Most definitions of public policy boil down to ‘whatever governments choose to do or not do (Dye)’. Yet there is a bias in the policy sciences towards the study of policy activity, to the virtual neglect of policy inactivity. This gap is significant because there are strong expectations that governments will intervene in the face of societal problems (if even to promote free market solutions) and that non-intervention constitutes negligence, irresponsibility or ineptness. Such accusations may be valid on occasion but governments can also deliberately ‘do nothing’ with clear goals in mind e.g. waiting to gather more evidence or garner more support. This paper seeks to provide a novel and nuanced anatomy of inaction, drawing on analytical insights from a range of disciplines including political science, psychology, sociology, and organisational studies. It also explores the contradictions and pathologies of not acting – including inaction as 'good policy' but 'bad politics'.
