Advising for impact: lessons from the Rae review on the use of special-purpose advisory commissions

: Ontario's recent Postsecondary Review, led by former premier Bob Rae, was dramatically more successful than previous reviews by special-purpose advisory commissions on postsecondary education conducted in Ontario. The authors argue that the success of special-purpose advisory commissions - defined as the extent to which a commission's recommendations are implemented in a timely way - is dependent on environmental variables (such as the economy, fiscal situation and political cycle), process variables (such as reporting relationships, characteristics of the commissioners and stakeholder strategies) and the political acuity with which the commission develops recommendations that can command broad public support. The Rae review benefited from political conditions that favoured stronger investments in postsecondary education, despite a difficult fiscal situation. The report also benefited from a stakeholder community that was able to put aside most internal differences for the sake of a perceived common good. Within this environment, the review created a highly focused process that involved extensive consultation, the support of expert panel members and frequent interaction with decision-makers. The review developed recommendations that were sensitive to long-standing patterns of public opinion, articulated new public goals, recognized the important role to be played by each major stakeholder and proposed a new institution to entrench positive change in the long term. This experience offers lessons for governments, stakeholders and future commissions on how to manage special-purpose advisory commissions in a way that maximizes their policy impact. Sommaire: La recente etude de l'education post-secondaire en l'Ontario, menee par l'ancien premier ministre provincial Bob Rae, a remporte beaucoup plus de succes que les etudes anterieures entreprises en Ontario par des commissions consultatives specialisees en education post-secondaire. Les auteurs pretendent que le succes des commissions consultatives specialisees - defini par la mesure dans laquelle les recommandations d'une commission sont mises en œuvre de facon adequate - depend de parametres environnementaux (tels que l'economie, la situation financiere et le cycle politique), de paramerres de traitement (tels que les rapports hierarchiques, les caracteristiques des commissaires et les strategies des intervenants) et de l'acuite politique avec laquelle la commission elabore des recommandations qui peuvent susciter une forte adhesion du public. l'etude Rae a beneficie d'un contexte politique favorable a de solides investissements dans l'education post-secondaire, malgre une situation financiere difficile. Le rapport a egalement tire parti d'une communaute d'intervenants qui ont pu mettre de cote la plupart de leurs differences internes au profit de l'interet commun. Dans ce contexte, l'etude a donne lieu a un processus hautement focalise qui a comporte de nombreuses consultations, l'appui des membres d'une commission d'experts, et de frequentes interactions avec les decisionnaires. l'etude a mis au point des recommandations sensibles aux tendances ancrees dans l'opinion publique, a formule de nouveaux objectifs publics, a reconnu l'importance du role a jouer par les principaux intervenants et a propose qu'une nouvelle institution garantisse des changements positifs a long terme. Cette experience offre des lecons aux gouvernements, aux intervenants et aux futures commissions sur la maniere de gerer les commissions consultatives specialisees afin de maximiser l'impact de leurs politiques.