LIST OF PANELS

To explore the political nature of public policy is to diverge from the approaches that have been predominant. However, in the context of globalisation and growing complexity within societies, it has become increasingly apparent that the challenges facing public policy are international and intractable. It is no longer enough for public policy to seek to reduce the constraints on government; rather it faces a society that is more complex, social problems that are increasingly unsolvable, and stakeholder networks that recast governments as guides. These realisations highlight the inadequacy of incremental policy processes, as well as the unlikelihood that traditional approaches can reach their lofty aims. The recent work of Philippe Zittoun (2014) directly challenges these traditionally predominant views. By reasserting the political character of public policy, he explores the dynamics that shape the struggle over contemporary policymaking, as actors seek to create, define, propagate and legitimise their power through competing policy actions. In recognition of Zittoun’s contribution, this panel invites applications inspired by his theses in the form of international case studies. This panel is open to all research that takes policymaking to be as much a succession of political actions to contribute to legitimacy, as it is any success in solving policy problems. Case studies that rely on discursive struggles and those that draw on critical materialist traditions are both encouraged. These cases may be examples from within majoritarian systems, where political ‘logrolling’ is a conventional practice used within policymaking. They may include examples from systems where the increased prevalence of coalitions or minority government is challenging assumptions about legitimacy. Alternatively, they may include international examples in policy areas that are particularly susceptible to influence by symbolic politics. What this panel aims to provide is empirical evidence for a growing area of study within contemporary public policy. Zittoun, P, 2014, The Political Process of Policymaking: a pragmatic approach to public policy, Houndsmills: Palgrave MacMillan.

To explore the political nature of public policy is to diverge from approaches that have been historically predominant. As western policy science emerged throughout the 1960's, it sought to identify consistent patterns through policy processes and to harness insights in the service of a collective ‘public good’. In the 1980’s, interest grew around public sectors achieving ‘better outcomes’, which manifested itself in a focus on ‘cost-benefit analyses’ and research into the responsible administration of public programs. Meanwhile, the late 1990’s saw a resurgence of ‘evidence-based policy’, which brought with it a renewed emphasis on connecting researchers with policy-makers, as well new reflections on the relationship between objective science and subjective values. What each of these approaches shared was the assumption that public policy was a valueless and neutral entity. What most implied was that politics was a disorderly and disruptive influence on what would otherwise be an orderly and objective approach to solving public policy problems. However, in a context of growing globalisation, it has become apparent that the challenges facing policy are increasingly international, interdisciplinary and inconstant. It is no longer enough for policy science to seek to reduce the constraints on government and to minimise unintended consequences; rather, it faces societies that are more complex, social problems that are increasingly unsolvable, and stakeholder networks that recasts the role of governments. Such realisations highlight the inadequacy of incrementalism, as well as the unlikelihood that historical approaches will reach their lofty aims. They also raise vital questions, such as why is the incapacity of government to resolve policy problems not endangering our democracies? In his book, The Political Process of Policymaking: a pragmatic approach, Philippe Zittoun (2014) responds to such matters by reasserting the political character of public policy. In doing so, he explores the political dynamics that shape the struggle over decision-making, as policy actors seek to create, define, propagate and legitimise their power through competing policy statements. Here, policymaking is an inherently political act, where every decision calls into question, or even endangers, the identity and legitimacy of the decision maker. This is because the political realm is one of paradoxical struggle between order and disorder, between the making of rules and the breaking of rules, and between diversity and authority. As it is not possible to resolve these tensions, policymaking is as much a succession of political actions to contribute to perceptions of legitimacy, as it is any success in solving intractable policy problems. The significance of international cases in the political processes of policymaking is that they provide empirical evidence into an area of silence within the predominant approaches to public policy. To explore the political nature of policymaking not only allows a consideration of how the actions of stakeholders are core to understanding the final outcomes of public policy, but they also provide for more rigorous understanding in relation to the politicisation of policy and the claims of legitimacy made by those who govern. Zittoun, P, 2014, The Political Process of Policymaking: a pragmatic approach to public policy, Houndsmills: Palgrave MacMillan.