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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Forest Research is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this paper is to improve knowledge of the transnational diffusion of public policies. It argues that existing studies on the subject do not provide an adequate understanding of the mechanisms through which diffusion takes place, nor do they sufficiently address the roles specific organizations and individuals play in driving or determining the policy transfer process. We address these shortcomings by studying the diffusion of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes from Latin America to Ghana and the Philippines over the past decade. We use the concept of ‘instruments constituency’ to delineate and trace the various actors and channels involved in the diffusion of CCTs. The comparative case studies show that these constituencies, dedicated to the articulation, adoption, and expansion of particular policy instruments, are central players in transnational diffusion of policies. This finding has significant implications for the study of policy transfer and diffusion, identifying a heretofore neglected actor in these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When, why and how do policy mixes change and evolve? Much of the contemporary interest in such mixes is focused on distinguishing simple policies from more complex policy mixes, evaluating the relationships between single and multiple policy tools within a mix, and developing criteria to assess the likely performance of particular mixes. These are important and necessary analytical tasks. However, another required step in understanding policy mixes is to understand how and why mixes evolve and change over time and to determine whether any changes are an improvement. In this paper, we analyse the development of a complex policy mix in the case of reclamation and remediation of the Alberta oil sands from an earlier 'simple goal, single instrument' policy regime to a more complex one. This case study reveals the presence of at least two dynamic processes at work in policy mix development, with significant implications for the nature of the changes that result from them. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing up environmental policy options is a complex activity which involves defining and weighing the merits and risks of various alternative courses of action governments could pursue. In its modern version, this task typically involves formal policy analysis or ‘policy appraisal’, that is, policy work specifically undertaken to generate and evaluate policy options in order to address problems or issues on a policy agenda. Indicators play a powerful but under-investigated role in this process. To shed light on this issue, the paper conducts a case study of the design and evolution of policy indicators in water security policy formulation, examining both their utilization and impact. The paper documents the origins of water security policy indicators; assesses their relevance and influence in policy formulation and identifies the reasons for the emergence of certain preferred indices, despite their having several well-known limitations. In particular, the discussion flags the significance of the political advantages surrounding their ease of use and interpretation, rather than their technical merits, as a key factor affecting the continued utilization and influence of specific indicators in environmental policy and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The institutional analysis and development framework helps analyze and understand the common property governance arrangements and dynamics. In setting out the IAD model Ostrom advocates a ‘polycentric’ approach to commons management involving oversight ‘at multiple times’. As Ostrom's work notes, however, self-organization is only possible if there are means of building trust through communication and the creation of a setting in which individuals or groups are able to extend reciprocity to others. In fact, she argued, the ‘capacity of CPR users to govern themselves is often a necessary condition for overcoming the temptations involved in a CPR dilemma’ (Ostrom et al., 1994, 328). However, the IAD framework itself does not explain how such a pre-condition emerges or under which conditions capacity is built. The article argues that understanding the dynamics of the origins of ‘governance of the commons’ requires going well beyond the self-organizing co-operative structure suggested by Ostrom. Specifically, it points to the merits of framing the issue of commons governance in network terms and examining in detail the key role played by “network managers” in applying, maintaining and enforcing Ostrom's eight principles of commons governance. Examples from the Australian climate change network are used to illustrate this point. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACT Cities and municipalities are vital actors in addressing climate change. Because they are directly affected by the consequences of environmental transformations, cities are motivated to shape adaptation and mitigation. This paper looks at the possible mechanisms which cities can use to engage in climate change issues without decoupling themselves from the national or sub-national level and while remaining consistent with other local initiatives. The paper analyses the European approach towards transnational municipal networks (TMNs) and community collective efforts and assesses its possible application in other jurisdictions. We argue that while TMNs are the institutional foundation for a concerted effort in climate change within and between countries; they are also subject to provisions from national and regional governments, which might hamper their benefits. Based on a typology of TMNs and an analysis of the national contexts, the paper finds that those networks that target a specific region and are supported by government have the most benefits for climate change. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the infrastructure policy sector's capacity to respond to climate change adaptation through an analysis of the Canadian case. It includes a three-level examination of capacity: at the macro level through a virtual policy network analysis; at the meso level through examination of the lead department's evolving mandate and resources; and at the micro level through analysis of survey data related to departmental workers policy tasks and attitudes. Four hypotheses across these three levels are set out and tested at the national and subnational levels. Together, the findings suggest that the policy capacity in the Canadian infrastructure sector will be unable to meet the demands placed upon the sector to respond to the increasing challenges of climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue contributes to extant empirical scholarship assessing governmental capacity to meet significant policy challenges, in this case those related to climate change adaptation. The study includes detailed examination of five policy sectors-finance, infrastructure, energy, forestry, and transportation-in two countries, Canada and the United States-in order to determine what kinds of governance arrangements and analytical capacities exist in this area, how they are changing (if at all), and how they interrelate with the status and evolution of climate change outcomes in each sector. The articles provide a comprehensive sampling of policy network structure and behavior, organizational mandates and resources, and actual job duties and training of policy actors across these sectors at both the federal and subnational level of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Political Science Review is the property of Canadian Political Science Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: In this article, we seek to clarify further the effects of internationalization on environmental policy convergence by focussing on a country''s policy analytical capacity as a mechanism mediating transnational policy learning. We argue that without significant policy analytical capacity, it is unlikely for transnational communication to produce policy learning crucial to this potential mechanism of international environmental policy convergence. Based on a survey of Canadian provincial public servants, we find that while policy analysts in the environmental policy sector have some interaction with those outside of their own jurisdictions, their particular training, employment patterns, and work activities mean they are unlikely to use knowledge drawn from external sources in their decision-making processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The term “policy analytical capacity” (PAC) is used within the policy analysis literature to describe the ability of organizations to produce valuable research and analysis on topics of their choosing. This note discusses the results of an interview-based investigation into the PAC of several important environmental policy research organizations working on climate change policy in Canada - two governmental organizations and one NGO - in order to provide insight into the concept, how it can be examined and where future study would be helpful to better understand PAC and its implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'policy analytical capacity' is used within the policy analysis literature to describe the ability of organizations to produce valuable research and analysis on topics of their choosing. As the scientific evidence becomes clearer, and various actors in society continue to point out that governments around the world will need to play a lead role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, there is good reason to believe that environmental policy makers and civil society stakeholders require a high level of policy analytical capacity in order to create effective policies. Assessing this capability, however, is difficult. Surveying the literature, this articles sets out a seven criteria model of policy analytical capacity and applies it to three prominent Canadian environmental policy research organizations - two governmental organizations and one NGO. Using interview data, it provides information on the status of each organizations' current research capacity and the effect this has on overall government policy-making capability in the face of climate change challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on the contents of books about natural resource and environmental policies in Canada. 'Last Stand: A Journey Through North America's Vanishing Ancient Rainforest,' by Larry Pynn; 'Clearcutting the Pacific Rainforest: Production, Science, and Regulation,' by Richard A. Rajala; 'Against the Grain: Foresters and Politics in Nova Scotia.

Cites evidence on the convergence of Canadian environmental policy with that of the United States. Pattern of lagged emulation of American environmental initiatives; Paucity of superior court level judicialization of environmental issues from 1980 to 1989; Differences in the institutional and constitutional structures of both countries.