Showing papers in "Governance in 1992"

Policy Networks, Policy Communities and the Problems of Governance

Abstract: This article reviews and evaluates the literature on policy networks and policy communities that has emerged in the comparative public policy field. It argues that these concepts are important innovations because they suggest a renewed attempt to be both encompassing and discriminating in describing the policy process: encompassing because they refer to actors and relationships in the policy process that take us beyond political-bureaucratic relationships; discriminating because they suggest the presence of many communities and different types of networks. Yet if the concepts are going to continue to make a contribution, some problems must be resolved. The article suggests three that are particularly important: network and community concepts encounter obstacles in incorporating the influence of ma-cropolitical institutions and the power of political discourse; they have some difficulty in accommodating the internationalization of many policy domains; they have not addressed well the issues of policy innovation and policy change.

Understanding Cross National Policy Transfers: The Case of Britain and the US

Abstract: Policy transfer across countries is occurring with increasing frequency. Yet, despite the fact that the importance of such policy learning is often cited as one of the primary rationales for comparative policy analysis, policy transfer is an under-researched area of political science. This article examines and analyzes the actual process of policy transfer between the US and Britain and considers the relationship between policy transfer and the policymaking process.

Identifying Welfare State Regimes: The Links Between Politics, Instruments and Outcomes

Abstract: With new sources of cross-national data appearing on income distribution and the characteristics of redistributional policy instruments, it is now possible to take the comparative analysis of welfare states well beyond the conventional focus on government expenditures. This study of 18 OECD nations examines the linkages between various aspects of the income redistribution process, elaborates a typology of welfare state regimes and locates the political origins of each of these regimes.

The Problems of Policy Coordination: The New Zealand Experience

Abstract: The problems of coordinating the development and implementation of public policy are legion. While such problems are most commonly associated with large federal systems, they can arise with equal force and complexity in small, highly centralized, unitary states such as New Zealand. This article has four main purposes. First, it briefly surveys some of the recent literature on the nature of coordination and the mechanisms for enhancing policy coordination in government. Second, it outlines the nature and causes of the coordination difficulties that have been encountered in recent years in New Zealand. Third, it explores the various attempts which the Labour government (1984–90) and the National government (1990–present) have made to overcome these difficulties. Finally, the article considers some of the lessons which emerge from New Zealand's recent experience.

Observations on the State of Comparative Administration Research in Europe — Rather Comparable than Comparative

Abstract: This article tries to review public administration research undertaken in Europe since about 1980. As there is little comparative research, an attempt is made to systematize comparable research along three dimensions: organization structures (macro and micro), meta-policymaking as it refers to budgeting and planning procedures, and research about personnel and personnel policy. It is observed that neo-conservative reform policies in the Anglo-American countries have had a noticeable impact on the orientation of academic research. Subsequently, these policies not only affected macro-structures by privatization and decentralization measures, but also gave meta-policymaking a characteristic turn, quite as it tried to induce a more managerialist role understanding in the civil service. It is argued in favor of more basic research and the institutionalization of administrative monitoring on the national level as well as stronger cooperation on the international level to advance comparative research beyond secondary analysis of the incidentally comparable.

Public Sector Management Reform: Convergence or Divergence?

Abstract: This collection of articles is yet further evidence of an emerging consensus around the world of the need to improve the performance of the public sector. This is happening across countries at different stages of development, with widely divergent cultures and different forms of economic organization. Gu Jiaqi, in discussing reform in China, refers to the public demanding that governments act with fewer inputs and with best outcomes. The recently published book, Reinventing Government, which appears to have captured the attention of both law–makers and the bureaucracy in the US (with some good reason), notes that Americans are demanding “more performance for less money” (1992, 2). In Australia, administrative reform was launched under the umbrella of a Financial Management Improvement Program which sought to change attitudes in the public sector to be much more concerned with outcomes and constantly relate these outcomes to the resources being applied to achieving them. There seems to be little doubt that there is a common language in the area of results. While this is of considerable interest, of greater interest is the variety of means that are being pursued to achieve these ends. This note raises some questions about the compatibility of some of the means and the ends. It suggests that some of the means identified in these articles may be counter–productive.

Rules, Discretion, and Accountability in Macroeconomic Policymaking

Abstract: Arguments for rules rather than discretion in macroeconomic policymaking facilitate the understanding of some fundamental issues of democratic theory. This article reviews four such arguments, and relates them to issues of delegation and accountability in representative government.

Administrative Reforms in Malaysia Toward Enhancing Public Service Performance

Abstract: This article attempts to define and highlight the concept and context of administrative reform efforts in Malaysia. It describes changes and reforms in the civil service that are on-going processes along with the search for efficiency, effectiveness, economy and accountability that never ends. Reform efforts in Malaysia can be grouped into two phases: the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s which required development administration and institution building, and the period from 1985 to the present which necessitates the consolidation and qualitative upgrading of the machinery of government. The administrative reform experiences are uniquely Malaysian efforts to respond to the Malaysian socio-political environment and needs.

