Anthony M. Bertelli, Vincenza Falletti, Silvia Cannas
{"title":"Authorized Discretion: The Democratic Essentials of Governance in the European Union","authors":"Anthony M. Bertelli, Vincenza Falletti, Silvia Cannas","doi":"10.1111/gove.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>How can the administrative state enhance democracy through the practice of governance? We offer a theory of authorized discretion: administrative principles are grounded in democratic values, and, in turn, authorize forms and practices of governance that comport with those values. We argue that (1) public administration is intertwined with a substantive conception of the rule of law; (2) administrative principles in the law shape the development and application of rules and standards by public officials; and (3) when these principles are rooted in democratic values, they are essential to the practice of public governance. We show how the European Union has been defining and emphasizing specific principles through its European Administrative Space initiative. We then show how the essential principles of this initiative embody democratic values. Our practice-based theory offers important implications both for the theoretical relationship between administrative discretion and democracy and a broad empirical research agenda.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.70029","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144091843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gregory Michener, Fernando Nieto Morales, Margaret Kwoka, María del Carmen Nava Polina
{"title":"Lessons From the Dissolution of Mexico's Information Commission","authors":"Gregory Michener, Fernando Nieto Morales, Margaret Kwoka, María del Carmen Nava Polina","doi":"10.1111/gove.70031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A much-emulated information commission and a superstar within global transparency policy circles, Mexico's National Institute for Access to Information (the INAI) wielded practically unappealable decision-making power over public information across the entire Mexican federation. In November 2024, the populist Morena regime formally dissolved the INAI. Looking beyond the tired tale of populist backsliding, the INAI's demise offers key lessons about the vulnerability of transparency in the absence of adequate social and institutional embeddedness. While the INAI exceled at freeing information from the state, exposed abuses went unaccompanied by broader linked efforts at enforcement. Lesson: Integrate public transparency into broader policy agendas, especially those popularly associated with transparency's <i>raison d’être</i> (e.g., social, administrative, criminal justice). And while the INAI did make efforts to socialize the right to information, these lacked scale and arrived too late. Lesson: Engage citizens early, making transparency relevant to the problem-solving tasks of everyday civic life.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144091909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of a Scale to Measure Perceived Administrative Burden, With Broad Applicability Beyond Direct Policy Clients","authors":"Inkyu Kang, Martin Sievert, Chongmin Na","doi":"10.1111/gove.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Individuals form perceptions about the degree of administrative burdens associated with public agencies and programs, even without being (potential) policy clients themselves (e.g., a wealthy person's view of administrative burdens experienced by welfare program applicants) or without referring to a specific instance (e.g., perceptions of bureaucratic hurdles in the federal government overall). This study develops and validates a scale of perceived administrative burden that is applicable beyond direct policy clients to broad audiences and political stakeholders. The scale underwent psychometric evaluation using large-scale, representative citizen samples from the US and South Korea (<i>n</i> = 3000). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on randomly split samples confirmed a unidimensional latent structure and the scale's construct validity. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability indicated strong internal consistency, while a high average variance extracted, alongside additional correlational analyses, supported convergent and discriminant validity. We discuss the scale's potential applications in exploring how perceived administrative burden shapes policy processes, political behavior, and public administration.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.70026","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144085143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giliberto Capano, Andrea Pritoni, Stefania Profeti
{"title":"Does Policy Capacity Truly Matter for Governmental Effectiveness? A Conjunctural Analysis of the Quality of Governance in Italian Regions","authors":"Giliberto Capano, Andrea Pritoni, Stefania Profeti","doi":"10.1111/gove.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article explores the role of policy capacity in influencing (regional) government effectiveness. Drawing on various research streams (public administration, public policy, economics, and political science), we assess whether and under what conditions policy capacity affects public policy outcomes. Our proposal is that government effectiveness (operationalized by a novel composite index) results from a combination of factors: socioeconomic context, social capital, political strength, organizational policy capacity, and individual policy analytical capacity, inspired by the Policy Capacity Framework. Based on this theoretical assumption, we conducted a configurational analysis using the fuzzy-set QCA method to examine the drivers of government effectiveness in 13 Italian regions. The findings highlight the significant conjunctural role that (mainly organizational, but also individual) policy capacity can play in influencing (regional) government effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.70027","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144085145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrupt or Repressive? How Political Competition Incentivizes Hybrid Regimes to Subvert Police in Distinct Ways","authors":"Ketevan Bolkvadze","doi":"10.1111/gove.70030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70030","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article develops an argument that in hybrid regimes, different levels of party competition incentivize incumbents to subvert the police in distinct ways, resulting in more corrupt or more repressive policing practices. In competing-pyramid hybrid regimes, such as Ukraine (2013–2019), elites have stronger incentives to preserve police corruption as a tool for immediate resource extraction amid pervasive uncertainty about political survival. Conversely, in dominant-pyramid systems, like Georgia (2003–2012), ruling elites have stronger incentives to curtail police corruption in pursuit of a more disciplined and repressive police force. This theory is illustrated through a structured focused comparison and more than 60 interviews collected during several rounds of fieldwork in Kyiv and Tbilisi.