POLI 3250: Canadian Public Administration - Fall 2014/2015

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POLI 3250: Canadian Public Administration - Fall 2014/2015

Instructor: Mohammad Ehsan

Class Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:35-6:55 pm Class Room: McCain Arts & Social Science 2176 Office Hours: After class, or by Appointment E-mail: [email protected]

Course Overview

This class provides an introduction to Canadian public administration, focusing mainly at the federal level. In doing so, it will explore the actors, institutions and mechanisms involved in the processes of governing, and analyze the dynamic relationship among civil servants, politicians, and citizens. Before going to the Canadian context, it will begin with an overview of the evolving theoretical underpinnings dominating the current literature of public administration. In comprehending public administration in Canadian context, the course thereafter focuses on a number of significant themes relevant to the public sector.

Course Format

Even though this course consists primarily of lectures, student contributions and presentations throughout the course will be an important component.

Course Readings

There is no specific text assigned to this course. Students are required to obtain their readings from Killam library. Most of the readings are reserved in the library, whereas many are available electronically through the library.

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Class Debates

Students in this course will be divided into several groups for class debates on various aspects of public administration. You will be given the option to sign up for your preferred topic on the first day of class. Readings assigned for these debates are mandatory readings for all and will be covered in the exam.

Critical Review Paper

Students in the course are required to write a critical review paper of 4 pages (maximum) on an article of their choice published in Canadian Public Administrationduring the past 14 years. This paper should explore the major arguments and findings of the article and evaluate whether the author(s) succeed in his/her assertions. With the support of other resources, you will assess the conclusions made in the article.

Class Exams

There are two (2) in-class exams in the course which would cover all the course materials including the lectures and readings.

First exam; October 15; Weeks 1-5 Second exam; November 19; Weeks 7-11

Blueprint 2020 + Paper/Presentations

Students, in groups, will work on preparing critical assessment reports/final essays on selective aspects of Canadian government’s latest reform efforts, Blueprint 2020. In exceptional cases, groups will be allowed to work on a different topic. For assessment of this work, members of a group would formally be allowed to comment/mark on other members’ contributions (participation in group activities & presentation) to the project (10%) which will be counted towards the final grade.

Assignment Participation Critical Review

Debates Exams (Two)

Blueprint 2020 Group Paper &

Presentation Due Date Throughout Sept 29 October

20 & 22

Oct 15, Nov 19 Nov 26 & Dec 2

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Ground Rules

Note the following points which are expected to be adhered to by all the students:

First, please DO NOT approach the instructor with a request to change the course schedule. Under no circumstances can this be done.

Second, late submissions will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day, including Saturdays and Sundays.

Third, only hard copies of submissions are accepted. Electronic submissions alone would warrant a penalty of 10%. Submissions are only accepted in class.

Fourth, absence in debates and Blueprint+ presentations cannot be accommodated. Absence will result in losing full points for the component.

Fifth, absence from class will result in decreased participation marks.

Sixth, switch off your mobile phone before entering the class; laptop use is permitted for only class purposes.

The final evaluation that the participants receive in this course will be submitted as a letter grade. Dalhousie University employs the following interpretative grading scale:

Grades Numeric Range GPA Norm-Referenced A+ 90-100 4.30 Excellent A 85-89 4.00 A- 80-84 3.70 B+ 77-79 3.30 Good B 73-76 3.00 B- 70-72 2.70 C+ 65-69 2.30 Satisfactory C 60-64 2.00 C- 55-59 1.70

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Outside Resources

Following are some of the organizations where you would find excellent reports on public administration in general:

 Institute of Public Administration of Canada: http://www.ipac-canada.org/  Canada School of Public Service: http://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx  Public Policy Forum: http://www.ppforum.ca/

 Institute on Governance: http://www.iog.ca/

 Optimum Online: http://optimumonline.ca/frontpage.phtml  Institute for Research on Public Policy: http://irpp.org/research/

 The United Nations Public Administration Network: http://www.unpan.org/

Course Outline

Week 1 Introduction and Theoretical Overview September 8 & 10

Required Readings:

Jocelyne Bourgon (2011), A New Synthesis of Public Administration: Serving in the 21st

Century, Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queens University Press, Chapters 1-2, pp. 7-30. David Johnson (2011), Thinking Government: Public Administration and Politics in Canada(third edition), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Chapter 5 (pp. 211-265). Owen Hughes (1998), Public Management and Administration: An Introduction, Great Britain: MacMillan, Chapter 2.

