TY - JOUR

T1 - Rethinking disproportionate policy making by introducing proportionate politics

AU - Daugbjerg, Carsten

AU - McConnell, Allan

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - This article seeks to critique and extend recent work in the policy sciences, by Maor in particular, on disproportionate policy making—including policy overreaction and underreaction. While the disproportionate policy making thesis does help address assumptions that something is amiss in the policy process by capturing an imbalance between policy problems and the interventions to address them, we argue that it does not pay sufficient attention to politics. We present a heuristic which includes political perception of both programme and political threats. Our core argument is that much of what is considered disproportionate policy making, can in fact also be considered proportionate politics. Our analysis paves the way for a more holistic and political understanding of policy dynamics.

AB - This article seeks to critique and extend recent work in the policy sciences, by Maor in particular, on disproportionate policy making—including policy overreaction and underreaction. While the disproportionate policy making thesis does help address assumptions that something is amiss in the policy process by capturing an imbalance between policy problems and the interventions to address them, we argue that it does not pay sufficient attention to politics. We present a heuristic which includes political perception of both programme and political threats. Our core argument is that much of what is considered disproportionate policy making, can in fact also be considered proportionate politics. Our analysis paves the way for a more holistic and political understanding of policy dynamics.

U2 - 10.1007/s11077-021-09426-2

DO - 10.1007/s11077-021-09426-2

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34075260

VL - 54

SP - 691

EP - 706

JO - Policy Sciences

JF - Policy Sciences

SN - 0032-2687

ER -