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Using a decade of administrative data from the Government of Canada, we provide fresh analysis of the composition and distribution of staff most formally associated with policy work, the Economics and Social Science (EC) classification. Comparative analysis across unit levels including 'ministerial departments' and central agencies, as well as non-standard organizations support but clarify the nature of the uneven distribution of policy analytical capacity across government. We demonstrate a dramatic increase in not only the overall complement of EC staff over time, particularly since 2017, but also significant growth at senior levels while junior EC staff have remained stable or declined. The findings also point to new dynamics related to the pace, orientation, and distribution of policy analytical capacity as governments gain, lose, and exercise that capacity often in the face of tough choices about how, where, and when to deploy policy resources. A partir d'une decennie de donnees administratives du gouvernement du Canada, nous formulons une nouvelle analyse de la composition et de la repartition du personnel le plus formellement associe au travail d'elaboration des politiques, la classification Economique et services de sciences sociales (EC). L'analyse comparative entre les differents niveaux d'unites, y compris les << ministeres >> et les organismes centraux, ainsi que les organismes non conventionnels, soutient mais clarifie la nature de la repartition inegale de la capacite d'analyse des politiques dans l'ensemble du gouvernement. Nous prouvons une augmentation spectaculaire non seulement de l'effectif global du personnel d'EC au fil du temps, en particulier depuis 2017, mais egalement une forte croissance au niveau des hauts dirigeants, tandis que le personnel subalterne d'EC est reste stable ou a diminue. Les resultats suggerent aussi de nouvelles dynamiques liees au rythme, a l'orientation et a la distribution de la capacite de formulation et d'analyse des politiques alors que les gouvernements gagnent, perdent et exercent cette capacite, souvent compte tenu des choix difficiles sur comment, ou et quand deployer les ressources politiques., INTRODUCTION Governments around the world are struggling with a variety of policy issues. Some are emergent like Covid-19 while others like economic productivity, social equality, and healthcare are longstanding. Part [...]

Several Canadian and international scholars offer commentaries on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for governments and public service institutions, and fruitful directions for public administration research and practice. This first suite of commentaries focuses on the executive branch, variously considering: the challenge for governments to balance demands for accountability and learning while rethinking policy mixes as social solidarity and expert knowledge increasingly get challenged; how the policy-advisory systems of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United Kingdom were structured and performed in response to the COVID-19 crisis; whether there are better ways to suspend the accountability repertoires of Parliamentary systems than the multiparty agreement struck by the minority Liberal government with several opposition parties; comparing the Canadian government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis and how each has brought the challenge of inequality to the fore; and whether the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated or disrupted digital government initiatives, reinforced traditional public administration values or more open government. Plusieurs universitaires canadiens et internationaux ont offert des commentaires sur les implications de la pandemie du COVID-19 pour les gouvernements et les institutions de la fonction publique, ainsi que des orientations productives pour la recherche et la pratique en administration publique. Cette premiere serie de commentaires se concentre sur le pouvoir executif, en considerant de diverses facons : le defi pour les gouvernements d'equilibrer les exigences de responsabilite et d'apprentissage tout en repensant les combinaisons de politiques alors que la solidarite sociale et les connaissances d'experts sont de plus en plus remises en question; comment les systemes de consultation en politique de l'Australie, du Canada, de la Nouvelle-Zelande et du Royaume-Uni ont ete structures et mis en oeuvre en reponse a la crise du COVID-19; s'il existe de meilleures facons de suspendre les repertoires de responsabilite des systemes parlementaires que l'accord multipartite conclu par le gouvernement liberal minoritaire avec plusieurs partis d'opposition; comparer la reponse du gouvernement canadien a la pandemie du COVID-19 et a la crise financiere mondiale et comment chacune a mis le defi de l'inegalite au premier plan; et si la pandemie du COVID-19 a accelere ou perturbe les initiatives du gouvernement numerique, renforce les valeurs traditionnelles de l'administration publique ou un gouvernement plus transparent., Shaping the long shadows of COVID-19: three challenges for governments Arjen Boin and Paul't Hart Frantic mobilization efforts in the health sector, clear crisis communication and a remarkable degree of [...]

