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Institutionalized Partisan Advisors in Canada: Movers and Shapers, Buffers and Bridges by Jonathan Mahlon Craft M.A. (Public Policy and Administration), Ryerson University, 2008 B.A. (Hons., Political Science), University of Guelph, 2004 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science Faculty of Arts and Social Science Jonathan M. Craft 2012 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2012 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Jonathan M. Craft Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) Title of Thesis: Institutionalized Partisan Advisors in Canada: Movers and Shapers, Buffers and Bridges Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. David Laycock, Professor Dr. Michael Howlett Senior Supervisor Professor Dr. Laurent Dobuzinskis Supervisor Professor Dr. Andrew Heard Supervisor Associate Professor Douglas McArthur Internal Examiner Professor Public Policy Program Herman Bakvis External Examiner Professor, School of Public Administration University of Victoria Date Defended/Approved: December 5, 2012 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii Ethics Statement iv Abstract The study of professional policy workers abounds with examinations of non- partisan public service policy actors, but offers much less systematic empirical study of appointed political staffs. This dissertation provides a comparative analysis of a subset of appointed political staff, termed herein as partisan advisors, whose primary functions are policy related. It documents the historical rise and contemporary policy activity of partisan advisors working in ministers’ and first ministers’ offices in three Canadian cases at the federal and sub-national levels (British Columbia and New Brunswick). Partisan advisors are important subjects of study given their privileged position in close proximity to ministers and at the very nexus of political-administrative relations but also due to their unique potential contributions as partisan-political policy workers. The dissertation offers a new theoretical framework to model and explicate partisan advisors as one of many sources of policy advice that circulate within ‘advisory systems’ and as privileged policy actors able to participate in policy formulation. Two models flowing from the framework facilitate the examination of the substantive and procedural aspects of partisan advisors’ policy formulation and advisory activity respectively. Interviews conducted with ministers, deputy ministers, and partisan advisors in all three cases reveal that, to varying degrees, partisan advisors have emerged as policy professionals who engage in important but often overlooked policy activity. Partisan advisors were found to be consequential to the provision and distribution of policy advice within their advisory systems as well as the specification and refinement of policy during development. Important variance was reported both within and among the cases that provides new insights related to how partisan-political actors within government engage in policy formulation, the configuration and operation of advisory systems, and the impact partisan advisors can have on the traditionally bilateral political-administrative relationship. Keywords: Political-administrative relations; partisan advisors; policy advice; policy formulation; complementarity; policy success v Dedication To my family and friends who make me the richest of men. vi Acknowledgements I could not have asked for a better scholar with whom to apprentice. My greatest thanks go to Mike Howlett for his guidance as senior supervisor. Mike always lead by example. Providing a stimulating intellectual environment along with ample opportunities for me to mature as a scholar. Participation in research projects, contributions through co-authored scholarly publications, and his guidance and mentorship through my doctorate were invaluable. My sincere thanks to the other members of my dissertation committee Laurent Dobuzinskis and Andrew Heard. Thank you for helping me navigate comprehensive exams, writing letters on my behalf, and asking tough questions during my study proposal and throughout. Thanks to Douglas MacArthur for agreeing to be the internal/external and a special thanks to Herman Bakvis for serving as external examiner. This work has benefited from all of your thoughtful suggestions and support. Any errors or deficiencies herein are those of the author alone. To those SFU faculty and beyond who have been so encouraging, offered advice, read and commented on SSHRC applications, conference papers, and drafts your support is gratefully acknowledged. In particular a warm thank you to David Laycock, Carolyn Johns, and Donald Savoie. Thank you as well to those SFU students who enriched my SFU experience. A particular thanks is owed to the senior public servants, ministers, and senior political staff who participated in this study. I cannot thank you enough for the professionalism and generosity you extended to me. Particularly your time and thoughtful reflections given the extreme ‘time poverty’ that characterizes the day to day of so many in the senior ranks of the public sector. I would also like to acknowledge the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the SFU dean of graduate studies, and department of political science for their generous financial support. This study is dedicated to my family and friends. Thank you for your unwavering support, encouragement, and tolerance of my social delinquency over these (many) years. You constantly remind me of what is important. Finally, a special thank you to Zoiey. From the shores of Lake Couchiching to Vancouver, and Ottawa, you have as my partner and ‘editrice’, sacrificed and contributed more than anyone to this study’s successful completion. vii Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Partial Copyright Licence ............................................................................................... iii Ethics Statement ............................................................................................................ iv Abstract ........................................................................................................................... v Dedication ...................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... vii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... viii List of Tables .................................................................................................................. xi List of Figures................................................................................................................ xii List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Prevailing Models of Political-Administrative Relations .................................................... 4 Canadian Political-Administrative Relations Currents of Change ..................................... 9 Studying Partisan Advisors: Existing Approaches and Canadian Findings .................... 16 Scope and Structure of Dissertation .............................................................................. 20 Chapter 2. Study Design and Method ................................................................... 22 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 22 Four Research Questions and Four Theoretical Propositions Concerning Politico-Administrative Relationships in Contemporary Policy Making .................. 22 Policy Making and the Function of Partisan Advisors Therein ....................................... 24 Policy Making and Formulation ............................................................................. 24 Approaches to Policy Advice ................................................................................ 29 Canadian Policy Advice in Motion: Shifting Sources and Patterns of Use ............. 32 Partisan-Political Policy Actors and Policy ‘Success’ ............................................ 35 A Framework and Four Propositions for the Study of Partisan Advisors Policy Advice and Formulation Activity ................................................................. 36 Buffers and Bridges: Partisan Advisors Policy Advisory Activity............................ 40 Movers and Shapers: Partisan Advisors Policy Formulation Activity ..................... 47 Case Selection .............................................................................................................. 55