Comparing employment policy governance regimes in Canada and the European Union

This article assesses the performance of Canada's employment policy governance regime post‐1996 by explicitly comparing Canadian approaches to those used in the European Union (EU) through the open method of coordination (OMC). It concludes that Canada has moved so far along the decentralization continuum — with 13 provincial systems as well as a federal‐only system in place — that coordination, coherence, mutual learning and information sharing on a pan‐Canadian basis have been lost. While EU OMC approaches hold promise, to be realized stakeholders would need to become more engaged in the policy domain and provinces, rather than the federal government, must take the initiative for enhanced coordination.     

Comparing accountability relationships between governments and non‐state actors in Canadian and European international development policy

This article examines the alignment of different governance arrangements and alternative accountability mechanisms in international development policy making in Canada and the European Union (EU), with a particular focus on relationships between governments and non‐governmental organizations. The Canadian case illustrates an entrepreneurial mode of governance that aligns with fiscal auditing and performance management mechanisms, while the networked governance model of the EU relies more heavily on accountability instruments of public reporting and deliberation. The article concludes that the European accountability regime likely provides policy makers with more opportunities for social policy learning but would be difficult to implement in Canada given the underlying action logic of the federal government.     

Multilevel policy from the municipal perspective: A pan‐Canadian survey

Building on in‐depth case studies and extensive theory‐building by Canadian multilevel governance scholars, this article identifies and describes multilevel policy involvement by federal, provincial, municipal, private, and NGO actors in three policy phases and eighteen policy domains that specifically involve local governments in Canada. Drawing from an original pan‐Canadian survey of municipal mayors and councillors, we show that municipal politicians see multilevel policy involvement as remarkably prevalent across many policy domains. Using an original measure of multilevel policy involvement, we identify the policy domains in which policy involvement is most concentrated or fragmented and then describe the correlates of this measure. Multilevel policy involvement, we argue, is more clearly associated with policy phase and policy domain than with municipal population or region. We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research.     

L’évolution de l’exercice du contrôle dans l’administration publique fédérale canadienne

This article focuses on how control is exercised in the Canadian federal administrative system. More specifically, it aims to determine whether the management philosophy introduced by the Canadian federal government in 2000, which advocated for greater flexibility in the system, is reflected in government policies. The research examines the content of Canadian federal government financial management policies between 2000 and 2018.     

Policy implementation in multilevel environments: Economic development in Northern Ontario

Abstract: Recent research on policy implementation has focused on policy intervention across multiple jurisdictions with large numbers of actors, loci and layers. The present study seeks to contribute to this endeavour by weaving together theoretical insights drawn from conventional policy implementation, organization theory and governance. The effectiveness of the integrated framework is verified by examining the economic development efforts of the Canadian government in Northern Ontario over the past two decades, focusing on how the federal government's main economic development agency engages with its provincial and local counterparts, as well as with organized community and private‐sector groups within the region.     

Spending reviews and the Government of Canada: From episodic to institutionalized capabilities and repertoires

Following surges of spending and staff hiring to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trudeau government announced a strategic policy review in the 2022 Budget to secure savings of $6 billion. There has been little apparent progress by May 2023 and opaque communications. This is surprising because Canada was once considered an international exemplar for spending reviews, needs to learn from the pandemic experience, has a worrisome medium-to-long-term federal spending trajectory, and the governance and economic context has rapidly evolved. This article identifies different kinds of spending reviews and design considerations, reviews Canada's experience with reviews since the early 1980s, considers recent OECD experience and exemplars, and argues that its spending reviews have become increasingly selective and closed. We suggest the Canadian government should institutionalize annual spending reviews, which can be scaled up or down, and that this points to more fundamental issues for reform and building a new governance culture.     

双轨动员:项目制社区自治的实践逻辑及其影响——对上海市P街道社会服务项目化运作模式的考察

项目制社区自治旨在以组织、关系和激励结构的变革,形成基层社区自下而上和自上而下的双轨动员治理,化解科层体制与基层自治的张力,实现共生式发展。围绕项目制展开的社区自治通过自治金的嵌入、自治团队的协作和自治机制的设计等治理要求,诱发了基层社区治理体系的重构并产生了强大的溢出效应。项目制自下而上的“反向发包”特征,不仅释放了基层社区的活力,还促成基层社会治理重心下移,成为基层治理精准化、精细化服务的破题之钥,对基层治理具有持续性及不断增长的影响力。项目制的社区自治,将成为贯通基层社区与党、政府和社会的一种新双轨动员治理模式。     

