scholarly journals Defining wicked problems for public policy: The case of Mexico’s disappearances

2020 ◽  
pp. 64-80
Author(s):  
Monica Naime
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Problematic Situation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Heuristic Devices

Wicked problem literature is increasingly popular, but empirical studies about its relation to public policy are scarce. Additionally, there is no consensus on the convenience of Public Administration as policy makers addressing wicked problems by artificially defining and structuring them. The purpose of the paper is to address these gaps, specifically how, in practice, governments handle wicked problems. Two possible alternatives are discussed: either policy makers are rational, or rather they use heuristics for problem definition. The research focuses on problem definition as part of the policy process. In particular, how the definition of the particular wicked problematic situation was reflected in legislation: disappearances in Mexico. The case shows that forced disappearances is an heterogeneous phenomenon that can be considered a wicked problem, which further increases the complexity of policies that aim to tackle it. Also, results of applying congruence tests show that policy-makers structure wicked problems when defining them, but after a certain amount of energy has been spent on this task, policy makers employ heuristic devices. This contributes to understand how flesh and bone decision-makers build public policies.

Public Policy Making and Public Policy Analysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee S. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Public Policy Analysis ◽  
Professional Class ◽  
The Many

This chapter reviews the development and growth of the policy-analytic profession. Historically, government decision makers have often called upon those with expertise to assist them in reaching their decisions. This chapter, however, concerns a new professional class of advisors that began developing during the 1950s in the United States. This new profession assists policy makers in understanding better their alternatives and relevant considerations for choosing among them. From here, the chapter offers some perspective on the research to date that has attempted to assess the effects of the profession—a perspective that emphasizes some important differences across the many types of governmental settings that utilize policy analysis, and the methodological difficulties that assessment efforts confront.

scholarly journals Energy Efficiency as a Wicked Problem

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrik Thollander ◽  
Jenny Palm ◽  
Johan Hedbrant
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Barriers To Energy Efficiency ◽  
Critical Model ◽  
Energy Efficiency Potential

Together with increased shares of renewable energy supply, improved energy efficiency is the foremost means of mitigating climate change. However, the energy efficiency potential is far from being realized, which is commonly explained by the existence of various barriers to energy efficiency. Initially mentioned by Churchman, the term “wicked problems” became established in the 1970s, meaning a kind of problem that has a resistance to resolution because of incomplete, contradictory, or changing requirements. In the academic literature, wicked problems have later served as a critical model in the understanding of various challenges related to society, such as for example climate change mitigation. This aim of this paper is to analyze how the perspective of wicked problems can contribute to an enhanced understanding of improved energy efficiency. The paper draws examples from the manufacturing sector. Results indicate that standalone technology improvements as well as energy management and energy policy programs giving emphasis to standalone technology improvements may not represent a stronger form of a wicked problem as such. Rather, it seems to be the actual decision-making process involving values among the decision makers as well as the level of needed knowledge involved in decision-making that give rise to the “wickedness”. The analysis shows that wicked problems arise in socio-technical settings involving several components such as technology, systems, institutions, and people, which make post-normal science a needed approach.

scholarly journals À propos du contrôle social de la politique énergétique

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-736
Author(s):  
Louis Constans
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Freedom Of Choice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Parliamentary Debates ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
Made In

This paper attempts to clarify the basic issues underlying the discussion of citizens' participation in public decision-making on energy policy and projects. It questions the assumption that such participation is possible, and recalls that energy policy is at present, at least in the French context, an area of conflict between government and various interest groups. It warns of possible misunderstandings due to the lack of an agreed definition of participation. Three major points are made in this connection. The first is that the usual instruments of citizens' participation in decision-making (public inquiries, parliamentary debates, etc.) have, for a number of technical and institutional reasons, become largely irrelevant as regards energy matters — as indeed in several other areas of policy. The second is that decision-making on energy policy and projects really allows for very little freedom of choice on the part of decision-makers : such freedom rarely goes beyond the setting of time-frames for the achievement of goals imposed by circumstances. Finally, it is suggested that invocation of the ideals of democracy is unhelpful : what is realistically possible amounts only to a greater openness and objectivity in decision-making processes aimed at giving citizens, not an illusory power to decide themselves or to block decisions by policy-makers, but the capacity to forewarn the latter about public feelings on energy issues.

