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Over the past few years IRAS has received more and more manuscripts, and has moved steadily towards carrying a higher proportion of genuinely international and comparative material (rather than studies confined to one country). In other words it has been living up to its international title, and has been a more and more popular destination for would-be authors. However, these successes have been gained within an increasingly competitive world of public administration and public policy journal publishing, which means that no journal can afford to rest on its laurels. IRAS may be the oldest truly international journal in public administration, but nevertheless, it has to move with the times.We are therefore delighted to be able to launch the 2008 volume (74) by announcing two important changes. First, the previous arrangement of having a

Argyriades, General Rapporteur, and the four Workshop Reports: 'The Rule of Law and Public Administration in a Global Setting' by Karl-Peter Sommermann; 'New Information and Management Technologies for the 21st Century Public Administration' by Maria del Carmen Pardo; 'The Changing Position and Status of Civil Servants' by Barbara Kudrycka; and 'Governance and Civil Society' by Akira Nakamura. The Individual Papers List and the List of Participants are given in appendixes. 2 -La politique de préservation de la ressource en eau destinée à la consommation humaine. Rapport d'évaluation. Paris: La Documentation française (www.ladocfrancaise. gouv.fr), 2001. 402 pp. ISBN: 2-11-004993-6. E30.00. (Conseil national de l'évaluation; Commissariat général au Plan.)The conclusions of the report of the official body commissioned to assess drinking water conservation policy contain reservations. However, the position in France appears to be satisfactory. Nevertheless, some resources do appear to be under threat, identified by the experts as follows: underground water supplies will soon be contaminated by chemicals seeping through the ground and the sub-soil and the degraded condition of some stagnant water restricts their use. These conclusions lead the experts to recommend a coherent global policy combining a regulatory framework, economic instruments and voluntary agreements. The report refers to European Union Directives intended to guarantee the quality of water expanses and introducing well-targeted action plans. Drinking water quality, far from being achieved, must be conserved through ongoing initiatives carried out at both national and community level. The report aims to identify the necessary ways of achieving this objective.

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This book describes the organization of local authorities, their powers and means. Topics discussed include the basic principles of decentralization in France, the financial resources of local authorities and the structures of cooperation within local government. The study also points out that there are three levels of local government -communes, departments, regions. The administrative edifice is complex but seeks a middle way between the trend towards local freedoms and respect for national unity. -Le nouveau visage de la mondialisation industrielle. Fusions -acquisitions et alliances transnationales. Paris: OECD (www.oecd.org), 2001. 220 pp. ISBN: 92-64-28677-2. E50.00. (Industrie, services et échanges.)The globalization of industry has led to the development of a mosaic of international business activities. New combinations of international mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and investments are extending the possibilities of worldwide activities. The influence of multinational companies on domestic companies is increasing. These phenomena have repercussions on the results of companies and government policies. This publication brings together a series of analyses concerning globalization and performance. The document contains an assessment of the trend in industrial globalization in the 1990s