Article

The politics of policy design

Details

Citation

Cairney P (2021) The politics of policy design. EURO Journal on Decision Processes, 9, Art. No.: 100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejdp.2021.100002

Abstract
This article highlights a major disconnect between the theory and practice of policy design. It provides a contrast between two ways to envisage design in political science. The first focuses on functional requirements and techniques, highlighting what policymakers need to do and the steps they use. The second focuses on theories and empirical studies that situate policy design within the wider study of policy processes, highlighting a major gap between requirements and outcomes. These approaches should complement and inform each other, but rarely do. Most policy theories treat classic descriptions of policy design (such as making policy via series of steps or stages) as divorced from reality, and only useful as ideal-types to contrast with what actually happens. Policy theories may be more accurate, but very few provide equivalent practical lessons (and most do not try). If so, what are the prospects of bringing together these literatures? The article examines two kinds of theory-informed policy design: theories at the service of analysis or sources of critical analysis and cautionary tales.

Journal
EURO Journal on Decision Processes: Volume 9

StatusPublished
FundersUK Energy Research Centre and European Commission (Horizon 2020)
Publication date31/12/2021
Publication date online23/11/2021
Date accepted by journal15/11/2021
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/33787
ISSN2193-9438
eISSN2193-9446

People (1)

People

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor, Politics

Projects (2)

IMAJINE
PI:

The impact of multi-level policymaking on the UK energy system
PI: