Ian Roberge is Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University Heather McKeen-Edwards is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Bishop’s University.Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn is Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy in the Department of International Relations and International Organization, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Groningen.

“Much public policy in Europe and North America can be described as ‘ineffective’. From plastic waste management to bitcoin regulation, governments design policies that don’t do the job they are intended for, with bad outcomes for society. This diverse group of scholars brings new conceptual depth and compelling empirical insight to ‘ineffective policy’. Their efforts give a fresh perspective on just how far we have to go in Europe and North America to develop genuinely ‘good’, effective policies.” Matthew Wood, University of Sheffield

• 1. 1.Ineffective policies: causes and consequences of bad policy decisions - Ian Roberge, Heather McKeen-Edwards and Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn2. Giving serious thought to bad policy and the state of democracy - Mariëlle Wijermars and Ian RobergePart 1: Ineffective policies, contested goals3. From good to bad? The contested desirability of economic growth - Matthias Kranke4. What a bad policy idea! Exploring views on wind farms in Italy - Alberto Asquer5. Satoshi meets the state: bad policy in Uncle Sam’s initial encounters with Bitcoin and distributed ledger technology - Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn6. Toronto’s failed smart city: intellectual property, data, and bad governance - Natasha Tusikov7. Letting the solution define the problem: Canada’s COVID Alert app as a case of failed policy - Blayne HaggartPart 2: Ineffective policies, negative outcomes8. Toxic growth in the circular economy: is the EU Plastics Strategy a bad policy? - Jacob Hasselbach9. The environment, megacity growth and ineffective policy: housing policy reform in Ontario - Mark Winfield and Madison Stirling10. Death by a thousand clarifications: how the Volcker Rule’s inevitable ambiguity makes it easy to erode and hard to defend while leaving the power of banks unchecked - Erin Lockwood11. Borrowing money from the fringes: the problematic regulation of payday loans in Canada and the US - Heather McKeen-Edwards Part 3: The bad impacts of ineffective policies12. Bad policies and the erosion of trust in comparative perspective - David K. Jesuit and Thomas J. Greitens13. The path forward: addressing bad policy for the sake of good policy - Ian Roberge