Policy Capacity and Incapacity in Canada's Federal Government

Abstract

Governments, world-wide, are preoccupied with avoiding policy failure. A high level of policy capacity is considered one indicator of addressing this issue. Canada is typical of most countries where policy-related work tends to be centralized within its national capital city (Ottawa). There have been criticisms that on-the-ground perspectives are not conceded in policy decisions. Given the vast size and the decentralization of power, very little research has been dedicated to policy work conducted in its regions and whether it contributes to strengthening policy capacity. This article employs eight key hypotheses about contribution of Canadian regionally-based federal policy work to policy capacity based upon data derived from a national survey. A structural equation model (LISREL) is used to present the results. We find that regional-based policy work currently does little to enhance policy capacity. Policy work is divided along two distinct functional lines: traditional policy analysis and ‘street-level’ bureaucracy. The more engaging policy analysts belong to formal policy units which are a critical aspect of stronger policy capacity. The second factor contributing to policy capacity were attitudes towards the larger political arena.     

货币政策透明度:基于中央银行视角的文献解读

货币政策透明度是指非对称信息在政策制定者与其他经济主体之间的披露程度,包括中央银行对政策相关信息的披露程度以及公众对政策信息的理解程度二层内涵;在实践中,政策制定者选择多大程度的透明度主要取决于实际的经济环境和政策目标,从纯经济学的角度来讲,政策有效性是决定是否要提高货币政策透明度的唯一原因;而从实践中来看,无论是透明还是隐秘的货币政策,都有可能实现比较理想的调控结果。     

国外地方政府执行保障性住房政策的经验及启示——以加拿大多伦多市为例

国外地方政府担负着执行保障性住房政策的重要责任,多伦多市政府在此过程中根据加拿大联邦政府、安大略省政府的政策规定,制定了加强房租补贴、倡导建房第一、设立资本周转基金、完善租赁市场环境等具体措施,呈现出多元的政策执行主体、灵活的政策执行机制、坚强的政策执行保障、丰富的政策执行手段等特点。其做法和经验给我们执行保障性住房政策在强化执行主体的政策认知、建立政策执行的保障机制、形成政策执行的社会合力、加大政策执行的宣传力度、扩大政策对象的受益范围等方面以深刻的启示。     

不同资本账户开放程度下的中国财政货币政策效果分析

研究目标：分析不同资本账户开放程度下的中国财政货币政策效果及福利效应。研究方法：将内生化的政府支出（税收）政策以及包含汇率的价格（数量）型为主的混合货币政策一并纳入一个小型开放的DSGE模型。研究发现：随着资本账户的逐步放开,财政政策方面,减税政策刺激经济增长和促进就业的效果越来越好,政府支出政策刺激经济增长和促进就业的效果越来越差;货币政策方面,国内货币政策的调控效果及利率上升的跨期替代效应减弱。从社会福利损失的角度分析表明：无论是与内生化的政府支出（税收）政策组合还是与财政赤字政策组合,价格型为主的混合货币政策始终优于数量型为主的混合货币政策。研究创新：考察在高、中和低三种资本账户开放背景下中国不同财政货币政策组合的相互作用和经济效应。研究价值：为资本账户放开过程中合理地使用财政货币政策组合提供理论参考。     

The Politics of Municipal Employment Policy: A Comparative Study of U.S. Cities

A bstract . Municipal employment policy has been partially ignored in urban research , perhaps because of the implicit assumption that employment policy parallels expenditure and taxation policy. However, a strong relationship is found between municipal employment levels and the specified socioeconomic environment. Relationships between that environment and employment policy deviate considerably from expenditure policy. Expenditure policy analysis suggests hypotheses, but does not accurately predict the relative strength of association. Although expenditure policy is more directly related to municipal economic environment, public employment policy is related to the sociopolitical environment.     

Contexts of enterprise policy-making – an institutional perspective

Abstract

This paper advances our understanding of policy formulation, exploring how the particular institutional dynamics between the transnational and national levels of enterprise policy-making affect policy choices made by governments and consequently their outcomes. The paper argues that policy development occurs within a framework of dominating assumptions on enterprise, influential academic/policy communities and lesson-drawing from other countries’ experiences, which have led to a privileging of the transnational when making policy choices. Empirically, the paper draws on a post-socialist country case – Albania, and uses interviews with policy actors and documentary data from national governments and international organizations. The paper explores the dynamics involved, and the actors that shape, policy formulation and makes two contributions to the literature. First, it provides a conceptual framework on how to analyse policy formulation, extending recent work on the link between policy formulation and the intended outcomes of policies. Second, it offers a more nuanced conceptualization of enterprise policy formulation, arguing that policy formulation reflects the changing configurations of ideas, policy tools and resources, and actors involved in the process.     

Work-life balance policy and practice: Understanding line manager attitudes and behaviors

Work-life balance (WLB) is receiving increasing attention in the human resource management field. Line managers are playing a more active role in HRM decision-making, including work-life balance decisions, with the devolution of human resource management responsibility. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior, this paper develops a conceptual model explaining what affects line manager WLB policy and practice behaviors and the consequent impact on employee WLB experience in their organizations. Line manager WLB policy involvement, policy awareness, perceived policy instrumentality, and personal policy utilization are variables which are proposed to impact line manager attitudes towards WLB policies. These attitudes, in turn, are proposed to affect three employee WLB policy outcomes: employee WLB policy awareness, policy uptake, and policy satisfaction. The implications for future research and practice are set out.     

