Canadian Public Administration Research Articles

Making Sense of AI Benefits: A Mixed-method Study in Canadian Public Administration

AbstractPublic administrators receive conflicting signals on the transformative benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the counternarratives of AI’s ethical impacts on society and democracy. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the factors that affect the sensemaking of AI benefits in Canadian public administration. A mixed-method research design using PLS-SEM (n = 272) and interviews (n = 38) tests and explains the effect of institutional and consultant pressures on the perceived benefits of AI use. The quantitative study shows only service coercive pressures have a significant effect on perceived benefits of AI use and consultant pressures are significant in generating all institutional pressures. The qualitative study explains the results and highlights the underlying mechanisms. The key conclusion is that in the earlier stages of AI adoption, demand pull is the main driver rather than technology push. A processual sensemaking model is developed extending the theory on institutions and sensemaking. And several managerial implications are discussed.

Anti‐racism in the Public Service of Canada: How can critical race theory inform research and practice in Canadian public administration?

Anti‐racism in the Public Service of Canada: How can critical race theory inform research and practice in Canadian public administration?

Canadian graduate programs in public administration: The state of the field

AbstractGraduate public administration programs at Canadian universities have seen significant growth and change over the last fifteen years. This research note assesses current programming and considers recent developments. We argue that Canadian public administration programs exhibit diversity and that they are responsive to key trends and forces shaping society. To support these claims, we compare program curriculums and highlight distinguishing features. We suggest in closing, though, that further adjustments are required for programs to take advantage of arising opportunities and to remain resilient in the face of new challenges.

Suing Canadian governments: Core public policy and operational decisions

AbstractChallenges in distinguishing between core policy and operational decisions in the public policy process have spawned a legal grey area in Canadian public administration. Governments are immune from civil liability for policy decisions made by the cabinet yet they remain exposed to liability for operational decisions by public servants. We seek to raise awareness of this nexus within the Canadian public administration community by drawing on key interviews with lawyers, former attorneys general, a former premier, a former judge and a legal scholar. We explain that demarcating policy from operational decisions relies on written documentation that is difficult to locate and may not exist. Clarity is desired, but Canadian courts are reluctant to overrule a public authority’s opinion, which is based on socio‐economic and political considerations. We conclude with observations for public administrators.

Public servants’ appreciation for themes in public administration scholarship

AbstractOne of the defining characteristics of Canadian Public Administration is its singular coverage of topics. In this research, we extend Wake Carroll and Kpessa’s (2007) work to see if the themes found in Canadian Public Administration (CPA) for the 2008‐2016 period are in line with the topics published for the 2000‐2006 period. We also compare the contemporary topics published in CPA to the Australian Journal of Public Administration (AJPA). We then surveyed Canadian public servants about their interests. Our results show that they express more interest towards the themes published in CPA in the last decade than during 2001‐2006, and more interest than the ones published in AJPA in the last decade.

Use of social media in Canadian public administration: opportunities and barriers

AbstractMany government agencies in Canada are using social media to communicate with various audiences. Some research, however, shows that government uses social media to publish content available on its websites and does not engage in two‐way interactions. This article examines interaction on Twitter between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Twitter users. It explores established government social media practices and under‐researched experiences and perspectives of government social media users. Although some of the findings are IRCC specific, users’ experiences and perspectives offer valuable insights for any government agency that uses social media.

The Atlantic Challenge: How Political Science Understands Canada’s Smallest Region

ABSTRACTThis paper examines how Canadian political science portrays Atlantic Canada, along with some of the consequences of persistent misrepresentations. I first explore traditional portrayals of Atlantic Canada as well as arguments challenging those conceptions, demonstrating that it is no longer appropriate to treat Atlantic Canada as primarily defined by either economic processes or common political culture. I then survey the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Public Administration and Canadian Public Policy to determine the extent to which discussions of Atlantic Canada still, (a) emphasize economic phenomena, and (b) assume a common Atlantic political culture. I find that, while political scientists are now less likely to study the region in terms of economic phenomena, they still perpetuate outdated depictions of Atlantic political culture. This tendency results in a certain degree of methodological imprecision and reinforces problematic assumptions about Atlantic political life.

From an uncomfortable conversation to a productive strategic dialogue

From an uncomfortable conversation to a productive strategic dialogue

The global relevance of Canadian public administration? A bibliometric research note

AbstractThis research note assesses the influence of Canadian public administration research on the global study of public administration. Citation data from the Web of Science database is used to assess the reach of the Canadian public administration literature outside Canada. The research analyzes citations of the journal Canadian Public Administration by calculating an external citation ratio to explore articles cited heavily domestically and abroad. Scholars around the globe look to Canada for insights on topics including accountability and the performance of various government reforms; but, the global public administration community can benefit from a more careful reading of what Canada can tell us about federalism, capacity for policy analysis, and government reform. Article characteristics including age and foreign authorship are related to the scope of external citations. The inquiry advances our understanding of how scholarship in Canadian public administration is influencing the global dialogue on governance and public management.

Punching below its weight: Canadian public administration scholarship on the world stage

AbstractThis article examines the scholarly influence of Canadian public administration research compared to other national strands. First and foremost, we look at the number of Canadian studies in recent systematic literature reviews in public administration journals. Second, we compare Australian and Canadian journals as to their connection to the top 70 articles in public administration. Third, we compare the relative impact factors between the Canadian and Australian journals in public administration and other social sciences. Our results show that contemporary Canadian studies have limited influence in the international scholarly community.

