http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/institutions tag posts with institutions Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:01:22 -0800 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:01:22 -0800 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://ask.metafilter.com/71795/cultivating-je-ne-sais-quoi Is it possible to create a descriptor of 'star performers' that's not tied to contextual skillset requirements? The only common traits I've identified among people in completely different fields who've rather impressed me are [a] gets along with others effortlessly [b] gets things taken care of without making a fuss (again, the appearance of effortlessness). Are there more? Think of "that guy/gal" from your past experience and describe them to me, the more details the better. Thanks. tag:ask.metafilter.com,2008:site.71795 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:01:22 -0800 work relationships institutions star performer raisons de coeur http://ask.metafilter.com/59605/Reading-an-unwritten-constitution Reading an unwritten constitution? I'm an American student of Public Policy, and next year I'll be studying government in the United Kingdom. I need a primer on the workings of government in the UK, and I suppose that if my situation were reversed, I'd start by reading the American Constitution and move on from there. There is, however, no such document in the UK, so my question is: where to start? I'd like to read a book (or a few books, if necessary) that covers how exactly government functions in the UK, the idea being to give me the same level of understanding of UK government as someone politically aware who grew up there (or close to it). I can handle academic writing easily, but the more readable, the better. Bonus points for books taking an institutional view, like James Q. Wilson's <i>Bureaucracy</i>. Thanks in advance. tag:ask.metafilter.com,2008:site.59605 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 19:45:54 -0800 government parliamentary unwritten constitution unitedkingdom england britain institutions awesomebrad