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four - Policy analysis in the central and regional governments
- Edited by Marleen Brans, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, David Aubin, Université catholique de Louvain
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- Book:
- Policy Analysis in Belgium
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 05 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 15 March 2017, pp 81-106
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Summary
Policy analysis is the application of intellect to the definition of and solution to policy problems. Thus understood, policy analysis is a craft (Weimer, 1998), drawing on both specialist and generalist knowledge and skills (Colebatch and Radin, 2006). It draws on the application of more or less formalised policy-analytical skills, but also on the ability to engage in interactions with stakeholders, and to communicate effectively with political executives. In this sense, policy analysis is only loosely defined and encompasses policy-analytical activities that garner and analyse information as well as the activities of policy workers aimed at integrating policy-relevant political judgement, experience and the value positions of stakeholders.
This chapter analyses the locus and modus of in-house policy analysis in the Belgian central and regional governments. It describes the way in which policy-analytical roles within the departments and agencies are organised, and what kind of resources civil servants have for conducting policy analysis. The analysis draws on a survey conducted in 2013-15, specifically designed with this book in mind.
In-house policy analysis has long been recognised as a core function of modern bureaucracies (Lasswell, 1971; Meltsner, 1976; Peters, 1989). Even when acknowledging that civil servants are not the only actors engaged in policy analysis, and many external policy-analytical activities contribute to policy framing, agenda setting and other stages in the policy process, in-house policy analysis remains a relevant object of study because the very production of public policy is still located within the authoritative sphere of government. The translation of ideas, representations of problems and their solutions, and causal models into legal texts, policy instruments and the provision of public goods and services still remains a government activity. Because of their proximity to the political executives who ultimately carry the responsibility for policy decisions, the people serving these executives are a special kind of stakeholder in the policy process, and deserve special scrutiny as they act as gatekeepers, arbitrators and writers committed to legal drafting.
In Belgium, the people who serve the government are both civil servants and ministerial advisers. While Chapter Three delves into the policy-analytical roles and tasks of ministerial advisers, this chapter focuses on the location of in-house policy analysts, their analytical and information-processing activities, and their advice-seeking behaviour.
one - The policy-analytical profession in Belgium
- Edited by Marleen Brans, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, David Aubin, Université catholique de Louvain
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- Book:
- Policy Analysis in Belgium
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 05 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 15 March 2017, pp 13-34
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Summary
This book provides a comprehensive examination of the practices of policy analysis in Belgium. It studies the professional practices that organisations and actors entertain to define a problem marked for government concern and to prescribe the measures to solve that problem by policy action or change. Rather than looking at the theories of the policy process (Sabatier and Weible, 2014), it examines what kind of analysis is provided by policy workers, in-house or external to government, as a source of advice for making and improving public policies.
Only recently has empirical research started to map who policy analysts are and what they do. This chapter defends the widely accepted view of policy analysis and aims to catch the full extent of activities conducted by policy analysts both inside and outside government. It relies on a review of literature about policy work, policy advice and policy analysis that denotes a common concern for the various forms of contribution to policy formulation.
Further, this chapter presents the methods used in the following chapters to locate policy analysts and describe their activities. While partly relying on secondary resources, the contributors to this book conducted original research that filled the gaps in knowledge about policy analysis in Belgium. Middle-ranking civil servants were surveyed in the federal and regional governments with the aim of describing in-house policy analysis. To complete the picture, the authors conducted more specific surveys into policy analysis by actors outside government, notably in the Belgian political parties, interest groups and think tanks, and conducted qualitative case studies, for example on local authorities.
The survey of in-house policy analysis helped identify the characteristics of the largest communities of policy analysts in Belgium. This chapter attempts to identify policy-analytical capacities and resources among middle-ranking civil servants. It shows that these resources are important but dispersed in the public organisations, as the career path mainly encourages specialisation in substantive issues. In Belgium, policy analysis is still an emerging profession that is not recognised through explicit labels and job positions.
