An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice
AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of good systems for policy and decision-making. An effective policy system depends on robust policy capability. This article articulates key dimensions of policy capability based on the practical experience of policy practitioners from a range...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Policy Design and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/25741292.2022.2139952 |
| _version_ | 1797737257341288448 |
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| author | Sally Washington |
| author_facet | Sally Washington |
| author_sort | Sally Washington |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of good systems for policy and decision-making. An effective policy system depends on robust policy capability. This article articulates key dimensions of policy capability based on the practical experience of policy practitioners from a range of jurisdictions. It briefly draws on the literature on policy making and organizational capability before situating the key components of policy capability as mutually reinforcing parts of a policy capability infrastructure. These include “supply side” components of leadership, policy quality systems, people capability, and effective internal and external engagement, as well as the “demand side” component of the political administrative interface that shapes and is shaped by policy capability in the public service. This framing of policy capability as an infrastructure broadens the definition of policy capability from a narrow focus on people and skills to a systemic approach that includes the range of systems and processes that enable and support good government decision-making. The article argues that the policy capability infrastructure could serve as a useful and generic analytical framework for describing, assessing, and improving policy capability in teams, organizations, or across an entire public service. Policy leaders are invited to test the framework and share their insights and results, including with colleagues in academia. If it works in practice, it might also work in theory. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:26:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f34183e2246b466f97acbc70e9b7c5da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2574-1292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:26:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Policy Design and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-f34183e2246b466f97acbc70e9b7c5da2023-08-25T07:11:55ZengTaylor & Francis GroupPolicy Design and Practice2574-12922023-07-016328329810.1080/25741292.2022.2139952An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practiceSally Washington0Executive Director for Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), New ZealandAbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of good systems for policy and decision-making. An effective policy system depends on robust policy capability. This article articulates key dimensions of policy capability based on the practical experience of policy practitioners from a range of jurisdictions. It briefly draws on the literature on policy making and organizational capability before situating the key components of policy capability as mutually reinforcing parts of a policy capability infrastructure. These include “supply side” components of leadership, policy quality systems, people capability, and effective internal and external engagement, as well as the “demand side” component of the political administrative interface that shapes and is shaped by policy capability in the public service. This framing of policy capability as an infrastructure broadens the definition of policy capability from a narrow focus on people and skills to a systemic approach that includes the range of systems and processes that enable and support good government decision-making. The article argues that the policy capability infrastructure could serve as a useful and generic analytical framework for describing, assessing, and improving policy capability in teams, organizations, or across an entire public service. Policy leaders are invited to test the framework and share their insights and results, including with colleagues in academia. If it works in practice, it might also work in theory.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/25741292.2022.2139952Policypolicy capabilityorganizational capabilitypolicy methodspolicy skillspolicy frameworks |
| spellingShingle | Sally Washington An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice Policy Design and Practice Policy policy capability organizational capability policy methods policy skills policy frameworks |
| title | An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice |
| title_full | An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice |
| title_fullStr | An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice |
| title_short | An infrastructure for building policy capability – lessons from practice |
| title_sort | infrastructure for building policy capability lessons from practice |
| topic | Policy policy capability organizational capability policy methods policy skills policy frameworks |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/25741292.2022.2139952 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sallywashington aninfrastructureforbuildingpolicycapabilitylessonsfrompractice AT sallywashington infrastructureforbuildingpolicycapabilitylessonsfrompractice |