University of Northern British Columbia: Open Journal Systems
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The role of actors in the policy design process: introducing design coalitions to explain policy output
Full text linkDespite a renaissance of policy design thinking in public policy literature and a renewed interest in agency in the policy process literature, agency in the policy design process has, so far, not received systematic attention. Understanding the agency at play when designing policy, however, is crucial for better comprehension of policy design choices and varia- tion in policy design across cases. Here, we build on the hierarchical structure of design elements that constitute each policy and analyse how actors position themselves during a policy design process in relation to individual design elements. Our aim is to establish dif- ferent actors’ roles in shaping the policy output in an inductive, single-case study using the empirical case of the Swiss renewable energy feed-in tariff. Notably, we find agency in the form of coalitions which emerge around particular design elements. Based on our repre- sentative analysis, we derive the generalisable concept of design coalitions that we define as relational structures of actors who gather around and advocate for specific policy design elements during the policy design process. Policy design coalitions are dynamic through- out the design process and strategic and constitute the determinants in translating policy problems into final policy designs during policy designing. Our approach allows us to shed light on the role of agency in the policy design process in general
Diagnosing the role of the state for local collective action: Types of action situations and policy instruments
Full text linkThis paper presents a diagnostic approach to the role and capacity of governments to facilitate local collective action and alleviate environmental problems. The paper adds to a nascent scholarship aiming to conciliate theories on “governance by government” and “governance by self-organization”. We adopt two premises for that purpose: (1) policy instruments shall be tailored to the strategic nature of local resource management decisions; and (2) such nature is not static and can be modified via governmental policies. We first build on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to characterize the decision-making situations that local resource users face and the local rules that shape said situations. Then, based on common pool resource (CPR) and policy instrument choice theory, we identify four mechanisms through which different policy instruments can facilitate local collective action (change in payoffs and their perception, reduction of transaction costs, reduction of un- certainty, and normative consonance). This analytical approach is then applied to four illustrative cases of water management in Germany, France, Greece and Spain. As shown, local resource users are embedded in not one but many overlapping decision-making situations. In this context, the promotion of collective action is rarely ac- complished via a single policy instrument or mechanism but via bundles of them. Also, the paper illustrates the importance of understanding how governmental policies modify the structure of rules and incentives that affect local resource users, potentially facilitating local collective action and the solution of environmental problems
Peering into the black box of government policy work: The challenge of governance and policy capacity
Full text linkThere have been calls for more diffused policy advisory systems where a plurality of actors, particularly actors from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), engage with government in deliberating policy interventions to address collective problems. Previous research has found that government-based policy workers tend to have low levels of interaction with outside actors. However, very little is understood about the nature of these interactions. To shed light on this important relationship, a multi-regression structural equation model examines the nature of government-based policy work across three Canadian provinces. From an online survey of 603 Canadian provincial government policy workers, we develop six hypotheses that focus on the drivers of policy capacity and their degree of interaction with non-governmental organizations. The results revealed that increased interaction by the respondents with stakeholders was an important determinant for inviting stakeholders to policy discussions and led to increased perceptions of policy capacity. However, the ongoing trend of politicization in policy work had a dampening impact on overall policy capacity. More importantly, it appears that undertaking more evidence-based policy work did not lead to a greater policy capacity perception or interaction with stakeholder groups. The survey design and model development have the potential to be replicated in other jurisdictions
The role and significance of strategic and normative factors in public policy design and implementation in Slovenia: A Content Analysis
Full text linkPolicy processes are complex systems and require an in-depth and comprehensive analysis. Literature review reveals a lack of methodological approaches that in the broadest sense analyse and evaluate the successfulness of public policies. Especially, factors that affect policy design and policy implementation as two important phases of policy cycle have not been sufficiently explored. To address this gap, the application of several relevant public policy theories can help identify and investigate key factors relevant for analysing public policies. The principal objective of this paper is to define, analyse and study the relationship between two critical factors that influence the successful policy design and implementation of public policies in Slovenia, namely the strategic factors and normative factors. In order to study selected critical public policy factors twenty-two structured interviews and object-oriented discussions were conducted with the prominent public policy experts in Slovenia. The interviews were performed from February to September 2017, covering various relevant fields of public policies. Subsequently, the exploratory qualitative content analysis was applied in order to investigate the role and significance of the selected factors for successful design and implementation of public policies in Slovenia, and their interdependence and impact on the performance of public policies. The findings from this analysis reveal that although strategic factors are identified by the interviewees as the most important among all factors, the role of normative factors is also of utmost important and should not be underestimated. For various reasons, in practice, the normative factors often turn out to be crucial
By-Elections in Québec: Signs of Discord, Dissatisfaction, or Simple Dialogue?
