‘Stretched But Not Snapped’: A Response to Russell and Serban on Retiring the ‘Westminster Model’

Flinders, Matthew; Judge, David; Rhodes, R. A. W.; Vatter, Adrian

doi:10.1017/gov.2021.19

Cited by 25 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…There have been many critiques of the Westminster Model (Marsh et al 2003;Rhodes 1997) with some calling it muddled and subject to conceptual stretching beyond meaning (Russell and Serban 2021;Flinders et al 2022), while others suggest that it should be recognised as a narrative (Bevir and Rhodes 2003), but it continues to operate at a implicit if not explicit level in the field. Criticisms of the model reflect broader criticisms of the nature and evolution of the discipline since the nineteenth century.…”

Section: The Disciplinary Unconsciousmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dear British politics—where is the race and racism?

Akram

2023

Br Polit

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This article explores the neglect of race and racism in the discipline of British politics. I outline why this has happened, the consequences of such neglect and how it might be remedied. The article proceeds in four stages: First, it makes the case that British politics has neglected race and racism. I do this by showing that race does not feature within the core concerns of the discipline, and that despite the fact that race may be noted in the relationship between demography and representation, its status as a social construct is not addressed. Second, the article explores the question of disciplinary reflexivity. Drawing on Emirbayer and Desmond’s (2012) racial reflexivity framework, I delineate the disciplinary and scholastic unconscious of British politics, showing that the reliance on the Westminster Model obscures questions of race. Next, the article discusses the Sewell Report (2021), explicating its post-racism narrative, and draws parallels between the findings of the report and the study of British politics. The final section of the article outlines a framework for a British politics of race. The framework draws on critical race theory, and Britain’s imperial history of colonialism and empire-building and thus puts the study of race at the centre of the discipline.

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Section: The Disciplinary Unconsciousmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dear British politics—where is the race and racism?

Akram

2023

Br Polit

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“…More fundamentally, it is also evidence of the continued relevance of the "Westminster model". Our analysis suggests that political elites in these countries, facing broadly similar governance challenges and constitutional contexts, alighted upon a common solution in the form of cabinet rulebooks, which they crafted along similar lines and often in communication with each other (see also Rhodes et al, 2021).…”

Section: Cabinet Rulebooks As a Power Resource For Prime Ministersmentioning

confidence: 91%

The prime minister's constitution: Cabinet rulebooks in Westminster democracies

2022

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The transformation of governance in Westminster democracies is well documented. However, one aspect of their change that has not received much attention is the creation and publication of cabinet rulebooks. The few studies of cabinet rulebooks have focused on their potential constitutional implications, leaving unclear how their emergence fits within the broader development of Westminster governance. We address this gap in the literature by examining cabinet rulebooks in five Westminster democracies: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. We analyze their features and emergence, and then set out a framework to analyze their potential effects on cabinet dynamics. We find that the appearance of cabinet rulebooks can be tied to several forces of change in Westminster systems, but most especially the growth of government. Furthermore, we find that these rulebooks project an account of prime ministerial power that is favorable to the prime minister.

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“…To advance our knowledge of how governments manage PAS, we focus on the four countries within the shared "Westminster" Anglophone administrative tradition (Australia, Canada, UK and New Zealand) to test and advance the typology of PAS management forms. We acknowledge there are debates within the literature about the usefulness of the term "Westminster" (see Flinders et al 2022;Russell and Serban 2021). We do however accept that the Westminster tradition is based on shared principles, traditions, and key features, most notably: responsible government and strong cabinet government based on a fusion of the executive and parliament, individual and collective ministerial responsibility, the rule of law, and a permanent public service that is nonpartisan and professional (Grube and Howard 2016;Rhodes et al 2009;Richards and Smith 2002) i .…”

Section: Comparing Anglo Westminster Style Pas: Research Designmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…We acknowledge there are debates within the literature about the usefulness of the term “Westminster” (see Flinders et al. 2022; Russell and Serban 2021). We do however accept that the Westminster tradition is based on shared principles, traditions, and key features, most notably: responsible government and strong cabinet government based on a fusion of the executive and parliament, individual and collective ministerial responsibility, the rule of law, and a permanent public service that is nonpartisan and professional (Grube and Howard 2016; Rhodes et al.…”

Section: Comparing Anglo Westminster Style Pas: Research Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theorising policy advisory system management: approaches and practice

Marciano

Craft

2023

J. Pub. Pol.

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This article develops the concept of policy advisory system (PAS) management in recognition of the need to better theorise and empirically study how governments approach the complex systems of advice around them. In our analysis, we go beyond the conceptualisation of degrees of government’s “control” over advisory sources. We use the dimensions of government agency and discretion and argue that PAS management falls into four forms: authoritative, dependent, laissez-faire, or absent. Using evidence from Australia, Canada, Britain, and New Zealand, we explore how governments operationalise these approaches through a range of choices and practices. The analysis points to the need to recognise that attempts to manage these systems occur both proactively and reactively with clear differences in the broad or narrow scope of management efforts.

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‘Stretched But Not Snapped’: A Response to Russell and Serban on Retiring the ‘Westminster Model’

Cited by 25 publications

References 68 publications

Dear British politics—where is the race and racism?

Dear British politics—where is the race and racism?

The prime minister's constitution: Cabinet rulebooks in Westminster democracies

Theorising policy advisory system management: approaches and practice

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