Bad Public Policy
Malignity, Volatility and the Inherent Vices of Policymaking

Policy Studies have not taken human behaviour seriously enough and have contributed to many poor policy choices and designs.

Michael Howlett (Author), Ching Leong (Author), Tim Legrand (Author)

9781009497039, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 May 2025

110 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.8 cm, 0.303 kg

Policy studies assume the existence of baseline parameters – such as honest governments doing their best to create public value, publics responding in good faith, and both parties relying on a policy-making process that aligns with the public interest. In such circumstances, policy goals are expected to be produced through mechanisms in which the public can articulate its preferences and policy-makers are expected to listen to what has been said in determining their governments' courses of action. While these conditions are found in some governments, much policy-making occurs without these pre-conditions and processes. Unlike situations that produce what can be thought of as 'good' public policy, 'bad' public policy is a more common outcome. How this happens and what makes for bad public policy are the subjects of this Element. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

1. Introduction
2. Studying the darkside: advancing the concepts of policy risk, malign policy and policy volatility in the policy sciences
3. The darkside and the brightside of policy-making: democratic values and the policy sciences
4. The inherent vices of policy and policy design
5. A risk approach to the management of policy volatility: adverse behaviour and procedural policy tools
6. Trends in the management of inherent policy volatility: efforts to manage internal policy risk in three OECD countries
7. Conclusion: vigilance and vices
References.

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP]