政府机会主义决策:概念界定、多样性和解释

Opportunistic decision-making in government:concept formation, variety and explanation

机会主义的概念经常被宽泛地用于政策和行政管理领域关于行政决策的研究中,它的各种含义很少进行明确地区分。为了便于解释,本文提出了新的概念界定,并阐释这一概念,以便识别不同种类和程度的机会主义。为了说明精炼后的概念用法,本文考察了1945年到1990年间英国政府和核心执行者的关键决策。新涂尔干式制度理论可以帮助解释不同种类的机会主义是怎样在不同的秩序管理中发展的,从而为决策提供了新的视角。对实践工作者的启示这篇文章提供了一个框架,公共管理者可以借此判断其所服务的民选政治官员机会主义的程度和类型。这将有助于公共管理人员在执行政策时,识别与这些政策相关的风险。

The notion of opportunism is too often used loosely in policy and administrative research on executive decision-making:its various meanings are too rarely clearly distinguished.To make it useful for explanation,this article presents fresh concept formation work,clarifying the concept to recognize different kinds and degrees of opportunism.To illustrate the use of the refined concept,the article examines key decisions by British cabinets and core executives between 1945 and 1990.It proposes that neo-Durkheimian institutional theory can help to explain why different kinds of opportunism are cultivated in differently ordered administrations,so providing new insight into decision-making.Points for practitioners The article provides a framework through which public managers can identify degrees and types of opportunism among the elected politicians they serve.It will help public managers to identify risks associated with such decisions,when they are asked to execute them.