Ian Roberge and David K. Jesuit
The purpose of this paper is to present the main themes in this special issue focusing on the impact of transformations in the global economy on public management.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the main themes in this special issue focusing on the impact of transformations in the global economy on public management.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes the from of a presentation of articles in this special issue.
Findings
The paper finds that focusing on examples form Europe and North America, public management adaptability varies across states and regions. Capacity is identified as an important indicator of adaptability.
Originality/value
The paper introduces an issue that highlights concrete examples of adaptability in public management. It opens the door to further research tracing linkages between changes in the global environment and the practice of public management.
Details
Keywords
Thomas J. Greitens and M. Ernita Joaquin
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of program performance measurement in US financial regulatory programs.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of program performance measurement in US financial regulatory programs.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses the US Government's Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) system of output and outcome data collection, performance data from financial regulatory programs were examined to determine: if PART data revealed any degradation in external financial conditions or internal regulatory performance prior to the Great Recession of 2008, and whether output performance influenced outcome performance.
Findings
The results indicate that outcome measures did “capture” some deterioration in the performance of the financial industry before the Great Recession, but these measures were arguably not influenced by program outputs. This represents a potentially problematic use of performance measures in that programs used outcome measures which were not controlled by programmatic actions.
Originality/value
This project adds to a growing body of literature on the challenges of program performance measurement in government. However, this analysis is unique in that it specifically examines the performance of the US Government's financial regulatory programs, as measured by PART, before the Great Recession of 2008.
Details
Keywords
– This exploratory article aims to define foresight and consider its use in public management. Impediments to foresight best practices are also discussed.
Abstract
Purpose
This exploratory article aims to define foresight and consider its use in public management. Impediments to foresight best practices are also discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on the literature, including both primary and secondary sources. Canada serves as a case study to discuss foresight practices.
Findings
Foresight has the potential to be useful from a governance perspective. Foresight practices, however, are limited by the need to overcome departmental boundaries, political impediments and, arguably, governments' abating policy capacity.
Research limitations/implications
The purpose of this article is to introduce foresight limiting to an extent the depth of the analysis. Canada is neither a foresight leader nor at the bottom of the list. Conclusions drawn from this case are, despite differing political and administrative contexts, representative of problems faced by many governments in using foresight.
Originality/value
The field of public management has paid little attention to foresight, though governments do make use of this instrument. This article is one of the first to consider foresight, not from the perspective of the futures field, but from that of the discipline of public management.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to consider financial services sector macro‐prudential and micro‐prudential supervisory reforms in the European Union (EU). It aims to critically…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider financial services sector macro‐prudential and micro‐prudential supervisory reforms in the European Union (EU). It aims to critically examine the new system, reviewing in particular the adequacy of the reform to address financial crises.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of the relevant academic and trade literature.
Findings
In considering the new EU supervisory system's constitutional and legal foundation and its organizational structure, the study highlights the revamped and complex architecture's strengths and limitations.
Originality/value
The paper makes a contribution to the understanding of the new financial services sector supervisory system in the EU; few studies have analyzed its constitutional legality and satisfactoriness for the prevention of new crises.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to analyze the opportunities and challenges of public policy governance in industrialized democracies in the context of a globally integrated economy on the one…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the opportunities and challenges of public policy governance in industrialized democracies in the context of a globally integrated economy on the one hand and institutional decentralization on the other. The implications of these transitions suggest the need for horizontal collaboration and coordination between policy stakeholders (domestic and international) as well as among agencies across various levels of government. The case of regional economic development policy governance in Canada over the past two decades illustrates some of the complexities of public, private and community partnerships in policy governance as the country seeks to maintain and enlarge its niche in the global economy.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through content analysis of policy and program documents relating to regional economic development in Canada, as well as in‐depth interviews of about 15 public officials directly involved in the administration of the policy.
Findings
The comparative analysis of regional economic development policy governance in two Canadian provinces over the past two decades illustrates some of the complexities of public, private and community partnerships in policy governance as the country seeks to maintain and enlarge its niche in the global economy.
Originality/value
The paper is based on an original research undertaken by the author and raises critical questions about the changing context of public management in an age of increasing globalization of economies and societies. It also addresses the distinct challenges of managing multi‐level systems in the face of the added complexities brought about by global integration.
Details
Keywords
Denita Cepiku and Andrea Bonomi Savignon
The paper aims at contributing to the cutback management and organizational decline streams of research by providing an in‐depth analysis of the main challenges that public…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims at contributing to the cutback management and organizational decline streams of research by providing an in‐depth analysis of the main challenges that public managers have to address in managing public spending and activity cutbacks as a response to the current financial crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
After a literature review of the field, an analysis of the activities of international cooperation between public managers is carried out and the strategies adopted at the global level are compared to the challenges and complexities identified by the literature.
