Wildavsky on “rescuing budgeting from American administration” and Heclo and Wildavsky on “village life in British budgeting”

“Human nature is never more evident than when men are struggling to gain a larger share of funds or to apportion what they have among myriad claimants.”:Wildavsky “Money talks. It speaks to the purposes of men and nations. Government spending decisions not only affect the public's standard of living but also reflect the standards by which public men live.”:Heclo and Wildavsky The Politics of the Budgetary Process. By aaron wildavsky. Boston: Little, Brown The Private Government of Public Money: Community and Policy Inside British Politics, 2^nd edition. By hugh heclo and aaron wildavsky. London: Macmillan, 1981. Pp. 399.     

Book Notes/Résumés de livres

Donald F. Kettl and John J. Dilulio Jr. Inside the Reinvention Machine: Appraising Governmental Reform. Arie Halachmi and Geert Bouckaert, eds. Public Productivity Through Quality and Strategic Management. David D. Chrislip and Carl E. Larson. Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference. Paul C. Nutt and Robert W. Backoff. Strategic Management of Public and Third Sector Organizations William A. Band. Touchstones: Ten New Ideas Revolutionizing Business.     

Book note Résumé de livres

Richard A. Clarke,Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror. New York: Free Press, 2004. Pp. xiii, 304, index. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the U.S.,The 9/11 Commission Report, authorized edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., [2004]. Pp. xviii, 567, bibliographical references.     

Vers un nouvel État–providence: I'expérience de la Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec

Sommaire: Depuis prés de vingt ans, il est question de la crise de I'état–providence. Mais à quoi ressemblera l'état–postprovidence? Parce que l'intervention de 1'état en matière de gestion des risques professionnels a souvent constitué l'acte de naissance de I état–providence au sein des pays de I'ocde, nous avons choisi d'observer les développements récents dans le domaine de la gestion des risques professionnels au Québec. Après avoir COMU une grave crise financière en 1991, la Commission de la santé et de la séurité du travail du Québec s'est livrée à une réingénierie des proces–sus de travail en matiére de réparation des lésions professionnelles. En extraolant a partir du « modèle csst», on constate que le mode d'intervention de 1'état se caractérise désormais par la recherche de 1'équité dans l'attribution des ressources, davantage que par la recherche de 1'égalité. Toutefois, on observe également que pour effectuer la gestion de I'équité, il faut favoriser la participation des « clients»à Yadministration de la fonction publique. Abstract: For almost twenty years now, the welfare state has been said to be in crisis. But what will the post–welfare state look like? Because government intervention in the management of professional risk was often the trigger for the emergence of the welfare state within the oecd countries, we chose to analyse recent developments in the management of professional risk in Quebec. Following a severe financial crisis in 1991, the Quebec Health and Work Safety Board re–engineered the work processes concerning the repair of job injuries. Extrapolating from the “csst [Commission de la santé et de la séurité du travail] model,” it is clear that government intervention is now characterized by a search for equity in resource allocation rather than a search for equality. However, it is also noted that, in order to manage equity, “client” participation in the administration of the public service must also be promoted. À la fin du XIX^e siècle, l'état modeme, l'état de droit, se présente sous une nouvelle forme: l'état–providence. Au cours du siècle suivant, l'étatDésormais, c'est l'appartenance anonyme à cette com–munauté‘devenue société’ qui est garante de la sécurité de l'individu     

Book notes Résumés de livres

Caroline M. Robb, Can the Poor Influence Policy? Participatory Poverty Assessments in the Developing World Barbara Ley Toffler with Jennifer Reingold, Final Accounting: Ambition, Greed, and the Fall of Arthur Andersen     

Book Notes Résumés de livres

Eugene Bardach, Getting Agencies to Work Together: The Practice and Theory of Managerial Craftsmanship. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1998. Pp. xi, 338, bibliographical references, index.     

Book Note Résumé de livre

Shiva S. Halli and Leo Driedger, editors,Immigrant Canada. Demographic, Economic and Social Challenges. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Pp. xii, 358.     

