scholarly journals Academic policy advice in consensus-seeking countries: the cases of Belgium and Germany

2019 ◽  
pp. 002085231987878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie Pattyn ◽  
Sonja Blum ◽  
Ellen Fobé ◽  
Mirjam Pekar-Milicevic ◽  
Marleen Brans
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Policy Advice ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Common Trends ◽  
Policy Advisory Systems ◽  
Academic Policy ◽  
Advisory Systems ◽  
The Government ◽  
Special Case

Research on policy-advisory systems worldwide has shown that historically dominant sources of advice traditionally located in-house to the government have been increasingly supplemented by other actors and outside knowledge. However, the vast majority of research has concentrated on the anglophone context. Yet, countries with a consensus-seeking, neo-corporatist tradition provide a special case in terms of policy advice and merit more scholarly attention. What counts as evidence in these countries is the expert rationality of institutional representatives. The position and role of academic research in consensus-based systems is unclear, and is the focus of this article. Can we observe commonalities across consensus-style countries, or do differences prevail? We investigate two typical consensus-seeking countries: Belgium and Germany. To examine the supply side of policy advice, the article reviews current evidence regarding their policy-advisory systems. For the demand side, we present insights from a survey among federal ministerial officials. We find common trends between the two cases but their nature and extent are idiosyncratic. In Belgium, the supply of and demand for academic policy advice is comparatively lower, while the German case exhibits more change in the advisory landscape and institutionalisation of the supply of and demand for academic research. Points for practitioners   • Countries with a consensus-seeking, neo-corporatist tradition provide a special case in terms of policy advice.   • The findings suggest that there are common trends but their nature and extent are idiosyncratic.   • In Belgium, the supply of and demand for academic advice is comparatively lower.   • Germany’s policy-advisory landscape exhibits more change and institutionalisation of the supply of and demand for academic research.

Reconsidering advice and advisory systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 97-118
Author(s):  
Kate Crowley ◽  
Jenny Stewart ◽  
Adrian Kay ◽  
Brian W. Head
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Policy Advice ◽  
The State ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Policy Advisory Systems ◽  
Advisory Systems ◽  
Policy Systems

Policy advice and policy advisory systems tend to be underplayed or neglected in policymaking literature despite robust policy advisory research efforts, and concerns with the character and dynamics of domain specific advisory systems within and beyond the state. In this chapter we reconsider policy advice in several key senses. We revisit the significance of the role of policy advising, and depictions of the transformation of the practice of policy advising; we draw upon governance and policy systems frames in our reconsideration of advisory systems; and we reflect upon the place of expert advice in PASs in problem solving today. We explore the role of advice and advisory systems in addressing complex problems in the governance era, and ask whether a more diverse advisory landscape helps or hinders the generation and transmission of policy relevant knowledge.

scholarly journals Polycentric governance and policy advice: lessons from Whitehall policy advisory systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-581
Author(s):  
Patrick Diamond
Keyword(s):  
Policy Process ◽  
Policy Advice ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Polycentric Governance ◽  
Advisory System ◽  
Policy Advisory Systems ◽  
Government Bureaucracy ◽  
Advisory Systems ◽  
Policy Advisory System ◽  
The Impact

In countries worldwide, the provision of policy advice to central governments has been transformed by the deinstitutionalisation of policymaking, which has engaged a diverse range of actors in the policy process. Scholarship should therefore address the impact of deinstitutionalisation in terms of the scope and scale of policy advisory systems, as well as in terms of the influence of policy advisors. This article addresses this gap, presenting a programme of research on policy advice in Whitehall. Building on Craft and Halligan’s conceptualisation of a ‘policy advisory system’, it argues that in an era of polycentric governance, policy advice is shaped by ‘interlocking actors’ beyond government bureaucracy, and that the pluralisation of advisory bodies marginalises the civil service. The implications of such alterations are considered against the backdrop of governance changes, particularly the hybridisation of institutions, which has made policymaking processes complex, prone to unpredictability and at risk of policy blunders.

