Departmental audit committees and governance: Making management and accountability the priority from the top down

Abstract: One of the key policies arising from the Federal Accountability Act 2006 was the requirement for deputy heads to establish “department and agency audit committees.” These committees comprise retired public servants, academics and leaders from the private sector. This policy requires deputy heads to take advice from “outside” advisers for the management of their departments or agencies. This is unprecedented. The author examines the reform antecedents of this policy, key implementation considerations, and what this is likely to mean for management in the federal public service.     

Third wave,third sector: A comparative provincial analysis of the governance of third sector relations

Across Canada, provincial governments are engaged in a “third wave” of consultations, policy dialogues, and policy alignment strategies with the third sector. Unexplored to date is how provincial governments internally administer their third sector file. This internal configuration could have important implications for internal adherence to cross‐cutting policy mandates as well as third sector policy implementation and bilateral collaboration agreements. This is a new point of analysis for public administrators and third sector intermediary organizations alike. This comparative analysis of network governance structures in eight provincial governments reveals that some structures are more compatible with policy alignment and implementation than others.     

农村公共政策供给:时代特征、逻辑进路与批判性建构

农村公共政策供给呈现出典型的功能双重性、价值多重性和技术非均衡性时代特征并呈现出体系化趋向。民生政治、制度创新、解构并重构固化的社会结构,是农村公共政策供给的价值导向、技术导向和目标导向,三者共同构成了农村公共政策供给的逻辑进路。体制性传递与“泛政策化”、选择性供给与失真性执行、政策供给与制度创新的弱耦合性,是当前农村公共政策供给面临的现实挑战。农村公共政策供给带来的政策泡沫和信任危机降低了农民的政治效能感,引发潜在的政治认同危机;涉农政策“打架”现象根源于农村公共政策供给机制失调,导致制度性成本增加;制度创新热衷于制造概念并引致制度空转现象背离农村公共政策供给的逻辑要求。推动农村公共政策供给侧改革,健全完善农村公共政策社会监督体系,优化农村公共政策内部考核评估体系,是新时代优化农村公共政策供给的基本策略。     

Auditing citizen engagement in heritage planning: The views of citizens

Abstract: Drawing the citizen back into public fora has become the issue of the day in democratic countries around the globe. On the political stage, there is growing alarm over a perceived “democratic deficit,” which has inspired a variety of innovative means of engaging citizens in public policy decisions. This plethora of engagement mechanisms invites the question of how citizens evaluate these engagement opportunities, a question that reveals a decided lacuna of studies regarding citizen assessments of these various mechanisms. This study is a report from the citizen participants on the merits of a Nova Scotia model of citizen engagement in policy development. It examines a citizen task force organized by Voluntary Planning, which conducted a citizen consultation process to create policy recommendations for heritage preservation in Nova Scotia, using its distinctive technique of citizen engagement. This study is the first evaluation of the Nova Scotia process from the perspective of citizen participants conducted to date. It concludes that the process used is highly regarded and enhances the legitimacy of such mechanisms as the “voice of the people” for citizens themselves and government decision-makers.     

“Democratic policing”: Lessons from Ipperwash and Caledonia

Recently, there has been much controversy and confusion about the concept of “police independence” in the United Kingdom and Canada. The concept loomed large during the Ipperwash Inquiry, in which the alleged political direction of the Ontario Provincial Police was a major issue. These proceedings were partly concurrent with another Aboriginal occupation in Caledonia, Ontario. The Inquiry's final report recommended adopting a “democratic policing” model, which is significantly different from the “police independence” model. This aspect of the report has, however, received little or no public attention. Instead, the Ontario government continues to support “police independence,” while simultaneously claiming to implement the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry. How to respond to groups of people who pose real or potential threats to public order has been a major issue in Canada, requiring political decisions that are too important to be left solely to the police.     

