Inaction and public policy: understanding why policymakers ‘do nothing’
In recent decades, the policy sciences have struggled to come to terms with the significance of inaction in public policy. Inaction refers to instances when policymakers ‘do nothing’ about societal issues. This article aims to put the study of inaction on a new footing. It presents a five-part typol...
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| Veröffentlicht in: | Policy sciences 2019-12, Vol.52 (4), p.645-661 |
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| creator | McConnell, Allan ’t Hart, Paul |
| description | In recent decades, the policy sciences have struggled to come to terms with the significance of inaction in public policy. Inaction refers to instances when policymakers ‘do nothing’ about societal issues. This article aims to put the study of inaction on a new footing. It presents a five-part typology of forms of inaction before focusing on detail on core drivers of inaction found at four policy-making loci: individuals (coping behaviour), public organisations (information pathologies), governments (agenda control and protection) and networks (non-coordination and lack of feasibility). Acknowledging the conceptual and methodological challenges of researching inaction, it concludes by identifying strategies for putting ‘doing nothing’ (back) on the research agenda of the policy sciences. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1007/s11077-019-09362-2 |
| format | Article |
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| ispartof | Policy sciences, 2019-12, Vol.52 (4), p.645-661 |
| issn | 0032-2687 1573-0891 |
| language | eng |
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| source | PAIS Index; Worldwide Political Science Abstracts; Business Source Complete; JSTOR Archive Collection A-Z Listing; Political Science Complete; SpringerLink Journals - AutoHoldings |
| subjects | Coordination Coping Coping strategies Economic Policy Feasibility Policy making Policy science Political Science Political Science and International Relations Political Science and International Studies Public Administration Public policy RESEARCH NOTE Typology |
| title | Inaction and public policy: understanding why policymakers ‘do nothing’ |
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