A theory of policy advisory system quality
Hirschman 2.0 or what makes for good policy advice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6327872 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea Migone (0000-0001-8521-5024, Simon Fraser University), Michael Howlett (0000-0003-4689-740X, Simon Fraser University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 44-64 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Policy & Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-5736 • E-ISSN: 1470-8442 |
| Publisher | Bristol University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1332/03055736y2024d000000035 |
| OpenAlex | W4396946771 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 82 |
Not everyone’s ideas count equally in terms of influencing and informing policy design and instrument choices. As the literature on policy advice has shown, such advice arises from many different actors interacting with each other often over relatively long timeframes. Actors within these ‘policy advisory systems’ operate within the confines of an existing set of political and economic institutions and governing norms, and each actor brings with them different interests, ideas and resources. Studying who these actors are, how they act and how their actions affect the overall nature of the advice system and its contents are critical aspects of current public policy research. But not all these elements have been equally well conceptualised or studied, especially those concerning their impact on the quality of policy advice emerging from a system. In this article, the general nature of policy advisory systems is set out, their major components described and a model of individual and organisational behaviour within them outlined inspired by a modification of the ‘exit, voice, loyalty’ rubric of Albert Hirschman. Our findings show how aggregated individual organisational behaviour along the lines suggested by Hirschman can over time result in very different kinds of advice being provided by an advisory system, with predictable consequences for its nature and quality
Actuarial science · Advice (programming · Business · Economics · Epistemology · Political science · Public economics · Quality (philosophy · Computer Science · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Policy Transfer and Learning · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research
Kicked cans and poison pills
Collaboration and participation in governance
Managing national expert and advisory committees in the Chinese policy advisory system
Management and quality
The multifaceted nature of trust in the uptake of advice
Change is inevitable, quality is optional, and context matters
Beyond Visibility
Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management
Comparing Westminster
What Is a Policy Instrument? Tools, Mixes, and Implementation Styles
Employee silence
Policy Analysis in Canada
Governance in a Changing Environment
Soft Craft, Hard Choices, Altered Context
Handbook of Research on Employee Voice
Anatomy of Authoritarianism in the Arab Republics
Politics
Conceptualising followership – a review of the literature
Employee Voice and Silence
Employee Voice and Silence
Political Science Quarterly
Public Managers as the Missing Variable in Policy Studies
The politics of military procurement
The politics of military megaprojects
The dual dynamics of policy advisory systems
The vicious circle of policy advisory systems and knowledge regimes in consolidated authoritarian regimes
Citizensourcing policy advisory systems in a turbulent era
A Comparative Assessment of Elite Policy Recruits in Canada
The autocrat’s intelligence paradox
(Re)Thinking think tanks in the age of policy labs
Not Just Steering but Weaving
Revisiting demand, politicization and externalization in authoritarian political regimes
Political demand and policy advice
Strategic Links in a Cut‐throat World
Professional expertise in policy advisory systems
How rediscovering nodality can improve democratic governance in a digital world
Bubbling up or cascading down? Public servants, political advisers and politicization
Policy advisory systems
Dynamics of change in internal policy advisory systems
Governance modes, policy regimes and operational plans
Think tanks and strategic policy-making
Ensuring political responsiveness
Government research institutes in the Italian policy advisory system
Organizational cynicism
(Mis)aligning politicians and admirals
Planning without guidance
The new focus on the policy capacity of the federal government
Ministerial advisers between political change and institutional legacy
Tell It Like It Is
The Real but Limited Influence of Expert Ideas
What counts as evidence for policy? An analysis of policy actors' perceptions
International Constraints and Domestic Choices
Bureaucratic autonomy and the policymaking capacity of United States agencies, 1998–2021
Groupthink in Government
Policy Knowledge, Policy Formulation, and Change
Catching a Second Wave
Whistleblowing, organisational harm and the self-regulating organisation
Policy labs
Sycophants in 280 characters
Ministers, Minders and the Core Executive
Cults of personality, preference falsification, and the dictator’s dilemma
Interest Groups and Public Policy
Theorising policy advisory system management
Policy formulation, governance shifts and policy influence
The Shadow of Hierarchy and New Modes of Governance
Managing Stakeholder Involvement in Decision Making
Is Hierarchical Governance in Decline? Evidence from Empirical Research
Why Style Matters
The Westminster Model and the “Indivisibility of the Political and Administrative Elite
The balancing act of establishing a policy agenda
On the Notion of Political Feasibility
Conceptualising Advisers' Policy Work
Why Underachievers Dominate Secret Police Organizations
Demanding Information
The Role of Public Agencies in the Policy Making Process
Causal Stories and the Formation of Policy Agendas
The Knowns and Unknowns of Policy Instrument Analysis
Bureaucrats and expertise
Exit, voice, and loyalty
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |