Cost-Time Performance of Public Sector Housing Projects in Nigeria

The performance of the construction industry in Nigeria has consistently been a source of concern to both public and private sector clients. Previous studies have identified cost and time overruns amongst others as key performance indicators. This is particularly significant for public sector clients in Nigeria, where due to poor budgetary control, many projects have been abandoned at various stages of completion. This paper is set to evaluate the magnitude of this problem at key stages in the process, from budgetary planning to completion, using the public sector client as exploratory model.     

Land-use planning and participation: The case of inuit public housing (Nunavik, Canada)

This article examines the role of participation in land-use planning. It discusses a concrete example of planning, related to the construction of social housing in Nunavik, the most northerly region of Québec, Canada, inhabited mainly by Inuit. It looks at how the responsibilities of the various parties involved in the planning process have changed over the past 30 years and strives to understand the exact nature of their responsibilities at the present time. In so doing, it focuses on the role of citizens. This study shows that citizen participation plays a relatively limited role in planning, even though existing legislation makes it an integral part of the process. It helps to fulfil basic land-use planning functions, namely, an economic rationalization function and a political legitimization function. From this perspective, discourse on the democratic virtues of participatory planning is misleading.     

European Communication Monitor: Current developments,issues and tendencies of the professional practice of public relations in Europe

The European Communication Monitor (ECM) research explores the current developments for communications disciplines, practices and instruments. It is an extensive research project to monitor trends in communication management, analyse the changing framework for the profession driven by European integration and evaluate specific topics of relevance to public relations practice. Specifically, the 2008 ECM edition is focused on aspects such as: strategy and control, interactive channels, corporate social responsibility, intercultural challenges, influence on management decision making, cooperation with agencies, and future budgets.