Governance (Political Science 100)

1. Governance (Political Science 100)

2. Values spectrum 5 - Strong environmental values 3 - neutral 4- Moderate environmental values 1 - Strong pro development values 2 - moderate pro development values On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being extremely supportive of jobs in the forest industry and 5 being extremely supportive of environmental conservation, how would you rate your simulation group's values?

3. Today’s Agenda Division of Powers Parliamentary Government Institutions, Forms of Law Problems Modifications

4. Institutional Design • Who makes public policy? • Why does it matter?

5. Essential Elements of Authority • Division of powers • Head of state • PM or premier • Cabinet • Members of legislature • Legislatures • Minister • Appointed officials • Bureaucracies • Courts Sustainable Forest Policy

6. Federal Division of Powers • Provincial jurisdiction paramount • ownership of lands • including timber • Federal jurisdiction • trade • spending (reforestation, research) • Indians • fisheries • criminal law power http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20110107/peter-kent-on-new-job-as-environment-minister-110107/

7. Parliamentary Government – Institutions - Legislature • MLA – members of legislative assembly • sits infrequently (46-135 days) • majority rule – government must have support of majority • party discipline – all members must vote how their party tells them to • Party policy set by caucus – in reality by cabinet and especially leader Source: http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/02/09/NiceGig/

8. Parliamentary Government – Institutions - Executive • executive • lieutenant governor (ceremonial) • premier and cabinet • Premier: leader of the party with the most seats in the legislature • Cabinet: selected by the Premier from members of the legislature of the premier’s party

9. Parliamentary Government – Institutions - Judicial • Provincial Court • BC Supreme Court • Provincial Court of Appeals (or Federal) • Supreme Court of Canada

10. Parliamentary Government – Forms of Law statute enabling legislation Act of legislature Wood first bill regulation delegated legislation order in council cabinet (informal) lieutenant governor in council (formal) contracts, permits

11. Diagram Sustainable Energy Policy

12. Parliamentary Government -- Ideal Representative, Responsible Government parties compete for votes (platforms) mandate opportunity to govern accountable at next election

13. Problems • expertise and bureaucracy • politics-administration dichotomy • divining policy mandate • minority-based majorities • push for different voting rules • participatory values • push for new forms of consultation

14. Modifications – See Chapter 1 in Luckert et al • Multi-stakeholderism • Legalism • Increasing role for First Nations • Certification • Community forestry • Initiative, referendum, recall (not discussed) • Electoral reform (failed)

15. Governance – Broad Themes • provincial dominance • executive dominance • legitimacy problems • minor modifications • policy style: executive-centered bargaining • norm of consultation http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/6163866483/sizes/l/in/photostream/

16. Official Themes so far • Policies are produced through governance processes, influenced by environment and markets. • Governance addresses who decides, who participates, at what level of government, and with which instruments • Canadian forest policy is dominated by the provincial level of government • BC’s government is dominated by the executive, particularly the premier • Courts have played a limited role in forest policy, with the exception of Aboriginal issues, because of the discretionary nature of BC statutes

17. Values spectrum 5 - Strong environmental values 3 - neutral 4- Moderate environmental values 1 - Strong pro development values 2 - moderate pro development values On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being extremely supportive of jobs in the forest industry and 5 being extremely supportive of environmental conservation, how would you rate your simulation group's values?

18. Institutional Design • Core issue: allocation of decision making authority • Organizations have biases • balance of preferences can change as location of authority changes

19. Institutional design - horizontal MFLNRO MoE 5 - Strong environmental values 3 - neutral 4- Moderate environmental values 1 - Strong pro development values 2 - moderate pro development values

20. Institutional Design - vertical Forest Dependent Communities Global Markets Canada BC 5 - Strong environmental values 3 - neutral 4- Moderate environmental values 1 - Strong pro development values 2 - moderate pro development values

21. Government Actors -Objectives, Resources: Politicians • resource: authority • Objectives: reelection, policy objectives, power • reelection comes first -- fundamental constraint • effect: public opinion matters

22. Government Actors -Objectives, Resources: Bureaucrats • resources • authority • expertise • objectives • policy objectives • power (budgets, jurisdiction) • autonomy • effect: powerful organizational inertia

23. Themes so far • Policies are produced through governance processes, influenced by environment and markets. • Governance addresses who decides, who participates, at what level of government, and with which instruments • Canadian forest policy is dominated by the provincial level of government • BC’s government is dominated by the executive, particularly the premier • Courts have played a limited role in forest policy, with the exception of Aboriginal issues, because of the discretionary nature of BC statutes • Institutional design matters because the balance of preferences may change as the location of authority changes • Politicians are primarily driven by electoral incentives, making public opinion a significant constraint on government action