Can Welfare States Grow in Leaps and Bounds? Non‐Incremental Policymaking in the Netherlands

Abstract: The rapid expansion of the Dutch welfare state in the 1960s is described as an example of non-incremental policy growth. The reasons for this include: the largeness of policy change; the willingness of policymakers to consider new programs that marked dramatic departures from older programs, the commitment of policymakers to the goal of universalizing programs rather than introducing satisfycing measures; and the disruption of the traditional mode of corporatist representation in policymaking. The possibilities for an equally rapid dismantling of the welfare state are discussed.

The Constitution and Accountability for Public Functions

Abstract: In review of judicial interpretation of the United States Constitution set against the current reality of American governance, the authors conclude that traditional separation of powers doctrines hold few constraints for delegation of “public functions” beyond the boundaries of the three branches. As the result of constitutional permissiveness, the legislative and executive departments have increasingly lost out (or abdicated) to private and quasi-governmental institutions to conduct core government functions. Public accountability has been lost in this exchange. At a time of revolutionary change across Eastern Europe and elsewhere, when newly forming governments look to the United States for structural models, they are unlikely to be informed about the functional reality of American governance by either the written constitution or doctrines articulating the constitution.

Does Governance Matter — And If So, How? Process, Performance, and Outcomes

Abstract: This article explores the connection between political process, performance, and outcomes. It lays out a set of key analytic distinctions (exogenous versus endogenous effects, micro versus macro level effects and influences, design and chance, and structures versus people) and then looks at conceptual problems in defining governmental outcomes, performance, and process. It gives extended attention to the criteria of effective governance and to the complex relationship of performance, values, and effectiveness, with emphasis on the prospects for improving governmental performance by manipulating modes of governance.

Personnel Management Reform in the Philippines: The Strategy of Professionalization

Abstract: The strategy of professionalization which is a multi-pronged system aimed at efficient, effective, and responsive delivery of government services is the current thrust of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). As such, a package of personnel reform measures is instituted by the Commission which includes the pursuit of merit, competence and performance; development and institutionalization of positive attitudes, ethical conduct and behavior; motivation through an integrated system of rewards and punishments; continuing human resource development; and the encouragement of public sector unionism. Relevant issues on the professionalization thrust have been raised: (1) since the strategy of professionalization rests more on administrative controls, will the effort bring about increased bureaucratization and routinization instead (or the issue of professionalization vs. bureaucratization)? (2) are the policies coming from diverse sources like the CSC, Department of Budget and Management, Office of the President, and Congress — to mention a few — fully coordinated so as to produce convergent rather than divergent results? (3) is the government really sincere on the issue of public sector unionism since it denies the unions their basic rights to strike and bargain collectively for better pay and working conditions? There is a need to assess further the current efforts toward professionalization to find out if the Commission is really moving toward its avowed goals of deregulation, decentralization and managerial and professional discretion rather than becoming more routinized or bureaucratic.

The Prime Minister's Office in France: A Changing Role in a Semi-presidential System

Abstract: In France since 1958, it is possible to identify three different types of political leadership: pure presidential government, limited presidential government, and prime ministerial government. These three leadership types are the result of the semi-presidential nature of the Fifth Republic. Under each of the three different forms of leadership, the role of the prime minister's office has changed. Following a brief presentation of the functions of the two components of the prime minister's office, his cabinet and the General Secretariat of the Government, the changes which the office has undergone are identified. While the role of both of the components of the office varied according to the different types of political leadership, it is concluded that, because of its distinctive structure and functions, the role of prime minister's cabinet has been subject to the greatest amount of variation.

Local Government in Transformation: The Case of Constitutional Reform in Yugoslavia

Abstract: The previous communal system in Yugoslavia (since 1955) did not prove viable. Owing to its great size (nearly 500 km2 and more than 40,000 inhabitants), municipality in this period didn't affirm itself as a real community. Having many abilities in developmental planning, it was at the same time dependent on the state in the spheres of finance and normative regulations. The difference between the sphere of local government (LG) and state politics was substantially blurred. Given the changing social conditions (introduction of market economy, political pluralism and the forms of parliamentarian democracy), the need for repeated establishment of the system of local government based on the altered position of citizens in the political system becomes evident. In this environment it is necessary to reestimate the experiences of LG in particular Yugoslav regions (republics) before World War II, and simultaneously, take selectively into account the experiences and development in other developed European countries. This article compares the constitutional regulations of LG among particular Yugoslav republics, and between them and the characteristic orientations in other European countries, enlightening it with the aspect of actual processes and demands of centralization and decentralization, regionalism, moving the regulation of communal and other everyday needs closer to the people in LG, all in the sense of post-behavioristic trends of the “bottom-up” approach to the processes of decision-making.

