Public Inquiries

A Scholar's Engagements with the Policy-Making Process

By Michael J. Trebilcock
Categories: Political Science, Public & Social Policy, Law & Legal Studies, Law & Society, Business, Economics & Industry, Economics
Series: UTP Insights
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Hardcover : 9781487551155, 136 pages, July 2022
Ebook (PDF) : 9781487553975, 136 pages, June 2022
Ebook (EPUB) : 9781487556679, 136 pages, June 2022

Table of contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part A: The Role of Ideas, Interests, and Institutions in the Canadian Policy-Making Process
I. Ideas and Interests in Shaping Public Policy
II. Where Ideas and Interests Intersect: Mapping the Policy-Making Terrain
A. An Overview
B. Standing and Semi-permanent Policy Advisory Bodies
C. Parliamentary Committees
D. Ad Hoc Commissions of Inquiry
a) Historical Origins
b) The Legal Basis of Commissions of Inquiry
c) Forms of Inquiries
d) The Frequency and Sectoral Scope of Commissions of Inquiry
e) Strengths of Commissions of Inquiry
f) Critiques of Commissions of Inquiry
E. Ad Hoc Government Task Forces

Part B: Personal Reflections on Engagements with the World of Ideas and Interests in Public Inquiries
I. Consumer Protection Policy
II. Competition Policy Reform
III. Regulation of Professional Services
IV. Property Rights and Development
V. Trade Policy Reform
VI. Legal Aid Reform
VII. Electricity Sector Reform in Ontario
VIII. Future Role of Government in Ontario

Part C: Lessons Learned (the Hard Way)
I. Serendipity
II. Short-Termism
III. Policy-Oriented Ad Hoc Public Inquiries
a) Terms of Reference
b) Leadership
c) Composition
d) Process 
IV. Investigative/Hybrid Ad Hoc Public Inquiries
V. Positive Theories of the Public Policy-Making Process Revisited
VI. Concluding Thoughts

Notes
Index

Description

An internationally renowned scholar of law and economics, Michael J. Trebilcock has spent over fifty years teaching and researching at the intersection between ideas, interests, and institutions. In Public Inquiries, Trebilcock reflects on his extensive experiences and sheds light on the role of scholars in engaging with the Canadian public policy-making process.

Drawing on a number of case studies, Public Inquiries gives an informed overview of the role of ideas and interests in shaping the policy-making process. Trebilcock takes readers through his personal experiences and what he has learned throughout his career. He puts forward general lessons about the public policy-making process and reform in areas including consumer protection, competition policy, trade policy, electricity reform, and legal aid.

By showing that not all experiences have been triumphant, and that disappointments can be as revealing as successes, Trebilcock draws out personal lessons and insights with a view to improving the structure and effectiveness of public inquiries.