Public administration has a long tradition of close connections to the field of political science. As the field of public administration evolved from a basic politics administration dichotomy, it became evident that the distinction between politics and administration was nebulous at best. As such, public affairs students need exposure to, and…

State control over higher education has been provided for in the Brazilian legal system since the establishment of the republic, with university autonomy having been the object of six reforms of higher education and various federal decrees up until the federal constitution of 1988, which upheld it in Article 207. In a country with a limited and…

The Government in the Sunshine Act, passed by Congress in September 1976 to become effective in March 1977, will require many of the federal government's decision-making agencies to permit attendance by the press and public at agency meetings. This report details the provisions of the new law and comments on the effects it may have on the…

Section 15 of the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed equality to Canadians by April 17, 1985. This study was designed to investigate preparation during the three-year deferral period by federal and provincial/territorial governments to harmonize legislation in the area of education with the Charter's guarantees. (MT)

This report describes the possible impact of the comprehensive Privacy Act of 1974, which went into effect on 27 September 1975. Specifically, the implications of the act for limitation of disclosure, federal information collection, individual access, private suits; criminal provisions; and exceptions to the provisions of the law are detailed. In…

When the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 was amended, despite President Ford's veto, expectations for improved access to federal agency records were high. This report details the manner in which information seekers, particularly members of the media, were deterred from using the act by nine loopholes in the 1966 law. In addition, the process…

Arguments presented against securing computer programs by copyright are centered on the question of whether computer programs qualify under the U.S. Constitutional meaning as "works of authorship," which may be protected by copyright. The possibility that the protection of computer programs by copyright might have an undesirable impact…

Because of the United States Court of Appeal's ruling ("Quincy Cable TV vs. Federal Communications Commission") that government regulation of what cable television stations can broadcast violates their First Amendment rights, a number of consequences have arisen concerning what cable stations are required to broadcast (must-carry rules),…

The agreement of the National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) with the legislative intent of the new copyright law, which accords copyright protection for computer data bases equivalent with the protection accorded compilations in traditional hard-copy format, includes several problem areas: (1) What copyright…

The Software Subcommittee of the National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) has proposed some changes in the new copyright law to provide specific protection for computer programs. The rationale for this recommendation includes (1) the necessity for some form of protection to encourage the creation and broad…

The federal government has no constitutional mandate relating to education, and must deal with established institutions and private accrediting agencies. Federal-aid-to-education legislation implies that in order to be eligible for benefits, institutions must be accredited by nationally recognized, nongovernmental accrediting organizations, which…

The results of a study of the affirmative action effort in higher education systems is summarized in three parts. Part I, which consists of the first four chapters of this book, presents the results of a historical analysis of the efforts of blacks to obtain an education, examines the extent to which equal opportunity has existed in the higher…

Explored are the various kinds and degrees of interdependence between private colleges and state governments. An overview examines the meaning of "private," and the legal relationships are analyzed: Supreme Court Decisions, the state action doctrine, sifting facts and weighing circumstances, and case law trends toward state action.…

During the last two decades, there has been a great increase in the use of litigation by social reform groups. This activity has been stimulated by the hospitality of the courts to the demands of social reform groups and the availability of subsidized young, activist lawyers. The paper examines the uses of the legal system by social reform groups…

A new argument is made for school finance equalization, based not on "equal protection" or "equal educational opportunity," but on constitutional requirements for tax equity in New Hampshire. Since inequalities in school finance are a taxation problem, they call for tax reform. The analyses rest on four points: (1) that…