ABSTRACT
One of the most significant characteristics of Canada and the European Union (EU) is shared governance – between federal and provincial jurisdictions in Canada and between the Community level and member states in the EU. Policymaking in shared governance systems is more complex than in unitary systems as the question of who should take action is superimposed on the question of what should be done. Employment policy in Canada and the EU presents an interesting case study for comparing how shared governance works in practice. Over the past decade, both political systems have made significant changes to the institutional settings where policies are made, the constellation of actors that are involved, and the mechanisms used to manage their interaction and collective behavior.