河北省人才集聚政策实证分析

人才作用的发挥和人才政策的落实紧密相关。论文对河北省人才政策进行分析,结合现场访谈和调查问卷数据的收集,实证研究了河北省近三年人才政策对人才集聚的效果,结果显示,不同类型人才政策对人才集聚均产生影响,但影响程度各异。人才对人才管理政策、人才激励政策较为关注,而人才吸引政策和人才发展保障政策则产生较小影响。最后提出了河北省进一步完善政策实现区域人才集聚的对策建议。     

Notes on contributors

Abstract

Today, many public professionals feel estranged from the policy programmes they implement; that is, they experience ‘policy alienation’. This is of concern as, for satisfactory implementation, some identification with the policy is required. We conceptualize policy alienation based on the sociological concept of work alienation, and show how this can be used in policy implementation research. Studying a Dutch case of professionals implementing a new work disability decree, we observe how NPM practices increase policy alienation because of a perceived dysfunctional focus on efficiency and results. A large number of policy changes and stricter implementation rules further increased policy alienation.     

企业如何进行长期投资决策

长期决策在各个企业和国家中的作用，各企业和各国家受其的影响而导致的一系列问题，在执行过程中会受到哪些因素的影响，计算其计算方法和企业进行长期决策中，应考虑的条件好与坏对企业利润和企业今后发展的影响，进而使人们真正的认识到对一个国家，一个企业的发展的重要性。     

政策营销研究综述

文章结合国内外对政策营销的研究,主要从政策、政策营销概念及其策略模式等方面进行了介绍。首先,介绍了政策概念的综述;其次,对政策营销的发展进行了总结,并且综述了政策营销的概念定义;最后,对政策营销的模式以及营销策略,进行了综合总结。     

公司股利政策研究

作为公司经营过程中重要的股利政策，已经受到了很多学者的重视和研究。本文将这些研究集合在一起，对股利政策的类型、影响股利政策的因素、传统的股利政策以及股利政策的现代理论发展进行介绍，从而为中国公司制度更新提供参考。     

对央行住房贷款调整及房地产政策方向的分析

本文在今年3月17日央行出台新的住房贷款利率政策以控制目前房地产市场过热现象的背景下,对房地产政策加以分析。通过对以往政策的回顾和新出台的以金融手段抑制需求的政策的分析,得出在长期内控制房地产市场过热问题的关键是供给政策和需求政策的配套运用。     

财政政策与货币政策相对有效性研究

本文从实证的角度 ,对我国财政政策和货币政策的相对有效性进行了研究。运用协整分析方法并通过邹氏检验 ,对整个数据期间进行了制度检验。结果显示1980年以前平均来说 ,财政政策比货币政策有效 ,而其后平均来说货币政策比财政政策有效。这一结论与我国建国以来宏观经济调控政策选择的基本情况相吻合 ,为对宏观调控的政策选择提供了有力的支持。     

产业政策与经济法关系研究

产业政策与经济法的关系一直是经济法学界的关注重点之一,本文试图从产业政策的定义、产业政策与经济法的区别和联系进行探讨,最后提出对产业政策与经济法关系之我见。为以后的产业政策研究提供参考。     

The impact of credit and fiscal policy under a liquidity trap

This study examines the interaction of non-conventional credit policy and fiscal policy when adverse financial conditions drive the economy to a deep contraction and conventional monetary policy becomes ineffective as the policy interest rate reaches its effective lower bound. Consistent with other studies, under counter-cyclical financial intermediation costs, credit easing policies aimed at reducing credit spread ameliorate the response of the economy and lead to a faster recovery. More importantly, I find that expansionary fiscal policy during an episode of liquidity trap is associated with a large multiplier effect that prevents an otherwise deeper and longer recession. Moreover, the large impact of expansionary fiscal policy is maintained even if credit policy is already in place.     

The role of liquid government bonds in the great transformation of American monetary policy

A fundamental shift in monetary policy occurred around 1980: the Fed went from a “passive” policy to an “active” policy. We study a model in which government bonds provide transactions services. We present two calibrations of our model, using pre- and post-1980 data. We show that estimates of pre- and post-1980 policy rules all lie within our determinacy regions. But, the pre-1980 policy was a very bad monetary policy, even if it avoided sunspot equilibria. Model simulations suggest that household welfare would have increased by 3.3 percent of permanent consumption in this period under an active policy.     

解读从紧的货币政策

2007年12月中央经济工作会议提出,2008年要实施稳健的财政政策和从紧的货币政策。文中根据从紧的货币政策的背景及内容,分析央行采取的从紧货币政策措施,并指出在实行从紧货币政策中应注意的问题。     

信贷渠道在我国货币政策传导中的现状

根据货币政策传导理论,银行信贷渠道和资产负债表渠道是货币政策信贷传导的主要方式。从2003年开始,我国中央银行连续采取紧缩性的货币政策。文中介绍了此轮货币政策的信贷传导现状,指出现阶段我国货币政策的信贷传导仍然存在梗阻,应加以疏通。     

Design and Management of Participatory Public Policy Making

In The Netherlands many local governments make public policy in a participatory way. Civilians and other interested parties are invited by policy makers to design public policy cooperatively. As a consequence many actors and information are embedded in the policy making process, because these actors describe the issue(s) and solutions for the policy problem differently. Some municipals are able to cope with the growing complexity of the policy process, others not. In order to deal with the growing process complexity, local governments hire independent process professionals. These process professionals design and manage the participatory policy process. However this is far from easy in practice. The process-architects and process-managers are faced with a lot of dilemmas in their process-design and process-management activities of the participatory public policy process. This article will describe some dilemmas for process-design as well as for process-management of participatory public policy making, and ways of coping with these dilemmas.