Debate: What is complex government and what can we do about it?

Citation

Cairney P (2015) Debate: What is complex government and what can we do about it?. Public Money and Management, 35 (1), pp. 3-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2015.986858

Abstract
‘Complex government' relates to many factors: the size and multi-level nature of government; the proliferation of rules, regulations and public bodies; a crowded arena with blurry boundaries between policy-makers and the actors who influence them; and general uncertainty when people interact in unpredictable ways within a changeable policy environment. Complex government is difficult to understand, control, influence and hold to account. This article considers it from various perspectives: scholars trying to conceptualize it; policy-makers trying to control or adapt to it; and scientists, interest groups and individuals trying to influence it

Journal
Public Money and Management: Volume 35, Issue 1

People

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor, Politics