Political Rationality or ‘Incrementalism’? Charles E. Lindblom’s enduring contribution to public policy making theory

Bibliographic Data

ID6327704
AuthorsRobert Gregory (0000-0002-5034-8895, Senior Lecturer in Public Administration and Public Policy, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume17
Issue2
Pages139-153
Publication date1989-04-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolicy & Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-5736 • E-ISSN: 1470-8442
PublisherBristol University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1332/030557389782454893
OpenAlexW2169977806
LanguageEN
Citations received17

The lasting impact of Charles E. Lindblom on public policy making theory flows from his insight into the nature of a collective, political, rationality. The term ‘incrementalism’, with which his name is commonly associated, obscures rather than enhances an appreciation of this enduring contribution. The debate between Lindblom and his main ‘rationalist’ critics has failed to demonstrate any necessary relationships between the scope of policy change and the role of formal analysis. It has also tended to reify public policy making, misleadingly representing ‘incrementalism’ as a chosen political strategy, or analytical technique, rather than as the inevitable form of collective political action

Economics · Incrementalism · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Public policy · Rationality · Scope (computer science · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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