Beyond Environmental Regulatory Fragmentation: Signs of Integration in the Case of the Great Lakes Basin

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72007/1/j.1468-0491.1995.tb00197.x.pd

Morality Policies: How Religion and Politics Interplay in Democratic Decision-Making

Throughout history, there have been connections between religion and politics in Belgium. Still, abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, research on embryo are examples of life and death issues that trigger vivid debates. They may even challenge the stability of a political system, especially when it undergoes a federalization process. Political parties are key players to find a compromise. The churches and the secular actors accept the public regulation as long as their values are not at stake. Therefore, policy change regarding morality issues is mainly focus on policy instruments rather than on core beliefs. Such a strategy by decision-makers leave the traditional cleavages untouched. It ensures social quietness during the framing and the implementation of the public policies. In Belgium, demonstrations related to morality issues do not breach law and order as in France or Spain, for instance. Even the Belgian Catholic Church partially outpaces the Roman Catholic Church

Analysing policy failure as an argumentative strategy in the policymaking process: A pragmatist perspective

International audienceThe purpose of this article is to focus on policy failure as a concept that stakeholders use. Our article will first address how researchers define failure to explore some different dimensions of the concept. Second, we will highlight the political and subjective dimension relative to how policymakers use the concept of failure as critical judgement. Last, we will show that while failure is a critical judgement, it should not be overlooked by researchers seeking to understand the policy process. In this article, we argue that stakeholders’ production and use of critical judgement play a fundamental role in policymaking