Public Policy in the Face of Political Uncertainty and Radicalisation

Abstract

At a time when crises follow one after another and are often intertwined, when problems appear increasingly intractable, when uncertainty has become the norm, and when various forms of radicalization saturate the political landscape, what does the study of public policy mean today? Far from being developed in isolation from the context in which they are situated, research into public policy has been shaped by the specific challenges faced by governments and the political questions that their activities raise within society. In the aftermath of the Second World War, ‘Policy Sciences’ emerged with the aim of producing academic knowledge to help stabilize democracies. In the 1960s, issues surrounding non-decision-making and agenda-setting dynamics came to the fore at a time when governments were being criticized for denying the problems of extreme poverty, inequality and discrimination. In the 1980s, the dominant theme was that of change and neoliberal reforms. Today, the situation has changed. For the past twenty years, the ecological, social, economic and health crises – which are accumulating and intertwining – have brought back the growing spectre of uncertainty and disorder. Public policies are no longer presented merely as a means of solving problems, but are also seen as part of the problem. Against a backdrop of challenges to democracies and the rise of multiple forms of radicalization, what does contemporary research on public policy tell us? To what extent can it solve the upcoming challenges, to what extent is it embedded in them, and to what extent does it emerge from them? How do public policies relate to social groups in modern societies and tendencies of polarization and politicization? What new questions and perspectives are emerging today in the increasingly globalized field of public policy to help us understand this uncertain world? The aim of this round table is to highlight the current dynamics in this field and to open a debate on what the study of public policy today teaches us about contemporary political issues.