Volume 19, 2017 Issue #1 – Does it Matter Who Works at the Center? A Comparative Policy Analysis of Executive Styles

Does it Matter Who Works at the Center? A Comparative Policy Analysis of Executive Styles

Author Christopher A. Cooper & Patrik Marier

Subjects: civil service executive style, home care policy, comparative case study

Abstract: This article develops the concept of executive style to explore how variations in the relationships between politicians, career civil servants, and political appointees affect the types of policy outputs. A comparative analysis of home care policies in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia finds that the former’s civil service executive style – where professional civil servants work in close partnership with politicians in all phases of the policy process – led to the development of an innovative home care program with a long-term vision, whereas the latter’s politicized executive style – where politicians marginalize the role of civil servants in favor of political appointees – led to frequent changes in policy largely driven by short-term considerations.

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Institutional Arrangements in Municipal Solid Waste Services in Korea

Seong-Young Jeong Seong-Gin Moon & Suho Bae

Subjects: municipal solid waste services, contracting-out, translog-cost function, SUR method, comparative analysis

Abstract: In Korea, local governments are primarily responsible for providing municipal solid waste services to citizens. This paper examines the effects of different institutional arrangements and characteristics on cost savings, efficiency gains and productivity in the delivery of municipal solid waste services to citizens. In order to carry out this research, a hybrid cost function approach was employed, and cross-sectional time-series data from local governments of Korea covering a ten-year period (2000–2009) were used for empirical analysis. Empirical findings indicated that there were no effects of contracting-out on cost savings, efficiency and productivity gains in Korea. Specifically, the solid waste service costs were not significantly lower under contracting-out than under direct public delivery. In addition, contrary to the arguments of the proponents of privatization or contracting-out, efficiency and productivity gains were actually higher under direct public delivery than when contracted out.

The National Context of Wicked Problems: Comparing Policies on Gun Violence in the US, Canada, and Australia

Author Joshua Newman & Brian Head

Subjects: wicked problems, complexity, gun control, second amendment, comparative policy analysis

Abstract: Scholars and practitioners have always been dogged by problems that are so complex that no practical solution appears to be possible. These have been referred to in the academic literature as “wicked” problems. However, it is possible that a problem’s “wickedness” depends in part on its context and on the vantage point of the observer, meaning that at least some aspects of wickedness can be thought of as being relative rather than absolute. In this article, the complex policy problem of gun control is examined across multiple national contexts to show how a problem that is perceived as being wicked in one jurisdiction can be seen as manageable in another.

Policy Advocacy in Transitioning Regimes: Comparative Lessons from the Case of Harbour Protection in Hong Kong

Author Wai Fung Lam & Kwan Nok Chan

Subjects: policy advocacy, comparative policy analysis, agenda setting, transitioning regimes, mixed methods

Abstract: Current research on policy advocacy relies exclusively on established regimes where instability is largely contained. Using the harbour protection advocacy in Hong Kong as an exploratory case, the article documents how conservationists exploited the unique opportunities arising from the transfer of sovereignty to advance heritage protection policy. Three new strategic choices in policy advocacy are identified. First, policy advocates strategically switched between issue frames instead of becoming strongly identified with any issue frame. Second, they avoided prolonged involvement by pursuing modest, programme-level adjustments. Third, they circumvented the restrictions on scope and focus by creating new venues outside of the policy subsystem.

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” Reconsidered: A Comparison of German, Canadian and Spanish Labour Migration Policies

Author Claudia Finotelli & Holger Kolb

Subjects: Germany, Canada, Spain, comparative policy studies, labour migration policy, point systems, Blue Card

Abstract: This article compares three immigration countries that are perceived, both publicly and politically, as being fundamentally different: Canada, which is allegedly one of the most attractive destination countries for labour migrants worldwide; Germany, which is still thought to be sceptical towards immigration; and finally Spain, which is considered institutionally incapable of implementing efficient labour migration policies. Against the backdrop of various political reforms that have been adopted in these countries, however, the article argues that such a distinction is becoming increasingly inaccurate. This observation is backed empirically by analysing the technique of screening labour migrants and the temporal design of labour migration policy.

Jeni Vaitsman, Jose Mendes Ribeiro, and Lenaura Lobato, Policy Analysis in Brazil

Author : Beryl A. Radin

Pages: 87-88
Is Part Of: Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 2016, Vol. 19(1)

Stuart Shapiro, Analysis and Public Policy: Successes, Failures and Directions for Reform

Author : Wendy Wagner

Pages: 88-89
Is Part Of: Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 2016, Vol. 19(1)