The Mexican Government's Retail Chain: Politics, Social Welfare, and the Bottom Line (Sequel)

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

As of 2000, Mexico's Social Security System for Public Sector Workers provided a pension system for government employees, while running the fifth largest retail chain in the nation, comprised of nearly 400 supermarkets, convenience stores, and...

Reclaiming Land from Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor: The Public Demands a Voice

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

For more than 150 years, Hong Kong has periodically reclaimed--or filled in--land from Victoria Harbor, to expand and develop the otherwise limited space. During the colonial era, such decisions fell under the purview of the British-appointed...

Pension Reform in California

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

As February 2005 drew to a close, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger faced increasingly vociferous attacks from labor unions, and other interest groups, over his proposed public employee pension reform. California had been facing a...

Gambling on the Gorge

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

In April 2005, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski announced that the state had agreed to allow the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to build a large casino and resort in the town of Cascade Locks. Unlike previous sites, the proposed casino would...

Extreme Hiring Makeover, Part B: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

In July 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) volunteered to be one of three federal agencies taking part in a one-year pilot project to reform federal hiring practices. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service...

Extreme Hiring Makeover, Part A: Tackling the Federal Employment Crisis

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

In the early 21st century, the US federal government faced a hiring crisis, as nearly half its workforce approached retirement age. Hiring procedures were time consuming, confusing to the applicant, and frustrating to managers who felt their new...

Brazil Electricity Crisis

Publication Date: January 01, 2006

In May of 2001, the Brazilian government ordered all consumers to reduce their power use by 20 percent. This case traces the events and decisions that led to one of the most severe electricity crises in Latin American history. How does a country...

Wireless Philadelphia (Sequel)

Publication Date: December 20, 2005

This case tells the story of the decision by the city government of Philadelphia to develop a publicly-owned competitor to private high-speed internet connection systems ("broadband"). The case describes both the city's rationale, its desire to...

Wireless Philadelphia

Publication Date: December 20, 2005

This case tells the story of the decision by the city government of Philadelphia to develop a publicly-owned competitor to private high-speed internet connection systems ("broadband"). The case describes both the city's rationale, its desire to...

Power Partnership: The Creation of a Hybrid Electric Delivery Truck Eaton, FedEx, and Environmental Defense

Publication Date: November 18, 2005

In 2003, industrial manufacturer Eaton, the NGO Environmental Defense, and shipping giant Federal Express formed a partnership to develop a hybrid electric delivery truck. While Environmental Defense had experience setting up successful...

Singapore's Public Enterprises

Publication Date: November 04, 2005

Singapore has experienced exceptional economic success, lifting itself from third world to first world in fewer than four decades. Moreover, public enterprises have been a key instrument in Singapore's economic growth instead of the obstacle...

To What End? Re-thinking Terrorist Attack Exercises in San Jose (Sequel, part 2)

Publication Date: November 03, 2005

This case study tells the story of San Jose, California, one of the first 27 cities in the country to participate in a federal domestic preparedness program. Between 1997 and 1999, a specially created city task force mounted several full-scale...