A descriptive framework to evaluate instrument packages for the low-carbon transition

We develop a descriptive framework to facilitate policy instrument evaluation in relation to the low-carbon transition. The framework consists of a stock-taking and mapping analysis based on five questions. Four questions allow the policy maker to take stock of the existing set of instruments and provide a description of the key attributes and incentive of individual instruments. These attributes are subsequently mapped to identifiers of market failures related to the transition. A fifth question considers the coherence of the mix or package of policy instruments that the instruments constitute. The result is an overview of the incentives for firms and households to contribute to the transition towards a decarbonised economy. This can then be used to evaluate whether the set of policy instruments can be improved. We apply our framework to the residential and commercial (buildings) sector in an ambitious country, Austria

Lobbying the executive branch: Unpacking access to political heads, political advisers, and civil servants

This article systematically examines how access of business groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to the executive branch of the European Union varies across political heads, civil servants, and an understudied yet critical intermediary figure of the executive branch: political advisers. Building upon exchange theory, we argue that the occurrence of a meeting between public officials and interest groups depends on information and legitimacy sought and offered by both types of actors, the public officials’ public exposure, and the interest groups’ lobbying strategies. The empirical analysis is focused on the executive body of the European Union (i.e., the European Commission). Our results show that, while political advisers and civil servants are more likely to meet with business groups than with NGOs, political heads are not biased in favor of any of these two groups

How to visualise futures studies concepts: Revision of the futures cone

Futures studies concepts are complex and challenging to communicate and elaborate on. Visual artefacts exist to aid this process. Variants of futures cones, plausibility cones, or cones of possibilities are most common. Yet, the is a lack of scientific discussion and consistency. A review of what does exist can lead to a more coherent communication of concepts. This aids futures literacy and enables more targeted theoretical elaborations using the cone as an intermediary object. We pose the questions (1) how futures cones have been used so far to visualise concepts of futures studies and (2) how characteristics can be consolidated into a revised version. We compiled 14 representations and compared and analysed them

Canada’s Prospects in the Indo-Pacific

As Canada looks to strengthen its presence in Asia, the government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) provides an important framework for guiding grand narratives on policy. Yet the document’s broad language raises questions around its pragmatism and how the strategy can be operationalized. To do so, Canada must work at bringing new ideas, be regionally present, and show solidarity with people of Asia. The government’s work must not digress into a one-way dialogue more concerned with preaching Canadian values and interests. Rather, there is a foreign policy imperative for listening to the diverse voices of regional stakeholders since Canada needs the Indo-Pacific more than the Indo-Pacific needs Canada.

Hirschman 2.0 or What Makes a Good Policy Advice System? A Theory of Policy Advice System Quality & Capacity

Not everyone’s ideas count equally in terms of influencing and informing policy design and instrument choices. As the literature on policy advice has shown, policies are made by many different actors interacting with each other over relatively long timeframes. Actors within these ‘policy advisory systems’ interact within the confines of a set of political and economic institutions and governing norms and each brings with it different interests and resources. Understanding who these actors are, how they act and how this affects the overall nature of the advice system is a critical aspect of all public policy-making activity but not all of these elements have been equally well conceptualized or studied. In this article, the general nature of policy advice systems is set out, their major components described and a model of individual and organizational behavior within them outlined based on a modification of the Exit, Voice, Loyalty rubric of Albert Hirschman. The paper shows how individual organizational behaviour along the lines suggested by Hirschman can result in very different kinds of advice being provided by an advisory system, with predictable consequences for its nature and quality

What counts as evidence for policy? An analysis of policy actors’ perceptions

vidence plays a growing role in public administration worldwide. We analyze the perceptions of policy actors, using Q methodology and a structured questionnaire, which reveals four types of profiles. Most policy actors did not fit neatly into an Evidence-Based Policy-Making (EBPM) group. Instead, they either had a pragmatic view where context and policy issues influence what counts as evidence, an inclu- sive position which emphasized the importance of considering a range of different types of evidence, or a political perspective where power relations and politics influence what counts as evidence. Our research also illustrates how different actors in the same community can have different perceptions of evidence, and how this can change over time due to experience and career trajectory

Canadian twinning in the Indo-Pacific: the agency of subnational actors in present relationships and future strategies