Representative bureaucracy: linguistic/ethnic aspects in Canadian public policy

Abstract. This paper explores the historical background, logical contours and policy implications of recent attempts by the Government of Canada to achieve the ‘effectively balanced participation’ of francophones in the federal public service. Historically, various crucial events concerning French Canadian participation in the federal bureaucracy are recounted with an eye to understanding both the roots of present policies and the distinctive inherited elements which shape them. Logically, the generic concept ‘representative bureaucracy’ is employed as a prism for shedding light on its Canadian variant, ‘balanced participation’: the logic of representative bureaucracy and the arguments for and against it are explicated, with concern for how these pertain to the Canadian case. Finally, the foregoing historical and logical elements are brought to bear on the question of sociological proportionality in the federal public service, especially as it might involve the use of quotas. It is maintained that sociological heterogeneity in the federal bureaucracy is a positive value, and that recruitment and promotion procedures should strive to attract people with manifold backgrounds, perspectives and talents. The use of legislated quotas, however, is viewed as an inefficacious and potentially destructive means for addressing this task. With respect to the issue of francophone participation specifically, the adoption of legislated quotas would be superficial and anachronistic.     

Public health and collaborative governance

Abstract: The nature of governance in Canada, both horizontally (between federal departments) and vertically (between federal and provincial governments) is changing. Or is it? Two distinct trends seem to have emerged over the past decade: one towards horizontal coordination and one towards vertical collaboration. These trends are perhaps best exemplified by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which depends very emphatically on integrated relationships both with other federal departments and with provincial and territorial governments. Yet in the past year, severe criticisms have emerged regarding the agency's ability to meet its objectives. To what extent are these problems due to the failure of collaborative governance? On a wider level, have decision-makers been too insouciant about making importunate public policy decisions on an assumption of the viability of collaborative governance? This article argues that problems in vertical collaboration in public health have occurred largely due to failures in horizontal coordination within the national government.     

基层社会治理中的政社互动研究:取向、经验与反思——基于2007—2018年CSSCI期刊文献的内容分析

基于对基层社会治理中政社互动的既有研究发现:政社互动是在国家行政权力上收与基层自治不足的情况下,加强国家与社会之间联系的一种方式,其经验推进是在政府主导下,社会组织嵌入以及政府向社会组织购买公共服务而形成的两种合作治理形式。在“强国家-弱社会”的政社关系下,政府的过度干预导致社会组织逐渐依附于行政体系,加上承接服务的主体缺失与回应不足,使政社互动陷入“内卷化”的困境。在基层社会治理中,政府应从集权管控走向吸纳治理,从单向嵌入走向双向互嵌,从政府排斥走向社会自觉,进而实现政府治理与社会自治的有效衔接与良性互动。     

协同治理：高等院校治理模式的新选择——基于高校权力结构变迁的考察

在我国高校权力主体走向多元、权力结构趋于扁平的背景下,实现高校治理各主体的协同已成为高校管理体制改革的关键所在。本文从协同治理理论切入,剖析中国高校权力结构现状,阐述协同治理将成为我国高校的必然选择。在分析我国高校权力结构变迁基础上,从治理价值基础、机制建设和理性行为培育等方面探讨高校协同治理的构想。     

Patterns of Canadian departmental survival

Assertions have been made about the immortality of public‐sector organizations and the need for higher rates of termination of public‐sector organizations. Research on the American federal government argued that such organizations had mortality rates lower than private‐sector organizations. Better research demonstrated that the mortality of public‐sector organizations has occurred at the highest rates observed in the private sector, where rates could be expected to be high because most organizations were very small. Mostly large public‐sector organizations were examined in the U.S. – they should have had low mortality rates. What is the situation in Canada? How does Canadian survival of public‐sector organizations compare to that in other sectors and other countries? This article compares the survival and mortality rates of Canadian public‐sector organizations to those of the private sector and the non‐profit sector. It also compares Canadian public‐sector organizations to those in Ireland and the U.S., finding that Canadian federal organizations have not been immortal and that their mortality rates are among the highest detected. The pattern of Canadian public‐sector organization terminations is punctuated equilibrium.     

