Seck Tan

The distribution of analytical techniques in policy advisory systems: Policy formulation and the tools of policy appraisal

The literature on policy analysis and policy advice has not generally explored differences in the analytical tasks and techniques practiced within government or between government-based and non-government-based analysts. A more complete picture of the roles played by policy analysts in policy appraisal is needed if the nature of contemporary policy work and formulation activities is to be better understood. This article addresses both these gaps in the literature. Using data from a set of original surveys conducted in 2006–2013 into the provision of policy advice and policy work at the national and sub-national levels in Canada, it explores the use of analytical techniques across departments and functional units of government and compares and assesses these uses with the techniques practiced by analysts in the private sector as well as among professional policy analysts located in non-governmental organizations. The data show that the nature and frequency of use of the analytical techniques used in policy formulation differs between these different sets of actors and also varies within venues of government by department and agency type. Nevertheless, some general patterns in the use of policy appraisal tools can be discerned, with all groups employing process-related tools more frequently than “substantive” content-related technical tools, reinforcing the procedural orientation of much contemporary policy work identified in earlier studies.

Impact of Disasters and Disaster Risk Management in Singapore: A Case Study of Singapore’s Experience in Fighting the SARS Epidemic

Singapore is vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters alongside its remarkable economic growth. One of the most significant disasters in recent history was the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. The SARS outbreak was eventually contained through a series of risk mitigating measures introduced by the Singapore government. This would not be possible without the engagement and responsiveness of the general public. This chapter begins with a description of Singapore’s historical disaster profiles, the policy and legal framework in the all-hazard management approach. We use a case study to highlight the disaster impacts and insights drawn from Singapore’s risk management experience with specific references to the SARS epidemic. The implications from the SARS focus on four areas: staying vigilant at the community level, remaining flexible in a national command structure, the demand for surge capacity, and collaborative governance at regional level. This chapter concludes with a presence of the flexible command structure on both the way and the extent it was utilized.

Framework for valuing the utilization of the environment

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to apply a methodology (drawn from the literature) to value the environment as a capital. Design/methodology/approach - – The main analytic framework considered is a factor utilization function, which traditionally deals with labour and manufactured capital. The development of a three-factor function in terms of labour, manufactured capital and environmental capital enables the display of mistaken notions of economic performance. Findings - – The purpose of this illustration is to identify the patterns of environmental capital utilization as an economy grows. Although there are some differences in the patterns of environment utilization between Australia and Canada, the patterns observed are in line with that of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Practical implications - – This illustration is made with reference to two commodity-driven economies, namely, Australia and Canada. The findings could be used as a point of reference for resource rich economies. Originality/value - – This paper illustrates an approach for valuing the environment as an economy grows. This approach is applied to two selected resource rich economies and the findings demonstrate traits similar to that of the EKC.

Understanding Singapore’s Development and Its Relevance to the Free Port of Vladivostok

This chapter proposes a blueprint for the development of the Free Port of Vladivostok that draws upon the experience of Singapore. Vladivostok is a small town, with a population of about 600,000 people, located amid economic giants of a dynamic Pacific region. Similarly, Singapore is a small, nimble city-state, with a population pushing 6,000,000 people, in Southeast Asia; nestled amongst a mix of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbours. Like Singapore, Vladivostok seeks to capitalise on her geographical location and replicate the development success of Singapore. This chapter highlights the attributes of Singapore’s economic progress and how the Free Port of Vladivostok can overcome its development hurdles by considering the milestones of the city-state’s achievements. The chapter begins with exploring the background of the Russian Far East and the Free Port of Vladivostok, and continues with a discussion on the experience of Singapore’s development trajectory. Relevant cases regarding the Free Port of Vladivostok and medical tourism will be presented concurrently with policy recommendations and potential constraints, which conclude this chapter.

Policy formulation, policy advice and policy appraisal: the distribution of analytical tools

At its heart, policy analysis is what Gill and Saunders (1992, pp. 6‒7) have characterized as ‘a method for structuring information and providing opportunities for the development of alternative choices for the policymaker’. An important part of the process of policy formulation, policy analysis involves policy appraisal: providing information or advice to policymakers concerning the relative advantages and disadvantages of alternative policy choices (Mushkin 1977; Wildavsky 1979; Sidney 2007; Howlett et al. 2009). Such advice comes from a variety of different actors operating in a wide range of venues both internal and external to government. And policy workers operating in these venues employ many different types of analytical techniques or ‘policy formulation tools’ in this effort (Mayer et al. 2004; Colebatch et al. 2011). These tools generally are designed to help evaluate current or past practices and aid decision making by clarifying or eliminating some of the many possible alternative courses of action mooted in the course of policy formulation. They play a significant role in structuring policymaking activity and in determining the content of policy outputs and thus policy outcomes (Sidney 2007) and are a worthy subject of investigation in their own right. Unfortunately, although many works have made recommendations and suggestions for how formulation should be conducted (Vining and Weimer 2010; Dunn 2004), very few works have studied how it is actually practiced, on the ground (Colebatch 2005 and 2006; Colebatch and Radin 2006; Noordegraaf 2011). This lack of knowledge is generally true of many of the tasks and activities involved in policy formulation (DeLeon 1992;

