Public Policy

public policy

courses of action to achieve public goals

types of public policy

constitutional, regulatory, (re-)distributive, provisional

constitutional policies

establish new institutional or organisational operations

regulatory policies

define government control in specific cases

Provisional policies

create specific facilities or provisions

Network society

digitalisation, growing connectedness and interdependencies, highly dynamic environment

Liquid society

individualisation, de-institutionalism, more freedom and uncertainty, public opinion volatile and shaped by media trends and cultural hypes

Risk society

shift from natural risks to manufactured risks, reflexive policymaking, risk calculus and engineering risks

Hollow state

decline of the central state’s control over society, shift from government to governance, policies shift upwards, outwards, downwards

Rationalist Perspective

knowledge-based problem solving, policy can be improved through data, analysis and expertise

Political Perspective

Power and Interests, policy results from political conflicts and negotiations among actors

Institutional Perspective

rules and structures, policy shaped by formal/informal institutions and path dependencies

Constructivist perspective

framing and meaning making, policy is constructed through discourse, symbols and social narratives

Policy Problems

difference between a benchmark and the conception of the existing or expected situations

Policy Problem: High knowledge, high consensus on benchmarks

tamed problems

Policy Problem: low knowledge, high consensus on benchmarks

(un-) tameable scientific problems

Policy Problem: high knowledge, low consensus on benchmarks

(un)tameable ethical problems

Policy Problem: low knowledge, low consensus on benchmarks

wicked problems

Agenda Setting

process by which certain issues come to attract political or public attention

Multiple Streams Framework (Kingdon)

explained how problems enter the agenda, 3 separate streams must align: problem stream, policy stream, political stream

Problem stream

recognition of an issue as a problem

Policy stream

development and promotion of potential solutions

Political Stream

state of public opinion, media attention, political leadership and electorates

Agenda Setting Rational Setting

Problems are discovered through new facts, bounded rationality, barrier model

Agenda Setting Political Perspective

Multiple Streams Model, Advocacy Coalition Framework, Mobilisation of Bias

Agenda Setting Cultural Perspective

Policy Frames, Policy Narratives, Policy Controversies

Agenda Setting Institutionalism

Path Dependency, Negative Feedback, Venue Shopping

Bounded rationality

policymakers can only devote attention to a limited number of issues at the same time

Barrier Model

problems must overcome several barriers before they reach the policy agenda

Advocacy Coalition Framework

emphasises that policy processes are influenced by coalitions of actors who share similar beliefs

Mobilisation of Bias

policy agenda doesn’t emerge neutrally

Policy Frames

involves defining what the problem is, identifying its causes, specifying the target groups and proposing solutions

Policy Narratives

stories through which policy problems are made understandable and persuasive

Intractable Policy Controversies

different groups frame same problem in fundamentally different

Path Dependency

institutions are path dependent and foster continuity, often resistant to change

negative feedback

preserves the status quo by diverting attention away from challenges, ignoring emerging issues

venue shopping

debate is shifted to institutional arenas

three main types of policy instruments

legal instruments, economic instruments, communicative instruments

legal instruments (sticks)

coercive and binding rules

economic instruments (carrots)

financial incentives or disincentives

communicative instruments (sermons)

information and persuasion

selecting policy instruments rational perspective

instruments to achieve policy goals

selecting policy instruments political perspective

instruments as powerful resource

selecting policy instruments cultural perspective

emphasise specific frames to sell the instrument

selecting policy instruments institutional perspective

stemming from traditions of governmental interventions

Policy formulation + decision making rational perspective

rational policy theory, cost-benefit analysis, effectiveness, decisions by a central actor

Policy formulation + decision making political perspective

policy as a struggle, conflict and negotiation, battle for policy between actors

Policy formulation + decision making cultural perspective

central role of language, symbols and metaphors, decisions based on persuasion and discussion

Policy formulation + decision making Institutional perspective

path dependent, logic of appropriateness, logic of consequence, application of questions: does it work, fit, appropriate, allowed?

causal model (rational, policy development + development)

identifies the root causes of a problem and how these causes produce negative outcomes

intervention model (rational, policy development + development)

maps our how specific actions can be used to achieve desired results, within a particular context

Homo Economicus

people as rational actors

Coalitions and Power dynamics (political, policy development + decision)

advocacy coalitions forms by actors who share common beliefs and pool resources

incrementalism (political, policy development + decision)

decision making as the process of muddling through, continues mutual adjustment of goals, means and criteria

garbage can (political, policy development + decision)

decision making in the context of organised chaos, de-coupling of problems and solutions

story telling (cultural, policy development + decision)

influences interpretations of a story, personalised experiences, visualisations

Group think (cultural, decision making )

inward looking process, importance of social cohesion and conflict avoidance

Symbolic use of policies (cultural, decision making )

making choices without substance, symbolic decisions give meaning by showing policy makers are aware

Logic of Consequence (Institutional, decision making )

does It work? question about effectiveness, efficiency and coherence , Is it allowed? question regarding the rule of law

