Political Disagreement and Delegation in a Multi-Level Governance Setting

A large share of delegation models takes into account the effect of political disagreement when explaining delegation. Yet, delegation models make sharply contrasting predictions on how political disagreement translates into the level of discretion delegated to agencies. Moreover, empirical findings are contradictory. The current paper addresses this puzzle by disentangling mechanisms driving the effect of political disagreement on delegation. Furthermore, we distinguish conditions interacting with the effect of political disagreement on discretion. We apply the conditions to the research context of the present paper: economic restructuring in the UK under New Labour, which took place in a multi-level governance setting. We derive hypotheses on the effect of political disagreement on discretion and explore our theoretical predictions with the use of a novel dataset on economic restructuring in the UK under New Labour (Bennett and Payne 2000). Our analysis show that political disagreement leads to lower levels of discretion delegated.

Parent Magnet School Choice in a Large Urban School District

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to understand the perspectives of parents who choose magnet schools. The study investigated sources of information parents use in their school search, factors influencing them to apply to a magnet school, features of charter and private schools that attract them, and reasons for choosing a magnet school. Through an analysis of 984 surveys from parents who applied to a magnet school for the 2018-2019 school year and data from focus groups, the researcher found that recommendations from others is the most important source of information in parent school searches. Parents also consulted online resources, participated in magnet information sessions, studied school test scores and ratings, and toured schools. Important influences on parent school choice were the magnet program theme, impressions of school leadership, school reputation, diversity, and meeting the individual needs of the child. Parents had mixed feelings about school grades and ratings. For many parents, school tours were the deciding factor in their school choice. Distance to the school, having all their children in the same school, and child care needs were limiting factors. Parents cited small school and small class size, specialized curriculum, challenging academic programs, school reputation, and location as the main attractions to charter and private schools. Parents did not choose a charter or a private school because of their lack of resources for children with special needs, their lack of diversity, their lack of transportation and lunch, and the additional financial costs

European Union power and regional involvement:A Case Study Of The Political Implications Of The Reform Of The Structural Funds For Ireland

The Reform of the Structural Funds process in Ireland, has the potential over time, to curttail the power of the national central public authorities, while increasing the political effectiveness of other actors. 'This policy process comprises a chain of collective decision making processes around important issues. These issues belong to different policy arenas, called the national and sub-national policy arenas. The policy outcomes in the different arenas determined by the interplay of stakeholders with varying capabilities, policy preferences and saliences. Sub-national level actors in Ireland, have become more effective over time in the sub-national policy arena, but remain excluded from the national policy arena. However, the Europcan Commission Directorate General XVI for Regional policy has emerged over time, as the most central actor in both arenas

European Union power and regional involvement:A Case Study Of The Political Implications Of The Reform Of The Structural Funds For Ireland

The Reform of the Structural Funds process in Ireland, has the potential over time, to curttail the power of the national central public authorities, while increasing the political effectiveness of other actors. 'This policy process comprises a chain of collective decision making processes around important issues. These issues belong to different policy arenas, called the national and sub-national policy arenas. The policy outcomes in the different arenas determined by the interplay of stakeholders with varying capabilities, policy preferences and saliences. Sub-national level actors in Ireland, have become more effective over time in the sub-national policy arena, but remain excluded from the national policy arena. However, the Europcan Commission Directorate General XVI for Regional policy has emerged over time, as the most central actor in both arenas