Big is different from little
On taking size seriously in the analysis of Canadian governmental institutions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9783263 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Graham White (0000-0002-2618-0586, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 526-550 |
| Publication date | 1990-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Public Administration (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-4840 • E-ISSN: 1754-7121 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1754-7121.1990.tb01416.x |
| OpenAlex | W2087108882 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 3 |
An institution's size is one of its most obvious and important features. This paper suggests that although analysts and practitioners are certainly aware that scale does matter, the consequences of size for comparative analysis of Canadian governmental institutions have been seriously under‐appreciated. To be sure, size is only one of a host of factors shaping our political institutions, but this should not discount its importance, which is both pronounced and widespread. The paper also raises the question of whether the great variations in size evident in Canada's governmental institutions — legislatures, cabinets, and bureaucracies — may not amount to differences in kind rather than degree. In short, the size of our governmental institutions matters, and it matters more than we usually imagine. Size may be relative or absolute. In this paper both dimensions are important. Both the ratio of the cabinet to the legislature and the number of elected members relative to the population have significant implications. So too, the absolute size of the cabinet and the number of bureaucrats are of substantial consequence. Sommaire: Les effets de la taille sur les institutions gouvernementales du Canada (parlements, cabinets et bureaucraties) sont reconnus sans être véritablement étudiés. Cet article analyse les structures des gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux pour identifier et explorer ces effets. On y affirme que les variations dans la taille des institutions gouvernementales du Canada revdent souvent une différence de nature plutôt que de degré. En ce qui concerne les Parlements, la taille affecte les procédures, la formation des comités, les rapports entre les députés et ceux avec I'exécutif. Dans les cabinets, elle influence le processus décisionnel, le rôle du premier ministre et les rernanie‐ments ministériels. Quant aux bureaucraties, la taille y exerce un effet sur les rapports entre les ministres et les fonctionnaires, sur la capacité de gérer avec souplesse et sur I'efficacité d'ensemble. Cet article ne constitue pas un plaidoyer favorable ou défavorable des institutions gouvernementales de taille plus petite; il rnontre qu'elles sont différentes, souvent fondamentalement. Entre autres, cela jette le doute sur I'idée que I'on se fait souvent des structures gouvernernentales des provinces, qui ne seraient que des versions réduites de celles du fédéral
Bureaucracy · Cabinet (room · Geography · Humanities · Legislature · Political science · Politics · Canadian Policy and Governance · Game Theory and Voting Systems · Law · Philosophy · Political Systems and Governance
Size and Executive-Legislative Relations in Australian Parliaments
Institutional Difference and Cultural Difference
The Unanticipated Consequences of Fewer Politicians
Parliamentary downsizing and legislative behaviour. Evidence from Italy
Fewer politicians and smaller assemblies
The Ultimate Horizontal Issue
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,19 |
| Citation span | 1994 - 2025 (32) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |