A comparative analysis of the factors influencing policy divergence in liquor retail policies of Progressive Conservative governments in Alberta and Ontario in the 1990s.

摘要

This study examines the governments of Ontario and Alberta during the 1990s---two Progressive Conservative governments that shared similar neoliberal ideologies and a commitment to privatize government services. In Alberta, Premier Ralph Klein's government was successful in their attempt to privatize Alberta's liquor retail monopoly while in Ontario Premier Mike Harris' electoral commitment to sell the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) went unfulfilled. This study shows that neither ideology nor economics on their own are sufficient to move a policy forward and that institutional political factors are important in influencing policy-making. While political actors in Ontario were concerned about maintaining power in the short-term, they recognized the importance of implementing policies that were in line with the values and political culture of their citizenry.