Showing papers in "Policy Studies in 2012"
TL;DR: A review of the literature on policy diffusion and policy transfer can be found in this article, where the authors stress the complexity of context that modifies exports of policy and the need for interpretation or experimentalism in the assemblage of policy.
Abstract: The past two decades have seen a wealth of papers on policy diffusion and policy transfer. In the first half, this paper reviews some of the trends in the literature by looking backwards to the political science diffusion literature, and forwards to the expanding multi-disciplinary social science literatures on policy ‘learning’, ‘mobilities’ and ‘translation’ which qualify many of the rationalist assumptions of the early diffusion/transfer literatures. These studies stress the complexity of context that modifies exports of policy and the need for interpretation or experimentalism in the assemblage of policy. The second half of the paper focuses on role of international organisations and non-state actors in transnational transfer in the spread of norms, standard setting and development of professional communities or networks that promote harmonisation and policy coordination. The ‘soft’ transfer of ideas and information via networks whether they be personal, professional or electronic is rapid and frequen...
355 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the problems with evidence-based policy-making run much deeper, not only because of the way in which knowledge is employed by policy-makers, but also because of how knowledge is collected and communicated to policy makers.
Abstract: Evidence-based policy-making (EBPM) has become both a catch-cry and aspiration of governments Drawing on ‘the evidence’, governments seek to focus on ‘what works’ and so avoid the pitfalls of policy driven by ideology or values Critics of EBPM remind us that the policy process remains messy and uncertain and that while research may deliver the latest scientific evidence, it is not always translated effectively into policy We argue that the problems with EBPM run much deeper This is not only because of the way in which knowledge is employed by policy-makers but because of the way in which knowledge is collected and communicated to policy-makers It is well understood that policy actors are boundedly rational and this impacts upon the way in which evidence is used in the policy process What has not been clearly articulated and is the focus of this article is that bounded rationality applies equally to the production of evidence Drawing on the work of Polish microbiologist Ludwick Fleck we discuss how
63 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the relationship between evidence-based policy-making and policy transfer and argue that the policy transfer of welfare-to-work policy ideas from the USA was at least partly driven by pressure to develop evidence-base policy.
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between evidence-based policy-making and policy transfer. The policy transfer framework has been widely employed across a range of disciplines in recent years, yet has also attracted criticism for its failure to adequately explain why policy officials engage in transfer at all. This article considers the changed political landscape after the election of New Labour in the UK in 1997 and argues that the policy transfer of welfare-to-work policy ideas from the USA was at least partly driven by pressure to develop evidence-based policy. In doing so, this article provides two new contributions to the literature. First, it asserts New Labour's injunction to use evidence-based welfare policy provides an important explanation as to why UK officials adopted US welfare approaches. Second, using a series of interviews and document analysis, this article finds that, in addition to welfare policy ideas, UK policy officials adopted policy evaluation techniques from the USA.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the study of policy transfer has matured significantly over the last two decades, and that the authors are a trifle unfair about what they see as the "mainstream" political science approach to policy transfer.
Abstract: Policy transfer research has been something of a growth industry, reflected in the fact that Google Scholar identifies 17 articles on the subject with more than 100 citations. Of course, as an earlier issue of Policy Studies indicated, the concept and its use have not gone unquestioned. However, the contributors to this volume, for the most part, argue that the study of policy transfer has matured significantly over the last two decades. In order to substantiate this point, we engage here with the article by McCann and Ward which begins this volume. It is an excellent and important example of such a critique, but, in our view, they are a trifle unfair about what they see as the ‘mainstream’, political science approach to the study of policy transfer. As such, we briefly outline McCann and Ward's critique, before considering the later articles in this collection which indicate how these critiques have been, and are being, addressed in the mainstream policy transfer literature. Subsequently, we briefly cons...
41 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the design of effective integrity agencies requires a broad understanding of the obstacles to the achievement of integrity in public administration, the options for integrity reform and the appropriate strategic framework for implementing them.
