LIST OF WORKSHOPS

Policy capacity is one of the most fundamental concept in public policy but it remains under-theorized and under-operationalized. It is one of those terms in policy studies that everyone wants more of but no one really knows what it is. Notwithstanding recognition of its importance more than a quarter century ago (Honadle, 1981) and many fine works over the years (Fukuyama 2013, Painter and Pierre 2004), the concept continues to be defined either too broadly or too narrowly. Recent works on policy capacity (Wu, et al. 2017, Wu, et al. 2015) have advanced the usefulness of the concept by defining policy capacity as a set of resources and competences  necessary for performing policy functions: analytical, operational and political.  As a nested model of capacity, this conceptualization also views capacity at different level: individual, organizational and systemic. While this definition has inspired integration of various works done on administrative, state and public sector capacity, crucial elements remain unexplored.

There is a need to identify and promote new direction for research on policy capacity, for which this workshop seeks to address.

First, how is this current definition of policy capacity conceptually similar to other notions of capacity? Capacity is typically viewed as an easily observable phenomenon – we know it when we see it – but the conceptual heterogeneity limits our ability to make theoretically grounded predictions and prescriptions.

Second, what are the methods most appropriate for studying policy capacity? Current approaches have largely been single, descriptive case studies which constrain our ability to generalize the findings towards advancing a general theory of policy capacity.

Third, at which level should capacity be examined? The focus at each level can largely be attributed to disciplinary bias of sociologists and political sciences at the macro level and public administration scholars’ focus on organizational and individual levels. These studies have been largely isolated from each other, ignoring the questions of transferability of results to each level.

Fourth, what are the factors that contribute towards shaping policy capacity? The implication of this question is profound given the practitioners’ interest in capacity building which is not matched by the theorization on the subject.

Fifth, does higher policy capacity necessarily lead to be better policy outcomes? Scholarly works linking policy capacity with government effectiveness remain scant and the methodological constraints limit drawing causal inferences.

Theoretical and empirical papers are invited on all aspects of policy capacity, especially those dealing with the following issues:

• The concept of policy capacity
• The determinants of policy capacity
• The effects of policy capacity

The workshop centers on conceptualization of policy capacity as a function of analytical, operational and political capabilities at the individual, organizational and systemic levels (Wu, Howlett, Ramesh 2017).

M Ramesh is Professor and UNESCO Chair of Social Policy Design in Asia at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

Dr Natalia Koga is a researcher at the National School of Public Administration, Brasilia. 

Mr Kidjie Saguin is a doctoral candidate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.