Securing executive attention for new policy demands is notoriously difficult as governmental agendas are crowded by established or 'core' policy issues. This article investigates whether it is harder for new and costly policy issues to reach the government agenda when the economy is performing badly. It examines whether, and the extent to which, costly gender equality issues regarding women's access to the labour market, equal treatment at work and care activities, are more likely to achieve executive attention when the economy is performing well. Using the Comparative Policy Agendas database, a systematic, quantitative analysis is conducted of when and why policies promoting sex equality in the division of labour reach executive agendas. The findings confirm that advocacy for costly gender equality measures is easier to make in times of economic growth. It is also found that female representation in parliament strengthens advocacy for executive attention and reduces friction on policy agenda change.
Journal Article ‘Acceptable Difference’: Diversity, Representation and Pathways to UK Politics Get access Catherine Durose, Catherine Durose * 1University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK *Correspondence: c.durose@bham.ac.uk Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Liz Richardson, Liz Richardson 2University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Ryan Combs, Ryan Combs 2University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Christina Eason, Christina Eason 3University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Francesca Gains Francesca Gains 2University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 66, Issue 2, April 2013, Pages 246–267, https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gss085 Published: 23 December 2012
This article seeks to explain the attitudes of bureaucrats to the redesign of their bureaus by their elected principals. The starting point is a puzzle that a constitutional change in English local government, which was designed to enhance the influence and role of leading local politicians, resulted with bureaucrats as its most enthusiastic champions. The article explores explanations of this response, drawing on the deliberate discretion or policy conflict model of Huber and Shipan and on the bureau-shaping model of Dunleavy. By finding support for the bureau-shaping model, as well as the objectives of implementation efficiency and career advancement, we argue that bureaucrats may regard the increase in political power as a way of realising other objectives they value.
One of the features of British politics since the last General Election has been the widening of the gender gap in terms of voting intentions, with women more likely to back Labour. Here, the Conservatives have a blind spot, according to Claire Annesley and Francesca Gains, with their failure to support gender equality in a number of ways holding the potential to cost them dear electorally.
Claire Annesley and Francesca Gains show that government attention for gender equality issues is higher when economic indicators are positive. In tough economic times, not only do women bear a heavier burden, but policies to close the gender gap are generally off the agenda – unless external pressure can be applied.
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