Sustainability reporting: external motivators and internal facilitators

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal A. Nazari ◽  
Irene M. Herremans ◽  
Hussein A. Warsame
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Internal Variables ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of internal variables, such as strategic governance and operational controls, along with external variables that influence sustainability reporting. Design/methodology/approach – Building on the corporate governance and sustainability reporting literature, the authors develop a model to integrate external motivators and internal facilitators to determine their impact on sustainability reporting. The authors also control for a number of financial and non-financial variables that may influence sustainability reporting. The authors limit their sample to the companies in extractive industries that report their greenhouse gas emission to the Government of Canada. The authors collected the data from several data sources including secondary archival databases, newspapers, Web sites and annual reports. Findings – Using a sample of companies in high-polluting industries, the authors found that variables representing both external pressures that act as motivators and internal controls that act as facilitators are significantly associated with enhanced sustainability reporting. Practical implications – Considering the formation of several international initiatives such as International Integrated Reporting Council to improve sustainability reporting for decision-making, the authors’ research provides interesting insights both to policymakers and managers about organizational characteristics that are important to make reporting useful and relevant. Originality/value – Little academic research has investigated the role of internal variables in facilitating sustainability reporting. The authors use a robust model that combines external and internal variables to more thoroughly understand the reporting process.

scholarly journals The role of government and accounting in the development of academic research commercialization: The New Zealand experience

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 311-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil K Narayan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Research Commercialization ◽  
Historical Role ◽  
The Government ◽  
Role Of The Government

Over the past three decades, many nations have accelerated their efforts to develop academic research commercialization to help drive their innovation and productivity goals. Despite failure to achieve the desired results, surprisingly very few studies have examined how research commercialization initiatives are designed at the government level. This study reviews the historical role of the government and the interplay between significant shifts in research direction, funding and accounting that contributed to the development of academic research commercialization in New Zealand. The paper concludes that funding pressures combined with the government’s lack of early recognition and formal endorsement of research commercialization as a vital activity contributed to previous low levels of academic research commercialization. The important lessons to be learnt from the New Zealand case are that academic research commercialization requires a coherent long-term national strategy that is responsive, promises results and has funding incentives.

Policy analytical capacity and Canadian business associations

2018 ◽  
pp. 297-317
Author(s):  
Andrew Stritch
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Business Groups ◽  
Policy Advice ◽  
Business Associations ◽  
New Era ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Policy Advisory Systems ◽  
Advisory Systems

Since the 1980s, policy advisory systems in Canada have become more open and accessible to inputs from civil society groups. However, the capacity to exploit this new openness is not evenly distributed within civil society. Based on survey data from Canadian business associations, this chapter argues that business groups have generally endowed themselves with impressive capacities for policy analysis and advice, and that these capacities have increased over the last decade or so. Business associations have commonly made a significant and sustained commitment to this endeavour, whether using in-house personnel or external resources, and have developed strong analytical means for providing governments with policy advice. To the extent that this capacity is unmatched by other sections of civil society, the greater openness of policy advisory systems may not reflect a new era of genuine pluralism, but reinforce existing biases in civil society.

scholarly journals Grazers and fires. Their role in shaping the structure and functioning of the Río de la Plata Grasslands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Paruelo ◽  
MARTÍN OESTERHELD ◽  
ALICE ALTESOR ◽  
GERVASIO PIÑEIRO ◽  
CLAUDIA RODRÍGUEZ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Current Evidence ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
La Plata ◽  
High Quality Protein ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Special Case

The Río de la Plata Grasslands (RPG) are one of the largest areas of open ecosystems (grasslands, shrublands and savannas) in the world. Historically these systems have experienced, and continue to experience, an enormous loss of natural habitats. Moreover, their importance has been largely invisible in comparison to forested systems. The remaining area of open ecosystems in the RPG region varies according to the source from 38% to 58% of the original area. Open Ecosystems (OE) are a special case of agroecosystems because they can combine the provision of both provisioning and regulating and supporting ecosystem services (ES). Preserving the provision of ES in these natural habitats depends, in part, on understanding the role of the two main disturbances operating in them: grazing and fire. Although these two disturbances are natural components of OE, both are manipulated by humans. In this paper we reviewed the role played by fire and grazing in the structure and functioning of the RPG starting from the late Pleistocene and summarizing current evidence on the effects of fire and grazing on vegetation, fauna and biogeochemical processes. The evidence indicates that among agricultural activities, direct grazing systems in OE have the lowest environmental footprint. And, at the same time are the key for habitat preservation and ES supply. Overall, the OE of the RPG still represent a high proportion of the area, are capable of covering 2.5% of the world's population needs of high quality protein, and at the same time guarding the regulation of key processes.

scholarly journals Responsible Ferry, Happy Employees, and Quality Services: The Study of Fair Transport in the Ferry Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Carmen Sum ◽  
Yui Yip Lau ◽  
Cristina Dragomir
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Government

In the context of ferry industry, fair transport is a new concept and under-researched in the academic research and industrial practitioners. The ferry operators overlook responsible ferry, happy employees, and quality services are crucial to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The role of fair transport is still ambiguous and unawareness of the society. Also, the government bodies, policymakers, and international organizations implement ineffective measures to support the idea of fair transport in a ferry industry. The paper mainly review the current ferry industry context for the new fair transport concept, and investigate the key roles of ferry operators and international organizations in the fair transport.      

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