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Sustainability and local government: the case of the British Columbia Islands Trust

Article Abstract:

In recent years environmental values have undergone a popular and political resurgence, one of the central components of which is a demand for greater public participation, especially enhanced local control. This development has important implications for theoretical thinking in public administration. The present article examines the experience of the British Columbia Islands Trust, an innovative example of local administration which is most relevant to the quest for new environmentally sustainable forms of administration as a result of its unusual mandate ("to preserve and protect") and its locally based planning approach. The article describes the Trust area, reviews the genesis of the Trust in the 1960s and its history to the present, describes its structure, and assesses public attitudes to it. The article draws practical lessons from the Trust experience, noting in particular the powerful effect of merging a conservationist mandate with locally based planning even in the absence of more formal indicators of institutional authority (such as budget, scope of immunity). The article concludes with a consideration of the theoretical implication for public administration of the Trust experience, noting especially the potential for greater decentralization and democratic participation in planning processes. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Environmental policy, British Columbia, Public administration

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Business Government Relations in Canada: A Conceptual Map

Article Abstract:

The complicated analytical structure of analyses of business and government relations in Canada is reviewed. A conceptual framework is promulgated which distinguishes the substance of business-government interdependence and the link of value congruences and power balances. Two types of analysis are differentiated: that based on macro- societal issues, and that based on micro-relationships between various leaders and organizations. Comparisons of approaches to these issues are highlighted. Canada needs more empirical research on a broader research focus and framework, and less partisan input. Currently, Marxist ideology dominates research on business's internal structure and functions. Full disclosure of data is a major problem in this politically sensitive area of research.

Business, Laws, regulations and rules, Marxist economics

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Organizational competence in business-government relations: a managerial perspective

Article Abstract:

In this discussion of the relations between business and government, the emphasis is on non-economic external considerations which influence corporation decision makers. There has been little work in this area to date, and more research is needed into the components of government-business relations. Problems in the relations between government and business result from complicated causes and cannot be simplified.

Management, Industrial policy, Private sector, Public opinion, Public sector

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