Public Inquiries and Policy Design

Public inquiries regularly produce outcomes of importance to policy design. However, the policy design literature has largely ignored the many important ways that public inquiries can act as policy design tools, meaning the functions that inquiries can offer the policy designer are not properly understood. This Element addresses this gap in two ways. First, it presents a theoretical discussion, underpinned by international empirical illustrations, to explain how inquiries perform policy design roles and can be classified as procedural policy tools. It focuses on four inquiry functions - catalytic, learning, processual, and legitimation. Second, it addresses the challenge of designing inquiries that have the policy-facing capacities required to make them effective. It introduces plurality as a key variable influencing effectiveness, demonstrating its relevance to internal inquiry operations, the external inquiry environment, and policy tool selection. Thus, it combines conceptual and practical insights to speak to academic and practice orientated audiences.

List of contents

1. The public inquiry: an idiosyncratic institution; 2. Theorizing inquiries as policy tools; 3. What can inquiries offer the policy designer?; 4. Designing effective inquiries; 5. Conclusion; References.

Summary

This Element addresses the gap in policy design literature that has largely ignored the important ways that public inquiries can act as policy design tools, meaning the functions that inquiries can offer the policy designer are not properly understood.

Foreword

This Element shows the relevance of the public inquiry to policy design via conceptual discussion and international examples.

Product details

• Authors: Alastair Stark, Alastair (University of Queensland) Yates Stark, Stark Alastair, Sophie Yates
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.03.2024
• EAN: 9781009494489
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0949448-9
• No. of pages: 70
• Series: Elements in Public Policy
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Economy, Political science & theory, Political structure & processes, Public Administration, Political science and theory, Central / national / federal government policies, Political structure and processes, Central government policies, Pressure groups & lobbying, Public affairs / Lobbying