THE RECORD

JANUARY 18,1977

NO. 35

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

EDITOR Hoyt H. Purvis

MEAL SYSTEM CONFERENCE PLANNED

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs are sponsoring a national conference, May 23‑25, 1977, in San Diego, California. The purpose of the conference is to present the results of their research on a shelf‑stable meal system for the elderly and to explore the future uses of the meal system.

NASA developed shelf‑stable, easily transportable, individually packaged meals for the elderly. The foot items were either canned, dehydrated or freeze‑dried. It was hoped, that with these meals, many elderly could remain in their own homes longer.

A demonstration of the meals was conducted from January to May, 1976, with 168 elderly. The results of the project show that the elderly liked the food, the packaging, and the ease of food preparation. Eighty percent said they would buy 14 meals per week—some would eat the meals daily. A final report, prepared by the LBJ School, detailing the results of the demonstration will be ready for distribution at the end of January.

Preliminary research indicates that there are other groups, both domestic and foreign, who see uses for the meals, such as social service agencies serving the handicapped, retarded, and indigent; nursing homes; hospitals and outpatient clinics; prisons; schools; and disaster relief organizations. Senator George McGovern is reintroducing the National Meals‑on‑Wheels Bill which mandates a year‑long, three‑state demonstration of the NASA Meals.

The May conference will serve as a meeting place for all those in the public sector who see a need for the meals, and allow them to speak with a common voice. It will also provide a meeting place for those in the food industry to discuss aspects involved in economical production of these meals, especially in light of the probable national demonstration of the meals. Inquiries about the conference should be directed to Ruth Roth or Peggy Wilson, LBJ School, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, (512) 471‑4422.

SEVEN TOPICAL SEMINARS SCHEDULED FOR SEMESTER

Seven new topical seminars are scheduled for the LBJ School with the beginning of the spring semester on Monday, January 17.

The topical seminars offer second‑year students a broad range of policy related subjects for in‑depth study and research.

The seven seminars to be offered this semester and the faculty members are:

Strategies of Organizational Leadership: Implementation of Controversial Policies (Keith Arnold/Lodis Rhodes)—The seminar will focus on the structure and characteristics of formal organizations and the effectiveness of various leadership strategies within different types of organizations. The implementation of controversial policies such as affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, and unionization of public sector employees will provide the vehicle for studying organizational structure and strategies of leadership. Educational institutions, as examples of formal organizations, will be used as case studies.

Toward an Urban Policy Agenda (Victor Bach)—The seminar will examine present urban conditions and projected trends, identifying issues that need to be addressed in developing a mid‑ or long-range urban policy agenda for the next 10 to 20 years and assessing appropriate policy alternatives. Among areas to be considered are the economics of cities, urban government structures, urban ecology, distributive issues, guidance of urban growth, and intergovernmental issues.

Freedom, Power, and Responsibility (Henry David)—Questions involving issues of freedom, power, and responsibility are central to the governance of human affairs and to policy making. The seminar is designed to illuminate key features of these powerful concepts and the changes that have occurred in their application to basic public policy questions. It will, consequently, be concerned with situations in which problems relating to them arise in the public affairs domain and how they are resolved. Students will examine and appraise a particular social or economic policy in terms of what its consequences imply for governmental power and responsibility and individual freedom and responsibility.

Higher Education Policies (Stephen Spurr)—With the support of higher education constituting a substantial portion of national and state budgets, this seminar will investigate present issues of major political and policy importance at both the state and federal levels. Topics will include such subjects as manpower planning and control through legislative or administrative action; statewide governance and coordination; federal funding of basic and applied research; minority admissions and financial support; centers of scholarly excellence; post‑secondary vocational and technical training; the role of testing in higher education; and institutional governance.

Communications and Public Policy (Hoyt Purvis)—The seminar will focus on media influence on public policy, and, in turn, how government policy affects the media and information received by the public. Among specific topics to be considered are: the power, responsibility, and performance of the press; the Federal Communications Commission; Presidential and Congressional press relations; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; media coverage of state and local government; cable television; national security and public information; and international telecommunications policies. Students will also gain experience in video‑production on public affairs subjects and in press relations operations.

Water Resource Management Policies (Gerard A. Rohlich)—The past decade has been a period of unprecedented activity with regard to public interest and concern for the quality of the environment. The nation's water resource is a vital environmental factor and the control of the quantity and quality of this resource has been the subject of legislation at all levels of government. The seminar will review this legislation and analyze its impact. Technical problems will also be considered as will the social and economic benefits and costs in the development and implementation of alternate water resource management policies.