scholarly journals Frames and counter-frames giving meaning to palliative care and euthanasia in the Netherlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baldwin Van Gorp ◽  
Gert Olthuis ◽  
Anneleen Vandekeybus ◽  
Jelle van Gurp
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Framing Analysis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Medical Progress ◽  
Heavy Burden ◽  
Axial Coding ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Background Based on the case of palliative care and euthanasia in the Netherlands, this paper presents an analysis of frames and counter-frames used in the ongoing public debate about these two intertwined topics. Each (counter)frame presents a cultural theme that can act as a prism to give meaning to palliative care and/or euthanasia. Each frame comprehends a different problem definition, consequences and policy options. Typical word choices and metaphors are identified that can evoke these frames and the underlying reasoning. The frames do not belong to a specific stakeholder but a pattern can be seen in their use that is related to interests and ideology. Methods An inductive framing analysis was conducted of 2,700 text fragments taken from various Dutch newspapers, websites of stakeholders and policy documents in the period 2016–2018. After an extensive process of thematic coding, axial coding, selective coding and peer review seven frames and seven counter-frames about palliative care and euthanasia were constructed. Fifteen experts in the field of palliative and/or end-of-life care commented on the overview during a member check. Results Two frames about palliative care were constructed: the Fear of death frame, which stresses the hopeless ‘terminality’ of palliative care and the Heavy burden frame, in which palliative care is too big a responsibility for the relatives of the patient. In addition, two counter-frames were constructed: palliative care as a contributor to Quality of life and Completion. With regard to euthanasia, five frames were identified that lead to a problematising definition: Thou shalt not kill, Slippery slope, Lack of willpower, I am not God, and Medical progress. Five counter-frames offer a non-problematising definition of euthanasia in the debate: Mercy, Prevention, Triumph of reason, Absolute autonomy, and Economic utility thinking. Conclusions The debate in the Netherlands on euthanasia and palliative care is characterized by a plurality of angles that goes beyond the bipolar distinction between the pros and cons of euthanasia and palliative care. Only with an overview of all potential frames in mind can an audience truly make informed decisions. The frame matrix is not only useful for policy makers to know all perspectives when joining public debate, but also to health care workers to get into meaningful conversations with their patients and families.

Information utilization by policy-makers in Nigeria, Part I: Assessing degrees of information consciousness

1982 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 203-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson O. Aiyepeku
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Information Utilization ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
The Status ◽  
Functional Context ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Definition Of Information

Four measures of 'information consciousness' were identified. and the extent to which federal civil servants in Nigeria related to these measures was determmed. The conclusion was that public policy-makers in Nigeria did not generally have as high a level of 'information conciousness' as they might, but that this level was not as low as had been expected. Most respon dents had the most appropriate, most comprehensive definition of information in a functional context, but a large proportion also did not understand what the definition was all about. It would appear that the educational background and the status of respondents were the most important explanatory variables for their recognition and use of 'gatekeepers of knowledge' as well as the extent to which information was an acknowledged component in analysing their decision situations and their familiarity with expatriate sources of developmental informa tion on Nigeria.

scholarly journals And How Would That Make You Feel? How People Expect Nudges to Influence Their Sense of Autonomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Wachner ◽  
Marieke A. Adriaanse ◽  
Denise T. D. De Ridder
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Autonomous Choice ◽  
Choice Satisfaction ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
Negative Expectations

ObjectiveWhile nudges are increasingly utilized in public policy settings, their potential threat to autonomous choice is the topic of heated debate. Regardless of the actual effects of nudges on autonomy, the mere perception of nudges as autonomy threatening by the general public or policy makers could negatively influence nudge acceptability. The present online studies examined how people expect (different) nudges to affect their perception of autonomy.MethodsIn the first study (N = 455), participants were presented with a hypothetical choice that employed either a default nudge, direct persuasion, or no persuasion, to steer to the desired choice. The presented influence technique was explained before participants reported their expected autonomy, as well as their expected choice satisfaction. Study 2 (N = 601) involved a replication of Study 1 with an additional social norm nudge condition. In Study 3 (N = 750), the explanation of how choice had been influenced was omitted.ResultsWhile participants expected the default nudge to violate autonomy (Study 1), they had no such expectations for social norm nudges (Study 2). Omitting the explanation that most people are unaware of nudges influencing their choice, reduced the negative impact of nudges on expected autonomy (Study 3).ConclusionEffects of nudges on expectations of autonomy differ by type of nudge. Negative expectations are primarily driven by the explanation that decision makers are often unaware of nudges.

scholarly journals Public Policy and Constitutional Rights in Times of Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmett Macfarlane
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Equality Rights ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
The Relationship

Federal and provincial policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic raise a host of constitutional issues that decision makers must pay heed to or risk serious violations of individual rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This research note will examine a number of policy challenges as they relate to mobility rights (s. 6), legal rights (ss. 7 through 14), and equality rights (s. 15) and will articulate the factors that policy makers should consider in design and implementation. Other important constitutional questions, such as those relating to the division of powers, emergency powers and the relationship between the executive and Parliament, have also emerged in Canada but are beyond the scope of this note.

