Intergovernmental policy capacity in Canada : inside the worlds of finance, environment, trade, and health policy

In a highly networked world, where governments must cope with increasingly complex and inter-related policy problems, the capacity of policy makers to work intergovernmentally is not an option but a necessity. Gregory Inwood, Carolyn Johns, and Patricia O'Reilly offer unique insights into intergovernmental policy capacity, revealing what key decision-makers and policy advisors behind the scenes think the barriers are to improved intergovernmental policy capacity and what changes they recommend. Senior public servants from all jurisdictions in Canada discuss the ideas, institutions, actors, and relations that assist or impede intergovernmental policy capacity. Covering good and bad economic times and comparing insiders' concerns and recommendations with those of scholars of federalism, public policy, and public administration, they provide a comparative analysis of major policy areas across fourteen governments. Intergovernmental policy capacity, while of increasing importance, is not well understood. By examining how the Canadian federation copes with today's policy challenges, the authors provide guideposts for federations and governments around the world working on the major policy issues of our day. 1 Intergovernmental Policy Capacity: A New Perspective 3 -- 2 The Landscape Of Federalism And Intergovernmental Relations In Canada 32 -- 3 Intergovernmental Relations Generalists: The View From The Centre 80 -- 4 Finance: Long-standing Influence 131 -- 5 Environment: High Expectations, Low Deliverables 178 -- 6 Trade: Measured Cooperation 217 -- 7 Health: Money And Turf Wars 259 -- 8 Comparative Analysis Across Policy Sectors: Similarities And Differences 302 -- 9 Intergovernmental Policy Capacity And Jurisdictional Variation: Fourteen Stories 346 -- 10 Findings, Recommendations, Conclusions, And Challenges 414. Gregory J. Inwood, Carolyn M. Johns, And Patricia L. O'reilly. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [477]-518) And Index.