From New Public Management to New Political Governance: Essays in Honour of Peter C. Aucoin

With the direct participation of partisan political staff in governance, the onset of permanent election campaigns heavily dependent on negative  advertising, and the expectation that the public service will not only merely implement but enthusiastically support the agenda of the elected government, we are experiencing a new form of political governance. The late Peter Aucoin (1943-2011) has argued that traditional norms of impartial loyalty have been displaced by partisanship on the part of civil servants and that the political executive is keen on directly controlling all aspects of communication and interaction between government and citizens.  The arrival of  "New Political Governance" has a direct bearing on the long-standing tension between the need of ensuring democratic control over bureaucracy, while also allowing the public service sufficient flexibility to exercise discretion, judgment, and professional expertise when implementing and managing programs. Through a series of essays using Aucoin's "New Political Governance" framework, leading scholars in the field address the manner in which this tension and its conflicts have played out over the past decade in different domains. Contributors examine themes including accountability, democracy, public management and reform, the paradoxes of electoral democracy, and the dilemmas of democratic governance.   Contributors include: Mark Jarvis (University of Victoria), Herman Bakvis (University of Victoria), B. Guy Peters (University of Pittsburg), Donald Savoie (Université de Moncton), Allan Tupper (University of British Columbia), Lori Turnbull (Dalhousie), David E. Smith (University of Saskatchewan), C.E.S. Franks (Queen's), R. Kenneth Carty (University of British Columbia), Lisa Young (University of Calgary), Jennifer Smith (Dalhousie), Gerald Baier (University of British Columbia), Fred Fletcher (York University), André Blais (Université de Montréal), Evert Lindquist (University of Victoria), Ken Rasmussen (University of Regina), Jonathan Boston (Victoria University), John Halligan (University of Canberra), Grace Skogstad (University of Toronto), Jenn Wallner (University of Ottawa), Cosmo Howard (University of Victoria), Susan Phillips (Carleton University), Paul Thomas (University of Manitoba), Ralph Heintzman (University of Ottawa), Luc Juillet (University of Ottawa), G. Bruce Doern (Carleton), Kenneth Kernaghan (Brock).

Politics & Social Sciences

Bakvis, Herman

Jarvis, Mark D.

Politics & Government

McGill-Queen's University Press

With the direct participation of partisan political staff in governance, the onset of permanent election campaigns heavily dependent on negative advertising, and the expectation that the public service will not only merely implement but enthusiastically support the agenda of the elected government, we are experiencing a new form of political governance. The late Peter Aucoin (1943-2011) has argued that traditional norms of impartial loyalty have been displaced by partisanship on the part of civil servants and that the political executive is keen on directly controlling all aspects of communication and interaction between government and citizens. The arrival of "New Political Governance" has a direct bearing on the long-standing tension between the need of ensuring democratic control over bureaucracy, while also allowing the public service sufficient flexibility to exercise discretion, judgment, and professional expertise when implementing and managing programs. Through a series of essays using Aucoin's "New Political Governance" framework, leading scholars in the field address the manner in which this tension and its conflicts have played out over the past decade in different domains. Contributors examine themes including accountability, democracy, public management and reform, the paradoxes of electoral democracy, and the dilemmas of democratic governance. Contributors include: Mark Jarvis (University of Victoria), Herman Bakvis (University of Victoria), B. Guy Peters (University of Pittsburg), Donald Savoie (Université de Moncton), Allan Tupper (University of British Columbia), Lori Turnbull (Dalhousie), David E. Smith (University of Saskatchewan), C.E.S. Franks (Queen's), R. Kenneth Carty (University of British Columbia), Lisa Young (University of Calgary), Jennifer Smith (Dalhousie), Gerald Baier (University of British Columbia), Fred Fletcher (York University), André Blais (Université de Montréal), Evert Lindquist (University of Victoria), Ken Rasmussen (University of Regina), Jonathan Boston (Victoria University), John Halligan (University of Canberra), Grace Skogstad (University of Toronto), Jenn Wallner (University of Ottawa), Cosmo Howard (University of Victoria), Susan Phillips (Carleton University), Paul Thomas (University of Manitoba), Ralph Heintzman (University of Ottawa), Luc Juillet (University of Ottawa), G. Bruce Doern (Carleton), Kenneth Kernaghan (Brock).

<p>Canada's time-honoured system of responsible government is failing us. This principle, by which the executive must be accountable to the people's elected representatives, was fought for and won over 160 years ago, but we now see that achievement slipping away. Our constitution and its unwritten conventions no longer provide effective constraints on a prime minister's power. The a dysfunctional system, in which the Canadian constitution has degenerated into whatever the prime minister decides it is, and a Parliament that is effectively controlled by the prime minister, instead of the other way around.<br />
This timely book examines recent history and ongoing controversies as it makes the case for restoring power to where it belongs — with the people's elected representatives in Parliament.<br />
This book has been designed to meet the needs of courses on Canadian politics, as it gives special attention to explaining the institutions and concepts involved, as well as the fascinating history that has led to present day conflicts over our constitutional state of affairs. Its offering of proposals to address the problems it outlines will also make it a must-read for political observers and interested citizens across the country.</p>

Democratizing the Constitution: Reforming Responsible Government

Turnbull, Lori

Aucoin, Peter

Emond Montgomery Publications

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