Dancing with giraffes: Why philanthropy matters for public management

The role of institutionalized philanthropy is a blind spot in Canadian scholarship on public management. This article identifies five ways in which private “family” foundations add value to public management: through their roles in grantmaking; advancing social innovation; field building; shaping ideas; and advocating for policy and social change. An assessment of how well Canada's largest family foundations—those holding more than $100 million in assets—perform on each of these indicates they are not realizing their potential and need to be more attentive to their claim to public legitimacy. Equally, governments need to be more creative in how they work with the philanthropic sector.     

Net debt in the Canadian public accounts: Its emergence,evolution and entrenchment

Abstract: “Net debt” is considered an important measure of the financial strength of a government and is currently a required line item on the “statement of financial position” in Canadian government financial statements. In this article, the authors look at the emergence, evolution and entrenchment of net debt in the public accounts of the Government of Canada. They trace the history of this financial indicator through a study of archival data from the Province of Canada and the Government of Canada and interpret the data using Klaus Lüder's contingency model of public‐sector accounting innovations.     

浅论公共部门效率改革的策略

公共部门的迅速膨胀意味着公共部门与私人部门之间关系的根本变革。公共部门改革效率的问题成为目前理论研究的焦点。政策科学的应用性取向导致它寻求改进公共管理的方式。本文研究了公共部门的组织效率的定义及其改革的制度障碍,并且对公共部门改革的政治改革策略、缩减策略、分权与评估策略以及角色转换进行了探讨。     

DO ideas matter? Policy network configurations and resistance to policy change in the Canadian forest sector

Abstract: Conflict and controversy have been a prominent feature of the politics of the Canadian forest sector for over a decade, but with little apparent effect on Canadian forest policies. To help understand the role of ideas in the policy process, this paper focuses on the configuration of policy subsystems in the sector, arguing that “captured” and “clientelistic” policy networks have been able to resist criticisms emerging from fractious policy communities. Until such time as a coherent and consistent alternative forest policy paradigm emerges to unify the community, it is likely that the present disjuncture between ideas and interests in the forest sector will continue to characterize forest policy development. Sommaire: Depuis plus d'une décennie, le débat politique dans le secteur forestier au Canada a été fortement marqué par le conflit et la controverse, sans toutefois avoir beaucoup d'impact visible sur les politiques forestières du pays. Pour mieux cerner le rôle des idées dans la définition des politiques, cet article examine la configuration des sous-systèmes décisionnels du secteur et soutient que les structures décision-nelles captives et favorisant la clientèle ont résisté aux critiques des groupes antago-nistes. L'actuelle divergence entre les idées et les intérêts dans le secteur forestier caractérisera probablement la définition des politiques forestières jusqu'à ce qu'on leur trouve une solution de rechange cohérente capable de faire l'unanimité au sein des collectivités intéressées.     

Immigrants en banlieue et politiques publiques municipales : le cas lavallois (Québec,Canada)

Abstract: The growing number of new immigrants settling in suburban communities has caused researchers and policy‐makers to shift their focus from large cities to the communities that surround them, thereby side‐swiping several stereotypes commonly associated with “white” and “wealthy” suburban cities in North America. My article responds to this recent interest by proposing an analysis of the public policies that apply to immigrants and ethno‐cultural minorities in Laval, north of Montreal. The article establishes that Laval has had a policy in place since the early 1990s, with a specific institutional configuration that changes over time. I discerned two institutional configurations shaping two distinct sequences for this policy. The first sequence (1990–2003) involved an institutional configuration that shut down the channels for the representation of the interests of immigrants and ethno‐cultural minorities on the municipal level, and the second sequence (2003–2009) was marked by the regionalization of the shutdown of the mediation channels for the representation of these interests. In each sequence, the shutdown of the mediation channels is illustrated in three areas of this public policy: intergovernmental agreements, the recognition of associations, and affirmative action in the municipal public service.     