Vers une redéfinition de la politique d'achat du Québec

Sommaire: Les marchés publics constituent pour le Gouvernement du Québec un précieux instrument de développement socio-éonomique et un puissant levier dans la réalisation de certains objectifs bien particuliers. Aussi, afin de stimuler et de favoriser le développement de l'économie québécoise, la politique d'achat du Gouvernement du Québec révèle plusieurs mesures préférentielles. Elle tente explicitement de maximiser l'utilisation de produits québécois, de canaliser une part substantielle des achats publics vers les entreprises québécoises. Cette politique d'achat préférentielle a été récemment raffermie et ce, malgré le mouvement international de plus en plus vigoureux visant l'élimination des obstacles à la libre circulation des biens et services. Toutefois, au niveau interprovincial, ce même Gouvernement, dans une volonté d'emboîter le pas et de s'aligner sur l'actuelle tendance à la libéralisation des échanges commerciaux, a spontanément souscrit à l'Accord intergouvernemental sur les marchés du secteur public qui prône l'abolition des barrières au commerce interprovincial. Le Gouvernement du Québec doit désormais tenter de concilier l'existence des principes et objectifs de ces deux textes conflictuels. La présente étude offre une vision globale, suggère un survol de la politique d'achat du Gouvernement du Québec et de son champ d'application, dam le contexte de la libéralisation des échanges commerciaux interprovinciaux. Elle souligne que l'Accord ne sonne pas le glas de la politique d'achat du Québec mais en implique une sérieuse et profonde remise en cause. En effet, la politique d'achat devra nécessairement débouher sur une façon originale d'utiliser les marchés publics tout en s'insérant dans le cadre de l'Accord. Abstract: For the Government of Quebec, public contracts are an invaluable tool for socio-economic development and a powerful lever for the achievement of some quite specific objectives. In order to stimulate and promote the development of the Quebec economy, the purchasing policy of the provincial government involves several preferential measures. It explicitly attempts to maximize the use of Quebec products, and to channel a substantial portion of public purchases to Quebec firms. This preferential purchasing policy has been strengthened recently, in spite of the growing international movement towards eliminating impediments to the free trade of goods and services. However, at the interprovincial level, in order to fall in step and align itself with the present trend towards freer trade, the Government of Quebec spontaneously subscribed to the Intergovernmental Accord on Public Sector Contracts, promoting the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers. The Government of Quebec must now aim to reconcile the principles and objectives of these two conflicting approaches. This study provides an overview and suggests a survey of the provincial government's purchasing policy and its field of application, within the context of the liberalization of interprovincial trade. It stresses that the accord does not negate Quebec's purchasing policy, although it does involve a thorough review of it. Indeed, the purchasing policy must necessarily lead to an original way of using public contracts while still staying within the bounds of the accord.     

Les enjeux de l'évaluation de la performance : Dépasser les mythes

Since the 1990s, most Western countries have equipped themselves with frameworks and tools to measure health organizations and systems' performance. Paradoxically, several theoretical, methodological and usage issues remain unresolved. Conceptually, the notion of performance is vague and not well rooted in theory. From a methodological perspective, we are faced with numerous measures that don't always meet reliability, validity and usefulness criteria and don't help to grasp the complexity of the concept. Finally, the assessment results are not fully used to continuously improve performance. This article focuses on analyzing these issues by deconstructing the myths that slow down the development of better‐suited frameworks to meet decision‐makers' needs. It also proposes innovations based on the global and integrated assessment model of health systems.     

Book Notes Resumes de livres

Bernard Schissel and Terry Wotherspoon.The Legacy of Schools for Aboriginal People: Education, Oppression, and Emancipation. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford University Press. 2003. Pp. viii, 176, bibliographical references, index. Elaine Morley, Scott P. Bryant and Harry P. Hatry.Comparative Performance Measurement. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute Press. 2001. Pp. 124, bibliographical references, index.     

Book Notes Resumes de livres

Ann L. Griffiths,Handbook of Federal Countries, 2002. Montreal and Kingston: McGill‐Queen's University Press for the Forum of Federations, 2002. Pp. xiv, 513. Catherine Frostis a member of fnculty, Department of Political Science and Communication Studies, McMaster University.     

