{"title":"Relational dynamics under close supervision: Examining transnational cooperation in regulatory oversight","authors":"Carlos Bravo-Laguna, David Levi-Faur","doi":"10.1111/gove.12892","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12892","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The increasing institutionalization of regulatory oversight worldwide has not resulted in the creation of numerous formal channels of transnational regulatory oversight cooperation. Despite its puzzling nature, this circumstance has barely attracted scholarly attention. Additionally, the study of cooperation across transgovernmental regulatory networks with actors having low autonomy from central governments remains under-researched. We fill these literature gaps by applying insights from the policy networks literature to identify drivers of transnational regulatory oversight cooperation. Combining Exponential Random Graph Models with semi-structured interviews, we show that commonalities in administrative traditions drive cooperation. Innovative bodies become sources of best practices. Conversely, exchanges between countries with similar regulatory oversight settings or preferences are rare, perhaps due to their low independence from their political principals. These results suggest that regulatory oversight actors use relational opportunities and general country features as cues for transnational cooperation, instead of adopting strategic partnerships with better matches.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12892","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141779959","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":"Political tax cycles in the US states: Opportunism versus ideological sincerity in governors' revenue proposals","authors":"James W. Douglas, John Szmer, Ringa Raudla","doi":"10.1111/gove.12886","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12886","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Do politicians behave opportunistically regarding their tax proposals during the election cycle, or do they maintain ideological sincerity? We examine U.S. governors' revenue proposals between the years of 1989 and 2018 to assess gubernatorial behavior during election years. We find that governors, in general, do indeed follow a political budget cycle where they request lower revenues during election years. However, this finding is largely driven by Democratic governors asking for significantly lower revenues during election years when compared to non-election years. Republican governors are more ideologically sincere, maintaining behaviors that are consistent across the election cycle.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12886","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141779958","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":"Political corruption, political responsiveness and public trust: Testing the implicit exchange hypothesis","authors":"Wisanupong Potipiroon","doi":"10.1111/gove.12888","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12888","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The question of why electoral punishment of corrupt politicians fails to materialize continues to captivate scholars and practitioners. In this research, I draw upon implicit exchange theory to demonstrate that corrupt politicians may retain public trust if they are seen as responsive to the constituency. Analyses of survey data from 590 local business owners in two municipalities in Thailand reveal that political corruption negatively affected public trust, while political responsiveness had a positive effect. Furthermore, as expected, political responsiveness neutralized the trust-eroding effect of political corruption. Specifically, citizens showed higher levels of trust for politicians perceived as “corrupt but responsive” than for those considered “less corrupt but less responsive.” The results were observed after considering the influence of politician competence and local government performance. These findings paint a rather somber view, suggesting that political corruption in the presence of political responsiveness may create a “façade” of politicians' trustworthiness.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141779818","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":"In the eye of the storm: Street-level organizations in circumstances of democratic backsliding","authors":"Anat Gofen","doi":"10.1111/gove.12890","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12890","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Street-level organizations (SLOs) play a key, but understudied, political role in democratic governance as they are responsible for the direct-delivery of public services that are vital to the functioning of the state. To discuss the political role of SLOs in general, this study begins by identifying four SLO roles, which are conceptualized here by distinguishing policy-sphere versus politics-sphere and “SLOs-as-takers” versus “SLOs-as-makers.” SLOs' political role in a democratic backsliding and populism context is specified by distinguishing whether SLOs converge to, or diverge from, illiberal policies, and distinguishing reactive and proactive responses. Each of the four responses is elaborated by referring to how SLOs both influence, and are influenced by, populism and democratic backsliding. Shifting attention to the specific context of democratic erosion allows a more nuanced distinction between policy sectors and countries, as well as identifying the ways through which public service provision facilitates or inhibits democratic backsliding.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"37 S1","pages":"153-169"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12890","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141779962","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":"Limiting bureaucratic discretion? Analyzing the design and exercise of administrative judicial review in the welfare sector","authors":"Karin Leijon, Linda Moberg","doi":"10.1111/gove.12891","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12891","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article develops a framework for understanding how the design of administrative judicial review can circumscribe the discretion of different bureaucratic actors. The framework proposes that bureaucratic discretion is limited to a great extent if courts can (i) overturn bureaucratic decisions on substantive grounds, (ii) review decisions associated with high economic costs, and (iii) issue detailed instructions for how rulings are to be implemented. Applying the framework to the Swedish case, we first show that the legislative design of the judicial review process allows administrative courts to greatly limit the discretion of senior officials and street-level bureaucrats. Second, we show that Swedish courts defer to the expertise of bureaucratic actors in the welfare sector by sparingly overturning decisions. However, when courts actually overturn decisions, they frequently limit bureaucratic discretion by issuing detailed judgments in high-cost cases, possibly undermining the conditions for good governance.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12891","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141779961","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":"How the content of digital complaints shapes bureaucratic responsiveness in Mumbai","authors":"Tanu Kumar","doi":"10.1111/gove.12889","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12889","url":null,"abstract":"<p>When do unelected officials respond to citizen complaints, and what are the implications for service delivery? In the formal complaint system for Mumbai's water sector, bureaucrats addressed 44% of the roughly 20,000 complaints lodged from 2016 to 2018. In line with literature on distributive politics, responsiveness to marginalized citizens is lower. Yet in interviews, officials emphasize that programmatic goals and capacity constraints lead to prioritization by what the complaint is about. In fact, once controlling for complaint content, the relationship between complainant identity and responsiveness disappears. Initial patterns of differential responsiveness by complainant identity arise from the fact that citizens from marginalized groups experience lower levels of service provision, which leads them to make complaints that are more difficult to address. The paper sheds light on the role of bureaucracy in e-governance and service delivery, showing administrative priorities in responding to complaints may perpetuate inequalities in service provision.