The state of talent management in Canada's public sector

For more than a decade, senior officials from across Canada's public sector have identified the capacity to “recruit and retain highly‐trained, qualified staff” as central to public service renewal and success in the 21^st century. And yet, despite the consensus behind this priority, students of Canadian public administration know little about the strategies and programs that are in place to attract, recruit, retain and transition key public servants in this country. This article tries to address this gap by describing talent management, one approach to getting “the right people in the right place at the right time” currently in use in British Columbia, Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The article concludes with some observations about the present and future of talent management in Canada's public sector.     

试析1949年后国民党的治台政策及其变迁

1949年后,台湾现代化进程有两大特点：经济上,国民党执政当局采取了“实用主义的经济政策”“在最适当时机采取最适宜措施”,尊重市场机制,合理行使经济职能,创造了许多“能够移植的经验”;政治上,因应内外形势的变动,在蒋经国及其领导的国民党的推动下,台湾实现了从威权社会到“选举民主社会”的过渡。相比较而言,民进党执政以来,无论政治、经济、道德皆乏善可陈,其执政能力远逊于国民党。     

Suivre la carrière des solutions de politique publique : les grands projets d’aréna au Québec

Drawing on three Quebec cases, this article examines the place occupied by the big arena project in urban public action. More specifically, the authors question the reasons behind the success of these projects. From a public policy standpoint, the analytical entry through the “solutions” (Zittoun 2013a) rather than the “problems” makes it possible to grasp the dynamic character of the construction of these public policies and to show the malleability of the “arena solution”. The analysis uses public discourse, taken from documentary sources, as an entry point to follow the career of the “arena solution”.     

雄心勃勃:英国新海事战略评析

英国是传统海洋大国,靠海而生、向海而兴。2019年初,为继承海洋发展的历史传统,更好地应对计划“脱欧”以及世界海洋形势发展的新变化,英国政府出台了《海事2050:引领未来》。该战略可以发现,英国在海事领域的重点关切主要包括:发展海洋贸易、关注海事安全、重视海洋环境保护与气候变化、提升在国际海事行业的话语权。对此,英国设立了雄心勃勃的目标并推出一系列推进措施,如注重整合国内力量、完善基础设施与技术支持、发展与其他国家和国际组织的伙伴关系等。中国应注意到英国海事战略中预见的挑战,加强顶层设计,支持海洋技术发展,保护海洋环境,加强海事合作,为中国建设“海洋强国”和“21世纪海上丝绸之路”赢得先机。     

Enduring,ephemeral and emerging issues in public administration in Canada: Trends in Canadian Public Administration over fifty years (1958–2007)

Abstract: This issue of Canadian Public Administration marks two landmarks. It is the 50th anniversary issue of the Journal, and it is the last issue to be published by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. For this issue, we have not produced a “special issue” in the sense of commissioning particular articles. Instead, we have brought together a number of articles that were already in the “pipeline” but that the editors thought made a particular contribution to public administration in Canada. This introductory article, or editor's review, is a retrospective analysis of the content of the Journal. It would appear that while there has been a slight shift towards public policy and a greater concern with provincial and local administration, cpa has maintained an enduring interest in its core areas of administrative theory and political and legal institutions. The content is also compared with findings of the content of other journals and also other analyses of cpa . This review is followed by commentaries by former editors and associate editors on their experiences with the Journal.     