Research and Development Programs and Policy Missions (Jurgen Schmandt)—The Federal Government spends some $25 billion on research and development activities, with more than 90 percent of it falling under the jurisdiction of six agencies. The seminar will explore the relationship between the policy missions of these agencies and their supporting R&D activities. Among questions to be considered are how the relationship is structured in such activities as general policy planning, policy evaluation, and R&D oversight. The students will prepare a number of case studies. These will be done by policy mission and will be designed to identify policy development R&D linkages throughout the budgetary process.

"On the Record"

. Dr. Kenneth W. Tolo, who served as acting dean at the LBJ School during the spring and summer of 1976, has been named as director of the Office of Policy Development and Coordination (OPDC) in the United States Department of Commerce. Tolo has been on special assignment from The University of Texas at Austin and is a 1976‑77 Faculty Fellow of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. In his position at the Department of Commerce he will, in addition to responsibility for the management of OPDC, have primary responsibility for coordinating staff support for the Commerce Policy Council.

. Yale Richmond, director of the Eastern European program of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, will speak at a brown‑bag luncheon in the Student Lounge on Tuesday, January 18 at noon. Richmond will discuss educational and cultural exchange.

. From The New York Times, January 9, 1977:

"Dr. Alan K. Campbell, dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and once a deputy state comptroller—and often mentioned as a possible statewide Democratic candidate—is leaving the state to become dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. He assumes his new post Feb. 1."

. Nancy Horrell, who worked as an artist in conjunction with the September, 1976, Toward New Human Rights conference, and on the book resulting from the conference, ended her work at the LBJ School in early January. She was responsible for the design of the posters, programs, backdrop, and other materials for the conference. Nancy and Dale Whittington, a 1976 LBJ School graduate, were recently married. Dale is now studying at the London School of Economics.

. Robert J. Macdonald, associate director of the Office of Conferences and Training was awarded a Ph.D. in government (public administration) by The University of Texas at Austin, December 24, 1976.

. On December 31, 1976, at 5:34 p.m. a son was born to Catherine and Michael Sims. His name is Christopher Michael and he weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Cathy hopes to return to first‑year classes soon.

RADIN VISITS MIDDLE EAST

Dr. Beryl Radin, assistant professor of public affairs, was one of 18 U.S. scholars on a two‑week study mission to the Middle East during the holidays.

Radin participated in the mission under auspices of the American Professors for Peace in the Middle East, an organization founded to study and analyze issues in the Arab‑Israeli conflict by drawing on the intellectual and scholarly resources of the academic community.

Members of the study mission met with members of the government and opposition parties of Israel, political scientists and Middle East specialists, and a cross‑section of Israelis and Palestinians.

The trip was to include visits to the West Bank, the Golan Heights, an Arab village, kibbutzim, and the Israeli Parliament.

BLISSETT SPEAKS ON GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Professor Marlan Blissett of the LBJ School spoke on Institutional Problems Affecting the Development of Geothermal Resources at the Rio Grande Regional Geothermal Energy Workshop at the University of Texas at El Paso, December 15‑16.

The workship was sponsored by the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Texas Governor's Energy Advisory Council, and the New Mexico Energy and Resources Board.

Blissett discussed various problems affecting the development of geothermal resources, beginning with differences over what legally constitutes geothermal energy.

"The statutory approach to geothermal energy has been far too restrictive," Blissett said, "for it has failed to treat the individual elements of the resource as integrated components of a unique resource system."

"This failure has implications for every aspect of geothermal development—from questions of resource ownership to the regulation of energy and associated products from geothermal formations," Blissett said.

Blissett noted that the inability to treat geothermal resources as a total resource system is nowhere better illustrated than in the question of resource ownership. "Under existing law, that question turns on whether the geothermal resource is regarded as a mineral or an underground water," he said, pointing out that the courts are divided as to which category geothermal resources belong.

Blissett also discussed the question of geothermal ownership in Texas. He said, "As a practical matter, the conflict between the surface and mineral estates may have been eased by the passage of the Texas Geothermal Resources Act of 1975. By giving the Texas Railroad Commission the authority to regulate the exploration, development, and production of geothermal energy and associated resources (on both public and private lands), the Legislature virtually assured that geothermal wells will be incorporated as part of the Commission's rules for oil and gas operations. From all appearances, it seems likely that geothermal wells will be subject to oil and gas law (i.e., mineral law) and not water law."

