A Comparative Analysis of Nonprofit Policy Network Governance in Canada

Abstract

Across Canada, provincial governments and nonprofit network leaders are engaged in a “third wave” of consultations, policy dialogues, and policy alignment strategies. Unexplored to date is how nonprofit policy networks are governed and structured. Network structures could have important implications for policy management and any bilateral collaboration agreements with provincial governments. This is a new point of analysis for both public administrators and nonprofit network leaders. The alignment of network governance in four structural dimensions is analyzed, as are parallel nonprofit policy network structures within provincial governments and select nonprofit policy outcomes. RÉSUMÉ Au Canada, les gouvernements provinciaux et les dirigeants de réseaux à but non lucratif se sont engagés dans une « troisième vague » de consultations, dialogues politiques et stratégies d’alignement politique. Inexplorée jusqu’à ce jour est la manière dont les réseaux d’action publique à but non lucratif sont gouvernés et structurés. Pourtant, la structure des réseaux pourrait avoir des implications importantes pour la gestion politique et tout accord de collaboration bilatérale avec les gouvernements provinciaux. Il s’agit ici d’un nouveau sujet d’analyse, tant pour les administrateurs publics que pour les dirigeants de réseaux sociaux. Cet article évalue la division en quatre dimensions structurales de la gouvernance des réseaux, les structures parallèles des réseaux d’action publique à but non lucratif au sein des gouvernements provinciaux et certains résultats émanant de politiques à but non lucratif.

Impact of Senior Government Policies on the Renewal of Built Capital for Rural Non-Profits

“…With our interest in built capital, these policy and funding structures from senior levels of government have resulted in the under reporting of overhead and infrastructure costs, as well as unrealistic expectations guiding investments to support infrastructure renewal (Gregory & Howard, 2009;Schubert & Boenigk, 2019). At the same time, organizations are also subject to increased accountability, transparency, and efficiency pressures (Elson, 2015), as well as capital pressures that are "shaped by institutional expectations and the pursuit of legitimacy" (Barman, 2016, p. 449). This compels groups to adopt specific rules or structures as they seek legitimacy and support from the state (Barman, 2016).…”

Do Subnational Governments Fund Organizations in Neoliberal Times? The Role of Critical Events in Provincial Funding of Women’s Organizations

“…Research on Quebec, in Canada, shows that the province continued to fund women’s organizations in the face of national austerity policies (Masson, 2015). Organizations in that province did not experience the same level of precariousness as those in other regions because of Quebec’s long tradition of funding community groups and organizations (Elson, 2015; Masson, 2004, 2006). This is in part linked to its nationalist movement and its focus on building an autonomous state (Bégin, 1992; Béland & Lecours, 2014).…”