The Pathology of Public Policy

Much has been written about how government works, but there has been little systematic analysis of how government does not work. This book analyses the whole range of public policy problems, drawing on insights from a range of academic disciplines, policy areas, and practical experience, with examples drawn from both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The book is based on the novel concept of the analytical taxonomy of the pathologies of policy making. The use of this medical metaphor provides a framework for the categorization of the diseases of public policy and contributes to an understanding of the nature of policy dysfunctions and their treatment. The analogy helps to organize the material: it does not govern it. The pathologies discussed in the book are grouped into seven categories: congenital disorders, organizational pathologies, information pathologies, delusions, obesity, problems of budgeting, and terminal illness. The possibilities for treating some of these pathologies are then discussed and attention is drawn to the possible pathological consequences of the treatments themselves. Finally, the potential and deficiencies of a number of factors for diagnosing and treating policy pathologies are reviewed.