Policy Theory Bites
Many Australian public servants learn their craft ‘on the job’, including through ‘doing policy’ – advising governments and implementing their decisions. Compared to other public servants around the world, they are well known for being:
- pragmatic
- quick to implement policy and program decisions
- adaptable to required change
If you are looking to enhance your policy skills, academic theories of the policy process can add to your tool kit by helping you to:
- gain a broader perspective on the messy world of public policy
- adopt a more structured – and strategic – approach to policy development and implementation.
In policy studies there is no 'theory of everything'! Insights from a range of academic theories and ideas can help you to think about practical problems that you have faced or may encounter in the future. You can use individual theories or even blend elements from different theories depending on your policy environment.
Policy Theory Bites were developed by two of the authors of Learning Policy, Doing Policy:
- Dr Trish Mercer, Visiting Fellow, Australia and New Zealand School of Government
- Dr Russell Ayres, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Canberra.
This learning experience has been provided by Australian National University (ANU) and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).
What are Policy Theory Bites?
The Australian National University (ANU) and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) have teamed up to bring theories of policy making to life.
Policy Theory Bites present theories and approaches to policy development in an accessible way, particularly for those who have not engaged in formal policy training. These Theory Bites have been written for those working in ‘real world’ policy. They are low on jargon, easy to understand, and include suggestions for implementing each theory in your work.
Suitable for
APS 1 – EL 2
Category and User Level
This resource aligns with the Strategy, Policy & Evaluation Craft at the Foundation level.
Reference:
McConnell, 2021. ‘Synthesising models, theories and frameworks for public policy Implications for the future’. Chapter 14 in Mercer, et al. (eds.), Learning Policy, Doing Policy: Interactions Between Public Policy Theory, Practice and Teaching, Canberra: ANU Press.
* Disclaimer: the authors have endeavoured to be as accurate in their summaries as possible. They apologise to the authors of these theories for any inadvertent misinterpretation or oversimplification of their theories. References are provided to enable readers to go to the original works and explore the ideas in more detail.