This book investigates bargaining between two agents. Its objective is to present, to extend, and to apply the present state of theoretical knowledge. A wide range of questions will be considered: First of all, will two parties reach efficient agreements? Traditional economic theory gives a generally affirma­ tive answer for perfectly rational agents, who can carry out complex calcu­ lations instantaneously and without cost. The book uses innovative methods to analyse the implications of less demanding assumptions. A practical ques­ tion related to bargaining is: How much power does the design of institutions such as the U. N. Security Council give to each of its members? Formally, non­ permanent members' votes are necessary to pass resolutions, but theoretical investigation of pre-voting negotiation attributes all power to the five perma­ nent members. Or one may ask whether a society should rather finance the education in higher mathematics for a talented person …

The analysis of benchmarks and best practices is becoming more relevant. Political cultural aspects and the facets of democratization are central fields in Comparative Political Science. Juan Linz, Arend Lijphart, Charles Ragin and other well known political scientists describe the state of the art and new methodological approaches in the discipline.

In Popular Government Sir Henry Sumner Maine examines the political institutions of popular governments. The four essays included are: The Prospects of Popular Government, The Nature of Democracy, The Age of Progress, and The Constitution of the United States, together with an Index. Sir Henry Sumner Maine, a highly respected legal historian, a vigorous critic of democracy, and one of the best writers in the humanities of his generation, convinced many legal historians that law and legal institutions must be studied historically if they are to be understood.

This study is the first effort to document the extent of NAFTA's impact on higher education. Through case studies, the authors analyze higher education policy in Canada, Mexico, and the USA using a common theoretical framework that identifies economic globalization, international trade liberalization, and post-industrialization as common structural factors exerting a significant influence on higher education in the three countries.

"We know more than we can tell and we can know nothing without relying upon those things which we may not be able to tell" (Michael Polanyi) The importance of knowledge management (KM) is increasingly recognized in the public sector and in relation with e-government implementations. Because governments and public administrations deal with information and knowledge on a large scale, this domain is particularly predestined to actively practice KM: much of the work of public authorities refers to the elaboration of data, infor- tionandknowledgeoncitizens,businesses,society,themarkets,theenvironment, laws, politics, etc. Evenmany"products"ofpublicadministrationandgovernmentaredelivered intheshapeofinformationandknowledgethemselves. Thisaspectespecially- plies to the policies, management, regulation and monitoring of society, markets and the environment. With the recent evolution of e-government projects, high expectations are linked. As a consequence, e?cient support from adequate KM conceptsandtoolstoexploitthehugeknowledgeandinformationresourcesdealt with in e-government is expected. Not only the trend towards a knowledge society calls for KM solutions. C- rent e-government developments signi?cantly in?uence the public sector. …