How Ottawa Spends, 1994-95: Making Change

Joseph Garcea is an assistant professor of political studies at the
University of Saskatchewan.

This 15th annual review of government expenditures and policies contains
several essays dealing with aspects of the government’s efforts to
foster, or end, innovations in various policy fields. What links these
essays on a wide range of topics is an interest in the factors that
facilitate or inhibit expenditure and policy innovation. The authors
focus primarily on the role of ideas, institutions, and interests.

Attention is paid to the critical role played in innovation by royal
commissions, values and political discourse, citizens and experts, and
attentive publics. Also included are analyses of innovation in the
“Public Service 2000” exercise; the Green plan; and the Native,
educational, and employment-training programs. Appendices provide a
comparative profile of the federal government’s fiscal position. The
book will appeal to those interested in the issue of innovation in
governance. It is written in clear and concise academic jargon.