TWO NEW PAPERS PUBLISHED IN SERIES

Two new papers have been published in the LBJ School's Working Paper Series.

The two papers are Gold Rush Economics: Development Planning in the Persian/Arabian Gulf by Dr. Jared E. Hazleton, and The Third World and International Symbolism by Hoyt Purvis.

The Working Paper Series is published by the LBJ School as a means of disseminating current research and writing by persons associated with the School. The papers are published as a service by the School in order to facilitate communication. The interpretations and conclusions in the papers are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the School.

Professor Hazleton's paper examines the problems of planning in the context of sudden affluence. Specifically, it centers on the implications for development planning of the gold rush phenomena which characterize the oil‑exporting countries of the Middle East in general, and the desert economies of the Persian/ Arabian Gulf in particular.

Hazleton discusses the political economy of the region and discusses various options for dealing with sudden affluence.

"With unbalanced factor proportions, rapid rates of population growth, and highly skewed economies tied directly to the exploitation of a single resource, these countries may find that domestic development efforts result in a vast expenditure of funds for the trappings of development without addressing the long‑term basis for their survival and growth," Hazleton writes.

"The gold rush atmosphere which permeates these countries inevitably focuses attention on large‑scale, highly visible, turnkey projects, which ... may fail to provide a viable basis for meeting long‑term economic and social needs," he adds.

Hazleton concludes, "At the same time, less spectacular and more demanding development efforts, particularly in the areas of human resource development and regional economic integration, are likely to be neglected."

Purvis traces the origin and evolution of "third world" and its place in the language of international affairs.

"A term which was introduced in French in the 1950s by Alfred Sauvy (a French demographer) assumed symbolic significance as the identifying phrase of a new force in world affairs," Purvis writes. "And it had become an indispensable part of American journalistic, political, and diplomatic language."

Purvis also discusses the use of other terms such as underdeveloped, less-developed, developing, and fourth and fifth worlds and their significance in international affairs.

Copies of the working papers are available through the Office of Publications for $2.50 each. Earlier publications in the series are:

* The Supply of Physicians and Physicians' Incomes: Alternative Projections for the Future by Martha Katz, David C. Warner, and Dale Whittington.

* The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation by David C. Warner.

* Government‑Sponsored Manpower Research: Its History and Implications by Albert A. Blum.

SCHOOL FINANCE SUBJECT OF COMMENT

The latest issue of Public Affairs Comment, the LBJ School's quarterly publication, is devoted to an analysis of 1977 legislative proposals for public school finance in Texas.

The article by Lynn M. Moak, director of research in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, compares the various proposals and their potential impact in terms of inflation, taxpayer treatment, equalization, and special issues.

Moak says current estimates indicate that an additional $157 million in state funds will be necessary for the changes contemplated by current law. Only three of the new proposals specify a specific cost. The preliminary estimate of the Governor's plan shows a biennial cost of $850 million, while an estimate of the Special House Committee plan is $1.1 billion. The proposal of the State Board of Education is estimated to cost $542 million, plus an unspecified amount for a cost‑of‑living increase for educational personnel.

"With the wide difference in the proposals presented thus far, it is likely that the 65th Legislature, like the 64th, will have to arrive at a compromise position which envelopes the various plans into a single politically acceptable proposal," Moak said.

BLISSETT EDITS BOOK ON IMPACT ASSESSMENT

A book entitled Environmental Impact Assessment, edited by Professor Marlan Blissett of the LBJ School, was recently published by the Engineering Foundation.

The book represents an attempt to examine the function of environmental impact statements as an aspect of policy implementation and to explore a variety of analytical and decision‑making techniques that are applicable to their preparation.

The publication is an outgrowth of a conference sponsored by the Engineering Foundation and the National Science Foundation in 1973. Professors Gerard Rohlich and Kenneth Tolo from the LBJ School were among those involved in the conference.

Blissett wrote the summary and conclusion, "Environmental Assessment in Perspective."

"Throughout the government and professional communities there is a genuine concern for the development of methods and techniques that will provide a 'calculus' for measuring and evaluating impacts," Blissett wrote. The book discusses various methods and techniques that can be used, although recognizing the limitations involved.

Blissett concluded, "To be effective, impact assessment must somehow balance the application of methods against the demands of agencies and publics that are more sensitive, at times, to some impacts than to others. An adequate assessment of the consequences of environmental actions should therefore reflect not only a commitment to search for better analytical measures but a desire to find courses of action that appear responsible in view of the values to be served."