a statutory duty to provide information, organizations required to be accountable to the user of the information, other organizations with an interest in the content of the information, and other organizations without an interest in the content of the information.

Refers to the case study "Mentally disordered offenders: A case linkage study of Criminal Justice and Mental Health populations," as a jumpoff point showing how shared data can improve inter-agency partnerships. Assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of inter-agency partnerships within the context of the newly published Draft Mental Health Bill; Concerns related to the integration of criminal justice and mental health systems; Case study examining the criminal justice and treatment aims in the substance misue field.

This article focuses on the public information about Danish Euro and its meaning, with specific reference to a Euro folder circulated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Denmark to Danish citizens in August 2000. The folder was debated heavily in the mass media. The general picture was that the government defended the folder, claiming it to be pure information, while opposing parties as well as the mass media criticized it by calling it propaganda. The interesting question is how communication research can contribute to the public debate by giving a more specific, detailed and exemplified account of how and what public authorities are communicating to citizens through texts, e.g. folders, brochures, etc. In order to answer this question it is necessary to use a theoretical framework that will make it possible to analyze the verbal and visual meanings realized in such texts. The analysis of the article demonstrates the possibility to give a rich, specific and detailed account of the verbal and visual meanings realized in the folder. The article concludes that the folder is presented as public information by using the public authority as sender, which signals "objective information." But the content turns out to be guided by special political interests dressed up as public information, thereby violating the norms of public information.

Elaborates the findings and implications of the "Survey of International Government Organization Plans to Archive Internet Documents," approved by the Government Documents Round Table Publications Committee and International Documents Task Force. Implication of the Internet for the access to and preservation of U.S. government information; History on the availability of international government organization (IGO) publications; Methodology used in the survey; Trends in IGO publications and archiving Internet documents.

Presents the proceedings of a panel discussion on promoting international government organization resources, discussed by librarians Helen M. Sheehy, Mike McCaffrey-Noviss, Susan B. White and Peter I. Hajnal and sponsored by the International Documents Task Force of the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association in Toronto, Ontario on June 21, 2003. Techniques used by academic librarians in teaching undergraduate students to use library and information resources; Problems with basic research and library skills; Description of the International Information course; Aim and topics of the Readex International Documents Seminar.

Presents the broad review of documents hidden in the vaults of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Council, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Pentagon and State Department, and declassifying them for the general public in the U.S. and Chile. Discussion on General Augusto Pinochet's repression and U.S. role in the 1973 overthrow of Chilean democracy and the rise of a 17-year military dictatorship; Details of the Pentagon documents on a Contra operation in Honduras called Condor; Discussion on human rights abuses, terrorism and other acts of political violence in Chile; Information on U.S. policy toward Salvador Allende's election and government, and cases of murdered and disappeared U.S. citizens; Contribution of CIA records for Chilean victims to file law suits against U.S. officials.

This article discusses the relationship between propaganda and diplomacy, and focuses on the Republic of China as an example of an international actor with few formal diplomatic relations. Discussion focuses on the objectives and structure of propaganda, and considers the way that foreign news organizations report on the ROC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-1970s historians have made increasing use of U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) files in their research. As labor historian William Pratt has concluded, "research on many liberal and radical movements after 1920, not to mention a large number of national political and cultural figures, seemingly is incomplete" without reviewing the relevant FBI files. In the first half of the essay the author reviews several sources from which FBI files can be obtained, including the most celebrated-requesting files directly from the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA can be an extremely useful tool for unearthing useful information about a wide array of topics, but obtaining the files can also be a troublesome process with less guarantee of reward for sociologists than historians. The second half of the essay presents a more in-depth examination of one increasingly convenient source: microfilm collections of FBI files published by University Publications of America. Because these collections often include numerous reels of microfilm, and upwards of 1000 pages can be reproduced on each reel, a standard review of the material is impractical. Instead, author offers a general review of the use of microfilm collections for research.

The article discusses the difficulties faced by the information coordinators of the government of Canada. It offers information on the Canada's Access to Information Act, that was implemented in July 1983. It mentions the duties of the information coordinator. It states that the difficulty in the coordinator's job is in the multiple working relationships. It describes the relationship of the information coordinator with several people, including his relationship with the information requestor, with the departmental colleagues, and the information commissioner.

The article focuses on issues and topics related to government establishments and agencies dedicated to research and development in Great Britain. It has been ten years since government research establishments were created, including the Government Chemists' Laboratory, the National Engineering Laboratory and the Warren Spring Laboratory. These agencies are undergoing their third major review in eight years, and during that period they have passed from the defunct Department of Scientific and Industrial Research into the first Ministry of Technology.

In this article the author discusses NHS Evidence, an online medical information service in Great Britain that is hosted by the country's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and was launched on April 30, 2009. The author is supportive of the benefits of the service but suggests that regular feedback from users of the service will be needed to ensure that it is subject to regular review and continuous improvement.