Full text linkBy-elections are a regular aspect of Canadian politics but have been subject to a relatively scarce amount of study. In Québec, Massicotte (1981) demonstrated that the governing party largely won every contested by-election throughout the twentieth century. Since this time period, however, we find that opposition parties won a clear majority of by-elections in almost every single parliamentary sitting from 1976 onward. Based on previous theories, our analysis finds that by-elections in Québec are significant events and serve as a barometer for the next general election. Therefore, by-election outcomes are not simply idiosyncratic or exclusive to a particular riding
After Identity Politics? Faith in Liberal Citizenship
Full text linkThe ambivalent role of religion in modern citizenship is hardly new, whether in terms of the “hardware” (legal-political institutions and processes) or “software” (public attitudes and habits). Faith narratives can vigorously contest liberal claims of civil belonging and freedom, such as on gender and secularism. Yet liberal citizenship also benefits from justice claims anchored in interpretations of religion, ranging from equality and solidarity to nonviolence and reconciliation. Identity politics is a formative part of liberal citizenship, with a dominant tribal discourse legitimated by the accommodation of minority ethno-religious claims to equity and equality. Nativist populism aggravates an already adversarial relationship between faith and liberal citizenship, notably for minority religions. This paper argues for symbiosis between liberal citizenship and diverse religious identities—a political theology that takes pluralism seriously. While liberalism purports to minimize expectations of individual virtue, civic pluralism calls for the inclusion of collective and individual ethical commitments, beyond ruptures of secular and sacred that shape a jurisprudence on the “burdens of accommodation.” Evidence from Canada, among other liberal settings, suggests that the alternative is civic fragmentation that favours majoritarian tribalism.
Applying design in public administration: a literature review to explore the state of the art
Full text linkThe attention for applying design-oriented approaches in public administration has increased significantly. Applying design is seen as a promising way to deal with wicked problems and create more responsive policies and services. We aim to contribute to the debate on the value of design for public administration and the development of the latter into a design science by conducting a systematic literature review into the empirical applications of design. We analyse the goals, processes and outcomes of 92 empirical studies. Based upon this we distil six design approaches, varying from traditional scientific and informational approaches to innovative, user-driven and thus more ‘inspirational’ approaches. The more traditional (science-driven) approaches still dominate the field. The impact of these types of studies is correspondingly low. We argue that further developing and refining the whole range of design approaches can foster both the scientific rigour and the societal relevance of a design-oriented public administration
On Iron Cages and Suboptimal Choices: An Experimental Test of the Micro-Foundations of Isomorphism in the Public Sector
Full text linkThis study integrates experimental and qualitative data from a sample of public employees to investigate the micro-foundations of the isomorphic pressures that may lead to suboptimal decision making in the context of public administration. When asked to choose between two equally performing systems, subjects in our sample were inclined to favor the alternative that was encouraged by either a coercive, a mimetic, or a normative pressure. Participants tended to give in to isomorphic pressures, even when informed that the encouraged option was inferior. However, letting subjects autono- mously infer the inferiority of the encouraged option from numerical data—rather than through an explicit textual prompt—proved effective in neutralizing the risk of sub-opti- mal decisions under isomorphic pressures. A consequent qualitative inquiry revealed that trust in the recommending institution or group, speculation about alternative perform- ance dimensions, and compatibility with existing standards were the main drivers of sub- optimal decision making
When design meets power: Design thinking, public sector innovation and the politics of policymaking
Full text linkResponding to the need for innovation, governments have begun experimenting with ‘design thinking’ approaches to reframe policy issues and generate and test new policy solutions. This paper examines what is new about design thinking and compares this to rational and participatory approaches to policymaking, highlighting the difference between their logics, foundations and the basis on which they ‘speak truth to power’. It then examines the impact of design thinking on policymaking in practice, using the example of public sector innovation (PSI) labs. The paper concludes that design thinking, when it comes in contact with power and politics, faces significant challenges, but that there are opportunities for design thinking and policymaking to work better together
Rochester Institute of Technology - Design for Policy and Collaborative Governance
No full textRochester Institute of Technology - Design for Policy and Collaborative Governanc