Sustainable development: an empirical illustration for Saudi Arabia

The aim of this paper is to highlight the shortcoming of the standard macroeconomic framework when environment is ignored in the implementation of traditional policy practices. Many studies have identified pollution by commenting on the damages inflicted on the environment. In response, regulatory policies have been proposed to rectify and address the economic and health impacts. However, there have been very few studies centred on valuing environmental degradation and internalizing the cost of degradation to selected macroeconomic frameworks. The empirical illustration in this paper seeks to demonstrate the ease with which environmental degradation is internalized in a simple Keynesian framework with reference to a leading Gulf State – Saudi Arabia. The analysis of environmental degradation is confined to air shed depreciation in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from greenhouse gases and data is from World Development Indicators for the years 1980 to 2012. By utilizing the Keynesian framework, two income levels can be identified that is, the standard income (Y*) and sustainable income (Y**) which takes into consideration environmental depreciation. It is observed that the Kingdom’s environmental depreciation is rising for the time period on a trend basis. One important observation is the clear divergence of Y* and Y** where Y* is overstated relative to Y**. This supports the observation that Saudi Arabia’s standard income (Y*) may not be sustainable for future economic development and the Kingdom should employ sustainable income (Y**) to measure economic progress for the formulation of sustainable development policies. There are two key policy implications for the Kingdom from this study. Firstly, the Kingdom should shift away from non-renewables to renewables and whilst the renewables are being assessed for their reliability and feasibility as sources of energy; the immediate priority should focus on enhancing non-renewables efficiency and minimizing environmental degradation. Secondly, environmental capital should be maintained by investing in environmental technologies and reviewing energy options as these could potentially expand the Kingdom’s capacity through aggregated expenditure.

Valuing the Environment and Its Impact on Formulating Environmental Policies

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the significant differences that would emerge in policy formulation, when environmental capital is explicitly accounted for in macroeconomic analyses. These differences are illustrated with reference to two Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economies, namely Australia and Canada. The main analytic framework considered is a factor utilization function, which traditionally deals with labor and manufactured capital. The development of a three-factor function in terms of labor, manufactured capital and environmental capital enables the display of mistaken notions of economic performance. That is in the absence of environmental capital, policy makers overstate the performance of labor and manufactured capital. The recognition of mistaken level of economic performance with reference to labor and manufactured capital in standard macroeconomic analyses enables the identification of policy avenues to protect and enhance environmental capital. As illustrated in this paper, the implications of developing and applying environmental-macroeconomic framework for formulating environmental and climate change policies are significant.

Crises and Disasters in Singapore: What Matters? Or Does It?

Having achieved an export led exponential economic growth, Singapore remains vulnerable to both natural disasters and economic crises. One significant public health crisis that impacts Singapores economy is the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. Another crisis of significant impact is the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) 2007-2008. This paper illuminates the impact of a public health crisis (SARS) and an economic crisis (GFC) on the Singapore economy. The comparison between these two extreme events is made based on the financial market, macro economy, property sector, and tourism trade. The respective policy responses to both SARS and GFC are discussed and contrasted with regards to the economic recovery.

The 'Lumpiness' Thesis Revisited: The Venues of Policy Work and the Distribution of Analytical Techniques in Canada

This paper contributes to the understanding of analytical practices and tools employed by policy analysts involved in policy formulation and appraisal by examining data drawn from 15 surveys of federal, provincial and territorial government policy analysts in Canada conducted in 2009-2010, two surveys of NGO analysts conducted in 2010-2011 and two surveys of external policy consultants conducted in 2012-2013. Data from these surveys allow the exploration of several facets of the use of analytical tools ranging from more precise description of the frequency of use of specific kinds of tools and techniques in government as well as their distribution between permanent government officials and external policy analysts. As the paper shows, the frequency of use of major types of analytical techniques used in policy formulation is not the same between the three types of actors and also varies within government by Department and issue type. Nevertheless some general patterns in the use of policy appraisal tools in government can be discerned, with all groups employing process-related tools more frequently than ‘substantive’ tools related to the technical analysis of policy proposals.

Environmental Taxation for a Sustainable Future: Perspectives from Environmental Macroeconomics

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the significant differences that would emerge in policy formulation, when environmental capital is explicitly accounted for in macroeconomic analyses. These differences are illustrated with reference to the Australian economy. The main analytic frameworks considered are the aggregate demand and supply framework and the factor utilisation function – which traditionally deals with labour and manufactured capital. The development of a three-factor utilisation function in terms of labour, manufactured capital, and environmental capital enables the display of mistaken notions of economic performance. That is in the absence of environmental capital; policy makers over-state the performance of labour and manufactured capital. As illustrated in the paper, the implication of developing and applying environmental-macroeconomics framework for formulating sustainable development policies is significant.