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144085144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fengqiao-Style Policing: A Grassroots Model for Public Security Governance","authors":"Haoran Xu, Sui Yifeng, Wu Zhanhong, Zan Shi","doi":"10.1111/gove.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Public security governance faces significant challenges in an era of urbanization and social complexity. China's Fengqiao-style policing, rooted in the 1960s “Fengqiao Experience,” offers a grassroots model that emphasizes early conflict resolution, community participation, and cost-effective governance. This study explores the evolution of Fengqiao-style policing, highlighting its integration of modern technology and institutional reforms. Using empirical data, the research examines its mechanisms, localized conflict resolution, multi-stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making, and evaluates its applicability beyond China. The findings suggest that this model holds significant potential for addressing public security issues globally, offering insights into enhancing trust, collaboration, and efficiency in community policing.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143950239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lise Rødland, Vibeke Wøien Hansen, Elin Haugsgjerd Allern
{"title":"Party Receptiveness to Interest Group Diversity: Evidence From Policymaking in Six European Democracies","authors":"Lise Rødland, Vibeke Wøien Hansen, Elin Haugsgjerd Allern","doi":"10.1111/gove.70018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Legislative party groups regularly get suggestions from numerous, different interest groups trying to influence policy, but individual party groups are likely to be more receptive to suggestions from groups representing some interests than others. We examine (in)equalities in legislative parties' receptiveness to interest group diversity by asking: what factors explain how (un)equally legislative parties listen to and accept suggestions from different types of interest groups? Combining interest group survey data from six long-established European democracies with data on parties' policy area salience and goal priorities, we find support for three possible party-level explanations. Legislative parties seem more equally receptive to the suggestions they receive from different interests when their party prioritizes office over policy in cases of goal conflicts and in policy areas of high salience to the party. When party salience is high, more equal party receptiveness is particularly associated with greater willingness to compromise on policy to be in office.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.70018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143930228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fengqiao-Style Policing: A Grassroots Model for Public Security Governance","authors":"Haoran Xu, Sui Yifeng, Wu Zhanhong, Zan Shi","doi":"10.1111/gove.70025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Public security governance faces significant challenges in an era of urbanization and social complexity. China's Fengqiao-style policing, rooted in the 1960s “Fengqiao Experience,” offers a grassroots model that emphasizes early conflict resolution, community participation, and cost-effective governance. This study explores the evolution of Fengqiao-style policing, highlighting its integration of modern technology and institutional reforms. Using empirical data, the research examines its mechanisms, localized conflict resolution, multi-stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making—and evaluates its applicability beyond China. The findings suggest that this model has significant potential for addressing global public security issues and offers insights into enhancing trust, collaboration, and efficiency in community policing.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143925796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Power of Ideational Reach: A New Approach to State Capacity","authors":"Anna Persson, Frida Boräng, Ruth Carlitz","doi":"10.1111/gove.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<p>State capacity is widely recognized as a prerequisite for the successful fostering of economic and political development and is considered key to understanding change and enduring differences in development across countries. Yet, despite its influence, there are several aspects of the exercise of state power that are still in need of explanation. Such aspects typically relate to unexpected variation in outcomes within and/or across polities and policies. To better understand these outcomes, this paper argues that we must recognize the ways in which the modern state is not only a physical and organizational entity but also a politically constructed—and highly contested— <i>idea</i> of how political order should be organized. Against this backdrop, the paper introduces a new dimension of state capacity: <i>ideational reach</i>—defined as the ability to engender loyalty to the idea of the state as the primary source of authority among the population.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.70020","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143925858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Boosting Public Confidence in U.S. Agency Policymaking","authors":"Natalie L. Smith, Susan Webb Yackee","doi":"10.1111/gove.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.70021","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scholars have documented a steep decline in Americans' trust in the bureaucracy. This trend is problematic because it threatens the legitimacy of democratic policymaking by public sector agencies. We hypothesize that the participation of the bureaucracy's elected political principals in agency policy decision-making increases public confidence in the regulatory process. To test this argument, we implement a vignette-based survey experiment with roughly 1350 people in a politically divided U.S. state. The experimental evidence demonstrates that, even when controlling for partisanship, public confidence in state agency policymaking increases when legislators and the governor are actively engaged in the process. To some, these results may be surprising: how could the participation of elected government actors—who, themselves, are often held in such low esteem—boost public confidence? Others may view the findings as a normative rationale for further structural design reforms that encourage the involvement of elected representatives in agency rulemaking.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.70021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143914434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}