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Jenny Stewart 1
Public Policy as Information
A research agenda
Professor Jenny StewartVisiting Fellow, School of Business, ADFA
9 April 2009
Jenny Stewart 2
My aims for today
To outline a major research project that will (I hope) change the way we think about public policy
To explore (from my perspective) where some of the ideas might go
To invite reactions from the School
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My proposition
We can significantly improve the effectiveness of public policy by understanding its content and processes as a form of information.
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I see implications for
Policy learning and evaluation Implementation Instrument choice Policy design As well as work in networks,
communicative theories of public policy
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My background Escaped public servant; academic
from 1993 As a public servant, struck by the
futility of much that we did How to connect with the problems
that we saw?
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Some examples Reports, submissions and briefs that
were never read by Ministers, let alone acted upon
Promising ideas that could not be ‘sold’ up the line
Simplistic solutions that became entrenched, not because they were good, but because they were convenient
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My intuition was ..
Bureaucratic hierarchy was a poor way of making policy
Our attempts at control often made matters worse
We needed new ways of conceptualising public policy
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The academic view (Dryzek) Policy capacity constantly tested
(response to global financial crisis one of many problems)
Conventional ways of ‘doing’ policy (ie through centralised politics and bureaucracy) may have reached their limits
New approaches (eg deliberative governance) needed but remain undeveloped
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Further examples of the problem
Unintended consequences when linkages overlooked or misunderstood (eg effects of privatisation on training)
Misdirected interventions because we misunderstand the system (eg r & d incentives)
Clumsy interventions because policy instruments too coarse (eg Commonwealth’s relationship to universities)
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What’s information
Reduction of uncertainty More nuanced understandings of info
eg Kenneth Boulding: information is ‘form’ or ‘pattern’ that conveys meaning
The act of communication builds meaning (contrast with information as commodity to be bought and sold)
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What’s policy?
Two key models Rational model (policy cycle) Structured interaction (see Colebatch
2002) Both have a role for information Rational model: collect information
about the world; analyse it; then use it within a causal model.
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Interaction models
Information is produced and used in many ways
It is the process that shapes the outcome
Hierarchy, markets and networks
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Hierarchy
Information flows upwards for decision, and downwards (and outwards) for implementation
Information is generated in functionally distinct parts of organisations
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Networks
Networks loose mechanisms for cooperation/collaboration
They can be ‘managed’ in various ways
Information flows are less constrained, less stylised than in the hierarchical bureaucracy
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Markets
Information most decentralised here. Prices are formed in ways that reflect
the information in people’s heads But this information moves, and is
used, in ways that are not controlled by any one mind (Hayek 1974)
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Public policies
Use all these modalities But often, not very well There is a fundamental problem
Accountability versus flexibility If we allow public servants more
freedom to respond to problems, we cannot also expect to retain highly centralised forms of decision-making
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A way forward?
To what extent do existing theories of public policy help us resolve this problem?
Systems theories (Easton, Luhmann) Communicative theories (Fischer) Networking theories (Kickert; Provan
and Milward) Governance-related theories (Dryzek)
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Systems theory Systems theory – the theory that died in
policy science? Eastman: simple model of the political
system Luhmann (theory of social differentiation
thru reflexivity of systems) Checkland (‘soft’ systems theory –
understanding organisational processes)
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Luhmann
Systems theory Luhmann: self-structuring properties of
networks Actors don’t know the full possibilities of
what they are doing: they emerge as communication develops
Increasing social complexity implies increasing complexity in government
But where does public policy fit in?
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If we start with policy Can we see public policy in general as a
form of information? Yes – policy systems respond to signals that
something is wrong (eg when regulation fails to work, we get a strong signal that we need better regulation)
Public policy is an attempt to structure complexity and manage risk (eg when we create a system of public education; or when we make superannuation compulsory)
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Processes that produce signals
Media commentary Informal communication Performance measurement Audit Evaluation Consultation
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Processes that produce systems
Implementing activities Eg Creating new organisations
Coordinating activities Eg specifying decision points
Resourcing activities Eg executing budgets
Motivating activities Eg incentives and regulations
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In more specific terms Policy is all about information flow When we talk about networks, we are
trying to capture this aspect of policy An information-based model of policy
might, therefore, try to understand the costs and benefits of different kinds of organisational connections in terms of signalling, response and action.
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PolicyAgency A
PolicyAgency B
ManagementAgency A
ManagementAgency B
Clients
Other agencies
Coordination
Fig 1 Relationships in conventional policy
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A
B
C
DE
ClientsClients
Fig 2 Networking model
Network shape determined by problem area
Agencies
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NetworkNode agency A
NetworkNode agency A
‘vertical’ accountabilityaxis
NetworkNode agency B
‘outwards’ accountability
Information flows
Other links
Agency A
Agency B
Figure 3 Polycentric nodality
‘vertical’ axis agency B
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Where to next?
I am hoping that I have the beginnings of a theory here
Or maybe a way of re-interpreting existing theory
Or maybe a ‘thought-starter’ - a way of stimulating new work on a variety of fronts
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References Colebatch (2002) Policy (2nd ed) Open University Press Checkland (1999) Systems theory, systems practice,
Wiley Dryzek (1987) Rational Ecology, OUP Easton (1965) A systems analysis of political life, Uni
of Chicago Press Hayek (1974) Nobel Memorial Lecture Kickert (1997) Management of Complex Networks,
Sage Luhmann (1982) Differentiation of Society, Columbia Provan and Milward (2000) ‘Governing the hollow
state’ Public Admin Research and Theory, 10(2)