Albeit cast in different conceptual and theoretical frameworks, policy capacity sits at the centr... more Albeit cast in different conceptual and theoretical frameworks, policy capacity sits at the centre of several predominant debates in contemporary political analysis.1 Issues such as devolution and globalization typically revolve around the question of the extent to which the state has sufficient capabilities to design and implement intelligent policy (Hirst and Thompson, 1999). Similarly, the debate on the ‘hollowing out of the state’ (Rhodes, 1994; see also Holliday, 2000) suggests that this change in patterns of governance marks not just a shift in the political economy and regulatory nature of the state in advanced Western democracies but also the dismantling of the policy expertise previously harboured by central government.
Democratic Backsliding and Public Administration, 2021
The complex relationship between populist governments and their bureaucratic apparatus constitute... more The complex relationship between populist governments and their bureaucratic apparatus constituted the center of the theoretical and empirical analyses of this book. The concluding chapter synthesises the comparative insights form the chapters and assesses the validity of the theoretical claims of the introduction. It warns that populists in government are not condemned to fail. Populism may well get entrenched in individual political systems. Public administration has a warden role: namely, identifying threats to liberal society and our democratic systems
International Journal of Public Sector Management, 2019
Purpose Performance measurements have become a prominent part of government steering of public ag... more Purpose Performance measurements have become a prominent part of government steering of public agencies. At the same time, they are increasingly criticized for creating heavy administrative burdens. The purpose of this paper is to argue that consent on part of the heads of agencies is vital for making performance measurement an efficient tool for not only control but also organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports a survey with a nearly total sample of Swedish Director Generals. Findings Findings suggest that Director Generals who feel that they are able to influence the goals and indicators of their agencies are significantly more willing to consent to the government’s reporting requirements. Originality/value The paper suggests that a more encompassing, interactive and participatory process might increase agency consent with reporting requirements.
This article examines community-driven forms of institutionalized collaboration at the regional s... more This article examines community-driven forms of institutionalized collaboration at the regional scale. We advance a generic and scalable framework that captures not only participants and incentives but also the structures and processes that shape urban policy objectives. This framework allows us to track implementation and adaptation, and to assess institutional viability, legitimacy, and performance over time. We find that the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance represents a durable and high-performing place-based alliance of social, economic, and political actors dedicated to regional development strategies that include growth and equity goals. Yet the CivicAction Alliance is not a governing coalition. Elite dominance of the policy agenda, value-based tensions, and weak linkages between elected and civic leaders indicate that governance challenges with important democratic implications remain.
Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 2017
Trust is an essential part of a legitimate political system. Based on data collected among Norweg... more Trust is an essential part of a legitimate political system. Based on data collected among Norwegian citizens, this article investigates the effects on trust in local politicians by influence on versus satisfaction with local services. The theoretical base for the article is the two differing theories which argue that citizens either regard themselves as consumers or citizens of (local) government. The article argues that people, when evaluating trust towards local politics, tend to apply consumer-oriented factors to a greater extent than citizen-oriented factors. However, we do not find support for a claim that customer-oriented factors have replaced citizen-oriented factors as such. Thus we argue that the two considerations appear to be complimentary rather than mutually exclusive.
This paper presents a previously unexplored type of gaming of performance data, collaborative gam... more This paper presents a previously unexplored type of gaming of performance data, collaborative gaming, where the performance measurement system incentivizes the executive and an agency to game collaboratively. The paper shows how overlapping incentives between government departments and agencies to present successful implementation of programs can drive collaboration to modify performance targets and/or performance measurements. The argument is illustrated by two brief case studies of collaboration between the Swedish Department of Employment and the Swedish Public Employment Service in the implementation of labor‐market programs.
There is a paradox surrounding the development over the past couple of decades of public manageme... more There is a paradox surrounding the development over the past couple of decades of public management and the rearticulation of market values and norms in public governance. Liberal democratic theory is based on a separation of the political system from its environment, or, slightly differently phrased, between governors and the governed. This separation serves to protect both the governing elite and their institutions from societal encroachment and also to place rather distinct boundaries on the exercise of political power. It is believed to be in the interest of both state and society that this border is upheld. Yet we have seen an unprecedented wave of market values, norms, and ideals from the private sector successfully penetrate the state. Thus, the market — the sector that liberal democratic theory sought to protect by constraining the powers of the state — has made significant inroads to the very locus of the powers from which it was to be protected.
Vi lever i ett granskningssamhalle. Det inspekteras, tillsynas, kontrolleras, revideras, certifie... more Vi lever i ett granskningssamhalle. Det inspekteras, tillsynas, kontrolleras, revideras, certifieras, utvarderas och foljs upp som aldrig forr. Offentliga verksamheter maste sjalvfallet granskas no ...