社区自治：我国社区治理的发展目标

改革开放以来,我国的社区治理主要经历了行政型、合作型两种模式。实现社区自治是我国社区治理的发展目标,但目前条件尚未成熟。要实现社区自治的目标,必须从加强社区治理的法律建设、积极促进第三部门发展、大力发展社会中介组织、积极培育公民的参与意识和社区理念等方面努力。     

国家统一前提下的“地方自治”实践——民国时期新疆地方“自治”探索历程

民国时期,由于主客观原因,新疆被迫"自立",从此走上"地方自治"的探索道路。其间经历了专制的"自治"、借鉴的"民主自治"、联合省政府等阶段。这种从自发到自觉的地方政权治理模式与"地方自治"理论中的各要素具有高度近似性,最终基本达到"本省人治理本省"的高级形态,为新中国建立后,实施民族区域自治制度奠定了实践基础。     

GitHub use in public administration in Canada: Early experience with a new collaboration tool

GitHub is a web‐based digital project hosting service that facilitates collaboration. We introduce how GitHub works and assess how it has been used in the public sector in Canada based on interviews with federal government leaders and a survey of Canadian public service GitHub users. With little research to date on public sector use of GitHub, and none on its use in Canadian governments, we explore the early experience with this collaboration tool and consider the possible implications for collaboration in government.     

Evolving structure of governments: Portfolio adoption across the Canadian provinces from 1867–2012

Based on work by Moon and Sayers on the assignment of ministerial portfolios in Australia, we use a new dataset on portfolio adoption across all ten Canadian provinces and the federal government from 1867–2012. This data set when analyzed shows four distinct patterns of portfolio adoption that point to key motivations behind the development of new portfolios. We show that much of the common wisdom fails to explain portfolio creation but that patterns of development may be better explained by a new typology. The work attempts to fill a gap in the understudied area of Canadian ministerial portfolios and comparative provincial politics.     

“有为而治”彰显高效 “无为而管”考量智慧——香港基层治理体制及社区建设启示

香港居民自治和基层治理体制及社区建设模式很有特色。概括起来,“有为而治”体现在政府制定芾1J度与规章,维护法律与社会秩序,对整个城市和社会实行宏观层面的治理;而“无为而管”则充分表现在发扬民主自治、人本管理和权责明确。“有为而治”彰显香港政府管理的高效,“无为而管”更多考量的是政府的胸襟与智慧。学习香港政府这种“有为”与“无为”灵活熟练的管理之道,学会该管的到位,绝不推卸,事无巨细,不该管的或管不好的放手,绝不掺和,彻彻底底,这对于当前贵阳市城市基层管理体制机制的创新很有帮助。     

Multilevel governance through a strategic lens: Innovation policy delivery in Ontario

The multilevel governance literature has matured into a widely used analytical framework for investigating policy processes that span multiple tiers of jurisdiction. However, there are still gaps in this literature. The main objective of this article is to address some of these gaps by proposing a strategic construct of multilevel governance that focuses on informal but longer-time horizons of interjurisdictional cooperation. This strategic approach expands the frame of analysis from prevalent emphasis in the extant literature on limited instances of interjurisdictional coordination to a greater emphasis on sustainable strategic multiscalar partnerships facilitated by municipal-level authorities and non-state actors. The article uses this strategic construct of multilevel governance to analyze the key institutional features of Canada’s innovation policy delivery in southern Ontario. This study illustrates how a strategic construct provides a richer understanding of the highly adaptive and fluid processes of multilevel governance in federal systems.     

公司治理的核心:股东自治——以"国美公司事件"为视角

公司的本质是股东投资营利、规避风险的工具,这决定了股东应当在公司的治理中处于核心和主导地位,股东自治应当成为公司治理的核心内容.国美公司股权争夺的过程始终体现了股东自治的理念.整个事件中,公司章程作为公司内部的"宪章",对实现股东自治起到了根本作用."国美公司事件"的启示在于公司治理应当坚持股东自治,公司立法模式应当坚...     

政府管理与基层自治协调困境研究

在社会多元治理背景下,政府行政管理与基层群众自治作为两种不同的社会治理机制,因宏观上不同的内驱力、价值取向和运作机制,微观上政府职能扩张、群众自治意识淡薄和基层自治组织的利益聚合表达功能不强等因素的影响,在具体的运作过程中,存在着诸多的协调困境。为更好地发挥社会多元治理机制,实现社会的＂善治＂,必须找准路径,使这两种不同的治理机制走出协调的困境。