L'ajustement mutuel dans le fonctionnement organique du système multiorganisationnel d'aide et de services aux sans‐abri de Montréal

Sommaire : Notre étude de l'organisation du secteur de l'aide et des services aux sans‐abri à Montréal Centre met en lumière un système multiorganisationnel de services de santé et de services sociaux qui n'est pas intégré hiérarchiquement dans son ensemble et qui n'est pas soumis à une « entente de gestion et d'imputabilité» globale propre à une gestion fondée sur la normalisation des résultats. L'étude présente un système d'ensemble de type « organique » plutôt que bureaucratique, largement fondé sur des ajustements mutuels entre les nombreux acteurs publics et « communautaires » de ce secteur. La coordination des services se réalise alors essentiellement dans les interactions entre les intervenants alors qu'ils accomplissent leur travail, et ce avec le soutien des gestionnaires. À l'aide de nombreux extraits d'entrevues, nous étudions le fonctionnement de ce système « organique » sous la forme de trois catégories de processus d'ajustement mutuel qui se superposent et se complètent pour assurer la valeur des services : disjoint unilatéral, conjoint bilatéral et conjoint multilatéral. Selon les sciences de l'organisation, un tel système est potentiellement mieux adaptéà composer avec la complexité des connaissances et des valeurs caractéristiques des services humains, qu'un à système formellement intégré et contrôlé par des règles, des indicateurs et des cibles quantifiables. Abstract: This study of the organization of the sector dedicated to providing aid and services to the homeless in Central Montreal reveals a multiorganizational health and social services system that is neither hierarchically integrated as a whole nor subject to a comprehensive “management and accountability agreement” specific to standardized results‐based management. The study details a comprehensive system that is “organic,” rather than bureaucratic, and broadly organized based on mutual adjustments among the numerous public and “community” practitioners in this sector. The coordination of services is therefore essentially achieved through the interaction of the workers as they perform their jobs, with the support of management. This study draws on a number of extracts from interviews to examine how this “organic” system operates, in the form of three distinct processes of mutual adjustment that are superimposed and complementary to ensure the value of the services: “unilateral disjoined,”“bilateral joined” and “multilateral joined.” According to organizational science, this type of system is potentially more likely to address the complexities inherent in the knowledge and values that are characteristic of human services than a formally integrated system that is controlled by rules, indicators and quantifiable targets.     

Books reviewed Comptes rendus

Canada's Video Revolution: Pay-TV, Home Video and Beyond: By Peter Lyman The Introduction of Pay-TV in Canada: Issues and Implications: Edited by R. Brian Woodrow and Kenneth B. Woodside Aquaculture: The Legal Frame Work : By Bruce H. Wildsmith Marketing Canada's Energy: A Strategy for Security in Oil and Gas: By I.A. Mcdougall Offshore Oil: Opportunities for Industrial Development and Job Creation : By Roger Voyer Traité de droit administratif : 2^eédition, tome 1 par René Dussault et Louis Borceat     

Book Reviews Comptes Rendus

Book reviewed in this article: Tableau de bord de gestion et indicateurs de performance:de Pierre Voyer2^eédition. Presses de l'Université du Québec Walter Gordon and the Rise of Canadian Nationalism:By Stephen Azzi Taking it to the Hill: The Complete Guide to Appearing before (and Surviving) Parliamentary Committees:By David Mcinnes Beyond the New Public Management: Changing Ideas and Practices in Governance:Edited by Martin Monocle, Charles Polidano and David Hume     

Understanding management: Henry Mintzberg on the activities of managers

The Nature of Managerial Work, 2^nd edition. By Henry Mintzberg . Engle‐wood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice‐Hall.     

New public management: Just a “fashlon model on the runway”?

“Government reform has broad goals ‐ npm is more effective at the narrow end of measuring client satisfaction. [1]f fundamental public policy issues are not dealt with adequately then well‐managed policy implementation cannot lead to effective public policy.” The Global Public Management Revolution: A Report on the Transformation of Governance. By donald f. kettl. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution. 2000. Pp. vii, 87. Bureaucracy and the Alternatives in World Perspective. Edited by keith m. Henderson and O.P. dwivedi. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1999. Pp. xx, 330. The New Public Management: International Developments. Edited by david barrows and h. ian macdonald. Toronto: Captus Press. 2000. Pp. xiii, 225.     