Abortion policy in Western democracies: a cross-national analysis.

Abstract: This article provides a comparative analysis of abortion policies for 21 countries in Western Europe and North America. First after briefly discussing the historical evolution of abortion attitudes and policies a typology of current abortion laws is presented. Second the mode of determining abortion policy is compared--judicial (Germany Canada) legislative (Britain France) and direct democracy (referenda in Italy Ireland). Third the question of abortion policy implementation is considered. In other words does the legal status of abortion really make a difference regarding the pattern of availability and use of abortion services? Fourth potential explanatory variables (left-wing party strength feminism Catholicism) regarding the content and process of abortion policies is evaluated. (EXCERPT)

Environmentalism and the Growth Machine: The System of Political Economy and “Kogai” Control in Japan

Abstract: The primary objective of this article is to examine both the role of government and the function of public administration in the areas of economic development and environment protection in Japan. This article will first elucidate several important mechanisms of Japan's economic growth. In a nutshell, it posits the Japanese government as the spearhead of a growth machine. Subsequently, this article will also describe a number of historical developments, all of which have, in one way or another, helped alleviate the state of pollution, which is called Kogai, in Japan. The major thurst of this article is to expound upon the idea that, despite the incidence of Kogai, the basic structure of the political economy of the country has not changed. Even though the Japanese had to pay a costly price for rapid economic growth in the form of Kogai, the fundamental structure of Japan's growth machine has been left undisturbed. It is primarily for this reason that there has been a growing fear that Japan will soon encounter another period of serious Kogai. An analysis of the Japanese experience seems valuable, for it may reveal several important lessons germane to the basic questions of the role and function of public authority in environmental issues, especially in newly industrialized countries.

Responsible Governance and Problems of Administrative Reform: Experiences of Developing Countries in Asia

Abstract: In the 1980s many developing and newly industrializing countries in Asia expressed great interest in administrative reform. Compelling reasons for public reform in these nations arise from causes different from those in developed nations. Among Asian developing nations, government reform is intrinsic to and inextricable from crises in governance. Within the context of developing politics, a reliable and competent government is sine qua non of national stability; and, more importantly, this largely decides the tenure of a governing group. Its ability to remain in power will be determined by the efficaciousness of public authority. Against these backgrounds, this article discusses the five conference papers of the Eastern Regional Organization of Public Administration (EROPA) of 1991. It examines both similarities and differences among four countries in their efforts to reform public administration. This review suggests that in developing Asia, the quest for administrative reform emanates from crises in governance. Reform goes beyond exploring ways to improve the quality of public management.

Institutions and Ideology: Sources of Opposition to Federal Regulation of Child Care Services in Canada and the United States

Abstract: This article explores the impact of federal political arrangements and conservative ideology on provisions for regulating child care services embodied in the major proposals for child care legislation under consideration in Canada and the United States during the late 1980s. The initial contrast between the non-centralized approach taken in Bill C-144 (Canada) and the more centralized approach originally proposed in the Act for Better Child Care Services (United States) was a function of differences in the two countries' federal systems. However, conservative preferences and pressures contributed to the eventual adoption of a non-centralized approach in both countries. Federalism facilitated this expression of conservative ideology by providing supporters of a non-centralized approach with resources (constitutional and institutional) with which to pursue their policy preference, and a political rhetoric with which it could be justified.

The State Central Economic Bureaucracies and the Outcome of Systemic Economic Reform: An Institutional Explanation for the Soviet and Chinese Experiences

Abstract: This article uses an institutional approach to explain the different economic reform outcomes in the Soviet Union and China. It studies how the different institutional positions of the Soviet and Chinese central economic bureaucracies give them different power resources to resist economic reform policies. This article shows that crucial differences between the two regimes in historical experiences, economic development strategies, and ideologies on bureaucratic rationality created different levels of institutional participation by the two central economic bureaucracies in state economic policymaking, and different economic management structures. Specifically, in the Soviet Union there was a strong participatory bureaucracy and a ministerial, vertically based economic management structure. In China however, there was a state leader dominated, politically weak bureaucracy and a provincial, horizontally based economic management structure. These crucial institutional differences, I argue, later gave the two central economic bureaucracies not only different incentives but also different resources to resist and sabotage economic reforms.

Switzerland's Future in Europe: Isolation or Constitutional Change

Abstract: In order to move closer to the European Community and eventually to join it, Switzerland must reshape its political institutions. A major constitutional reform should provide for a real head of government, adapt direct democracy to the constraints of supra-nationality, and simplify the legislative process. In the ongoing debate in Switzerland, the question is not so much whether such reforms are necessary, but when they should occur. The author argues that the dominant doctrine of negotiating first with the EC and reforming later is not realistic. The so-called “double majority referendum,” which is necessary for ratifying membership either in the European Economic Space or in the EC itself, is given as an illustration. This ratification procedure is not in accordance with the principle of “one man, one vote,” and is clearly biased against Europe.

