Introduction: The OECD and Policy Transfer: Comparative Case Studies

Abstract

The six articles in this issue examine the role of the OECD in policy transfer. Two articles (Kudrle on international tax agreements, and Legrand and Vas on Australia’s vocational and educational training policy) conclude that the OECD has been influential, albeit in a grinding and lengthy way. Two others (Clifton on the OECD’s “enhanced engagement” policy with five G-20 countries, and Eccleston and Woodward on tax transparency) find the OECD’s influence either patchier or even dysfunctional. Carroll’s article provides a novel analysis of policy transfer through accession processes, while Alasuutari explores transfer in terms of a comparative analysis of policy rationalizations that refer to the OECD as a “standard.” A common theme of all six articles is the way in which policy transfer is driven by exogenous pressures and crises, and how international governmental organizations like the OECD exploit these pressures to protect and expand their global relevance.     

U.S. Government 2013 Budget Sequestration： Congress＇ Fix for the Federal Aviation Administration＇s Work Furlough

The United States 2013 budget sequestration dramatically reduced the operating budgets of most federal agencies, including that of the Federal Aviation Administration （FAA）. Facing a staggering budget reduction in the amount of S627 million from itsS16 billion annual budget, the FAA was forced to furlough most of its 47,000 employees, including its air traffic controllers. This case study utilizes Kingdon＇s Multiple Streams perspective to examine the implementation of the 2013 budget sequestration on the FAA and the resulting impact on the operations of the federal agency charged with ensuring the safe and efficient use of U.S. airspace. With work furloughs threatening its employees and the potential for significant air traffic delays, the United States Congress approved a bill which eliminated the threat of further work furloughs for FAA employees and the resulting flight delays. Analyzing these events within the context of the Multiple Streams perspective provides a unique opportunity for insights into democratic governance within the federal government.     

EU Legislation to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Cars: Intergovernmental or Supranational Policy Making?

This article examines the making and implementation of the 2009 European Union (EU) regulation on cars and CO₂ emissions (Regulation [EC] No 443/2009). As the first legally binding measure to target the CO₂ emissions of passenger cars, this regulation represents a milestone in EU efforts to reduce the climate impacts of road transport. The analysis draws on two central theoretical perspectives on EU policy making: liberal intergovernmentalism and supranationalism. Both offer important insights, but their explanatory power varies with the policy‐making phase in focus. The analysis shows that the Commission and the car industry were instrumental in shaping what eventually became an industry‐friendly regulation applicable in all EU countries. However, far from being a case of closed negotiations between the industry and the Commission, Germany and other EU countries defending the interest of manufacturers of high‐emission vehicles made use of their powers during the decision‐making phase and succeeded in watering down the Commission's proposal.     

财政分权、地方财政赤字与土地财政

基于地方财政赤字的视角,研究财政分权与地方政府土地财政策略的内在作用逻辑,通过理论分析发现:地方财政赤字激励了地方政府在利益觉醒后利用预算制度缺口,用"扭曲之手"来攫取预算外财政收益,进而驱动地方政府实施积极的土地财政策略来实现财政增收的政策目标。省际面板数据的实证结果进一步验证了财政分权、地方财政赤字对土地财政的正向驱动作用。土地财政的治理从深化分税制改革、改善地方财政收入结构、变革土地财政形成机制、完善行政绩效考核体制、加强预算监管等方面入手。     

填海造地的物权分析

由于我国填海造地制度特别是相关权利制度的缺失,我国填海造地出现了诸多问题,需要溯本清源.在明确填海造地的权利基础、填海造地的类型与性质、填海造地涉及的主要物权权利的基础上,对各种权利之间的转换与承接以及权利转换与承接中的利益分配做出合理的制度安排.     

Historical perspective and better regulatory governance: An agenda for institutional reform

Compared to economics, sociology, political science, and law, the discipline of history has had a limited role in the wide‐ranging efforts to reconsider strategies of regulatory governance, especially inside regulatory institutions. This article explores how more sustained historical perspective might improve regulatory decisionmaking. We first survey how a set of American regulatory agencies currently rely on historical research and analysis, whether for the purposes of public relations or as a means of supporting policymaking. We then consider how regulatory agencies might draw on history more self‐consciously, more strategically, and to greater effect. Three areas stand out in this regard – the use of history to improve understanding of institutional culture; reliance on historical analysis to test the empirical plausibility of conceptual models that make assumptions about the likelihood of potential economic outcomes; and integration of historical research methods into program and policy evaluation.     

陕西省级人才政策分析与评价

随着我国“一带一路”倡议和新西部大开发部署的推进,陕西省人才政策能否满足自身发展的需要值得研究。本文综合运用政策文本分析方法,对陕西省2008-2020年间颁布的101件省级人才政策文本特征属性进行量化分析。研究发现,陕西省级人才政策的文种类型多样、发文单位较广、年发文量呈波动变化。通过主题词分析,可将省级人才政策划分为初始、发展和巩固三个阶段,不同阶段的政策侧重点有差异。人才政策工具以环境型政策工具为主、供给型适中、需求型稍显不足。未来在完善政策体系的同时,提升人才政策执行的效果将更加有利于陕西省人才效益向经济效益转化。     

Conflict Assessment in Energy Infrastructure Siting: Prospects for Consensus Building in the Northern Pass Transmission Line Project

As energy demand grows rapidly worldwide, power line infrastructure will continue to be a major development planning challenge. This study considers the environmental conflict that has arisen over a transnational transmission line project between Canada and the United States. A qualitative conflict assessment is presented to define the parameters for consensus that could prevent protracted litigation between stakeholders. Proactively designing a process to encourage consensus building during the early development phase remains the most critical determinant of compromise. In this article, we argue that in this case a consensus‐building effort could be feasible if certain design requirements were met, including gaining the participation of key stakeholders, paying attention to trust, and focusing on the issues specific to this transmission line rather than to a larger energy discussion. The research shows that despite potential pitfalls, reaching more widely accepted and ecologically sensitive solutions to environmental conflicts through participatory and collaborative approaches is possible and worth the effort.     

Global attributes or local literacy? International students in Japan’s graduate employment system

International students graduating from Japanese universities are becoming an important component of graduate recruitment strategy in globalising Japanese firms. They are praised for possessing exactly the kinds of attributes seen as lacking in their Japanese counterparts – such as intercultural communication skills, self-confidence and a competitive spirit. Their value is also emphasised in national policies addressing the human resource challenges of globalisation. Higher education policy-makers, too, are increasingly conscious of the need to connect efforts to attract international students to Japan with strategies to maximise their utility in the Japanese workforce. To succeed in the job market, however, international students are required to conform to the conventions of graduate job-hunting. Career support services offered by universities and third-party intermediaries tend to focus on bringing students into line with these conventions rather than developing alternatives thereto. This article explores this interface between policies and practices surrounding international graduate job-seekers, analysing the positions of several different stakeholders – including the job-seekers themselves – in order to develop a more critical understanding of the possible outcomes of current moves towards internationalisation of higher education and employment in Japan and the future of the graduate job-placement system itself. The article highlights a paradox whereby the ‘global’ attributes that underpin the expectations placed on international students originally are overshadowed by a concern with testing local socio-cultural literacy through the application of the conventional norms and practices of the graduate job hunt.     

制度执行力:概念辨析及构建要素

制度执行力就是指制度本身所具有被执行落实的强制力、执行效力,以及相关组织在执行相关制度时的执行力量和执行效力。制度执行力与政府执行力、政策执行力之间具有交叉重叠的关系。制度执行力的构建,需要从完善制度、执行元制度、执行主体、执行行动、执行要件等方面着手。