Commissions Of Inquiry And Policy Change

This collection brings together leading Canadian scholars working in political science, public policy, and law to explore fundamental questions about the relationship between commissions of inquiry and public policy for the first time: What role do commissions play in policy change? Would policy change have happened without them? Why do some commissions result in policy changes while others do not? --

Commissions of inquiry are a vital and ubiquitous part of the Canadian policy landscape. Established to answer the tough questions, they have been charged with examining almost every aspect of public life. This collection brings together leading Canadian scholars working in political science, public policy, and law to explore fundamental questions about the relationship between commissions of inquiry and public policy for the first time: What role do commissions play in policy change? Would policy change have happened without them? Why do some commissions result in policy changes while others do not? In search of answers, Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change analyses ten landmark inquiries ranging across a variety of political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and legal issues. Filling a significant gap in the literature, this volume will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of Canadian political science, public policy, law, and history, as well as a broader audience of readers interested in commissions of inquiry and their role in Canadian policymaking.

An internationally renowned scholar of law and economics, Michael J. Trebilcock has spent over fifty years teaching and researching at the intersection between ideas, interests, and institutions. In Public Inquiries, Trebilcock reflects on his extensive experiences and sheds light on the role of scholars in engaging with the Canadian public policy-making process. Drawing on a number of case studies, Public Inquiries gives an informed overview of the role of ideas and interests in shaping the policy-making process. Trebilcock takes readers through his personal experiences and what he has learned throughout his career. He puts forward general lessons about the public policy-making process and reform in areas including consumer protection, competition policy, trade policy, electricity reform, and legal aid. By showing that not all experiences have been triumphant, and that disappointments can be as revealing as successes, Trebilcock draws out personal lessons and insights with a view to improving the structure and effectiveness of public inquiries.

A functional typology of commissions of inquiry / Patrick Butchard and Christian Henderson -- Hegemony and counter-hegemony : the politics of establishing United Nations commissions of inquiry / Michelle Farrell and Ben Murphy -- Lessons from two regional missions : fact-finding in Georgia and South Sudan / Rob Grace -- Domestic commissions of inquiry and international law : the importance of normative authority / Stephen Samuel and James A. Green -- Commissions of inquiry and traditional mechanisms of dispute settlement / Alexander Orakhelashvili -- Commissions of inquiry : courting international courts and tribunals / Christine Schwèobel-Patel -- The impact of international commissions of inquiry on the proceedings before the International Criminal Court / Triestino Mariniello -- The interplay between international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the practice of commissions of inquiry / Marco Odello -- Laying the foundations : commissions of inquiry and the development of international law / Shane Darcy -- Quo vadis? Commissions of inquiry and their implications for the coherence of international law / Russell Buchan -- Selectivity and choices in human rights fact-finding : reconciling subjectivity with objectivity? / Thâeo Boutruche -- Commissions of inquiry and procedural fairness / Alison Bisset -- A visible college : the community of fact-finding practice / Corinne Heaven.

Hundreds of commissions of inquiry have been struck in Canada since before Confederation, but many of their recommendations are never implemented. Reconciling Truths explores the role and implications of public inquiries, particularly their limits and possibilities in an era of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Providing examples and in-depth critical analysis of the leadership and process of various commissions, Kim Stanton offers practical guidance on how to improve their effectiveness. This forthright study affirms the potential of inquiries to create a dialogue about issues of public importance, paving the way for policy change and shifting the dominant Canadian narrative over time.

This Handbook presents the first comprehensive study of policy analytical practices in comparative perspective. It explores emerging developments and innovations in the field and advances knowledge of the nature and quality of policy analysis across different countries and at different levels of government by all relevant actors, both inside and outside government, who contribute to the diagnosis of problems and the search for policy solutions. Handbook chapters examine all aspects of the science, art and craft of policy analysis. They do so both at the often-studied national level, and also at the less well-known level of sub-national and local governments. In addition to studying governments, the Handbook also examines for the first time the practices and policy work of a range of non-governmental actors, including think tanks, interest groups, business actors, labour groups, media, political parties and non-profits. Bringing together a rich collection of cases and a renowned group of scholars, the Handbook constitutes a landmark study in the field.

In The Roles and Functions of Atrocity-Related United Nations Commissions of Inquiry in the International Legal Order, Catherine Harwood explores how United Nations inquiries navigate considerations of principle and pragmatism to discern their identity in the international legal order.