Selection bias in human rights tribunals: an exploratory study
Article Abstract:
Quasi-judicial tribunals are bound by the principle of natural justice, including the obligation to avoid bias or the apprehension of bias in the selection of adjudicators, as was affirmed for human rights commissions in the McBain case. This paper statistically analyses all decisions rendered by Canadian human rights tribunals, both federal and provincial, in the years 1956 to 1984. The main conclusion is that there is a tendency toward the reappointment of adjudicators whose decisions are favorable to complainants. This calls into question the neutrality of the appointment procedures used in these years, namely appointment by a minister or by a human rights commission. The system recently adopted by the Canadian Human rights Commission, involving appointment by the chairman of a panel of adjudicators, is proposed as a model worthy of imitation to the extent that it minimizes the apprehension of bias. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
Publication Name: Canadian Public Administration
Subject: Government
ISSN: 0008-4840
Year: 1988
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Fear and ferment: public sector management today
Article Abstract:
Shifting political priorities, new socio-economic realities, and rapid technological change in work environments are all contributing to serious stress for public sector managers. Office automation and other technological 'fixes' offer the public sector manager the opportunity to improve productivity and improve service planning and delivery. Fifty-six workshops and nine plenary sessions at a 1986 Canadian conference of public sector middle managers addressed concerns such as: restraint and downsizing; contracting out; information technology as panacea; living with open government; conflicts of interest, ethical dilemmas, employment equity; the political rights of public servants; and corporate culture in government.
Publication Name: Canadian Public Administration
Subject: Government
ISSN: 0008-4840
Year: 1986
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