Abstract: This article understands integrity in public administration as a metaphor for the crafting of accountable, transparent, competent and responsive public administration underpinned by the concept of public value It further argues that the design of effective integrity agencies requires a broad understanding of the obstacles to the achievement of integrity in public administration, the options for integrity reform and the appropriate strategic framework for implementing them It concludes that integrity in public administration provides a methodology for achieving ‘good enough’ governance – a relative, evolving and culturally defined aspiration – otherwise known in mature democracies as representative, responsible and accountable government It observes, however, that the achievement of integrity in public administration is as much a behavioural challenge as a problem of institutional design Over the past two decades there has been a fascination with responding to integrity problems either through structur
37 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue for a more systematic consideration of time and time-temporal factors to broaden our understanding of how cross-national policy transfers develop, and to strengthen our capacity for explaining why these processes occur in the first place.
Abstract: Policy transfer studies have significantly contributed to our understanding of how the ‘space’ dimension matters for policy and institutional changes. However, the literature has commonly ignored the significance of the ‘temporal’ dimension. This article thus argues for a more systematic consideration of ‘time’ and ‘temporal’ factors to broaden our understanding of how cross-national policy transfers develop, and to strengthen our capacity for explaining why these processes occur in the first place. The article briefly summarises recent scholarly debates on how time/temporal factors matter for politics and public administration/policy; reviews the mostly tangential, isolated and implicit references on time/temporal factors that have been flagged by policy transfer studies; and illustrates how and why ‘time’ might matter for this literature with the use of empirical examples from the transfer of ‘management by results’ practices to Chile and Mexico. The article closes with a discussion on the challenges of...
34 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined where, how and to what purpose local agents engage in the transfer of low-impact development policies and techniques and found that there is a basic agreement about the pioneers in stormwater management.
Abstract: While there is considerable amount of literature examining how and why American federal and state governments look for information and ideas, there is considerably less knowledge of how these processes operate at the local level. This is particularly true in the case of how ideas related to sustainable water management policies are found and used by local governments. This article attempts to open this area by examining where, how and to what purpose local agents engage in the transfer of low-impact development policies and techniques. This article is organised around four questions: (1) Is there a basic agreement about the pioneers in stormwater management; (2) Where did agents gather information; (3) Did this involve complex understanding; and (4) What emerged as key obstacles to the transfer and learning processes amongst the local authorities involved in this study?
32 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider how the goals and functions of specialised integrity agencies fit into the broader spectrum of pro-integrity and anti-corruption activities within the public sector.
Abstract: This article considers how the goals and functions of specialised integrity agencies fit into the broader spectrum of pro-integrity and anti-corruption activities within the public sector. While there has been some debate concerning the appropriate scope and powers of specialised integrity agencies (or ‘watchdog’ agencies), they have been widely regarded in recent decades as fundamental to good governance in western democracies. In countries where these bodies have been instituted, they have often been effective not only in tackling corrupt or fraudulent activities, but also in helping senior office-holders to avoid conflicts of interest and in contributing to a culture of accountability and transparency. However, regardless of their formal powers, integrity agencies cannot be expected to function effectively if inserted as transformative agents into an unsupportive political and business culture. Related institutional arrangements are needed to provide reinforcement for their independent work. In this re...
31 citations
TL;DR: The evaluation of the New Deal for Communities Programme points to only modest net change for NDC areas and their residents, much of which reflects improving attitudes towards the area, rather than for the people-related outcomes of health, education and worklessness.
Abstract: The New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme is one of the most intensive area-based initiatives (ABIs) ever launched in England Between 1998 and 2011, 39 Partnerships were charged with improving conditions in relation to six outcomes within deprived neighbourhoods, each accommodating around 9800 people The evaluation of the Programme points to only modest net change for NDC areas and their residents, much of which reflects improving attitudes towards the area, rather than for the people-related outcomes of health, education and worklessness The Programme's architecture was based on four key principles each of which impacted on change Community engagement reaped fewer benefits, and proved more problematic, than had been anticipated; working with other delivery agencies was complex, providing less in the way the way of direct financial support than was true for other English ABIs; central government impacted on change through an initial over-emphasis on spending annual financial allocations combined wi
27 citations
TL;DR: The authors weigh institutional changes, party changes and media as factors potentially driving immigration policy shifts after 11 September 2001 in spite of change with each of these factors, immigration policy debate in the USA and Canada presents framing as a vehicle for absorbing exogenous shock while maintaining consistency in terms of immigration policy orientation.
