When Target Groups Talk Back: Policy Design as Interactive Governance

This paper views public policy as an interactive governance process. In this view, policy problems, target groups, and institutional roles emerge through ongoing interactions rather than being set by formal policy design. The paper relies on the theory of social constructions of target groups (Schneider & Ingram), a relational perspective (Emirbayer), and practice-based approaches to governance (Cook & Wagenaar; Selg & Sootla). The article argues that policy development and outcomes cannot be fully understood through static categories or simple cause-and-effect reasoning. The meanings of policies, their legitimacy, and their effects emerge through continuous interactions among policymakers, institutions, media narratives, and affected groups. In this process, views on deservingness, responsibility, and authority are key. To support its claims, the paper uses a long-term qualitative analysis of Estonian alimony policy, in which target groups are not merely subjects of policy; they are actively formed within the policy process. They are actively formed within the policy process. The alimony policy in Estonia serves as a significant case study since it includes several important aspects of public policy research: strong normative conflict, vulnerable and negatively viewed target groups, high moral importance, and ongoing interactions among legal, administrative, and political institutions. This case enables broader insights into how the meanings of target groups and power dynamics change within interactive governance processes. It also illustrates how these changes influence policy design across different areas. The paper thus contributes to discussions of public policy as a relational, process-driven process. It offers tools to better understand both the persistence of policies and their failures in various contexts.