Abstract
Two of the three large countries on the North American continent—the United States and Canada—share a number of similarities that often make it difficult for the untrained observer to differentiate between the two nations. On the surface, the two are structured similarly as federal systems that, by definition, exhibit shared power between the national government and provincial or state political entities.
Although there are other important social and economic characteristics of the two countries that help explain differences in policy processes and outcomes, it is the contention of this article that one gets the clearest sense of what Elazar has called “thinking federal” by utilizing an analytical approach that joins questions related to federalism with some conceptual frameworks of the public policy field. Two frameworks undergird the argument in this article—the Lowi typology of different types of policies and Deil Wright's typology of different models that describe the American inter-governmental system.
In both countries, policies must be sensitive to the greater interdependencies between units of government as well as to linkages between policy areas. The mechanisms or instrumentalities for dealing with policy issues are intrinsically complex. It is also clear that the intergovernmental networks that exist in both the U.S. and Canada are composed of an array of actors. The differing political structures of the systems do impact the types of intergovernmental policies that have emerged in the two countries. The executive dominance so imbedded in Canadian governments has contributed to their ability to adopt and implement certain controversial redistributive policies, such as a national health insurance program. By contrast, the fragmentation of the U.S. system makes redistributive policies more difficult.
Similar content being viewed by others
Reference
Agranoff, Robert J. (1986). Intergovernmental Management: Human Services Problem-Solving in Six Metropolitan Areas. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Agranoff, Robert. (1990). “Frameworks for Comparative Analysis of Intergovernmental Relations.” Occasional Paper #26, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, August.
Anton, Thomas J. (1984). “Intergovernmental Change in the United States: An Assessment of the Literature.” In Trudi C. Miller (ed.), Public Sector Performance: A Conceptual Turning Point. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Atkinson, Michael M. (1993). Governing Canada: Institutions and Public Policy. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Canada.
Banting, Keith. (1987). The Welfare State and Canadian Federalism, 2nd ed. Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Beer, Samuel H. (1973). “The Modernization of American Federalism.” Publius 3(Fall), 49–96.
Boase, Joan. (1982). “Regulation and the Paramedical Professions: An Interest Group Study.” Canadian Public Administration 25(3), 339–361.
Boase, Joan Price. (1994). Shifting Sands; Government–Group Relationships in the Health Care Sector. Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Bryson, John M., and Barbara C. Crosby. (1992). Leadership for the Common Good. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Cairns, Alan. (1977). “The Governments and Societies of Canadian Federalism.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 10, 695–725.
Edelman, Peter B., and Beryl A. Radin. (1991). Serving Children and Families Effectively; How the Past Can Help Chart the Future. Washington, D.C.: Education and Human Services Consortium.
Elazar, Daniel J. (1987). Exploring Federalism. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.
Haider, Donald H. (1974). When Governments Come to Washington. New York: The Free Press.
Hanf, Kenneth, and Fritz W. Scharpf. (1978). Interorganizational Policy Making: Limits to Coordination and Central Control. London and Beverly Hills: Sage.
Heclo, Hugh. (1979). “Issue Networks and the Executive Establishment.” In Anthony King (ed.), The New American Political System.Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
Krane, Dale. (1993). “American Federalism, State Governments, and Public Policy: Weaving Together Loose Theoretical Threads.” PS: Political Science & Politics, June, pp. 186–190.
Lowi, Theodore. (1964). “American Business, Public Policy, Case Studies and Political Theory.” World Politics 16, 677–715.
Lowi, Theodore J. (1972). “Four Systems of Policy, Politics and Choice.” Public Administration Review 32(July/August), 298–310.
Lowi, Theodore J. (1979). The End of Liberalism, 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
McRoberts, Kenneth. (1993). “Federal Structures and the Policy Process.” In Michael M. Atkinson (ed.), Governing Canada: Institutions and Public Policy. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Canada.
Peterson, Paul E. (1981). City Limits. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Presthus, Robert. (1973). Elite Accommodation in Canadian Politics. Toronto: MacMillan.
Pross, A. Paul. (1986). Group Politics and Public Policy. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
Radin, Beryl A. (1992). “Rural Development Councils: An Intergovernmental Coordination Experiment.” Publius: The Journal of Federalism 22(3), 111–128.
Radin, Beryl A., and Willis D. Hawley. (1988). The Politics of Federal Reorganization: Creating the U.S. Department of Education. New York: Pergamon Press.
Simeon, Richard. (1972). Federal–Provincial Diplomacy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Simeon, Richard (ed.). (1979). Confrontation and Collaboration·Intergovernmental Relations in Canada Today. Toronto: IPAC.
Simeon, Richard. (1980). “Intergovernmental Relations and the Challenges of Canadian Federalism.” Canadian Public Administration 23(2).
Simeon, Richard (ed.). (1985). Division of Powers and Public Policy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Smiley, D.V. (1979). “The Role of Interministerial Conferences in the Decision-Making Process.” In Richard Simeon (ed.), Confrontation and Collaboration·Intergovernmental Relations in Canada Today. Toronto: IPAC, pp. 78–88.
Smiley, D.V. (1980). Canada in Question, 3rd ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Smiley, D.V. (1987). The Federal Condition in Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Sutherland, Sharon L. (1993). “The Public Service and Policy Development.” In Michael M. Atkinson (ed.), Governing Canada: Institutions and Public Policy. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Canada, pp. 81–114.
Taylor, Malcolm. (1986). Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy: The Seven Decisions that Created the Canadian Health Insurance Program. Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Verney, D.V. (1986). Three Civilizations, Two Cultures. Durham: Duke University Press.
Wright, Deil. (1988). Understanding Intergovernmental Relations, 3rd ed. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Radin, B.A., Boase, J.P. Federalism, Political Structure, and Public Policy in the United States and Canada. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 2, 65–89 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010050314516
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010050314516