Abstract: Immigration policy studies often assume the relevance of path dependency or contingency This study weighs institutional changes, party changes and media as factors potentially driving immigration policy shifts after 11 September 2001 In spite of change with each of these factors, immigration policy debate in the USA and Canada presents framing as a vehicle for absorbing exogenous shock while maintaining consistency in terms of immigration policy orientation The USA and Canada converge after September 11 in filtering immigration through the lens of terrorism However, in the longer run political representatives in Canada frame terrorism around human rights issues and thereby return immigration to its distinct and familiar policy orientation of openness and inclusiveness Historically, border security, which has been narrowly defined in terms of illegal immigration, and the economy compete for salience around US immigration policy After September 11 US representatives frame terrorism around security iss
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a discursive institutionalist analysis of two cases of policy stasis, namely, Estonian fiscal policy and United States climate change policy, is presented, which is based on existing discursive Institutionalist literature.
Abstract: Discursive institutionalism is the ‘newest’ of the new institutionalisms. The majority of work employing discursive institutionalism as a framework has so far focused on how it contributes to understanding policy change. Until now, however, little attention has been paid to how discursive institutionalism can help to explain the equally significant phenomenon of policy stasis. This imbalance is addressed here through a discursive institutionalist analysis of two cases of policy stasis: Estonian fiscal policy and United States climate change policy. It is argued that policy stasis – far from being a passive and inactive state – actually involves a large amount of discursive activity by multiple actors. This activity creates, legitimates and perpetuates policy discourses, which ultimately entrench governmental commitments to policy stasis. The article proceeds in three parts. First, a theoretical model is advanced which builds on existing discursive institutionalist literature to modify the theory towards e...
TL;DR: Policy transfer research is alive and well and being pursued in a variety of ways, at different levels of governance, using insights from as discussed by the authors, and one clear conclusion emerges from this volume.
Abstract: In our view, one clear conclusion emerges from this volume Policy transfer research is alive and well and being pursued in a variety of ways, at different levels of governance, using insights from
TL;DR: In this article, the role of the World Bank as an agent of international policy transfer in post-war reconstruction and development is investigated and a heuristic method which integrates policy transfer network theory, participant observation and implementation analysis is developed and then used to map the process of policy-oriented learning underpinning the emergence and development of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme (NSP).
Abstract: This article investigates the role of the World Bank as an agent of international policy transfer in post-war reconstruction and development. A heuristic method which integrates policy transfer network theory, participant observation and implementation analysis is developed and then used to map the process of policy-oriented learning underpinning the emergence and development of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme (NSP). Drawing on the findings of a mid-term evaluation conducted by the authors for the World Bank it reveals that initial World Bank funding of the NSP was opportunistic; a voluntary form of policy transfer emerged from a cohesive policy transfer network which mainly drew lessons from the Kecamatan Development Project (KDP) in Indonesia, leading to the development of a culturally insensitive model of community-driven development; but due to the technocratic expertise of key indigenous actors and the technical support of facilitating partners, these elements of t...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look at the particular case of faith-based organisations (FBOs), drawing on empirical work in Oxfordshire, and identify opportunities for FBOs framed in the overarching promise of the Big Society to harness and support the potential of local responses to community needs.
Abstract: The ‘Big Society’ is a key policy driver for the new UK Government. It is an agenda which purports to re-establish the relationship between the state and civil society, raising important questions for social policy. Driving this agenda is a focus on a reduced role for government, based on the notion that local communities and organisations are best placed to identify and respond to local needs. The voluntary and community sector (VCS) is posited as having a key role to play in this and the article looks at the particular case of faith-based organisations (FBOs), drawing on empirical work in Oxfordshire. Reflecting research findings, the article identifies opportunities for FBOs framed in the overarching promise of the Big Society to harness and support the potential of local responses to community needs. At the same time, key challenges are identified in relation to how the policy agenda will be implemented in reality. Specifically, policy makers face a dilemma in relation to, on the one hand maintaining ...
TL;DR: The Windsor Conference as discussed by the authors is an Anglophone international policy network that is populated by the mandarins of labour market and social policy institutions in the Anglosphere countries of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.
Abstract: This article looks at the formation, evolution, operation and outcomes associated with a hitherto unexamined elite policy transfer network. The Windsor Conference, as it is known, is an Anglophone international policy network that is populated by the mandarins of labour market and social policy institutions in the Anglosphere countries of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. This article presents the preliminary findings of qualitative research undertaken with senior policy officials active in the network. The research highlights the impact that transnational policy networking can have on the dissemination of policy ideas, especially amongst a cohort of elite policy officials. These findings offer an opportunity for critical reflection on the intersection of the concepts of policy transfer and transgovernmentalism, and it is contended that the research yields valuable empirical insights into the murky processes of transgovernmental policy transfer, policy learning and discrete regu...