AbstractTwinning relationships—that is, formalized long-term partnerships between two municipalities or provinces—have been a longstanding facet of Canadian foreign relations. They present a challenge to conceptions of foreign policy limited to sovereign states and national governments, particularly in Canada’s unique federal context, and serve as an entry point to a wider landscape of non-central government diplomacy, paradiplomacies and “other diplomacies.” Yet Canadian twinning relationships in the Indo-Pacific have been sorely understudied and underutilized. We therefore assembled the first comprehensive dataset of Canadian twinning in the Indo-Pacific to give an overview of the actors, drivers, chronology, and geography of these agreements. Many latent opportunities for new twinning and other diplomatic relationships still exist. Putting forward three possible trajectories for the future of Canadian twinning in the Indo-Pacific, we argue that Canada should pursue closer collaboration between federal, provincial and municipal governments and civil society by incorporating them as partners in the Indo-Pacific Strategy.Résumé Les relations de jumelage, c'est-à-dire des partenariats officiels à long terme entre deux municipalités ou provinces, sont depuis longtemps une facette des relations étrangères du Canada. Ils remettent en question les conceptions de la politique étrangère limitées aux États souverains et aux gouvernements nationaux, en particulier dans le contexte fédéral unique du Canada, et servent de point d'entrée à un paysage plus large de diplomatie non gouvernementale, de para-diplomaties et d'« autres diplomaties ». Pourtant, les relations de jumelage canadien dans l'Indopacifique ont été sérieusement sous-étudiées et sous-utilisées. Nous avons donc rassemblé le premier ensemble de données complet sur les jumelages canadiens dans l'Indopacifique pour donner un aperçu des acteurs, des moteurs, de la chronologie et de la géographie de ces accords. De nombreuses opportunités latentes de nouveaux jumelages et autres relations diplomatiques existent encore. Proposant trois trajectoires possibles pour l'avenir du jumelage canadien dans l'Indopacifique, nous soutenons que le Canada devrait poursuivre une collaboration plus étroite entre les gouvernements fédéral, provinciaux et municipaux et avec la société civile en les incorporant comme partenaires dans la Stratégie Indopacifique.Key Words: Twinning, city diplomacy, paradiplomacy, non-central governments, Indo-Pacific StrategyMots-clés : jumelages entre villes; la diplomatie des villes; paradiplomatie; gouvernements non centraux; stratégie Indopacifiqu

Rule‐free regulation : Exploring regulation ‘without rules’ and apart from ‘deontic categories’

Regulation can occur “with (specific) rules/norms” or “without (specific) rules/norms”. Numerous studies have been devoted to the first option. To the point where “regulation” and “rules” have often been seen to coincide in some academic research, and also in everyday ways of thinking. We deal with the second option in this article: regulation without rules/norms. Namely, a type of regulation by which it is intended to influence others' behaviour without recourse to rules/ norms, and without directly altering the “normative environment”

Federal overreach: The attestation controversy and the Canada Summer Jobs Program, 2017-2019

Our paper investigates the impacts of the 2018 attestation requirement of the Canada Student Jobs program (CSJ) compared to that of the no-attestation version of 2017, and that of the revised CSJ attestation box of 2019. We found:(1) Christian groups (mostly Catholic and various evangelical Christian denominations) collectively received less than half the funds they received in 2017, and lost just over 3,000 jobs in 2018, or just under half the jobs secured 2017. In 2019 religious-based groups regained about 2,700 jobs.(2) what jobs the religious groups lost in 2018 were picked up by non-religious applicants. The latter received a modest increase in funding in 2018 over the previous year, and another increase in 2019

Global Challenges and Plurilateral engagement in the Indian Ocean world

Abstract The Indian Ocean is the historic cross-roads of the world. On most measures—linguistic, religious, political, legal, and economic, among others—its diversity is unparalleled. While the region is home to perhaps the most strategically important state actors in an age of intense superpower rivalry, it is equally home to an astonishing range of nonstate actors whose influence and significance should not be underestimated. Many religious, indigenous, and local nonstate actors and networks have a long pedigree, sometimes dating back centuries. Layered on these legacy organizations are a vast range of contemporary nonstate, transnational regulators active in the region. These actors play an increasingly important but overlooked role in global governance and can be effectively engaged in situations where states are unable or unwilling to act. This article explores how Canada and nonstate actors based in Canada and beyond might engage plurilaterally with nonstate actors in the Indian Ocean region.RésuméL'océan Indien est le carrefour historique du monde. Sur la plupart des mesures - linguistiques, religieuses, politiques, juridiques et économiques, entre autres - sa diversité est sans précédent. Et si la région abrite peut-être les acteurs étatiques les plus importants sur le plan stratégique à une époque d'intense rivalité entre superpuissances, elle abrite également une gamme étonnante d'acteurs non étatiques dont l'influence et l'importance ne doivent pas être sous-estimées. De nombreux acteurs et réseaux non étatiques religieux, autochtones et locaux ont un long pedigree, remontant parfois à des siècles. À ces organisations profondément enracinées s'ajoutent une vaste gamme de régulateurs transnationaux non étatiques contemporains actifs dans la région. Ces acteurs jouent un rôle de plus en plus important mais négligé dans la gouvernance mondiale et peuvent être efficacement engagés dans des situations où les États ne peuvent pas ou ne veulent pas agir. Cet article explore comment le Canada et les acteurs non étatiques basés au Canada et au-delà pourraient s'engager de manière multilatérale avec des acteurs non étatiques dans la région de l'océan Indien.Keywords: nonstate actors; Indian Ocean region/Indo-Pacific; global governance; sovereignty; pluralism; transnational regulation; plurilateral diplomacyMots-clés : acteurs non étatiques; région de l'océan Indien/indo-pacifique; gouvernance globale; souveraineté; pluralisme; régulation transnationales; diplomatie plurilatéral