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12889","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141779960","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":"Collective cognition in context: Explaining variation in the management of Europe's 2015 migration crisis","authors":"Marlene Jugl","doi":"10.1111/gove.12887","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12887","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cognition is an essential first step in crisis management. This article conceptualizes crisis cognition as a collective and context-dependent process. Drawing on cognitive sociology, I argue that governmental structures and culture/identity shape cognitive schemas and communicative practices essential for collective cognition. I apply this framework to compare governments' recognition of the 2015 migration crisis in Luxembourg and Germany, which showed a puzzling gap in crisis preparation. The qualitative analysis triangulates interviews and other sources. In Germany, complex responsibilities, adversarial bureaucratic identities, and hubris inhibited cognition. In small Luxembourg, simple government structures and collective identity emphasizing vulnerability fostered timely cognition and preparation. I consider country size as macro-level context that shapes government structures and officials' identities, and critically discuss its role as an underlying explanation. This study introduces a sociological perspective on cognition to public administration, shows through which mechanisms context affects collective behavior, and proposes a comparative explanation for effective crisis management.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12887","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141745799","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}
Antoine Lemor, Éric Montpetit, Shoghig Téhinian, Clarisse Van Belleghem, Steven Eichenberger, PerOla Öberg, Frédéric Varone, David Aubin, Jean-Louis Denis
{"title":"Network dynamics in public health advisory systems: A comparative analysis of scientific advice for COVID-19 in Belgium, Quebec, Sweden, and Switzerland","authors":"Antoine Lemor, Éric Montpetit, Shoghig Téhinian, Clarisse Van Belleghem, Steven Eichenberger, PerOla Öberg, Frédéric Varone, David Aubin, Jean-Louis Denis","doi":"10.1111/gove.12885","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12885","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study presents a dual-method approach to systematically analyze public health advisory networks during the COVID-19 pandemic across four jurisdictions: Belgium, Quebec, Sweden, and Switzerland. Using network analysis inspired by egocentric analysis and a subsystems approach adapted to public health, the research investigates network structures and their openness to new actors and ideas. The findings reveal significant variations in network configurations, with differences in density, centralization, and the role of central actors. The study also uncovers a relation between network openness and its structural attributes, highlighting the impact of network composition on the flow and control of expert advice. These insights into public health advisory networks contribute to understanding the interface between scientific advice and policymaking, emphasizing the importance of network characteristics in shaping the influence of expert advisors. The article underscores the relevance of systematic network descriptions in public policy, offering reflections on expert accountability, information diversity, and the broader implications for democratic governance.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gove.12885","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141745798","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}
Sicheng Chen, Lingran Yuan, Weijie Wang, Binlei Gong
{"title":"Decentralization, local information, and effort substitution: Evidence from a subnational decentralization reform in China","authors":"Sicheng Chen, Lingran Yuan, Weijie Wang, Binlei Gong","doi":"10.1111/gove.12884","DOIUrl":"10.1111/gove.12884","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study examines whether and how information asymmetry affects local governments' gaming behaviors in a decentralization reform. We contend that adequate access to local information by the principal is a prerequisite for mitigating effort substitution among agents. We examine the hypothesis based on a decentralization reform in China—the Integration of Agriculture-related Fiscal Transfer reform. We use the distance between pilot villages and the provincial capital as the measurement of local information. Employing a difference-in-differences design to scrutinize a unique dataset comprising 85,628 observations spanning 9199 villages from 2011 to 2020, we find that subnational decentralization with information asymmetry leads to increased effort substitution by local governments. Further analysis reveals that more abundant local information can alleviate the extent of effort substitution in reformed villages. Overall, this research highlights the importance of considering local information when designing policies to mitigate performance gaming in public goods provision and support effective subnational decentralization.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141822964","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":"Institutionalized governance on organizations via norm-based policy instrument: Evidence from cleaner production in China","authors":"Junming Zhu, Zhen Du, Zhangming Ge","doi":"10.1111/gove.12881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12881","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Regulating organizations to align their private interests with public interests is important, especially for collective action problems in climate and sustainability governance. Whereas these issues are not satisfactorily addressed by conventional regulations, norms are envisioned as a promising alternative. But norm-based policy instruments are not well understood regarding their scalable effects on substantive organizational actions, given the presence of other regulations. We advance a conceptual framework, accounting for norm-based interventions' potential effects on organizational actions and their differences from conventional regulations in institutionalized governance. Based on the setting of cleaner production (CP) in China and an event study strategy, we provide empirical evidence consistent with the framework: non-regulatory, norm-based interventions led to nation-wide, significant improvement in plant-level CP; the effects were stronger via network-based diffusion and local internalization, weakened by extrinsic motivation from regulations, and associated with managerial conformity, not innovation. We estimate substantive benefits of norms in public goods provision, with the amount of water saved equivalent to the consumption of a water-scarce province in China. Our findings provide consistent explanations for norm-based instruments in real governance settings, showing them as a complement to other policies in shaping organizations and guiding proactive transitions to address global challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":48056,"journal":{"name":"Governance-An International Journal of Policy Administration and Institutions","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143118649","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}