Governance (Political Science 100)

Governance (Political Science 100)

2

Values spectrum

5 - Strong environmental values

On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being extremely supportive of jobs in the forest industry and 5 being extremely supportive of environmental conservation, how would you rate your simulation group's values?

4- Moderate environmental values

2 - moderate pro development values

3 - neutral1 - Strong pro development values

Today’s AgendaDivision of Powers Parliamentary Government

Institutions, Forms of LawProblems

Modifications

September 24, 2013 3

Institutional Design

Who makes public policy? Why does it matter?


Essential Elements of Authority Division of powers Head of state PM or premier Cabinet Members of

legislature

Legislatures Minister Appointed officials Bureaucracies Courts

Sustainable Forest Policy 5

Federal Division of Powers• Provincial jurisdiction

paramount– ownership of lands– including timber

• Federal jurisdiction– trade– spending

(reforestation, research)

– Indians– fisheries– criminal law power


http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20110107/peter-kent-on-new-job-as-environment-minister-110107/

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/const/c1867_e.html



Parliamentary Government – Institutions - Legislature MLA – members of

legislative assembly sits infrequently (46-

135 days) majority rule – government

must have support of majority

party discipline – all members must vote how their party tells them to▪ Party policy set by caucus – in

reality by cabinet and especially leader


Source: http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/02/09/NiceGig/

Parliamentary Government – Institutions - Executive

executive lieutenant governor

(ceremonial) premier and cabinet

▪ Premier: leader of the party with the most seats in the legislature

▪ Cabinet: selected by the Premier from members of the legislature of the premier’s party


http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/

http://www.gov.bc.ca/premier/

http://www.gov.bc.ca/premier/cabinet_ministers/

Parliamentary Government – Institutions - Judicial

Provincial Court BC Supreme Court Provincial Court of

Appeals (or Federal)

Supreme Court of Canada


Parliamentary Government – Forms of Law

statuteenabling legislationAct of legislatureWood first bill

regulationdelegated legislationorder in councilcabinet (informal)lieutenant governor in council (formal)

contracts, permits


http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th3rd/3rd_read/gov24-3.htm

http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th1st/1st_read/gov09-1.htm

http://archive.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/slrp/lrmp/nanaimo/cencoast/plan/objectives/index.html

http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/faq/default.htm

January 15, 2009 Sustainable Energy Policy 11

Diagram

Parliamentary Government -- IdealRepresentative, Responsible

Governmentparties compete for votes (platforms)mandateopportunity to governaccountable at next election


Problems

expertise and bureaucracy politics-administration dichotomy

divining policy mandate minority-based majorities

push for different voting rules participatory values

push for new forms of consultation


Modifications – See Chapter 1 in Luckert et al

Multi-stakeholderism Legalism Increasing role for First Nations Certification Community forestry Initiative, referendum, recall (not

discussed) Electoral reform (failed)

15

Governance – Broad Themes provincial

dominance executive

dominance legitimacy problems minor modifications policy style:

executive-centered bargaining norm of consultation


http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/6163866483/sizes/l/in/photostream/



Official Themes so far1. Policies are produced

through governance processes, influenced by environment and markets.

2. Governance addresses who decides, who participates, at what level of government, and with which instruments

3. Canadian forest policy is dominated by the provincial level of government

4. BC’s government is dominated by the executive, particularly the premier

5. Courts have played a limited role in forest policy, with the exception of Aboriginal issues, because of the discretionary nature of BC statutes


25

Values spectrum


On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being extremely supportive of jobs in the forest industry and 5 being extremely supportive of environmental conservation, how would you rate your simulation group's values?




Institutional Design

Core issue: allocation of decision making authority

Organizations have biases balance of preferences can change as

location of authority changes


27

Institutional design - horizontal





MFLNRO MoE

28

Institutional Design - vertical





Global Markets

CanadaBCForest Dependent Communities

Government Actors -Objectives, Resources: Politicians

resource: authority

Objectives: reelection, policy objectives, power reelection comes

first -- fundamental constraint

effect: public opinion matters


resources authority expertise

objectives policy objectives power (budgets, jurisdiction) autonomy

effect: powerful organizational inertia


Government Actors -Objectives, Resources: Bureaucrats

Themes so far1. Policies are produced

through governance processes, influenced by environment and markets.

2. Governance addresses who decides, who participates, at what level of government, and with which instruments

3. Canadian forest policy is dominated by the provincial level of government

4. BC’s government is dominated by the executive, particularly the premier

5. Courts have played a limited role in forest policy, with the exception of Aboriginal issues, because of the discretionary nature of BC statutes

6. Institutional design matters because the balance of preferences may change as the location of authority changes

7. Politicians are primarily driven by electoral incentives, making public opinion a significant constraint on government action


Documents

Governance (Political Science 100)