Sweet, but confusing
Failure and palatability in Polish disability policy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17817002 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paweł Kubicki (0000-0001-7126-3631, SGH Warsaw School of Economics), Mikołaj Pawlak (0000-0003-1727-4342, University of Warsaw, corresponding author), Adriana Mica (0000-0002-0823-2645, University of Warsaw) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-22 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Critical Policy Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1946-0171 • E-ISSN: 1946-018X |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19460171.2026.2669058 |
| OpenAlex | W7160252903 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
We develop the idea of a ‘taste of failure’ as a critical lens for understanding how the inherent contradictions of policy-making are perceived. We set out a typology (bitter, sweet, guilty (pleasures), flat, and cruel (optimism)), further focusing on ‘sweet failure’ in Polish disability policy as a marker of problematic palatability: the paradox of bad policy-good politics. Policy studies often examine ‘successful failure’ in domains, where pressure to demonstrate progress can lead to setbacks being reframed as part of the advancement process. Our evidence shows that bad policy-good politics also thrives in relatively peripheral, fragmented policy settings. In such contexts, policy failures neither become political failures nor prompt correction; instead, they reinforce the view that the supposedly pure realm of policy is inherently contaminated and thus prone to failure. The paper links an emerging theory of taste with Critical Failure Studies, and the Multiple Streams Approach.
Government (linguistics) · Palatability · Public policy · Work (physics) · Disability Rights and Representation · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Social Policy and Reform Studies
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |