Bríd Quinn

Bio: Bríd Quinn is an academic researcher from University of Limerick. The author has contributed to research in topics: Local government & Regional policy. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 26 publications receiving 165 citations.

THE MOVE FROM GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNANCE: Irish development policy's paradigm shift

Abstract: English This article examines the evolution of Irish development policy, suggesting that it illustrates significant changes in government at both national and sub-national level. It is argued that pressures for change have arisen both beyond and below the national level of administration, as a result of reforms to Structural Funding at the European Union level and the growth of community initiatives at sub-national level.The chief consequence has been a redefinition of development policy which has impacted upon the structure of government, as well as the substance and style of policy delivery. Irish development policy now embraces social as well as economic policy objectives, and its implementation relies on the cooption into the policy arena of new actors and agencies, representing different interests in the development process. As a consequence, the design and direction of development policy now places greater emphasis on increased negotiation, partnership and subsidiarity. The extent of the change is characterised as a move towards governance in Ireland, and by doing so, the work seeks to develop the use of this term in a comparative context.

Reflexivity and education for public managers

Abstract: The changing nature of the world that public managers inhabit requires strategies for sense-making. This is frequently the reason why managers engage in mid-career education. Disciplinary elements ...

Mind‐sets, mirrors and mid‐career education

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore why critical reflexivity should be promoted within mid‐career management education programmes and articulate the benefits of a deliberate research orientation for such programmes. Design/methodology/approach – Having considered meta‐issues concerning the content and context of management education and research, the article identifies the categorical, methodological and contextual challenges which confront manager‐researchers and those facilitating mid‐career programmes. It argues that managers need to develop awareness of the different epistemologies and an understanding of their personal ontological orientation and methodological preferences in order to maximise the pertinence and added value of their research. Findings – The paper delineates the curricular, pedagogical and organisational challenges inherent in the promotion of critical reflexivity and research within mid‐career programmes. Originality/value – The paper outlines how a deliberate linkage of research and teaching can be forged in order to help managers surface and interrogate the knowledge, norms and values which frame their beliefs and actions. Consequently, it is of practical help to both academics and manager‐researchers.

Ireland's pragmatic adaptation to regionalization: the Mid-West region

Abstract: Ireland is perceived as perhaps the most effective user of EU structural and cohesion funds. Involvement in the EU has contributed significantly to the emergence of the Celtic Tiger. Using regional policy as a lens, this article explores Ireland's pragmatic adaptation to European policy. The article examines the Irish socio-economic context, the significance of its institutions and the level of social capital as a context for exploring the country's adaptation to EU membership and the evolution of its regional policy structures. A more detailed analysis of the impact of adaptation to EU regional policy in the Mid-West region is carried out by means of social network analysis. The patterns of adaptation and institutional and policy learning amongst the main governmental and non-governmental actors in the Mid-West region are examined and conclusions are drawn about the “goodness of fit” between Ireland's existing institutions and the EU's regional policy processes and instruments.

Local government reform – Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose?

Abstract: The perceived deficiencies in Ireland’s local government system have frequently been diagnosed, resulting in reports, White and Green Papers and action plans. This article reviews the main reform trajectories, paying particular attention to developments since 1971 and demonstrating that the reforms which did occur were affected by national and international developments. The form, functioning and financing of local government were recurrent themes in the reform documents, and these aspects are specifically examined. Political, administrative and decision-making structures are found to have been altered; the scope of existing functional programmes and the modes of implementation have changed noticeably; and, although the issue of local funding sources has been tackled, the centre’s financial hegemony has not been eliminated. Despite the insights of the reform documents, there is little evidence of a clear and consistent philosophy underpinning reform, so the cumulative changes represent a unique blend of innovation, incrementalism and entrenchment.

The social pillar of sustainable development: a literature review and framework for policy analysis

Abstract: There is a need to develop a clearer understanding of what the social pillar of sustainable development means and how it relates to the environmental pillar. This article contributes to this proces...

Towards developing new partnerships in public services: users as consumers, citizens and/or co-producers in health and social care in England and Sweden.

Abstract: The causes and effects of marketization of public services have been analysed extensively in the literature, but there is relatively little research on how those policies impact on the development of new forms of governance, and the role of users in these new arrangements. This study reviews examples of competition, freedom of choice and personalized care in health and social services in England and Sweden, in order to examine the type of relationships emerging between the user/consumer vis-a-vis market driven providers and various agencies of the state under the marketized welfare. The article focuses on the possible roles users might assume in new hybrid arrangements between markets, collaborations and steering. A user typology: namely, that of a consumer, citizen, co-producer and responsibilized agent in various governance arrangements, is then suggested. The article concludes by arguing that pro-market policies instead of meeting the alleged needs of post-modern users for individualized public services are likely to promote a new type of highly volatile and fragile partnerships, and create a new subordinated user who has no choice but to ‘choose’ services they have little control over.

Patterns of regional authority

Abstract: This paper introduces a new dataset on regional authority in 42 democracies for 1950–2006 and formulates five hypotheses. First, an S-curve effect describing a logistic association between the population of a country and its regional authority. Secondly, a heteroskedasticity effect, in which the variance in regional authority among larger countries is greater than that among smaller countries. Thirdly, an identity effect, in which the allocation of authority to a jurisdiction is influenced by the relative strength of a population's identity to the community encompassed by the jurisdiction. Fourthly, a democracy effect, which leads democracies to have higher levels of regional authority than dictatorships. Fifthly, an integration effect, which removes a potential economic cost on regionalization by providing a transnational frame for economic exchange.