Week 2 – Theoretical Overview September 15 & 17

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Week 3 – Government Structure September 22 & 24

Gregory Tardi (2010), “Departments and Other Institutions of Government,” in Christopher Dunn (ed.), The Handbook of Canadian Public Administration (Second Edition), Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Kenneth Kernaghan (2010), “East Block and Westminster: Conventions, Values, and Public Service,” in Christopher Dunn (ed.), The Handbook of Canadian Public Administration(Second Edition), Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Optional Readings:

Donald Savoie (2010), “Revisiting Governing from the Centre,” in Power: Where Is It?

Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Donald Savoie (2013), “The Machinery: Running on Its Tracks,” inWhatever Happened to the Music Teacher? How Government Decides and Why, Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Blaine Knapp & Christopher Studholme (2011), “Improving Bureaucracy: Some Suggestions,”Optimum Online, Volume 41, No. 2.

Week 4 - Canadian Public Service September 29 & October 1

Paul Thomas (2014), “Two Cheers for Bureaucracy: Canada’s Public Service,” in James Bickerton and Alain-G. Gagnon (eds.), Canadian Politics (sixth edition), Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Paul Thomas (2010), “Parliament and the Public Service,” in Christopher Dunn (ed.), The Handbook of Canadian Public Administration (Second Edition), Toronto: Oxford

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Donald Savoie (2013), “Public Administration without Romance,” and “The Public Service: The Ambivalent Institution,” in Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher? How Government Decides and Why, Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press. David Zussman (2008), “Governance: The New Balance between Politicians and Public Servants in Canada,”Optimum Online, Volume 28, No. 4.

Week 5 - Ministerial Responsibility and Political Neutrality October 6 & 8

Nick d’Ombrain (2007), “Ministerial Responsibility and the Machinery of Government,”

Canadian Public Administration, 50, 2, Summer, 195-218.

David Good (2008), “An Ideal Model in a Practical World: The Continuous Revisiting of Political Neutrality and Ministerial Responsibility,” in David Siegel and Ken Rasmussen (eds.), Professionalism and Public Service: Essays in Honour of Kenneth Kernaghan, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Jeffrey Roy (2008), “Beyond Westminster Governance: Bringing Politics and Public Service into the Networked Era,”Canadian Public Administration, Volume 51, No. 4.

PSC (2008), Public Service Impartiality: Taking Stock, Ottawa: Public Service Commission of Canada.

Jacques Bourgault (2010), “The Role of Deputy Ministers in Canadian Government,” in Christopher Dunn (ed.), The Handbook of Canadian Public Administration (Second Edition), Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Week 6

October 13 (Thanksgiving – University closed) October 15 - First In-Class Exam

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Week 8 –Policy Environment in Canada October 27 & 29

Michael Howlett (2013), Canadian Public Policy: Selected Studies in Process and Style, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Chapters 2 & 8.

Lydia Miljan (2012), Public Policy in Canada: An Introduction, Toronto: Oxford University Press, Chapters 1-5.

Week 9 – Financial and Human Resources Management November 3 & 5

David Johnson (2011), Thinking Government: Public Administration and Politics in Canada(third edition), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Chapters 6 & 7.

Week 10 – E-Government in Canada November 10 – Study Day (No Class) November 12

David Brown (2010), “Information, Technology, and Canadian Public Administration,” in Christopher Dunn (ed.), The Handbook of Canadian Public Administration (Second Edition), Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Optional Reading:

David Brown (2007), “The Government of Canada: Government On-Line and Citizen-Centred Service,” in Sandford Borins et al. (eds.), Digital State at the Leading Edge,

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David Johnson (2011), Thinking Government: Public Administration and Politics in Canada(third edition), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Chapter 9.

Ralph Heintzman (2007), “Public Service Values and Ethics: Dead End or Strong Foundation,”Canadian Public Administration, Volume 50, No. 4.

Kenneth Kernaghan (2007), A Special Calling: Values, Ethics and Professional Public Service, Ottawa: PSHRMAC.

Kenneth Kernaghan (2014), “Digital Dilemmas: Values, Ethics and Information Technology,”Canadian Public Administration, Volume 57, No. 2.

Ralph Heintzman and Luc Juillet (2012), “Searching for New Instruments of Accountability: New Political Governance and the Dialectics of Democratic Accountability,” in Herman Bakvis and Mark Jarvis (eds.),From New Public Management to New Political Governance, Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Weeks 12 & 13

November 24 – Open Session

November 26 & December 2 – Blueprint 2020 + Presentations

Miscellaneous

There are a number of administrative items on which students need to keep themselves apprized, among them the following:

 The university’s policies and procedures on accessibility for students with any disabilities can also be found in the academic calendar:

http://www.dal.ca/campus_life/student_services/academic-support/accessibility.html

 Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. Be cautious of the rules of writing expectations when you submit any work. University website has details on this: http://academicintegrity.dal.ca/