The Government Taketh Away: The Politics of Pain in the United States and Canada.

2006 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 196-198
Author(s):  
Donald Abelson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Military Bases ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Tax Benefits ◽  
The Government ◽  
Definition Of

The Government Taketh Away: The Politics of Pain in the United States and Canada., Leslie A. Pal and R. Kent Weaver, eds., Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003, pp. xii, 340.Compiling edited collections is notoriously difficult because editors and contributors frequently work from a different script. The result is that instead of producing a coherent volume which addresses a particular theme, readers are often left with a collection of scholarly papers that share little in common. What may have started as a project with a single goal and focus can quickly disintegrate into a patchwork quilt. This major problem has been avoided in Leslie Pal and Kent Weaver's edited book, The Government Taketh Away: The Politics of Pain in the United States and Canada, a sophisticated and richly detailed analysis of how decision-makers in the two countries attempt to introduce policies that may adversely affect the economic, social and political interests of various groups while trying to minimize political fallout. As the title of this book suggests, the editors are not concerned about why policy makers reward certain sectors and groups in society. After all, common sense dictates that politicians need votes and attempt to acquire them by appealing to the broadest segment of the population. In this book, the focus is on how policy makers, when faced with potential opposition from different groups, make strategic decisions that result in the imposition of losses. Although the editors do not offer a concrete definition of loss, examples include policy decisions that result in the de-indexation of old age pensions, the closure of military bases and the retraction of tax benefits. This book is not an indictment of government—the editors acknowledge that in democracies politicians must often make difficult choices that will help some and hurt others. Rather, it is a thorough exploration of how decision makers make these decisions and how various groups and sectors react.

scholarly journals Bridging the gap: reflections on theorizing with managers

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 1153-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S.H. Leeflang
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Marketing Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Quantitative Studies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on Nenonen et al.’s paper on theorizing with managers. This paper discusses differences between marketing science and marketing practice and gives suggestions to reduce the theory–praxis gap. It gives examples of quantitative studies that have been performed with practioners and use the choices proposed by Nenonen et al. to draw conclusions. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on personal experience of the author, which is supported by a substantial number of empirical studies. Findings Cooperation with marketing managers/decision-makers is most successful when the initiator is the practitioner. Public policy and litigation are the most promising areas for cooperation. It is difficult to publish the outcomes of these “joint” studies in top journals. Originality/value This study extends and continues the results of the study by Nenonen et al.

Non-linear causal modelling in social marketing for wicked problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Domegan ◽  
Patricia McHugh ◽  
Brian Joseph Biroscak ◽  
Carol Bryant ◽  
Tanja Calis
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Cognitive Mapping ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Causal Modelling ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Modelling Techniques

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how non-linear causal modelling knowledge, already accumulated by other disciplines, is central to unravelling wicked problem scoping and definition in social marketing. Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an illustrative case study approach, highlighting three real-world exemplars of causal modelling for wicked problem definition. FindingsThe findings show how the traditional linear research methods of social marketing are not sensitive enough to the dynamics and complexities of wicked problems. A shift to non-linear causal modelling techniques and methods, using interaction as the unit of analysis, provides insight and understanding into the chains of causal dependencies underlying social marketing problems. Research limitations/implicationsThis research extends the application of systems thinking in social marketing through the illustration of three non-linear causal modelling techniques, namely, collective intelligence, fuzzy cognitive mapping and system dynamics modelling. Each technique has the capacity to visualise structural and behavioural properties of complex systems and identify the central interactions driving behaviour. Practical implicationsNon-linear causal modelling methods provide a robust platform for practical manifestations of collaborative-based strategic projects in social marketing, when used with participatory research, suitable for micro, meso, macro or systems wide interventions. Originality/valueThe paper identifies non-linear causality as central to wicked problem scoping identification, documentation and analysis in social marketing. This paper advances multi-causal knowledge in the social marketing paradigm by using fuzzy, collective and interpretative methods as a bridge between linear and non-linear causality in wicked problem research.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document