Executive federalism after Charlottetown
Subtitle: understanding the role of non-governmental actors.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 411
Description: At the same time, there is considerable variation in the forms of non-governmental participation practiced in intergovernmental forums. Previous studies have pointed to the resources of non-governmental groups and the nature of the issue (its status, profile or relation to government-wide strategies) as explanation for differences across cases. However, this study finds that the norms of interaction with non-governmental actors within each sector, the existence of trust between and among federal and provincial government actors, and the nature of the government actors (central agency intergovernmental actors vs. line ministry officials) are the crucial factors mediated by the institution of executive federalism to form the patterns of non-governmental participation in intergovernmental relations.This dissertation explores the interplay between principles of representative and deliberative democracy in the institution of executive federalism in the post-Charlottetown Accord era of non-constitutional change. It considers the development of four intergovernmental agreements negotiated in four different intergovernmental forums during the mid to late 1990s.This dissertation concludes that citizen engagement, in which diverse government and non-governmental actors deliberate as equals aiming to transform their particular interests en route to the development of consensus, is likely in intergovernmental policy development only when the outcome of such exercises does not directly bear on the actions of democratically elected executives. Even in sectors where deliberative decision making with non-governmental actors is the norm, when issues become matters for discussion in intergovernmental forums, government actors choose elite accommodation over citizen engagement.In light of the enduring presence of executive federalism, the findings of this study are valuable to theorists of deliberative democracy, practitioners of intergovernmental relations, and advocacy groups and citizens.During the Charlottetown Accord negotiations, elected executives of the federal and provincial governments shifted from conducting their meetings exclusively behind closed doors, to deliberating with non-governmental actors and facilitating a public dialogue. Based on extensive interviews conducted with government and non-governmental participants in the development of the four agreements in four provinces and at the federal level, this dissertation reveals that, despite its nontransparent and exclusive nature, traditional executive federalism has proven remarkably resilient to democratic criticisms.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-10, Section: A, page: 3796.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

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