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1 - Policy Advisory Systems

An Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2020

Jonathan Craft
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
John Halligan
Affiliation:
University of Canberra
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Summary

Quality policy advice is essential for good governance, but the advice needed, who provides it and how, have evolved in Westminster policy advisory systems (PAS). The public service role has been transformed as new sources of advice have emerged and ministers have been critiqued for ignoring officials’ advice while focusing on the short term. In a contestable environment, public service advice is replaced by that of consultants, think tanks and political aides. Four themes guided the analysis of advisory systems: the place of advisory work in the Westminster administrative tradition; structural and organisational trends; comparative analysis of advisory systems’ stability and change; and managing PAS and implications for policy making. The main arguments are: PAS is more dynamic and complex than is currently depicted; politicisation and externalisation continue as important dynamics but need to be explained; parallel processes have operated to increase flexibility in using advice instruments and independent agencies; and PAS change has been gradual and endogenous. At the macro level, dimensions of an evolving advisory system are identified based on the directions of change, which indicates a more expansive understanding of PAS that takes into account the complexities of public policy and the centrality of government.

Type
Chapter
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Advising Governments in the Westminster Tradition
Policy Advisory Systems in Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand
, pp. 1 - 16
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Policy Advisory Systems
  • Jonathan Craft, University of Toronto, John Halligan, University of Canberra
  • Book: Advising Governments in the Westminster Tradition
  • Online publication: 18 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377133.001
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  • Policy Advisory Systems
  • Jonathan Craft, University of Toronto, John Halligan, University of Canberra
  • Book: Advising Governments in the Westminster Tradition
  • Online publication: 18 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377133.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Policy Advisory Systems
  • Jonathan Craft, University of Toronto, John Halligan, University of Canberra
  • Book: Advising Governments in the Westminster Tradition
  • Online publication: 18 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108377133.001
Available formats
×