TL;DR: Though they may differ in identifying all the causes, few contemporary observers would dissent from the proposition that there has been an upsurge of interest worldwide in issues of integrity and t... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Though they may differ in identifying all the causes, few contemporary observers would dissent from the proposition that there has been an upsurge of interest worldwide in issues of integrity and t...
TL;DR: The work in this paper examines progress to date in the 12 "action research" projects currently being funded by the Scottish Funding Council, which are aimed at testing the role that universities and colleges might potentially play in improving skills utilisation.
Abstract: Policy makers in many countries have long insisted that skills are critical to economic performance and social cohesion/inclusion. However, it is increasingly recognised that if skills are to fully deliver on this agenda, they have to be used effectively inside the workplace. While such statements can now be observed in the skills strategies of England, Scotland and Wales, much less is understood about how to design effective interventions in this new and challenging area of policy. Of particular interest then are the 12 ‘action research’ projects currently being funded by the Scottish Funding Council, which are aimed at testing the role that universities and colleges might potentially play in improving skills utilisation. Drawing upon interviews with project managers, employers and employees involved in three of the projects as well as with key Scottish policy makers, the article examines progress to date. It finds some initial evidence for establishing proof of concept and highlights challenges in terms...
TL;DR: An analysis of the changes that took place during the development of the Somerset Health Panels in terms of their design, the management and organisation of the panels, the impact of NHS reconfiguration and policy, and changes and relationships within the research team is provided and reflects on how they remain a relevant method of public involvement.
Abstract: In England, National Health Service (NHS) organisations have a legal duty to ensure public involvement in health service design and delivery, and health panels are suggested in the guidance as one method of involving the public in this way. The Somerset Health Panels were established in 1994 and continue to be used as the main example of health panels – a distinct method for gathering the views of the public about health services. This article provides an analysis of the changes that took place during their development (1994–2003) in terms of their design, the management and organisation of the panels, the impact of NHS reconfiguration and policy, and changes and relationships within the research team and reflects on how they remain a relevant method of public involvement. As the public involvement in health agenda continues to strengthen in England under the coalition government, lessons learnt about the sustainability, adaptability and flexibility of the panels are as important today as they were then.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report the findings of a 2007 Eurobarometer survey on the undeclared economy conducted in 27 European Union member states, revealing its widespread prevalence across the European construction industry along with its heterogeneous forms and uneven distribution both spatially and across different population groups.
Abstract: Despite the widespread recognition that many businesses and employees in the European construction industry engage in off-the-books practices, there has been little attempt so far either to provide evidence of the prevalence and nature of this undeclared economy in the European construction industry or to evaluate what needs to be done to tackle this phenomenon. This article fills these gaps. To evaluate the extent and character of the undeclared economy in the European construction industry, this article reports the findings of a 2007 Eurobarometer survey on the undeclared economy conducted in 27 European Union member states. This will reveal its widespread prevalence across the European construction industry along with its heterogeneous forms and uneven distribution both spatially and across different population groups. Attention then turns to evaluating the potential policy approaches for tackling the undeclared economy in the European construction industry, namely laissez-faire, deterrence and facilit...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the following central question: how far the divergent reform policies in England can differ from those in Scotland and Wales in terms of educational performance.
Abstract: Raising the basic standards of competence achieved by school children has become a primary objective of governments across Europe. A high performing educational system is taken to be fundamental in achieving European economic competitiveness. Children leaving primary schools with difficulty in reading, writing and arithmetic or a meagre understanding of science are unlikely to achieve the qualifications at secondary school required to secure jobs that will raise them above a poverty line. On one hand, in England, the government has pioneered a radical school reform programme over the last 20 years, including national testing of school children at regular intervals. On the other, high stakes testing was pursued only partially and briefly in Scotland and Wales and then largely abandoned after devolution. National testing in the UK has been associated with increasingly marked divergent outcomes in the UK. This article focuses on the following central question: how far the divergent reform policies in England...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors re-frame the basic question by asking how stabilisation can be achieved in spite of weak state institutions during reconstruction processes based upon extensive field research in Afghanistan and other conflict-affected contexts, and propose a model of post-conflict stabilisation focused primarily on the attainment of legitimacy by state institutions.
