NCJ Number
95153
Date Published
1980
Length
59 pages
Annotation
This monograph explores why proposals for ombudsmen offices only emerged after 1957 and how these proposals came to be made in Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.
Abstract
A survey of writings in English on ombudsmen before 1957 demonstrates that few English-speaking people were demonstrates that few English-speaking people were aware of the Scandinavian ombudsmen, largely because little was written in English and even the literature in Scandinavian languages was not abundant. The author then identifies and discusses persons who publicly proposed or otherwise worked independently for the adoption of an ombudsman law in each of the five countries. Seven conditions prerequisite to individuals' proposing an ombudsman system are identified: perception of a social need, judgment that existing policies inadequately satisfy that need, awareness of a possible policy hitherto not proposed within the political system, judgment that this innovation is an effective way to satisfy that need under certain conditions, judgment that these conditions exist in one's own society, judgment that innovation is preferable and not incompatible with other policies, and communication of the innovation to others. All the ombudsman innovators were members of the middle class, and most had a university education. While their occupations varied, all had access to information and ideas beyond the norm, were sensitive to change, and had access to powerful institutions. Finally, the ombudsman was introduced to the English-speaking world almost solely by past or present academics. Timing is also critical for the success of an ombudsman proposal, and access to influential policymaking institutions will be useless if other factors are not present which make policymakers receptive to a new idea. The paper includes 139 footnotes.