Twinned careers: Public sector practitioners in public administration teaching and research

AbstractScholarship in Canadian public administration programs takes many forms. One of these is the contribution made by practitioners. Yet very little is known about this group and, with the exception of Kenneth Kernaghan's articles, there is little Canadian literature on practitioner‐scholars. Taking Kernaghan's work as a starting point, we explore the contribution of practitioner‐scholars and shed light on their background and contribution to public administration scholarship. Our study finds that practitioner‐scholars are well‐qualified and engaged public administration professionals whose contribution is much broader than that first described by Kernaghan.

Is This A Club We Want To Join? Reflections of “Punching below its weight” and “The global relevance of Canadian public administration”

Is This A Club We Want To Join? Reflections of “Punching below its weight” and “The global relevance of Canadian public administration”

An uncomfortable conversation: Reflections on “Punching below its weight” and “The global relevance of Canadian public administration?”

Canadian Public AdministrationVolume 61, Issue 3 p. 411-415 Original Articles / Articles originaux An uncomfortable conversation: Reflections on “Punching below its weight” and “The global relevance of Canadian public administration?” Susan D. Phillips, Susan D. PhillipsSearch for more papers by this author Susan D. Phillips, Susan D. PhillipsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 25 October 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/capa.12289Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume61, Issue3September 2018Pages 411-415 RelatedInformation

Bringing the transgovernmental in: the public service in the Canada-United States relationship

This article examines an often-overlooked dimension of Canada-United States relations : relations between Canadian and American public servants. Meetings between political leaders of Canada and the US may make front-page headlines, but it is the myriad of networks and interconnections between Canadian and American public servants that constitute the lion’s share of bilateral activity. Notwithstanding the multitude of daily cross-border, inter-departmental, and inter-agency interactions, there has been relatively little systematic theoretical or empirical attention to the public sector dimension of Canada-US relations. Public administration scholars tend to train their sights on the domestic level and pay little or no attention to the public management dimension of international affairs. A recently edited volume studying contemporary Canadian public administration does not examine these relations. International relations scholars, for their part, tend to oversimplify domestic politics and policy institutions. This text contributes to bridging this gap in the literature. It builds on the concept of transgovernmentalism, relations between legislative, executive, regulatory, and judicial players with their international counterparts. It examines the mechanisms and processes by which public sector players interact across borders (e.g., informal relations, formal agreements, joint organizations, etc.). The article explores the relationship between the degree of bilateral policy coordination in a policy field or issue area and the mechanisms of transgovernmental activity characterizing cross-border relations in that policy domain.

Kenneth Kernaghan and Canadian Public Administration: Editor's Note and Remembrances

Kenneth Kernaghan and Canadian Public Administration: Editor's Note and Remembrances

Pour un débat plus large sur l'influence de la religion dans l'administration publique canadienne

Two articles published in a previous issue of the journal arrive at different conclusions concerning government funding for religious organisations. On the one hand, Vander Zaag (2013) states that there is no increase in funding while our article (Audet Paquette, and Bergeron 2013) finds that there has indeed been an increase since the arrival of the Conservative government. Aside from pointing out the methodological differences between the two studies, this article seeks to clarify several fundamental points that will, we hope, ignite an enriching debate on the new directions of Canadian foreign aid policy. This article agrees that the influence of religious groups in Canadian public administration is considerable and deserves further attention.

Public engagement in the Web 2.0 era: Social collaborative technologies in a public sector context

AbstractThis article examines how social collaborative technologies have changed the nature and scope of e‐participation, showcasing several popular modes of engagement. It argues that the main implementation barriers to social media adoption are not technological, but rather organizational, cultural, and administrative. While there is enormous potential for Web 2.0 and associated social media tools to expand public engagement, the design of such initiatives must recognize that in digital environments influence is earned through social reputation, not bureaucratic authority.SommaireCet article examine comment les technologies de collaboration sociale ont changé la nature et l'envergure de la participation en ligne, en mettant en valeur plusieurs modes populaires de mobilisation. Il fait valoir que les principaux obstacles à l'adoption des médias sociaux ne sont pas technologiques, mais plutôt organisationnels, culturels et administratifs. Alors que le Web 2.0 et les outils de médias sociaux connexes présentent un énorme potentiel d'accroître la mobilisation du public, la conception de telles initiatives doit reconnaître que dans les environnements numériques, on acquiert de l'influence grâce à sa réputation sociale et non à son autorité bureaucratique.

The state of talent management in Canada's public sector

AbstractFor more than a decade, senior officials from across Canada's public sector have identified the capacity to “recruit and retain highly‐trained, qualified staff” as central to public service renewal and success in the 21st century. And yet, despite the consensus behind this priority, students of Canadian public administration know little about the strategies and programs that are in place to attract, recruit, retain and transition key public servants in this country. This article tries to address this gap by describing talent management, one approach to getting “the right people in the right place at the right time” currently in use in British Columbia, Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The article concludes with some observations about the present and future of talent management in Canada's public sector.

The Evolving Physiology of Government: Canadian Public Administration in Transition (review)

The Evolving Physiology of Government: Canadian Public Administration in Transition (review)

Canadian Public Administration

Canadian Public AdministrationVolume 53, Issue 1 p. 137-137 Canadian Public Administration First published: 28 March 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-7121.2010.00120.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume53, Issue1March 2010Pages 137-137 RelatedInformation