Findings
Recovery policies adopted at the international level follow some literature indications such as the clear long‐term forward‐looking focus and the attention to post‐crisis challenges. In turn, the crisis is perceived to have politicized decision making. There are concerns that the pressure to reduce levels of staff and services poses the risk that the public sector will not have the ability to manage future crises.
Originality/value
Much of the discussion on the crisis focuses on macroeconomic policies and the business sector. Public sector policies are a powerful instrument to overcome the crisis. The article compares recommendations from the theory on crisis management, both in the public and in the private sector, with concrete strategies adopted at the international level.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to describe an economic region straddling the Canada‐USA border between Ontario and Michigan from historical and contemporary perspectives. It aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe an economic region straddling the Canada‐USA border between Ontario and Michigan from historical and contemporary perspectives. It aims to highlight policy challenges for federal, state, provincial and municipal governments.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides a general review based on academic literature, government and consultant reports and data from a variety of sources. It begins with a historical review of the study regions. This is followed by a more detailed contemporary review of conditions arising since the attacks of September 11, 2001. A number of possible and ongoing policy options for various orders of government are then described.
Findings
The paper finds that Ontario and Michigan comprise a highly integrated economic region with a particular focus on automotive production. Within that region the Canada‐USA border is a key transportation bottleneck whose impedance effect has gotten worse in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. A variety of policies have been implemented to try to reduce the cost of the border with mixed success and there is little cross‐border interaction among lower orders of government.
Originality/value
To the best of the author's knowledge there has been no other paper published in an academic journal that describes the history, current situation and policy issues of the study region. The value of this paper lies in providing a multidisciplinary overview and a starting point for further research on the region.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to document Canadian financial services regulatory reform, illustrating how existing institutional fragmentation has undermined capacity to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to document Canadian financial services regulatory reform, illustrating how existing institutional fragmentation has undermined capacity to effectively learn from the global financial crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on government documents, public comments and interviews with key individuals in the reform process to document the different institutional responses to the crisis.
Findings
The case highlights concerns raised in the policy subsystems literature that the capacity for “learning”, even from events as significant as the financial crisis, can be undermined by poor institutional arrangements which create incentives for policymakers to support self interested and limited analysis.
Practical implications
The case suggests that effective learning in a complex sector requires that there be a national regulator charged with broad independent analytical responsibilities to ensure that the industry is effectively regulated. Existing fragmentation of responsibilities, combined with the interests of the industry and the current government in deflecting new regulatory rules, has meant that existing government expertise has not been effectively deployed.
Originality/value
The paper offers an important corrective to the existing view of Canadian financial regulation and is a compelling illustration of how poor institutional arrangements and ambiguous jurisdictional responsibilities can impede effective policy capacity in relation to learning.
Details
Keywords
David K. Jesuit and Lawrence Sych
The purpose of this study is to apply a model of regional networks and governance to cross‐border cases for the purpose of identifying determinants that help local governments…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to apply a model of regional networks and governance to cross‐border cases for the purpose of identifying determinants that help local governments overcome barriers and promote interaction in border areas most susceptible to globalization realities, namely “old economy” manufacturing and industrial centers. It aims to draw together research from a variety of perspectives on regional networks and explore efforts by two local European communities and one local US community to respond to the challenges posed by the global economy by interviewing stakeholders in territories that have experienced significant deindustrialization.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with local, regional and central government officials, as well as private sector actors, in the Italian region of the Marches and in the countries of Luxembourg and the USA.
Findings
The study's preliminary findings show a range of networks across several arenas closely associated with economic development, but fail to show direct associations with economic development alone. The authors attribute this to the centrality of geographic space in development augmented by local competition and presence of the international border.
Originality/value
The authors conclude by identifying a set of determinants that will guide future research into local networking in cross‐border economic development and related arenas.
Details
Keywords
The twenty‐first‐century globalizing economy and free trade regimes in Europe and North America transform regions and their economies. This paper aims to question, in comparative…
Abstract
Purpose
The twenty‐first‐century globalizing economy and free trade regimes in Europe and North America transform regions and their economies. This paper aims to question, in comparative perspective with European experiences, whether free trade, and particularly continental economic integration in North America, impacts the economies, and leads to forms of transboundary governance. It then seeks to complement this discussion by a review of the perceptions public managers have of those developments.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a review of the literature, public policy and individual interviews, and a survey of 700 private and public policy decision makers.
Findings
The evidence presented in this paper suggests that increased economic interdependence has led to the emergence of trans‐boundary governance. Public managers and policy‐makers view those as mechanisms that ease trade and public policy relations.
Originality/value
Contrary to broad assumption, North American trans‐boundary policy networks are helping trade relations and facilitate policy making.