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec : Je me souviens …

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec was created during the Quiet Revolution (la Révolution tranquille), which began on 22 June 1960 following the election of the Liberal Party whose leader, Jean Lesage, called for francophone Quebeckers to reclaim control of their destiny. Thus, promoting the economic development of Quebec was not only the Caisse's raison d'être, but also its primary mandate. This noble mission was defended by successive governments until the early 2000s. In 2008, when seemingly invincible financial institutions such as the American Lehman Brothers investment bank went bankrupt, the Caisse recorded losses of $40 billion. We argue that the collapse of the Caisse was precipitated by revolutionary actions, in the sense described by Kahn (2006), taken by the executive directors of the Caisse and the Charest government during the years prior to its downfall. In 2008, the Caisse had become, first and foremost, an investment fund manager designed to yield profits for its depositors. The downfall of the Caisse eloquently illustrates a drawback of market logic when shamelessly applied to the administration of public funds.     

Book reviews Comptes rendus

Diminished Democracy: From Membership to Management in Civic American Life By THEDA SKOCPOL. Noram, OK: University of Oklalioma Press. Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations By BARRY DYM and HARRY HUSTON. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing. P17. Psychologie du travail et comportement organisationnel, 2^eédition Dr SHIMON L. DOLAN, ERIC GOSSELIN, JULES CARRIERE, gérald lamoureux. Current Directions in Financial Regulation: Proceedings of a Conference sponsored by the John Deutsch Institute for the Study of Economic Policy, Queen's University Edited by FRANK MILNE and EDWIN N. NEAVE. Montreal and Kingston: McGill‐Queen's University Press. Almost Home: Reforming Home and Community Care in Ontario By PATRICIA M. BARANEK, RAISA B. DEBER, and A. PAUI. Williams. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Sisyphe et le financement de l'État Dr PIERRE P. TREMBLAY. Suinte‐Foy (Québec): Presses de I'University du Québec Governing Education By BENJAMIN LEVIN. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 2005.     

Politiques publiques et santé:les dilemmes de I‘évaluation prospective

Sommaire: Depuis le milieu des années 1990, plusieurs gouvernements ont affirmé leur volonté de tenir compte des impacts de leurs actions sur la santé des populations. En juin 2002, le gouvernement du Québec met en vigueur l'article 54 de la Loi sur la santé publique (L.R.Q. chapitre S‐22, 2001). Cet article atteste de l'obligation pour les ministères de tenir dorénavant compte des impacts sociaux, environnementaux et économiques de leurs actions sur la santé. La mise en Oeuvre de cet article suppose l'intégration d'un processus d'évaluation prospective des politiques publiques dans l'appareil gouvernemental, remet en question le fonctionnement vertical des administrations publiques et souligne l'importance d'une gestion stratégique des connaissances dans un monde sans frontières. Dans ce contexte, quatre dilemmes sont soulevés. Les deux premiers dilemmes sont d'ordre interministériel. Ils concernent les relations qu'entretiennent les ministéres entre eux et avec les organismes centraux. Les deux autres dilemmes s'intéressent à la dimension intra organisationnelle, c'est‐à‐dire la maniére dont chaque ministère réagit face aux demandes d'évaluations prospectives de ses politiques ou programmes et répond aux exigences dc l'article 54. Des méthodes qui devraient permettre aux administrations publiques de remédier à ces différents dilemmes sont également présentées. Abstract: Since the mid‐1990s, several governments have declared their commitment to ensuring that the impact of their actions on the health of the population is taken into account. In June 2002 the Quebec provincial government implemented article 54 of the Public Health Act (R.S.Q., chapter 2.2, 2001). This article stipulates the obligation on the part of the government departments to take into account the social, environmental, and economic impacts of their actions on public health in the future. The implementation of this article means integrating a process for the prospective assessment of the government's public policies, and re‐examining the vertical model of operation of public administrations; it also underlines the importance of strategic knowledge management in a world without borders. Four dilemmas are raised within this context. The first two dilemmas are interdepartmental in nature, and involve the relationships the government departments have with each other and with the central agencies. The other two dilemmas fall within the intra‐organizational sphere ‐ that is, the way in which each government department reacts to the demands for the prospective assessment of its public policies or programs, and how each department responds to the requirements of article 54. Processes that should allow the public administrations to solve these various dilemmas are also presented.