In this innovative analysis of how government works, Mark Sproule-Jones examines the underlying arrangements, or ‘rules’, that operate between levels of government and the execution of public policy.

He begins by identifying three levels of rules. Rules at the lowest or operational level determine how policies are delivered. Next, at the institutional level, are the rules that determine which institutions operate at the lowest level. Finally, rules at the constitutional level define which institutions can make the determinations. These layers are reproduced in multiple hierarchies throughout the national and international structures in which Canadian public policy operates.

The author then explores three public policies as they converge in one location: commercial shipping, pleasure boating, and a water-quality management in the harbour at Hamilton, Ontario. In the context of rule configurations, Sproule-Jones evaluates these public policies with reference to legal doctrine, technical matters, the operation of political institutions, and constitutional constraints.