Commissioning Policy Inquiry: CG4

By recognizing responsibility-G1 people naturally participate in the 7 arenas of social/political commitment…

…which are sustained and developed by those who feel obligated to use pressure to make a difference:

In doing political work-G2, these political players become adept at using some of the 6 instruments of pressure…

…which are sustained and developed by self-interestedly taking advantage of emerging crises:

By using crises-G3, the political organizers harness one or more of the 5 drivers of political mobilization …

…which are sustained and developed by formally pursuing 4 sources of policy for government and society…

…now read on:

It emerges most effectively in societies that have reached the rationalist stage of political maturation.

Clamour for such an inquiry arises if public suffering has been caused by existing policies or by specific actions of a particular government agency.

Once the inquiry is over and the Report submitted, the team in charge is normally disbanded.

Criticisms: 

• too expensive;
• too complex;
• too lengthy;
• overtaken by events.

Public inquiries tend to be politically embarrassing, and the above criticisms serve as reasons/excuses given by governments to avoid them.

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Think-tank Institutes may present themselves as deliberately impartial or self-consciously committed to a paradigm or ideology.

Each Institute exists to produce a flow of Reports, relevant studies and supporting promotional-educational events according to its particular mission.

Most think-tanks, free-standing or within a University, are multi-disciplinary. Reports sometimes emerge from specific academic departments e.g. sociology, economics.

Criticisms:

• too theoretical;
• too impractical;
• too extreme;
• too demanding of people or of the government

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The Government executive or civil service is divided up into a variety of departments, and appoints semi-arms length public agencies covering a range of societal matters.

On request from the political leadership, most departments have the capability to produce policy papers with implementable recommendations. Sometimes these are given special names (e.g. «white paper» or «green paper» in the UK)

Cross-departmental papers can be produced as well, but the necessary cooperation often founders on differences in loyalties and perspectives.

Depending on their focus and content, Departmental Papers are distributed more or less widely to relevant organizations and interest groups for comments. Responses from this consultation may lead to amendments, or abandonment of the paper, or comments may be ignored entirely.

Criticisms:

• proposals are decided in advance of the inquiry;
• too swayed by electoral considerations;
• too unimaginative;
• too disconnected from practical realities;
• too subservient to industry interests;
• too little detail (or too much detail);
• too timid (or rarely: too radical).

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Additional experts or representatives may be co-opted, and government officials may be invited as well. Any industry or particular interest group has its own agenda, but all face specific risks and have societally-relevant concerns (see diagram).

On the one hand the industry or group affected contains the most knowledgeable people; on the other hand it contains the people with the most to lose or to gain by government rules and intervention.

The main advantage is that a proposal generated by powerful groups can be assumed to have the support of those groups.

Criticisms:

• too preoccupied with profit;
• too biased towards larger businesses;
• too neglectful of the public interest.

Public Inquiries and Departmental Papers occur under government auspices, the former with significant autonomy, and the latter with very little. 

Think-tank Reports and Vested Interest Proposals emerge from private initiatives. The former are often published by institutions partly funded by government; while the latter have no public funding but often receive various forms of non-financial assistance.

THEE Technical Note:  This reveals an odd-even distinction in the Tetrads. There has been no check as to whether this reflects a general rule, as yet unspecified.