Abstract: Post-conflict reconstruction and stabilisation have focused upon the establishment of both strong states capable of maintaining stability and various forms of ‘Good Governance’ However, both presume the development of substantial security sectors and highly functioning administrative systems within unrealistically brief periods of time The failure to meet such inflated expectations commonly results in the disillusionment of both the local populations and the international community, and, hence, increased state fragility and decreased aid financing and effectiveness As such the authors re-frame the basic question by asking how stabilisation can be achieved in spite of weak state institutions during reconstruction processes Based upon extensive field research in Afghanistan and other conflict-affected contexts, the authors propose a model of post-conflict stabilisation focused primarily on the attainment of legitimacy by state institutions Finally, the authors examine how legitimacy-oriented stabilisat
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that employment policies need to go beyond their almost exclusive focus of getting people into work per se and instead give greater priority to promoting sustainable transitions into employment and argue that policy responses to employment instability are currently limited in scope and promote only an unambitious conception of sustainable employment.
Abstract: Employment policies have conventionally focused on the transition from welfare to work. However, many of those who leave out of work benefits for employment return to them again relatively quickly, meaning that some people perpetually cycle between work and welfare for much of their working lives. This article considers policy responses to labour market disadvantage in the UK and the extent to which they can help and hinder individuals’ efforts to sustain employment. Evidence based on 130 semi-structured interviews with work-welfare ‘cyclers’, service providers and employers in Glasgow and Dundee is presented and an argument developed which contends that policy responses to employment instability are currently limited in scope and promote only an unambitious conception of sustainable employment. This article argues that employment policies need to go beyond their almost exclusive focus of getting people into work per se and instead give greater priority to promoting sustainable transitions into employment...
TL;DR: In this article, the UK's Coalition Government's plans to abolish the discretionary Social Fund and replace it, at least in part, with Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) are examined.
Abstract: This article focuses on the UK's Coalition Government's plans to abolish the discretionary Social Fund and replace it, at least in part, with Local Welfare Assistance (LWA). The article examines this proposal by locating LWA in debates about localism, the idea of which in policy terms unites the two political parties that make up the Coalition government. The article explores the Coalition government's approach to localism and debates about it, and related issues concerning autonomy, freedom and democracy. It then goes on to examine the reasons for the abolition of the discretionary Social Fund and the Coalition government's plans for LWA. The article notes that LWA is framed by a discourse related to the Coalition government's view of the importance of localised solutions to entrenched economic and social problems. However, it is argued, that in the case of ‘exceptional expenses’ provision, localism is equally, if not more, problematic than the Social Fund administered by central government. This is beca...
TL;DR: The authors explores the opportunity for, and some of the political, ideological and institutional impediments to, the articulation of an English narrative of democracy, and identifies the two greatest obstacles to the development of English narrative as the tradition of British modernisation, which has been the dominant political narrative during the twentieth-century British politics, and the absence of political imagination about de...
Abstract: This article explores the opportunity for, and some of the political, ideological and institutional impediments to, the articulation of an English narrative of democracy. Such a narrative would locate an understanding of recent developments in the politics, governance and political economy of England within the much broader and challenging framework of the political history of England, and in particular the English tradition of radical thinking and political movements. On the one hand, this article identifies potential for the development of an English narrative in the recent scholarship of historians, and the growing evidence of popular support for a political and institutional expression of English identity. On the other hand, this article identifies the two greatest obstacles to the development of an English narrative as the tradition of British modernisation, which has been the dominant political narrative during the twentieth-century British politics, and the absence of political imagination about de...
TL;DR: A Conservative accepts that democracy entails government by and (especially) for the people, but what constitutes the people is seen not in narrow but in expansive terms: the people are not confined to those who constitute a present transient majority but encompass rather past and future generations as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A Conservative accepts that democracy entails government by and (especially) for the people, but what constitutes the people is seen not in narrow but in expansive terms: the people are not confined to those who constitute a present transient majority but encompass rather past and future generations. Democracy is tempered by the need to avoid dictatorship of the masses, entrusting the task of governing to those chosen by the people and able to lead in interests of the people. Government entails a balance between accountability and autonomy, a balance delivered by the Westminster system of government, a system challenged by attempts at fundamental constitutional change.