中国能动司法内涵解析

通过观察决策者的有关讲话、行动以及各级法院的实践,我们发现,当下中国能动司法的内涵主要有三层：能动司法是一项司法政策,它以解决当下司法突出问题为直接目的;能动司法是一种司法理念,它树立了＂能动＂和＂服务＂的司法新理念;能动司法是一项司法战略,它以谋求中国司法的自主道路为最终目标。这些内涵表明,中国与西方的能动司法没有直接联系。能动司法提出后,决策者的使命已经完成。接下来的关键是,法律人如何把充满政策性、理念性和战略性的能动司法转换成法律性、实在性和现实性的能动司法。法律方法可能是实现这种转换的必由之路。     

Assessing policy capacity in Canada's public services: Perspectives of deputy and assistant deputy ministers

Abstract: The state of policy capacity within Canada's various levels of government has for some time been the subject of discussion both within the public services themselves and among the academic research community. Drawing on the results of a 2006 survey of deputy and assistant deputy ministers working in Canada's federal, ten provincial and three territorial governments, this article presents assessments made by the most senior leadership. The survey results show that ninety per cent of deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers agree that policy capacity has changed but that the change is not uni‐directional. Both improvements and decline in policy capacity were observed, although assessments of decline were somewhat more pronounced. Moreover, improvements in policy capacity were found to be associated with a reduced focus on direct service delivery, a greater concern with long‐term planning, and the presence of a political leadership interested in innovation. Conversely, declining policy capacity was found to be linked to centralization of power, the loss of institutional memory, and “churning” within the ranks of the executive leadership. Additionally, level of government was also observed to be linked with change in policy capacity, with provincial deputies reflecting more negatively on policy capacity decline in their government than deputies at other levels.     

中国共产党应对重大突发事件舆论风险的基本策略及经验启示

对重大突发事件舆论引导水平是衡量一个政党成熟与否的关键指标,也是检验一个政党治理能力的重要标志。回顾建党百年来党内外发生的对党的建设有重大影响的突发事件,可以看出:在建党百年来重大突发事件处置历程中,我党逐步形成了“内外有别”的舆论引导模式。对于党内突发事件的舆论引导主要分为两种:一是对于叛逃叛变类突发事件的舆论引导强调根据涉事对象身份的差异分别采用正面舆论交锋或维稳基础上的大规模舆论宣传两种策略;二是对于贪污腐败类突发舆论事件,我党则通过媒体及时向公众通报调查进程和相关人员处理结果,形成强大舆论震慑。对于党外突发事件的舆论引导:一是强调全域性舆论引导阵地的建设,二是强调重大突发事件舆论引导的及时性,三是在舆论引导中将“自我叙述”和“他人叙述”结合起来。     

驻村帮扶下的乡村治理变革--基于H省C镇X村的田野调查

驻村帮扶是实施乡村振兴战略背景下国家主动介入农村以改善乡村治理状况的一项重要制度安排。基于“结构一过程”的分析框架和H省C镇X村的调研材料,可以发现税费改革后第三领域内松散脱节的治理结构和多重机制混合的治理过程在驻村帮扶下发生了明显改观。一方面,作为基层政府与村级组织之间的中间型载体,驻村帮扶实现了国家与社会在村治场域内的上下贯通,塑造了紧密嵌合的治理结构;另一方面,依托于规范的公共治理规则和官僚化的治理工具,驻村帮扶又在实践中将多重治理推向统合,构建出正规化的治理过程。更为重要的是,这种由国家驱动的治理形式虽不同于节省成本的简约治理,但却具有复归二元合一政社关系的结构意义,因而又为实施乡村振兴提供了一定的政策启迪。     

The temptation of provincial criminal law

Under s.91 (27) of the BNA Act, 1867, the Federal Parliament has the exclusive authority to legislate “criminal law.” This has not stopped the provinces from passing “quasi‐criminal” laws that are difficult to distinguish from criminal law. Recent legislation regarding “public fighting” and civil remedies for criminal acts suggest there are few legal obstacles to enacting provincial criminal law. This article identifies such provincial criminal laws, explains how the modern doctrines of federalism might invite and allow for their enactment, and discusses impacts on criminal justice policy and administration. It highlights the discretion afforded the Crown and police in charging individuals under the federal Criminal Code or similar provincial laws (or municipal by‐laws). While provincial or local laws may allow for more efficient law enforcement, they do so at the expense of the procedural guarantees associated with the criminal law.