The role of policy advisers in policy learning

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The role of policy advisers in policy learning

• Wolfgang Polt-
• Joanneum Research
• Institute for Technology and Regional Policy
• wolfgang.polt_at_joanneum.at
• 6CP Conference
• 23-24 May 2006

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(No Transcript)
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Structure of the presentation

• Definition of policy learning
• Barriers to policy learning
• How not to do policy learning
• What you need for policy learning
• Role of policy advisers in policy learning
• Policy advise in a systemic context

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What is policy learning ?

• Policy learning is defined as all those
  processes by which policy systems generate and
  incorporate knowledge and understanding about (i)
  underlying causes and conditions of policies and
  initiatives (ii) the effects of policy and
  initiatives. This knowledge is derived throughout
  the policy cycle and policy learning provides
  feed-back to all stages
• (Hjelt et al., in OECD 2005 Governance of
  Innovation Systems, p.196)

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Barriers to policy learning

• Reluctance to confront the past
• Communication failure(s)
• Lack of adoption capacity
• Loss of institutional memory

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Reluctance to confront the past

• Why look back at old programmes / initiatives?
  We are forward looking !
• Evaluations are dangerous because of potential
  negative outcomes
• Not making an experience, is not learning at
  all !

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Communication failure(s)

• Communicating in different codes
• Communicating not at all
• Not accepting or understanding different
  perspectives !

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Lack of adoption capacities

• Policy stripped of ressources
• Information overflow
• Coordination overload
• Not being able to capitalize on available
  information !

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Loss of institutional memory

• Loss of personell
• Institutional shake-ups
• Not being able to retain and pass on available
  knowledge !

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How better not to learn

• Path dependency of learning (Superstitious
  learning)
• Indicator driven policy (Superfical learning)
• Available information is processed, but without
  knowledgable interpretation !

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What you need for policy learning

• Kens quadrants

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What you need for policy learning

• Communication within a system of distributed
  strategic intelligence
• Needs knowledge infrastructures, institutions,
  openess, incentive structures, shared codes

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Role(s) of policy advisers

• The policy adviser as
• the irritation of the system
• the process / communication enabler
• the information filter
• the store of information and knowledge

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Role(s) of policy advisers

• The policy adviser as
• the scapegoat
• the legitimizer
• the substitute policy maker

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Policy advise in a systemic context

• The relation to policy makers truth speaks to
  power?
• The policy advisor as an expert in superior
  knowledge of the system?
• The policy maker in posession of power?

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Policy advise in a systemic context

• Analysing the RTDI policy system with the tools
  of system analysis
• Recognising the implications of the systemic
  character of policymaking
• Inherent limitations on what we can know about a
  complex system
• Inherent limitation of communication between
  systems
• Inherent limits to foresee the effects of an
  intervention in a complex system

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A sketch of the Austrian Institutional STI policy
landscape
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The Austrian System of IST / e-Government Policy
Making (simplified version)
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Policy advise in a systemic context

• Policy adviser as an expert on the subject matter
  of policy and the related policy process
• Policy adviser as a the one who asks the right
  questions not the one providing the right
  answers from the position of superior knowledge
• Policy adviser in co-evolution with the clients
  system, i.e. change of roles in the policy cycle

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Policy advise in a systemic context

• Policy adviser as an expert on the subject matter
  of policy and the related policy process
• Policy adviser as a the one who asks the right
  questions not the one providing the right
  answers from the position of superior knowledge
• Policy adviser in co-evolution with the clients
  system, i.e. change of roles in the policy cycle
• Probably we need a rather fundamenal change of
  our perception of the role of policy advise

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.. A last look back at the Austrian Info-Society
case successful policy learning ??
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Thank you for your attention !