What influences the degree to which city councils support reinventing government (REGO)? Controlling for environmental factors that are likely to shape council policy adoption as well as the tenure of the chief administrator, the findings of this study underscore that the type of representation system is most consistently related to opposition to REGO. In addition, the economic health of the ci…
Local governments increasingly confront policy problems that span the boundaries of individual political jurisdictions. Institutional theories of local governance and intergovernmental relations emphasize the importance of networks for fostering service cooperation among local governments. Yet empirical research fails to examine systematically the effects of social networks on interlocal servic…
Like most public managers nowadays, local emergency managers operate within complex, uncertain environments. Rapid changes in the scope and severity of the issues increase the extent of intergovernmental collaboration necessary to address such challenges. Using a large data set of county emergency management agency directors, variations in intergovernmental collaboration reflect influences from…
Public administration values the relationship between theory and practice. Regrettably, theory and practice are regarded more often than not as separate purviews of two different groups—academics and practitioners—resulting in a perceived gap between the two. The doctorate of public administration program at the University of Southern California's Washington Public Affairs Center sought to span…
While a growing body of research argues for increased attention to ethics within public administration, scholars diverge on how to conceptualize the character of public ethics. Likewise, empirical evidence regarding the role that ethics plays in the quality of service delivery is rare. The author argues that the concept of a public ethics of care is useful for public administration in welfare s…
It is frequently canvassed by some politicians and political commentators that the current British electoral system is biased against the Conservative party because of variations in constituency size: seats won by the Conservatives at recent elections have been larger than those won by Labour in terms of their registered electorates, thereby disadvantaging the former. As a consequence, it is ar…
In 2003, the Basic Law of the Palestinian Authority (PA) was amended and a semi-presidential form of government was established. In January 2006, the legislative election resulted in a period of ‘cohabitation’ between the Hamas government and President Mahmoud Abbas from Fatah. In 2007, following the civil war between the two forces, governance structures in the PA all but collapsed. This artic…
This article presents a case study of the recent merger between the Progressive-Conservative Party and the Reform/Canadian Alliance parties. The selection of this case serves to illustrate the current limits of existing party organisational change and party coalition theories when it comes to explaining party mergers. We propose an alternative theoretical framework that introduces some minor ad…
The expertise of its members is often cited as one of the distinctive features of the House of Lords. It is frequently argued that, in particular, because of its composition, and in particular the existence of the Crossbench Peers, debates in the Lords are more informed than in the Commons. Peers, it has been claimed, bring professional experience and expertise to the scrutiny of legislation, a…
The Scottish Parliament's operation and work over its first decade has been informed by the principles of openness, inclusivity and participation, cooperation and accountability. These principles stood it in good stead in dealing with public confidence and Parliamentary expenses. They have also informed the process of legislative and policy development as well as the policies pursued. A new sta…
Apart from issues of representation, the new Scottish Parliament resembles Westminster more than its founders had hoped. It was influenced by the same reform agenda that has animated debates on reform of the Commons. The most significant changes from the Westminster model are evident in the voting system, though less than anticipated. Westminster continued to reform itself, albeit in limited wa…
This article discusses the significance of the ‘inward’ and ‘outward’ faces of the ‘Westminster model’ for the institutions of devolved government in Wales. In 1997–1998, the objective was to create something that resembled Westminster as little as possible. Subsequently, the ‘inward’ face has seen an increasing assumption of key features of the Westminster model, notably a separation between t…
The article surveys the interrupted experience of devolution in Northern Ireland since 1999 and draws a number of comparisons between the first devolved Assembly and Executive and their successors elected in 2007. It underlines the significance of the changed political, electoral and paramilitary context in the period leading up to the 2007 Assembly election which, together with a number of pro…
Devolution was seen as a solution to the perceived lack of legitimacy of British government in the non-English parts of the UK. It has potentially transferred the legitimacy question to England, particularly when that UK government is dependent upon the votes of Scottish MPs. The various responses—an English Parliament, English Votes for English Laws, and English regional assemblies—will not wo…
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which passed through the Westminster Parliament in 2007–08, demonstrated the dominance of party, even when the whips are removed and MPs are given a free vote. The party composition of the Commons determined the passage of the Bill and there is evidence that on abortion the dominance of party is becoming stronger still. There was also a gendered dime…
In 2008, the Labour government established the Youth Citizenship Commission (YCC). The (independent) Commission, staffed by individuals of varying backgrounds and serviced by the Ministry of Justice, was asked to examine how young people define citizenship and to explore how that citizenship might better be connected to political activity. Additionally, the YCC was required to lead a consultati…
Private Members Bills (PMBs) should provide an important opportunity for backbench MPs to initiate legislative proposals as well as policy debate, to check the executive, and to respond to issues of public interest and concern. In recent decades, however, the number of PMBs receiving Royal Assent has steeply declined. Executive control of the timetable has strangled many, and procedural vulnera…
Wales is one of the principal cases in Europe where the stateless nation enjoys relatively high levels of identification relative to the state, and is a key focus for addressing identity politics in the UK following devolution in 1997–1999. However, the development and political consequences of Welshness and Britishness are currently relatively neglected in the research literature. This article…
Are the identity and interests of the English nation still sufficiently protected by the British state? (the English question). And can the British state still secure sufficient loyalty from all its citizens? (the Britishness question). The omission of England from the programme of devolution implemented by Labour governments since 1999 has not led to a strong demand in England for its inclusio…
This article examines whether the promotion of British values is desirable, feasible or even permissible within Northern Ireland. Here, the advocacy of Britishness may be seen as threatening or offensive to a minority community whose political representatives desire the diminution of symbols of Britishness in order to encourage Irish nationalists to participate in political institutions. The pr…