Quality control
9th May 2011
"Recent research from the Institute for Government (Policymaking in the Real World) has found that central government often lacks robust mechanisms for knowledge sharing, particularly across different departments. The research also highlighted the absence of a culture of proper reflection upon the successes and failures of previous policies. They argue that this has a negative impact on the quality of the policymaking process.
Significant cuts to departmental budgets and personnel planned over this Parliament may exacerbate the problem.
Good policymaking benefits from a wide range of contributions, gathering opinions and data from various perspectives. Public affairs can help that outcome. But organisations looking to share their industry knowledge and expertise with government must make sure their proposals are formulated from evidence-based, independently-backed research and ideas. These inputs should also analyse past policies to learn the lessons from good and bad policymaking, helping to spread what works well across departments. The result: higher-quality policymaking."
Charlotte Taylor - Account Executive