Albeit cast in different conceptual and theoretical frameworks, policy capacity sits at the centr... more Albeit cast in different conceptual and theoretical frameworks, policy capacity sits at the centre of several predominant debates in contemporary political analysis.1 Issues such as devolution and globalization typically revolve around the question of the extent to which the state has sufficient capabilities to design and implement intelligent policy (Hirst and Thompson, 1999). Similarly, the debate on the ‘hollowing out of the state’ (Rhodes, 1994; see also Holliday, 2000) suggests that this change in patterns of governance marks not just a shift in the political economy and regulatory nature of the state in advanced Western democracies but also the dismantling of the policy expertise previously harboured by central government.
Democratic Backsliding and Public Administration, 2021
The complex relationship between populist governments and their bureaucratic apparatus constitute... more The complex relationship between populist governments and their bureaucratic apparatus constituted the center of the theoretical and empirical analyses of this book. The concluding chapter synthesises the comparative insights form the chapters and assesses the validity of the theoretical claims of the introduction. It warns that populists in government are not condemned to fail. Populism may well get entrenched in individual political systems. Public administration has a warden role: namely, identifying threats to liberal society and our democratic systems
International Journal of Public Sector Management, 2019
Purpose Performance measurements have become a prominent part of government steering of public ag... more Purpose Performance measurements have become a prominent part of government steering of public agencies. At the same time, they are increasingly criticized for creating heavy administrative burdens. The purpose of this paper is to argue that consent on part of the heads of agencies is vital for making performance measurement an efficient tool for not only control but also organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports a survey with a nearly total sample of Swedish Director Generals. Findings Findings suggest that Director Generals who feel that they are able to influence the goals and indicators of their agencies are significantly more willing to consent to the government’s reporting requirements. Originality/value The paper suggests that a more encompassing, interactive and participatory process might increase agency consent with reporting requirements.
This article examines community-driven forms of institutionalized collaboration at the regional s... more This article examines community-driven forms of institutionalized collaboration at the regional scale. We advance a generic and scalable framework that captures not only participants and incentives but also the structures and processes that shape urban policy objectives. This framework allows us to track implementation and adaptation, and to assess institutional viability, legitimacy, and performance over time. We find that the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance represents a durable and high-performing place-based alliance of social, economic, and political actors dedicated to regional development strategies that include growth and equity goals. Yet the CivicAction Alliance is not a governing coalition. Elite dominance of the policy agenda, value-based tensions, and weak linkages between elected and civic leaders indicate that governance challenges with important democratic implications remain.
Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 2017
Trust is an essential part of a legitimate political system. Based on data collected among Norweg... more Trust is an essential part of a legitimate political system. Based on data collected among Norwegian citizens, this article investigates the effects on trust in local politicians by influence on versus satisfaction with local services. The theoretical base for the article is the two differing theories which argue that citizens either regard themselves as consumers or citizens of (local) government. The article argues that people, when evaluating trust towards local politics, tend to apply consumer-oriented factors to a greater extent than citizen-oriented factors. However, we do not find support for a claim that customer-oriented factors have replaced citizen-oriented factors as such. Thus we argue that the two considerations appear to be complimentary rather than mutually exclusive.
This paper presents a previously unexplored type of gaming of performance data, collaborative gam... more This paper presents a previously unexplored type of gaming of performance data, collaborative gaming, where the performance measurement system incentivizes the executive and an agency to game collaboratively. The paper shows how overlapping incentives between government departments and agencies to present successful implementation of programs can drive collaboration to modify performance targets and/or performance measurements. The argument is illustrated by two brief case studies of collaboration between the Swedish Department of Employment and the Swedish Public Employment Service in the implementation of labor‐market programs.
There is a paradox surrounding the development over the past couple of decades of public manageme... more There is a paradox surrounding the development over the past couple of decades of public management and the rearticulation of market values and norms in public governance. Liberal democratic theory is based on a separation of the political system from its environment, or, slightly differently phrased, between governors and the governed. This separation serves to protect both the governing elite and their institutions from societal encroachment and also to place rather distinct boundaries on the exercise of political power. It is believed to be in the interest of both state and society that this border is upheld. Yet we have seen an unprecedented wave of market values, norms, and ideals from the private sector successfully penetrate the state. Thus, the market — the sector that liberal democratic theory sought to protect by constraining the powers of the state — has made significant inroads to the very locus of the powers from which it was to be protected.
Vi lever i ett granskningssamhalle. Det inspekteras, tillsynas, kontrolleras, revideras, certifie... more Vi lever i ett granskningssamhalle. Det inspekteras, tillsynas, kontrolleras, revideras, certifieras, utvarderas och foljs upp som aldrig forr. Offentliga verksamheter maste sjalvfallet granskas no ...
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Papers by Jon Pierre