SAMENVATTING PUBLIC POLICY (LES 2)
POLICY SCIENCES: WHAT… WHY?
Policy sciences = study of how governments make decisions about public
problems.
why does de governement do things the way it does things?
can be looked at through different lenses:
o Power: why does the governement make decesion by looking at who’s stronger?
o Behaviour: how do I understand problems?
o Learning: I learn something from a group and make my own idea of what the
problem is
They look at the effects of these decisions on society.
We need policy sciences because social problems are complex.
One single field (like politics or economics) is not enough to solve these problems.
Policy sciences use a mix of disciplines (multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary).
They focus on practical solutions for real-world issues.
Goal = help governments and organizations make better, informed decisions.
Result = better outcomes for people and society.
POLICY SCIENCES: WHY?
Understand and analyze goals and values of policymaking
What values does the governement want to achieve?
Identity and describe trends in policy decisions
Are we investing more or less?
Identify and analyze the terms and conditions of policymaking
Why did Belgium decide to go in lockdown during covid en why didn’t Sweden?
Analyze alternatives and make policy decisions
Should we introduce universal basic income?
Project future scenarios
If we keep doing this, what will happen in the future?
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Understanding the scientific process helps us:
o Know facts vs. fiction.
o Form informed opinions.
o Find better solutions.
o Be better citizens, practitioners, and scientists
It also helps us avoid fallacies (bad arguments):
o Post hoc / false cause: Thinking one event caused another just because
it came after.
Example: “Crime rose after the mayor came, so the mayor caused crime.”
o Straw man: Misrepresenting someone’s idea to make it easier to attack.
Example: “They want police reform = they want no police at all.”
o Ad hominem: Attacking the person, not their argument.
Example: “Don’t trust her climate policy, she once flew first class.”
, THE ROOTS OF POLICY SCIENCES
Post World-War Era
After WWII, many academic fields turned to public policy.
Goal = solve complex social and governance problems.
Not only traditional fields, but also new approaches to real-world issues.
Policy-Oriented Disciplines
The policy focus created new disciplines.
Example: Conservation biology.
Studies environmental problems.
Gives solutions for policymakers.
Links science and decision-making.
Multi-disciplinarity / Supra-discipline
Policy sciences = supra-discipline.
Means: many fields work together.
Combines insights from politics, economics, science, etc.
Called policy sciences (plural) because it is made of many disciplines
Mid-20th Century Post-War Era
Governments faced complex social, economic, and technological
problems.
Traditional political science or public administration couldn’t solve
everything.
Needed a systematic way to analyze and solve public problems.
Herbert Simon, Harold Lasswell (1950s–1960s)
Founded policy sciences with a practical, interdisciplinary approach.
Harold Lasswell:
o Integrate social sciences.
o Focus on values, communication, and participation in policy.
Herbert Simon:
o Introduced bounded rationality → policymakers have limits.
o Concept of satisficing (good enough decisions, not perfect).
Together: Focus on problem-oriented, behavioral, and action-driven
analysis.
Combine empirical (facts) and normative (values) insights.
Institutionalization (1960s–1970s)
The term “policy sciences” became popular in academia.
Academic programs and journals were founded (e.g., POLICY SCIENCES by
Lasswell).
Goal: go beyond political science/economics → applied, interdisciplinary
social science.
Expansion and Broadening (1970s–onwards)
Formalized interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches.
Focus on multiple processes: evaluation, analysis, evidence, etc.
Policy sciences became a broader, practical field to solve real-world issues.
POLICY SCIENCES: WHAT… WHY?
Policy sciences = study of how governments make decisions about public
problems.
why does de governement do things the way it does things?
can be looked at through different lenses:
o Power: why does the governement make decesion by looking at who’s stronger?
o Behaviour: how do I understand problems?
o Learning: I learn something from a group and make my own idea of what the
problem is
They look at the effects of these decisions on society.
We need policy sciences because social problems are complex.
One single field (like politics or economics) is not enough to solve these problems.
Policy sciences use a mix of disciplines (multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary).
They focus on practical solutions for real-world issues.
Goal = help governments and organizations make better, informed decisions.
Result = better outcomes for people and society.
POLICY SCIENCES: WHY?
Understand and analyze goals and values of policymaking
What values does the governement want to achieve?
Identity and describe trends in policy decisions
Are we investing more or less?
Identify and analyze the terms and conditions of policymaking
Why did Belgium decide to go in lockdown during covid en why didn’t Sweden?
Analyze alternatives and make policy decisions
Should we introduce universal basic income?
Project future scenarios
If we keep doing this, what will happen in the future?
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Understanding the scientific process helps us:
o Know facts vs. fiction.
o Form informed opinions.
o Find better solutions.
o Be better citizens, practitioners, and scientists
It also helps us avoid fallacies (bad arguments):
o Post hoc / false cause: Thinking one event caused another just because
it came after.
Example: “Crime rose after the mayor came, so the mayor caused crime.”
o Straw man: Misrepresenting someone’s idea to make it easier to attack.
Example: “They want police reform = they want no police at all.”
o Ad hominem: Attacking the person, not their argument.
Example: “Don’t trust her climate policy, she once flew first class.”
, THE ROOTS OF POLICY SCIENCES
Post World-War Era
After WWII, many academic fields turned to public policy.
Goal = solve complex social and governance problems.
Not only traditional fields, but also new approaches to real-world issues.
Policy-Oriented Disciplines
The policy focus created new disciplines.
Example: Conservation biology.
Studies environmental problems.
Gives solutions for policymakers.
Links science and decision-making.
Multi-disciplinarity / Supra-discipline
Policy sciences = supra-discipline.
Means: many fields work together.
Combines insights from politics, economics, science, etc.
Called policy sciences (plural) because it is made of many disciplines
Mid-20th Century Post-War Era
Governments faced complex social, economic, and technological
problems.
Traditional political science or public administration couldn’t solve
everything.
Needed a systematic way to analyze and solve public problems.
Herbert Simon, Harold Lasswell (1950s–1960s)
Founded policy sciences with a practical, interdisciplinary approach.
Harold Lasswell:
o Integrate social sciences.
o Focus on values, communication, and participation in policy.
Herbert Simon:
o Introduced bounded rationality → policymakers have limits.
o Concept of satisficing (good enough decisions, not perfect).
Together: Focus on problem-oriented, behavioral, and action-driven
analysis.
Combine empirical (facts) and normative (values) insights.
Institutionalization (1960s–1970s)
The term “policy sciences” became popular in academia.
Academic programs and journals were founded (e.g., POLICY SCIENCES by
Lasswell).
Goal: go beyond political science/economics → applied, interdisciplinary
social science.
Expansion and Broadening (1970s–onwards)
Formalized interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches.
Focus on multiple processes: evaluation, analysis, evidence, etc.
Policy sciences became a broader, practical field to solve real-world issues.
