Introduction: Theory and Practice of Effective Policy Advising

Public servants fulfil three distinct but related functions in policy-making: analysis, advising and advocacy. This book is a practical guide to effective public policy advising. While policy cycles and staged models of policy analysis provide useful reminders of things to think about, in practice, effective policy advising is less about cycles, stages and steps, and more about relationships, integrity and communication. Developing and applying the competencies for effective policy advising requires an apprenticeship of learning, practice and reflection—mastering the craft. A policy apprenticeship extends beyond what we know and can do, to who we are and how we work with others.

This chapter introduces:

• Who this book is for and what it is about;
• Public servants as analysts, advisors and advocates;
• Policy-making in theory and practice;
• Learning on the job—policy advising as an apprenticeship;
• Ethical policy advising; and
• How to use this book.

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Notes

Hence Thomas Dye’s (1981) definition: “Public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do” (p. 1).

Policy advisors and analysts mostly work in teams with managers who report upwards through various tiers of management to a chief executive.

Texts on policy analysis and managing the policy process that I have found useful include: Althaus et al. (2013), Bardach and Patashnik (2019), Birkland (2016), Brans et al. (2017), Cairney (2021), Fischer et al. (2019), Howlett et al. (2009), Mintrom (2012), Scott and Baehler (2010), Weimer and Vining (2016), Wu et al. (2017). On policy advisory systems in the Westminster tradition, see Craft & Halligan (2020). On government and politics in New Zealand, see Hayward et al. (2021, esp. Parts 5–6).

Michael Mintrom’s People skills for policy analysts (Mintrom, 2003) has a similar focus to my own on skills to improve the effectiveness of policy analysts and advisors. See also the concluding chapter of Wu et al. (2017).

In New Zealand, the Public Service Act 2020 repealed and replaced the State Sector Act 1988 and re-named the State Services Commission as Te Kawa Mataaho | the Public Service Commission.

For brief overviews of theories of public policy-making, see Althaus et al. (2013, pp. 34–35), Nixon (2016, pp. 14–17).

The learning stages model was first developed by Noel Burch at Gordon Training International in the 1970s (Adams, 2011). See also Process Coaching Center (2001–2015).

In a book on Ethical competencies for public leadership: Pluralist democratic politics in practice (Bromell, 2019), I propose six ethical competencies for public leadership, which I state in the form of personal resolutions: When exercising public leadership with people who want and value different things, I will be … civil, diplomatic, respectful, impartial, fair and prudent.

See also the Policy Skills Framework developed within The Policy Project of the N.Z. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2020). The Framework similarly outlines Knowledge (what I know), Applied Skills (what I can do) and Behaviour (how I am/act). Wu et al., (2017, Chap. 7) summarise political capacity in terms of analytical, operational and political skills and resources, at the individual, organisational and system levels.

A regrettable consequence of the managerialism instituted in the New Zealand state sector as part of New Public Management reforms (Sect. 2.2.1.1) was a hollowing out of applied science and research and specialist skills and experience from policy agencies and a loss of deep institutional memory (Chapple, 2019; Knight, 2021). A step towards correcting this has been the appointment of departmental chief science advisors from 2011 (Gluckman, 2021, pp. 153–154; Parkin, 2021, pp. 199–200).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. Institute for Governance and Policy Studies School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand David Bromell

1. David Bromell