Logic of appropriateness (institutional, decision making )

is it applicable?, can a policy deal with specific circumstances, the legitimacy of the government

Path dependency (institutional, decision making )

decision makers follow already existing rules, routines and procedures because they’re established, pre determination of relevancy

Policy implementation

putting policies into practice in order to achieve a policy foal, perceived as a black boy between decision-making and evaluation

Rational Perspective policy implementation

Administrative implementation, top-down guidance to street-level bureaucrat, implementation with high certainty and high consensus, command and control, single loop learning

Political Perspective policy implementation

Political implementation, poly centric monitoring, naming and shaming, triple-loop learning

Cultural Perspective policy implementation

symbolic implementation, double loop learning

Institutional Perspective policy implementation

Institutional process, organised dependencies, StLB-ScLB-SyLB, Polycentric monitoring, checks and balances

Top Down logic (Rational Perspective Policy Implementation)

implementation as a structured, hierarchical process governed by clear goals and formal procedures

Mechanical Bureaucracy (Rational Perspective policy implementation)

standardisation, formalisation, centralisation, Pro: efficient and systematic; Con: bureaucratic alienation, red tape

Administrative implementation (Rational Perspective policy implementation)

high certainty on intervention, high consensus on goals and means

Supervision and enforcement (Rational Perspective policy implementation)

repressive supervision: noncompliance can be detected and punished, vertical, hierarchical model, single loop banning

Enforcement Rational Perspective - policy implementation

based in command and control, information flows in one direction (top-down)

Bottom-up approach (political Perspective Policy implementation)

reinterpreting and making new policies on the ground, development through implementation

Street Level Bureaucrats (SLBs) (political Perspective Policy implementation)

civil servants working on the frontline of society, apply policy in direct interaction with people

Organic bureaucracy (political Perspective Policy implementation)

shared responsibilities and mutual dependencies, horizontal and vertical information relations

Political implementation (political Perspective Policy implementation)

high certainty on intervention but low consensus regarding goals/means

Supervision and enforcement (political Perspective Policy implementation)

polycentric supervision, triple-loop learning

Symbolic implementation (Cultural Perspective Policy implementation)

some policies are symbolic in essence without real implementation and enforcement

Model of Implementation (Cultural Perspective Policy implementation)

certainty about goals and consensus over intervention are low, development and implementation are intertwined

Supervision and enforcement (Cultural Perspective Policy implementation)

supportive supervision, government as coach + partner in dialogue, double-loop learning

Implementation (Institutional Perspective Policy implementation)

design of procedures, routines and systems, difficult to change once established

Bureaucracy and model of implementation (Institutional Perspective Policy implementation)

success depends on implementing organisation and organisational dependencies, pigeon-holing, increasing role of ICT

Supervision and enforcement (Institutional Perspective Policy implementation)

meta-supervision, self-regulation and self-reflection, polycentric supervision, triple-loop learning

Public Affairs

strategic management of an organisation’s relationships with governments, policymakers and public stakeholder

Policy Evaluation Rational Perspective

evidence-based assessment, effectiveness, efficiency, consistency, emphasis on smart goals

Policy Evaluation Political perspective

Politics of Evaluation, Dominant coalitions, Advocacy coalitions, instrumental use of evaluation, network analysis

Policy Evaluation Cultural Perspective

Interpretation over measurement, Policy stories/narratives, framing, intersubjectivity, responsive evaluation

Policy Evaluation Institutionalism Perspective

multi-rationality, 4 evaluation question, institutional embedding

Policy Evaluation

process of assessing whether public policies achieve their intended goals, efficiency and consequences

Evaluation purposes

fact-finding, accountability, legitimacy, agenda attention, learning

Efficiency (Policy Evaluation Rational Perspective)

are the goals achieved at the lowest cost?

Effectiveness (Policy Evaluation Rational Perspective)

are the policy goals achieved? Was the problem solved?

Consistency and coherency (Policy Evaluation Rational Perspective)

has the policy been coherent and consistent over time? internal and external consistency

Multiculturalism case (Policy Evaluation Rational Perspective)

measuring the effects of multicultural policies in terms of labour market outcomes

Measuring challenges (Policy Evaluation Rational Perspective)

causality, intended and unintended effects, incubation time, measurement issues

Political feasibility (Policy Evaluation Political Perspective)

policy is successful if it maintains enough backing to be implemented, network analysis as key evaluation method

Politics of Evaluation (Policy Evaluation Political Perspective)

evaluation will always be carried out from a specific, normative perspective

4 guiding questions (Policy Evaluation Institutional Perspective)

did the policy work, was it applicable, was it allowed, was it appropriate

Methods (Policy Evaluation Institutional Perspective)

multiple stakeholder analysis, evaluation embedded into existing policy structures and organisations

Narrative constructions (Policy Evaluation Cultural Perspective)

success and failure are shaped through stories, images and metaphors

Perception over statistics (Policy Evaluation Cultural Perspective)

public belief in a policy’s success can matter more than empirical data