The state of British policymaking: How can UK government become more effective?

How can UK and devolved governments be more effective when addressing chronic problems like inequalities or crises like climate change? The dominant story is of pessimism: policymaking is bound to a Westminster tradition of short-termism, elitism, and centralization, and reform efforts are doomed to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inParliamentary affairs Vol. 77; no. 4; pp. 837 - 864
Main Authors Cairney, Paul, Boswell, John, Ayres, Sarah, Durose, Catherine, Elliott, Ian C, Flinders, Matt, Martin, Steve, Richardson, Liz
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published UK Oxford University Press 01.11.2024
Subjects
systems thinking
public participation
strategic state
behavioural public policy
evidence-informed policy
positive public administration
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ISSN0031-2290
1460-2482
DOI10.1093/pa/gsae019

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Summary:How can UK and devolved governments be more effective when addressing chronic problems like inequalities or crises like climate change? The dominant story is of pessimism: policymaking is bound to a Westminster tradition of short-termism, elitism, and centralization, and reform efforts are doomed to failure. We present a more cautiously optimistic account about the prospects for a more effective government, grounded in theory-informed lessons from two decades of UK and devolved government reform efforts. We describe a potentially more innovative and less blundering state and present a coherent Positive Public Policy agenda that can help to realize this potential.
ISSN:0031-2290
1460-2482
DOI:10.1093/pa/gsae019