The growing body of literature on digital governance, and policy advisory systems, often neglects the perspective of elected decision makers. What types of policy advice do ministers need in the digital governance era? Is digitization of government and policymaking reshaping supply and demand dynamics, the content of policy advice, or how advice is used within the policy process? This article borrows existing theoretical frames on digital governance to examine these and other questions from the perspective of ministers. The digital governance era will undoubtedly introduce novel disruptions and dilemmas, but it will also intensify longstanding tensions inherent in advisory work linked to questions of influence, capacity, and how well advisory systems adapt to serve ministers. We use information processing dynamics, policy entrepreneurship, and control and coordination to ground analysis of ministers' advisory demand in the digital governance era. We highlight unique considerations that apply to ministers as well as reflection on their place within the broader context of advisory work. We employ vignettes from the perspective of ministers throughout the article as a useful way to personalize the digital era disruptions and dilemmas particular to ministers. Le point de vue des decideurs elus est souvent neglige par l'ensemble croissant d'ouvrages portant sur la gouvernance numerique et les systemes de consultation sur la politique. De quels types de conseils strategiques les ministres ontils besoin a l'ere de la gouvernance numerique? Est-ce que la numerisation du gouvernement et de la prise de decisions remodele les dynamiques de l'offre et de la demande, le contenu des conseils en matiere de politique, ou la maniere dont la consultation est utilisee au sein du processus de politiques? En empruntant les cadres theoriques existants sur la gouvernance numerique, cet article etudie ces questions parmi d'autres, du point de vue des ministres. L'ere de la gouvernance numerique engendrera sans nul doute de nouveaux dilemmes et perturbations; elle intensifiera aussi les tensions de longue date qui sont inherentes au travail consultatif et liees aux questions d'influence, de competences, et a la maniere dont les systemes consultatifs s'adaptent pour servir les ministres. Afin de baser l'analyse de demande consultative des ministres a l'ere de la gouvernance numerique, nous utilisons les dynamiques du traitement de l'information, l'entrepreneuriat en politiques, le controle et la coordination. Nous soulignons les considerations particulieres qui s'appliquent aux ministres, ainsi que la reflexion sur la place qu'elles occupent au sein du contexte elargi du travail co l'optique des ministres afin d'aider a personnaliser les perturbations et les dilemmes causes par l'ere numerique et concernant particulierement les ministres., Introduction It is late Friday afternoon. Public servants and political staff around the table are grumpy. This is the umpteenth version of this briefing and they are still wrestling between [...]

This article examines the infrastructure policy sector's capacity to respond to climate change adaptation through an analysis of the Canadian case. It includes a three-level examination of capacity: at the macro level through a virtual policy network analysis; at the meso level through examination of the lead department's evolving mandate and resources; and at the micro level through analysis of survey data related to departmental workers policy tasks and attitudes. Four hypotheses across these three levels are set out and tested at the national and subnational levels. Together, the findings suggest that the policy capacity in the Canadian infrastructure sector will be unable to meet the demands placed upon the sector to respond to the increasing challenges of climate change adaptation. KEY WORDS: infrastructure policy, Canada, federal-provincial relations, climate change, policy capacity, organizational routines, policy change, Introduction Forecasted increases in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and climate variability have direct effects on the average conditions in which most major infrastructure operates (Auld, 2008; Auld [...]

This special issue contributes to extant empirical scholarship assessing governmental capacity to meet significant policy challenges, in this case those related to climate change adaptation. The study includes detailed examination of five policy sectors---finance, infrastructure, energy, forestry, and transportation--in two countries, Canada and the United States--in order to determine what kinds of governance arrangements and analytical capacities exist in this area, how they are changing (if at all), and how they interrelate with the status and evolution of climate change outcomes in each sector. The articles provide a comprehensive sampling of policy network structure and behavior, organizational mandates and resources, and actual job duties and training of policy actors across these sectors at both the federal and subnational level of government. KEY WORDS: policy capacity, climate change, climate change adaptation, comparative public policy, policy networks, organizational mandates, policy work, Introduction: Shifts in Climate Change Policy Mandates and Their Evaluation As governments shift from climate change mitigation efforts to approaches aimed at adaptation, the policy design and implementation challenges they [...]