Policy analysis in the literature on public policy
Policy analysis has different meanings. Since Lasswell (1971), two approaches are usually distinguished, the first being pure academic description and theory building about the policy process (Sabatier and Weible, 2014), and the second being an application of knowledge on policy for providing advice to the policymakers.
seven - Policy advisory bodies in Belgium
- Edited by Marleen Brans, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, David Aubin, Université catholique de Louvain
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- Book:
- Policy Analysis in Belgium
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 05 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 15 March 2017, pp 151-170
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Summary
In modern democracies, policy advice and policy analysis have a common path. Policy advice helps in analysing policy problems and providing public solutions. One major evolution is that policy advice – solicited by and offered to policymakers – is instrumental (Mayer et al, 2005). It is used to help counter the reduced policy-analytical capacity of governments. Such reduction in capacity results from the increasing complexity of policy problems and their solutions (Jasanoff, 2005; Painter and Pierre, 2005; Howlett, 2008). Advice may be provided by institutionalised advisory bodies. Stakeholder experts may also be solicited for instrumental reasons. When stakeholders hold the key to successful implementation, it is wise for policy formulation to take into account their input. The motives of policymakers to request and receive policy advice from citizens may alternatively be grounded in substantive democratic arguments, favouring legitimisation of decisions thanks to the empowerment of civil society actors, stakeholders and citizens (Brans and Vancoppenolle, 2005; Montpetit, 2008; Schiffino et al, 2013). Therefore, the way policy advice supports policy analysis and policymakers varies in the extent to which it is expert advice, stakeholder advice or a mixture of both.
As a consensus system with neo-corporatist traits, the Belgian advisory system is populated with strongly institutionalised advisory bodies. These bodies play an important role in the policymaking process at all levels of government and hence tend to be highly integrated into the formal policymaking cycle. This chapter discusses the advisory bodies that have been established, supported and regulated by Belgian governments at both national and subnational levels of policy. The aim is primarily to answer three questions on the context and characteristics of policy advice in Belgium in general and policy advisory bodies in particular. The first question pertains to how and why these advisory bodies are established by policymakers. Second, we investigate the role of different types of expertise in these advisory bodies. Third, we discuss their influence on policymaking in Belgium. By reflecting on these questions, we show that the Belgian institutionalised advisory system struggles to meet four important challenges in policymaking, that is, managing growing competition from advisers, blending expert advice with representative opinion, securing societal support for policy interventions from groups other than traditional representative organisations, and ensuring political primacy in the policy process.
two - Analytical techniques in Belgian policy analysis
- Edited by Marleen Brans, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, David Aubin, Université catholique de Louvain
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- Book:
- Policy Analysis in Belgium
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 05 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 15 March 2017, pp 35-56
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Summary
Policy analysis has long been recognised as a core function of modern bureaucracies (Lasswell, 1971; Meltsner, 1976; Brans et al, 2012). It consists of providing analytical support to government to make intelligent choices for solving societal problems (Colebatch, 2006). Policy analysis is not static, nor is the content of the civil servant's toolbox. The emergence and development in the use of specific analytical techniques (or ‘formulation tools’) is best understood against the background of important past and emerging trends that affect policymaking practice: the evidence-based movement; Europeanisation; and the professionalisation of policy analysis. While policy analysis is not confined to the governmental arena alone and involves the work of many actors, such as policy analysts situated in academia, think tanks, consultancy firms and specialists of organised interests outside government (Colebatch, 2006), this chapter is exclusively devoted to in-house policy analysis in Belgium. It explores in depth the development and application of policy-analytical techniques and methods within Belgium's federal and subnational administrations.
Considering that policy analysis is an emerging professional activity, the chapter has a twofold aim. First, it investigates to what extent trends and challenges to policy analysis have affected Belgian national and subnational governments with regard to the methods and techniques used in policy analysis; the institutionalisation of analytical practices within government; and the establishment of policy networks engaging civil servants, academics and private or non-profit actors in policy analysis. This discussion focuses on the development of two institutionalised practices symbolising a growing use of analytical techniques: regulatory impact analysis and policy-oriented futures studies. These can be considered as two meta-methods, in the sense that they both encompass a wide range of tools such as cost-benefit analysis, stakeholder analysis, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, interviews and focus groups. Moreover, they can be applied to a broad array of policy sectors. Second, the chapter assesses at the individual level to what extent analytical techniques are used by Belgian civil servants. Based on a sample of civil servants (N=1,601), the use of a variety of well-known analytical techniques such as cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis, stakeholder analysis or benchmarking is investigated. The discussion finally focuses on an analysis of the use these techniques by individual civil servants across government levels and policy sectors. Policy analysis is in this sense approached from both an organisational and an individual perspective.