Abstract
Public servants fulfil three distinct but related functions in policy-making: analysis, advising and advocacy. This book is a practical guide to effective public policy advising. While policy cycles and staged models of policy analysis provide useful reminders of things to think about, in practice, effective policy advising is less about cycles, stages and steps, and more about relationships, integrity and communication. Developing and applying the competencies for effective policy advising requires an apprenticeship of learning, practice and reflection—mastering the craft. A policy apprenticeship extends beyond what we know and can do, to who we are and developing ethical competencies for public service.
This chapter introduces:
-
Who this book is for and what it’s about;
-
Public servants as analysts, advisors and advocates;
-
Policy making in theory and practice;
-
Learning on the job—policy advising as an apprenticeship;
-
Ethical policy advising; and
-
How to use this book.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Hence Thomas Dye’s definition: “Public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do” (Dye, 1981, p. 1).
- 2.
Policy advisors and analysts mostly work in teams with managers who report upwards through various “tiers” of management to a chief executive.
- 3.
- 4.
Michael Mintrom’s People Skills for Policy Analysts (Mintrom, 2003) has a similar focus to my own on skills to improve the effectiveness of policy analysts and advisors.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
See also the Policy Skills Framework developed within The Policy Project (n.d.) of the New Zealand Government. The Framework similarly outlines Knowledge (what I know), Applied Skills (what I can do) and Behaviour (how I am/act).
References
Adams, L. (2011). Learning a new skill is easier said than done. Gordon Training International. Accessed November 1, 2016, from http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/learning-a-new-skill-is-easier-said-than-done/
Alford, J., Hartley, J., Yates, S., & Hughes, O. (2016). Into the purple zone: Deconstructing the politics/administration division. American Review of Public Administration. doi:10.1177/0275074016638481.
Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2013). The Australian policy handbook (5th revised edn.). Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Bardach, E., & Patashnik, E. (2016). A practical guide for policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Berne, E. (1966). Principles of group treatment. New York: Grove Press.
Berne, E. (1975). What do you say after you say hello? The psychology of human destiny. London: Corgi Books.
Birkland, T. (2016). An introduction to the policy process: Theories, concepts, and models of public policy making (4th ed.). New York: London.
Bromell, D. (2010). The public servant as analyst, adviser, and advocate. In J. Boston, A. Bradstock & D. Eng (Eds.), Public policy: Why ethics matters (pp. 55–78). Canberra: ANU E Press. Accessed November 1, 2016, from http://press.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/ch0474.pdf
Callahan, D., & Jennings, B. (Eds.). (1983). Ethics, the social sciences, and policy analysis. New York: Plenum Press.
Dye, T. (1981). Understanding public policy (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Erikson, E., & Erikson, J. (1981). On generativity and identity: From a conversation with Erik and Joan Erikson. Harvard Educational Review, 51(2), 249–269. doi:10.17763/haer.51.2.g211757u27732p67.
Geva-May, I. (1997). An operational approach to policy analysis: The craft—prescriptions for better analysis. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Gregory, R. (2005). Politics, power and public policy-making: A response to Karen Baehler. Policy Quarterly, 1(4), 26–32. Accessed November 1, 2016, from http://igps.victoria.ac.nz/publications/files/e70a1974daf.pdf
Hawke, G. (1993). Improving policy advice. Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington.
Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., & Perl, A. (2009). Studying public policy: Policy cycles and policy subsystems (3rd rev. edn). New York: Oxford University Press.
Laswell, H. (1958). Politics: Who gets what, when, how. Cleveland, OH: Meridian Books.
Lindblom, C. (1959). The science of ‘muddling through’. Public Administration Review, 19(2), 79–88. doi:10.2307/973677.
Lindblom, C. (1979). Still muddling, not yet through. Public Administration Review, 39(6), 517–526. doi:10.2307/976178.
Majone, G. (1989). Evidence, argument, and persuasion in the policy process. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
McPherson, M. (1983). Imperfect democracy and the moral responsibilities of policy advisers. In D. Callahan & B. Jennings (Eds.), Ethics, the social sciences, and policy analysis (pp. 69–81). New York: Plenum Press.
Mintrom, M. (2003). People skills for policy analysts. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Mintrom, M. (2012). Contemporary policy analysis. New York: Oxford University Press.
NZ Treasury. (2014). Investment statement: Managing the Crown’s balance sheet. Wellington: New Zealand Treasury, 26 March 2014. Accessed November 1, 2016, from http://www.treasury.govt.nz/government/investmentstatements/2014/is14.pdf
Nixon, C. (2016). Durable policy approaches: Framework development and brief literature review. NZIER Public Discussion Paper 2016/2. Wellington, NZ: NZIER. Accessed November 1, 2016, from http://nzier.org.nz/static/media/filer_public/b3/19/b3191379-4adf-4686-989f-1dd9eb973410/wp2016-2_final_durable_policy_bargains.pdf
Pielke, R. (2007). The honest broker: Making sense of science in policy and politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Plante, T. (2004). Do the right thing: Living ethically in an unethical world. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Policy. (2015). Cambridge Dictionaries Online.. Accessed November 1, 2016, from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/policy
Preston, N. (Ed.). (1994). Ethics for the public sector: Education and training. Leichhardt, NSW: Federation Press.
Process Coaching Center. (2001–2015). The four stages of learning. Accessed 1 November 2016, from http://processcoaching.com/fourstages.html
Sabatier, P. (1991). Toward better theories of the policy process. Political Science and Politics, 24(2), 147–156 http://www.jstor.org/stable/419923.
Scott, C., & Baehler, K. (2010). Adding value to policy analysis and advice. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
State Services Commission. (2008). Political neutrality fact sheet no. 3: Political views and participation in political activities. Archived document reference number: 349701. Wellington: State Services Commission.
State Services Commission. (2010). Political neutrality guidance. Wellington: State Services Commission. Accessed November 1, 2016, from https://www.ssc.govt.nz/political-neutrality-guidance
Stewart, I., & Joines, V. (1987). TA today: A new introduction to transactional analysis. Nottingham: Lifespace Publishing.
The Policy Project. (n.d.). Wellington, NZ: Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Accessed November 1, 2016, from https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/policyproject
Weimer, D., & Vining, A. (2016). Policy analysis: Concepts and practice (5th ed.). London: Routledge.
Wildavsky, A. (1987). Speaking truth to power: The art and craft of policy analysis (2nd ed.). Somerset, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Winston, K. (2008). What makes ethics practical. KSG Faculty Research working paper series RWP08-013. Accessed November 1, 2016, from https://research.hks.harvard.edu/publications/getFile.aspx?Id=293
Winston, K. (2009). Moral competence in public life. Occasional paper 4. Melbourne: Australia and New Zealand School of Government and State Services Authority. Accessed November 1, 2016, from https://www.anzsog.edu.au/media/upload/publication/18_occpaper_04_winston.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bromell, D. (2017). Introduction: Theory and Practice of Effective Policy Advising. In: The Art and Craft of Policy Advising. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52494-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52494-8_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-52493-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-52494-8
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)