Political Institutions, Public Policy and Economic Growth

The argument of the Rise and Decline of Nulions (RADON) opens up a new area of important social science research: to understand the social and political setting of economic growth. The paper tests the argument that institutionalization leads fo the decline of nafions slowing down the rate of economic growth. Employing several indicators on economic growth and controlling for a number of factors the finding with regard to the OECD-nations is that the Olson emphasis on institutionalization is confirmed.     

An Evaluation of Private Sector Provision of Public Infrastructure in Australian Local Government

Private sector provision of public infrastructure in Australia at all levels of government, including local government, has steadily increased over the past twenty years. Nevertheless, this method of providing public infrastructure remains controversial. This article seeks to provide a critical review of the arguments surrounding private sector provision of infrastructure in Australian local government. It examines both the case for private sector provision of municipal infrastructure in Australia and the major arguments advanced against this approach to infrastructure development. Given the conceptual argumentation and empirical evidence on private municipal infrastructure provision, it is argued that policy makers should employ a nuanced performance evaluation framework to assess the benefits and weaknesses of private provision on the basis of the specific type of infrastructure in question and the kind of services it provides rather than simply endorse carte blanche privatization.     

Local Government Structure and Public Expenditures

The ``Law of 1/n'' postulates a positive relationship betweenthe number of democratically electedrepresentative districts and governmentspending. Strong support for thisrelationship exists in legislatures in theUnited States (at both the state andnational level) and across countries. Fewstudies have examined this relationship atthe local level despite the fact that localgovernments operate under constraintssimilar to those faced by representativelegislatures. Using a sample of Georgiacounties we find the number of countycommissioners to be positively correlatedwith county government expenditures,indicating support for the Law of 1/nat the local level.     

Coalition Government,Legislative Institutions,and Public Policy in Parliamentary Democracies

Most democracies are governed by coalitions, comprising multiple political parties with conflicting policy positions. The prevalence of these governments poses a significant question: Which parties' electoral commitments are ultimately reflected in government policy? Recent theories have challenged our understanding of multiparty government, arguing that the relative influence of coalition parties depends crucially on institutional context. Specifically, where institutions allow credible enforcement of bargains, policy should reflect a compromise among all governing parties; where such institutions are absent, the preferences of parties controlling the relevant ministries should prevail. Critically, empirical work has thus far failed to provide direct evidence for this conditional relationship. Analyzing changes in social protection policies in 15 parliamentary democracies, we provide the first systematic evidence that the strength of legislative institutions significantly shapes the relative policy influence of coalition parties. Our findings have implications for our understanding of coalition government, policymaking, and electoral responsiveness.     

Political Trust, Ideology, and Public Support for Government Spending

This article analyzes the relationship between political trust, ideology, and public support for government spending. We argue that the political trust heuristic is activated when individuals are asked to sacrifice ideological as well as material interests. Aggregate- and individual-level analysis shows that the effects of political trust on support for government spending are moderated by ideology. Consistent with the unbalanced ideological costs imposed by requests for increased government spending, we find that the effects of political trust are significantly more pronounced among conservatives than among liberals. The analysis further demonstrates that ideology conditions the effects of political trust on attitudes toward both distributive and redistributive spending. Our findings suggest that political trust has policy consequences across a much broader range of policy issues than previously thought.     

Australia's Political Institutions and the Corruption of Public Opinion1

This article explores structural causes for the decline in the quality of Australia's political and policy conversations. Three are nominated. The first concerns the changing role of the major party organisations. These no longer contribute to agenda setting; they are no longer forums for activist and interest mobilisation; they no longer mobilise and cue a mass base. The second structural change concerns the rise in the role of the media. This is now the primary bridge between the formal political system and the surrounding society, a role for which it is singularly ill‐equipped. The third change concerns the misalignment between the formal political system and Australian society. The formal system was formed in the early twentieth century when Australian society was broadly divided by class allegiance. Those days are long gone. Class has decomposed. A variety of new concerns differentiate and pluralise social attitudes. Possible remedies are then discussed.     

论政治民主与政府公共关系

政治民主是政府公共关系的基础和前提,只有实现了政治民主,政府才能顺利开展公共关系工作;而政府公共关系对政治民主的建设与完善具有促进作用。正确认识政治民主与政府公共关系之间的关系,必须牢固树立“官”“民”平等的思想。     

The Job of Government: Interweaving Public Functions and Private Hands

Lively and sometimes raucous debate about the job of government has increasingly engulfed American politics. Much of that debate has swirled around government's size, with conservatives arguing the case for shrinking government and liberals fighting to grow it. In reality, however, neither of these debates engages the critical underlying trend: the increasing interweaving of governmental functions deeply into every fiber of the nongovernmental sectors. Many reforms have sought to rein in government's power, but none has engaged the fundamental interweaving of policy implementation, and, not surprisingly, most have failed. Indeed, many have eroded the public's trust in the governmental institutions on which they depend. This process raises fundamental challenges for defining government's core role, for building the capacity to govern effectively, and for enhancing the accountability of governmental programs. Many of government's administrative tools are a poor match for the governance problems they seek to solve.     

