Featured Publications
The standing committee system and how Members of Parliament view its work
This paper is a discussion of the current state of the Parliamentary standing committee system. The findings are based on a survey conducted in April, 2010. The survey was sent to the members of six standing committees, a total of 73 Members of Parliament (MPs). 32 Members of Parliament responded, including 15 members of the government and 17 members from the opposition.
Based on the findings of this survey, we observe that there is a slight disconnect between the most important stated goals of MPs and the ability of the committee system to allow MPs to achieve those goals. MPs say that their most important goal is to look after the needs of their constituents, but they note that of all the purposes it might serve, the committee system is least well suited to allowing MPs to do this. While there are certainly other factors at play in the committee system (such as competing priorities, party discipline, and time limitations), this finding suggests that the committee system may be suffering at least in part because it is not seen by MPs as a means to a desirable end.
Health Services and Policy Research Capacity Building in Canada
This study investigates the different approaches used internationally to build capacity for improving the health system through better research into health services and health policy. Conducted for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR), this project assesses current approaches to capacity building, needs and strengths in Canada and international examples of successful capacity building, to develop recommendations for IHSPR and CIHR on how to continue building capacity in Canada.
First Nations Communities in Distress
Anyone with even a passing familiarity with First Nation communities is struck by their diversity in terms of, among other things, size, language and culture, geographic location (urban, rural, remote), and levels of well-being. It is this latter dimension that is the focus of this essay. In particular we are interested in those distressed communities on the extreme end of the well-being continuum.
To state that individuals living in these communities experience conditions that are the very worst in Canada is hardly to exaggerate. Consequently, developing a strategy for helping these communities to deal positively with their situation should rank very high on this country’s list of public priorities. The purpose of this essay is to stimulate reflection on this difficult challenge. The authors draw in large part from international literature and experiences to explore the following three questions:
1) Are there useful generalizations to be made about the developmental processes that distressed communities might adopt to deal positively with their situation?
2) Are there constructive roles for ‘outside’ parties to play in facilitating these processes? and
3) What might be useful next steps?
Health research: measuring the social, health and economic benefits
Despite intense interest in defining the social, health and economic impacts of health research investments globally and in Canada as proof of value for-money, no validated method for measuring return on investments yet exists.
Making an Impact: The payback framework and determining research impacts
In 2007 Canada invested nearly $29 billion in R&D. Knowing how that funding has had impacts on the lives of Canadians has become a key part of the Canadian government’s science and technology strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage.
Policy Brief No. 34: Two Key Questions For Horizontal Policy Making & Implementation
In today’s world of increasingly complex problems that cross over boundaries between governments and between the government sector and other sectors of society, horizontal policy making and implementation is increasingly necessary, but also very difficult to do well. Based on more than a decade of experience in the area, the Institute On Governance has identified two key questions that need to be addressed when embarking on a horizontal initiative.
Citizens as Prosumers: The Next Frontier of Service Innovation
In our increasingly networked world, issues and problems quickly spill outside the organizational and even geographic boundaries of governmental institutions. Technologies have evolved at an incredible rate, but the institutional and organization learning that governments require to apply these technologies to problems progresses much more slowly.
Managing Identity: An Essential Ingredient in Service Transformation in a Web 2.0 World
Managing information about people and their needs will be critical to enabling responsive, personalized government services. However, issues of privacy, data security, and civil liberties are of major concern, and any approach to managing the “digital identity” of individuals must stand up to public scrutiny.
This paper explores the transitions many voluntary organizations undergo as they move from an informal approach to governance or "jeans" toward one that is more systematic or formal - "jackets". It discusses key areas of difficulty and offers guidance to non-profits in developing an effective board-staff relationship.
IOG Policy Brief No. 15: Principles for Good Governance in the 21st Century
This policy brief is based on a larger research project exploring the application of UN principles of good governance to protected areas. Developed initially in an environmental context, the principles are nonetheless widely applicable. The paper has received excellent reviews from academics and government officials in Canada, Australia and Europe. The original paper was prepared for the Fifth World Parks Congress in South Africa under the auspices of Parks Canada and CIDA.
Partnerships: Putting Good Governance Principles in Practice
This publication analyzes the research and project work of the Institute On Governance in civil society - government partnerships from the point of view of both players. The paper first explores the meaning of ‘governance’ and ‘partnership’; then blends these concepts with good governance principles used by the United Nations Development Programme and the Institute On Governance to create a tool for assessing good governance in partnership arrangements. Finally, the paper draws on the Institute’s work in Canada and internationally, to illustrate some of the lessons and best practices in the governance of partnerships.
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