Search Results

The theoretical framework of public problem remains quite discreet in geography, even though it is very classical in sociology and political science. Yet it seems useful to analyse conflictual situations regarding space, its sharing and its planning, as well as their (non-)resolution by public policies. The paper proposes to build on this framework to study a problem lasting for over a century: the deprivatization of the shores of Lake Geneva (Switzerland/France) and Lake Annecy (France). The paper reconstitutes the slow and difficult construction of the public problem and then analyses the strategies used to activate or circumvent the existing political rules. Drawing on this case study, we emphasize on the non-linearity of the construction and resolution of the problem and invite to shift the focus on the multiple retroactions between the early (framing, publicization) and late (agenda setting, public policies) stages of the classical model.

Keywords: problème public, stratégies d'activation des règles, privatisation littorale, accès public, lacs, public problem, law activation strategies, shoreline privatization, public access, lakes

Difficulties in defining think tanks complicate efforts to count them and construct meaningful samples, while attempts to define them more precisely often apply arbitrary distinctions. These difficulties are also tied to fundamental ambiguities concerning the nature of their political, scientific, and technocratic functions. This article compares four Canadian organizations (the Mowat Centre, the Parkland Institute, the Manning Centre, and the Broadbent Institute) to discover the dimensions that make up the think tank as a social type. The approach was to examine cases on the fringes of the figure of the think tank in order to assess the hypothesis according to which the tendency of an organization to juggle the logics of different fields (here academic and political) or to be absorbed in the logic of a single field modulates its willingness and capacity to adopt the identity of a think tank. Results suggest an association between a connection to the cultural category of the think tank and the ability of an organization to maintain, sometimes delicately, a dual commitment toward research and action without merging into either of these fields. They suggest that attention to the parameters of variation of these organizations may guide the formulation of more systematic sampling criteria. They also support the idea that the hybrid posture favoured by think tanks is of strategic significance for acting in different arenas of public policy.

Keywords: think tank, définition, classification, typologie, échantillonnage, rôle(s), think tank, definition, classification, typology, sampling, role(s)

Since 1992, the official government line in favour of more environmentally friendly agriculture has resulted in an increase in the number of public policy instruments and measures aimed at getting farmers to change their practices. The portfolio of optional agro-environmental measures has grown considerably. But in Réunion, the options made available by agricultural institutions for operationalizing these agro-environmental measures are limiting farmers' range of action and creating a paradox : in trying to meet profitability goals, public agricultural agencies continue to target large-scale professional farmers, further marginalizing small-scale informal operators who are not part of regular administrative networks, even though they are a potential source of even greater pollution than the large-scale operators, as well as constituting an essential part of the fabric of Réunion rural life.

The legalization of recreational use of cannabis introduced in Uruguay and Colorado is a major shift in the history of public policies aiming to control the use of this substance. A comparative approach of both processes shows however that the concept of “legalization” is not enough to encompass what is really going on. Distinct and diverging philosophies and national and political traditions have greatly influenced the way those processes have emerged and developed. The place and role of the state as well as the importance of market mechanisms in the regulation process illustrate some of these differences. As these two ongoing experiments highlight, the choice of legalization may also translate antagonist visions of the society or the world grounded in very specific national traditions.

Keywords: cannabis, légalisation, politiques publiques, marché, État, libéralisme, marijuana, legalization, public policies, market, State, free market, cannabis, legalización, políticas públicas, mercado, Estado, liberalismo

The comparative analysis of Quebec's social policies has developed through two types of approaches : explicative and qualificative. This article proposes a comparative analysis of Quebec's strategy to fight poverty and social exclusion, a perspective which is not often adopted in light of these two approaches. This double comparison makes it possible, on the one hand, to evaluate the weight of Quebec's strategy as an explicative factor for social inclusion policies (through a comparison with EU-15 member states) and, on the other hand, to analyze more precisely the political choices of Quebec's strategy (compared to those of Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Nova Scotia).

Older adults constitute what may be called a privileged “clientele” of the State: old-age health and retirement programs are in fact core policies of the welfare state. However, ageing policies in industrialized countries have increasingly converged since the 1990s towards the home as space of predilection for ageing. These new social policies face a very different environment from that of the golden age of the post-war welfare state. This article proposes to examine how these policies adapt (or not) to the new social, demographic and budgetary challenges of the present and, therefore, it aims to shed light on what they reveal about the wider transformations of the welfare state in the 21st century. The analysis rests upon a comparative study of Quebec and France and it relies on a review of scientific, institutional and professional documents. Three main trends have been observed: the ambiguity of the objectives pursued by these policies, the contradictory visions of the expected roles of individuals, families and the State, and the adoption of informal strategies so that these policies “work” despite their missing resources.

Keywords: politiques de maintien à domicile, État-providence, managérialisation des politiques, Québec, France, home-care policy, Welfare State, Public policy managerialization, Quebec, France

This article seeks to understand the causes and context of the “transition” towards sustainable urban mobility that has been implemented since the early 2000s in Mexico City despite the rather unfavorable political climate. Based on an ethnographic survey, it analyzes the “process of translation” that members of a cycling collective initiated in the 90's. Although they initially occupied a marginal position within the political parties' networks, these actors gradually manage to put the “transition” towards sustainable mobility on the agenda by promoting expert and international resources. Through professionalization strategies and entryism in the local government, they manage to boost the development of low-pollution public transportation modes. Facing the persistent contradictions of public action in this area, they finally seek to use this insertion in the political-administrative field in order to guarantee the autonomy of their contribution, by setting up a new legal framework dependent on the specific resources of international expertise. The analysis of this process underlines the need to study “transition trajectories” in the light of the social trajectories of actors who promote them. The “transition” to sustainable mobility is thus conditioned in Mexico by a transformation of the space of urban policies production, affected by the emergence of actors carrying new legitimacy operating shifts and exchanges between different fields. These movements show, more than an opposition between local political capital and international expertise, the complex logic of transfer between these two types of resources.

Keywords: transition écologique, trajectoires sociales, processus de traduction, politiques publiques, mobilité durable, Mexico, expertise, ecological transition, social trajectories, process of translation, public policies, sustainable mobility, Mexico, expertise