TL;DR: In this paper, an actor-centred institutionalist perspective is used to explore the case of the new devolved legislatures in the UK purposively designed with mechanisms to broaden engagement in the policy process and assesses progress in applying the participative-democratic model of mainstreaming to policy-making.
Abstract: Studies of established parliamentary contexts highlight institutional barriers to mainstreaming equality of opportunity in public policy-making. In contrast, this paper uses an actor-centred institutionalist perspective to explore the case of the new devolved legislatures in the UK purposively designed with mechanisms to broaden engagement in the policy process. It assesses progress in applying the participative-democratic model of mainstreaming to policy-making. The findings – based upon analysis of legislative proceedings and equality and human rights organisations' accounts – reveal that ‘system openness’ has afforded opportunities to engage in – and influence – policy work. Yet, problems and shortcomings are also identified – signifying a ‘disconnect’ between the rhetoric and reality of mainstreaming at the meso-level – and continuity with the pre-existing policy style in UK governance. The wider significance of this is that potential gains afforded by the adoption of mainstreaming in legislative sett...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the use of quantitative data and analyses, migration statistics and the mass media to support the passage (or justify the failure) of recent key initiatives that affect undocumented or illegal immigration in the USA, in particular immigration originating in Mexico.
Abstract: This article analyses some of the ‘numbers’ behind the migration phenomenon and immigration policy design in the USA. The principal aim of this study is to assess the use of quantitative data and analyses, migration statistics and the mass media to support the passage (or justify the failure) of recent key initiatives that affect undocumented or illegal immigration in the USA, in particular immigration originating in Mexico. The study concludes that the misuse of numbers, the production of media spectacles that present illegal immigrants as quite harmful for the US economy and society, and the politicisation of the immigration process in general, have had a major impact on recent failed attempts to reform the dysfunctional US immigration system. These factors also influenced the passage of Arizona's SB 1070 in 2010, as well as the recent passage of other anti-immigrant legislation in more US states. Overall, the ‘mathematics’ of Mexico–US migration is not always reliable. Some questionable numbers have be...
TL;DR: This article reviewed developments in the Australian integrity system made during the last three decades and evaluated current organisational arrangements across national and state jurisdictions and examined the drivers and challenges involved with further expansion of integrity systems.
Abstract: This article reviews developments in the Australian integrity system made during the last three decades. It evaluates current organisational arrangements across national and state jurisdictions and examines the drivers and challenges involved with further expansion of integrity systems. The article argues that, while a more comprehensive system of integrity may be warranted, there have been improvements and that there are limits to further expansion of integrity frameworks given Australia's particular system of government.
TL;DR: In this article, the cases of three integrity agencies in one Australian jurisdiction and the means by which control is exercised and autonomy guaranteed are discussed and the importance of other controls such as professional codes of conduct and the significance of securing real autonomy with the development of the reputation, esteem and professional linkages.
Abstract: This article discusses the cases of three integrity agencies in one Australian jurisdiction and the means by which control is exercised and autonomy guaranteed. Integrity agencies include audit and ombudsman offices that have checking and vetting responsibilities over other parts of the administrative system. From the cases studied, it was evident that legislative arrangements were formally designed to provide considerable protections for the operational autonomy of all three integrity agencies, but that government control was primarily exercised through the appropriation of agency funds via parliamentary mechanisms. The cases also revealed that control can be, perhaps, more political and unpredictable when the government of the day dominates the parliament and its role in budget appropriation. What also emerged was the importance of other controls such as professional codes of conduct and the significance of securing ‘real’ autonomy with the development of the reputation, esteem and professional linkages...
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of ideas of majoritarian democracy in Northern Ireland and how the legitimacy of that majoritarian narrative was challenged after 1969 is explored, and the difficulties of developing an alternative and shared narrative of democratic participation, known as power-sharing, is considered.
Abstract: The article explores the contentious meanings in Northern Ireland not only of ‘democracy’ but also of ‘British’. It examines the influence of ideas of majoritarian democracy in Northern Ireland and how the legitimacy of that majoritarian narrative was challenged after 1969. The difficulties of developing an alternative and shared narrative of democratic participation, known as power-sharing, is considered and the current outline of the so-called Northern Ireland political ‘model’ of democratic politics is described and its operative strengths and deficiencies identified.