Working for policy

Abstract

There are now many people involved in 'making policy', but there is not a great deal written about how they do it. Most of the books on policy tend to refer obliquely, if at all, to the actual practice of policy work, and offer little guidance to policy workers or students of policy. 'Policy work' seems to be something that you learn on the job. This book addresses directly the nature of policy work. It blends academic and experiential knowledge of the policy process in describing, analysing and evaluating what modern policy workers do in particular situations, and why is that the appropriate thing to do, how it contributes to the policy process, what impact it has, and what can we learn from this about the skills and knowledge required for policy work in complex modern societies. Table of contents: 1 Understanding Policy Work / Hal Colebatch, Robert Hoppe and Mirko Noordegraaf B Accounts of Policy Work 2 Giving Accounts of Policy Work / Hal Colebatch 3 Academic Accounts of Policy Experience / Mirko Noordegraaf C Constructing Meaning Through Policy Work 4 New Life for Old Buildings: Mediating Between Different Meanings / Tamara Metze 5 Policy Workers Tinkering with Uncertainty: Dutch Econometric Policy Advice in Action / Annick de Vries, Willem Halffman and Rob Hoppe D Policy Work as Mediation 6 Managing the Problematic in Policy Work / Lydia Sterrenberg 7 Evaluation as Policy Work: Puzzling and Powering in a Dutch Program for Sustainable Development / Anne Loeber E Policy Work Beyond the Nation-State 8 Policy Work Between National and International Contexts: Maintaining Ongoing Collaboration / Tanja Woeltjes 9 Flying Blind in Brussels: How National Officials Do European Business Without Political Steering / Karin Geuijen and Paul ’t Hart F Linking Systemic and Experiential Knowledge 10 Is Evidence-Based Policy Making Really Possible? Reflections for Policymakers and Academics on Making Use of Research in the Work of Policy / Amanda Williams 11 Locating the Work of Policy / Cris Shore G Conclusion 12 The Lessons for Policy Work / Hal Colebatch, Robert Hoppe and Mirko Noordegraaf

Working for Policy brengt verhalen van ervaringsdeskundigen en wetenschappelijk onderzoekers samen in de beschrijving en analyse van hoe hedendaags beleidswerk verschilt van traditionele theorie en beleidsanalyse. Het boek biedt beschrijvingen, analyses en beoordelingen van wat hedendaagse beleidsmakers feitelijk doen in bepaalde situaties, waarom zij dat als juist zien en wat ze precies bijdragen aan beleidsactiviteiten. Daarnaast komt aan de orde welk effect dit heeft en wat we daarvan kunnen leren over de kennis, vaardigheden en competenties die gevergd worden in beleidswerk onder condities van 'governance'.