地方政府公共服务供给侧改革研究

地方政府作为国家重要组成机构,承载着公共服务的重要职能,是国家公共服务的核心体现和基础。伴随着公共需求的发展与变化,公共服务需求与供给之间矛盾突出,对地方政府公共服务提出了新的挑战。将供给侧改革引入地方政府公共服务领域,通过供给端改革发力向需求端传导,是实现公共服务供需均衡,提升公共服务效率的创新途径。地方政府公共服务供给侧改革的关键是明确公共服务供给侧改革的价值取向与供给主体定位,以良性协作、达成行动为归依,利用社会与市场机制完善资源配置,调整供给结构,提高供给主体的供给能力,构建政府、市场与社会间多元供给机制,完善供给侧改革的配套机制,以供给侧改革促进供需平衡,实现供需"双到位"。     

地方政府决策创新的实践和启示——杭州市开放式决策的调研分析

杭州市的开放式决策创新保障了决策程序和结果的正义性,丰富并拓展了政务公开的内涵、形式和外延,有助于提升政府决策的合法性和决策质量,有助于塑造良好的政府形象和提升政府公信力。杭州市的实践表明,进一步推进开放式决策,需加强宣传力度,拓宽公众参与渠道;强化决策会议议题与公共需求之间的关联度,提升公众参与深度与广度;完善决策程序,强化决策程序的正义性;强化责任追究机制,加强决策的制度化建设。杭州市的开放式决策启示我们,要通过战略意识的转变与创新,奠定决策中公民导向的思想基础;通过决策平台与载体创新,加速推进决策过程的电子化程度;通过机制体制创新,实现决策程序的制度化、规范化和民主化等。     

加快地区经济发展与地方政府公共政策选择分析

自新中国成立以来,几乎所有重大改革措施,都是通过中央政府制定公共政策来推动的。中国地区经济加速发展的过程,同时也是地方政府不断进行公共政策选择和创新的过程。作为政府主要调节工具的公共政策,在地方经济发展中,发挥着至为关键的影响和重要作用。因此,在挑战和机遇并存的经济环境中,扮演着双重重要角色的地方政府,只有结合自己的实际,不断进行政府的公共政策功能选择和创新,才能确保中央政策的有效实施和区域经济发展目标的顺利实现。     

The Impact of Political Factors on Local Government Decentralisation

ABSTRACT

The process of local decentralisation of public services delivery has attracted research attention because of the wide range of factors that induce governments to make this decision. Nonetheless, most such studies have focused on economic and financial aspects, ignoring the impact of political factors. The scarce previous research about political factors is the motivation for this study. We used panel data models based on 153 Spanish municipalities with populations over 50,000 for the period 1999–2007. The process of decentralisation is disaggregated according to the legal form of the entities: corporations and foundations. Our results show that more corporatisation processes are carried out in environments where political competition is lower and the party in power enjoyed greater support in the last elections. Additionally, decentralisation processes usually take place in the years immediately following elections, especially through foundations. Furthermore, both forms of decentralisation are more likely to be initiated by right-wing politicians.     

Local Government Reserve Funds: Policy Alternatives and Political Strategies

Local government officials are operating in a policy void when it comes to the establishment and use of reserve funds. In part, this is due to confusion about the distinction between reserve and contingency funds. The limited research that has been conducted shows that relatively large sums of money are maintained in reserve by many local governments. Some governments refer to these sums as reserve funds and their intended use is clearly indicated in one or more local documents, such as a budget or audit/financial report. Others simply maintain an unreserved fund balance. This article identifies rationales for using reserve funds, discusses the alternative ways reserves are accumulated, and outlines key issues a local government financial plan should address when reserve funds are utilized.     

政治沟通视角下的地方治理——地方政府沟通指数的测算与分析

政治沟通是政治生活的重要内容,但在治理评估研究中却长期被忽视。地方政府沟通指数将政治沟通纳入地方治理评估过程,以"平台—政府—民众"为框架构建指标体系,以全国338个地级及以上城市为研究对象,实现对各级地方政府沟通水平的测算和排名。从测算结果看,当前我国各级地方政府与民众在不同层面上开展沟通,但呈现较为明显的不均衡、不充分特点。作为衡量地方政府与民众沟通的重要指标,地方政府沟通指数不同程度地受到地理条件、人口规模、经济发展水平、政治资源配置等因素影响。通过构建和测算地方政府沟通指数,既可为我国的地方治理评估引入一个新的分析视角,也对提升地方政府沟通能力具有启示意义。     

民营经济发展过程中的公共政策创新——温州地方政府政策的演变与分析

地方政府作为正式制度供给的主体之一,在民营经济发展过程中起着特殊而又重要的作用。以温州民营经济发展为背景,实证描述和分析了地方政府政策在突破旧制度约束过程中所呈现出的显著跃迁性的特征。温州地方政府适时的政策创新,促使民营企业的非正式制度创新逐步转变为正式制度安排,为民营企业从非法走向合法奠定了坚实的基础。温州地方政府在公共政策设计过程中,既符合了温州民营企业的利益和制度知识,又符合了政策者的既得利益和意识目标,政策供给兼备了社会可行性和组织可行性,从而使得政策效能得到了充分的发挥。     

地方政府公共物品供给的理念创新

地方性公共物品因其区域性宜实行分别供给,地方政府应承担起地方性公共物品的供给职能。由于传统行政文化的牵引、计划经济体制的惯性和公共物品供给的复杂性等,地方政府供给理念存在偏差,即片面追求政绩,对民众需求考虑不够;供给物品的质量不高,质量意识不强;政府垄断供给,没有认识到其他主体在供给中的重要作用;地方政府责任意识不强等。因此,地方政府应进行理念创新,即树立以民为本,质量至上,供给主体多元化以及责任理念,保证为民众提供优质高效的公共物品。