Administrative Reforms and Their Impact on Training the Public Bureaucracy in Bangladesh

Abstract: Bangladesh has recently experienced a number of administrative, institutional, structural and policy reforms which have attempted to recast the modalities of the public delivery system and address the perennial issues of “efficiency, effectiveness and productivity” in the public administration system. A number of these reform packages have called for drastic changes in the mode of governmental operations/processes as well as in institutional arrangements. In this article, the author has reviewed such reform efforts and their impact on the overall public administration training curriculum and academic programs of the training institutions as well as with the universities in Bangladesh. The entry–level training packages have not adequately covered the critical areas that have been highlighted by the different reforms. The article concludes with a suggestion to review all entry–level training programs and identify some thematic areas to make the training programs “practical, pro–active and action–oriented.” A close collaboration between the universities and the public administration training institutions is also strongly recommended.

Reform: the Theme of the Development of Chinese Administrative Science

Abstract: Administrative science studies have thrived in China, motivated by the new reforms and opening up to the outside world during the last decade. Both professional public servants and academicians are greatly interested in the studies of administrative reforms. In fact, reform has become the theme of the development of administrative science during the last decade and outlines the framework of administrative reform in China. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of Chinese administrative reform through a general introduction and discussion of the main research problems in administrative science.

Restructuring Government Organization in China and Transforming Government Functions for an Efficient and More Productive Bureaucratic Performance

Abstract: A sustained, steady economic development and a stable, prosperous society cannot come about by focusing only on the formulation of concrete social and economic policies. Increased attention and priority should be given to the reform of the state apparatus itself, especially of the policymaking and implementation process. Administrative structural reform, particularly China's practice of adjusting organizational structure and transforming government functions and management processes, is an example of the efforts to explore strategies and approaches for the conduct of administrative restructuring and enhancing bureaucratic performance in developing countries. This article discusses three questions: first, the necessity of adjusting the government organizational structure and rationalizing the administrative policymaking mechanism, as well as some practices in China; second, transforming government management processes towards adapting to the changing social and economic environment in developing countries, e.g., describing what has been done by China in order to change direct and micro-management; and third, concentrating on improving efficiency and productivity.

America's Misunderstood Welfare State: Myths and Realities

Abstract: To listen to the critics, one would think that the nation's social welfare programs were an abject failure–ungovernable, unaffordable, and undesirable. But though widely believed by Americans of every political persuasion, the perception of failure is false. As the authors demonstrate, America today has all the institutions of a mature welfare state, while still regarding “welfare statism” with deep suspicion. The authors seek to explain this paradox and to set the record straight about the actual workings and accomplishments of the nation's welfare programs – social security, public assistance, and medical care –and it shows that the gloom and doom that surround so much public discussion in this area stems from simple, attractive–and false–ideas about what these programs are and how they work. Above all, they argue that American social welfare policy has been shaped by certain enduring commitments which most Americans believe in whether they realize it or not.

India: Searching for a Consensus by Amending the Constitution?

Abstract: Two major themes have dominated the debate over India's constitutional destiny since the 1980s: parliamentary versus presidential government and federalization of its predominantly parliamentary system. India will do well to continue with its parliamentary form of government. Besides familiarity with it through British colonial experience and practice for nearly half a century, India's social diversity and fragile democracy are better served by a “collective” parliamentary/cabinet system than a “singular” presidential one. The latter may prematurely centralize the system and promote executive aggrandizement and adventurism. But India's continental diversity and complexity cannot be adequately represented solely along the parliamentary axis; they require the additional — and more vigorous — federal axis for democratic accommodation and national integration. The impact on India's parliamentary/federal system of the changing nature of the party system and premiership styles is also analyzed. Six phases of party system evolution are identified: (1) predominant party system-I (1952–1969); (2) multi-party system-I (1969–1971); (3) predominant party system-II (1971–1977); (4) two-party system (1977–1984); (5) (a stillborn) predominant party system-Ill (1984–1989); and (6) multi-party system-II (1989–to date). Three styles of prime ministerial leadership are delineated: (1) pluralist, (2) patrimonial, and (3) federal. Federal forces and features of the political system were generally accentuated when the party system was not a one-party dominant one and the prime ministerial leadership was not a patrimonial one. Some viable constitutional amendments designed to promote federalization are considered. The two particularly promising avenues of federalization that combine “responsible federalism” with “responsible parliamentary government” are those that establish a series of autonomous federal instrumentalities recommended by the Sarkaria Commission and create a President-in-Council interlocked with the Inter-Governmental Council that takes away the power of proclaiming president's rule in a state from the federal Home Ministry.