Showing papers in "Policy and Politics in 2018"

Three habits of successful policy entrepreneurs

Abstract: Kingdon’s multiple streams approach is popular because its metaphor and flexible concepts can be applied empirically in most contexts. However, this feature is also its weakness. Most scholars apply MSA superficially, without describing its metaphor’s meaning or connecting concepts to empirical results. This article solves this problem by producing one MSA narrative from a diverse collection of empirical studies. Our hero is the ‘policy entrepreneur’ who knows that the pursuit of ambitious aims such as ‘evidence-based policymaking’ requires framing a problem, having a solution ready, and exploiting the motive and opportunity of policymakers to select it.

The lessons of policy learning: types, triggers, hindrances and pathologies

Abstract: Policy learning is an attractive proposition, but who learns and for what purposes? Can we learn the wrong lesson? And why do so many attempts to learn what works often fail? In this article, we provide three lessons. First, there are four different modes in which constellations of actors learn. Hence our propositions about learning are conditional on which of the four contexts we refer to. Second, policy learning does not just happen; there are specific hindrances and triggers. Thus, learning can be facilitated by knowing the mechanisms to activate and the likely obstacles. Third, learning itself is a conditional final aim: although the official aspiration of public organisations and politicians is to improve on public policy, policy learning can also be dysfunctional – for an organisation, a policy, a constellation of actors or even democracy.

Narratives as tools for influencing policy change

Abstract: Policy & Politics • vol 46 • no 2 • 217–34 • © Policy Press 2018 Print ISSN 0305 5736 • Online ISSN 1470 8442 • https://doi.org/10.1332/030557318X15230061022899 Accepted for publication 05 March 2018 • First published online 16 April 2018 This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits adaptation, alteration, reproduction and distribution without further permission provided the original work is attributed. The derivative works do not need to be licensed on the same terms.

Why advocacy coalitions matter and practical insights about them

Abstract: Traditional scholarship on political engagement has emphasised political parties, interest groups and social movements as ways to influence public policy. This paper highlights the particular role of advocacy coalitions as another conduit for political engagement. Drawing from scholarship associated with the Advocacy Coalition Framework, we offer a way to think about political contexts through coalitions, policy subsystems and political systems, and the attributes of politically engaged actors. It is one of the first attempts to draw practical lessons about the theory of coalitions and, thus, to facilitate better governance and politics as well as the advancement of scholarship.

The impact of management consultants on public service efficiency

Abstract: Public sector organisations often make use of management consultants in policy implementation, but we know little about the outcomes. The paper reports one of the first quantitative evaluations of the impact of consulting advice on efficiency of public sector organisations. We employ an extensive dataset covering English NHS acute care hospital trusts over a four-year period. Based on PCSEs estimations, the findings show a significantly positive relationship between consulting expenditure and organisational inefficiency. These results lend support to critical accounts of management consulting, highlighting the need for organisations to be circumspect in deciding whether and how to use these services. Watch a vodcast by one of the authors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw8S8D70DDg.

Drawing practical lessons from punctuated equilibrium theory

Abstract: I am a political scientist specializing in public policy, the bureaucracy, and regulatory politics. I teach courses in public policy, agenda setting, regulatory policy, and research methods. I also provide statistical consulting in the private sector, specializing in the grocery oral category. My current academic projects examine congressional bureaucracies, the regulatory politics of education policy, and agenda setting in food policy. Skills & Experience Policy research, data management, statistical analysis & modeling, presentation, reporting & data visualization, machine learning Project Management, grant writing, team leadership & coordination, public speaking Market, sales, and inventory analysis, reporting, and visualization, data-driven decision-making and management Languages: , , Beamer, SAS, SPSS, VBA, SQL, Markdown/CSS, Applications: Rstudio, WinEdt, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, SQLite, MS Access • • • • R LT X A E •

Identifying attitudes to welfare through deliberative forums: the emergence of reluctant individualism

Abstract: This article uses deliberative forums to examine attitudes to UK welfare futures. It makes methodological, empirical and theoretical contributions to the field. We demonstrate the value of the approach, provide insights into attitudes, in particular about priorities and how people link ideas together, and show how the UK’s neo-liberal market-centredness fits with enthusiasm for state health care and pensions, desire to close national labour market to immigrants and approval of government interventions to expand opportunities for those who make the effort. Findings point to the strength of the work ethic and individual responsibility alongside a regret that major and highly-valued state services appear unsustainable, the construction of immigrants as simultaneously a burden on provision and unfair labour-market competitors and backing for the development of a ‘new risk’ welfare state through social investment. The study reveals the complexity of responses to current challenges in an increasingly liberal-leaning welfare state.

Using cultural theory to navigate the policy process

Abstract: Cultural Theory’s (CT) four ‘cultural biases’ hold an intuitive appeal and empirical resonance for policy scholars as they seek to make sense of complex policy contexts. Yet research applications of CT are often hampered by superficial classifications and a lack of operationalisable measures. This article solves these problems, presenting valid measures in a ‘compass’ and ‘map’ to show how cultural patterns are both ‘internalised’ in individuals and ‘institutionalised’ in policy contexts. Key tensions here provide researchers with new interpretive tools to promote better questioning, learning and adaptation within particular policy environments, including opportunities for research impact through practical, ‘institutional work’.

Elite capture of local participatory governance

Abstract: Elite capture is a major barrier to citizen engagement in local governance processes in many developing countries. Data from six case studies of development initiatives in Bangladesh show that, in spite of attempts by aid donors and others to ensure citizen participation, programmes are dominated by a nexus of local elites including MPs and bureaucrats. Local stakeholders do not understand the value that direct citizen participation can bring, and citizens are unaware of their rights and wary of challenging elites. Monitoring of requirements for citizen participation is weak, and the management of some programmes deters participation. Representatives are sometimes selected by elites and legal frameworks are not sufficiently strong or enforced consistently. We conclude that a range of additional and effectively implemented policy measures are required to reduce the extent and effects of elite capture in developing countries.