This text for students of politics and public policy, and for learning on the job by new policy analysts, provides a practical introduction grounded in the author’s experience of working in public policy.In four concise chapters, Part I steps through doing policy analysis in practice: from clear commissioning and project planning, to doing analysis through collective thinking, to telling a compelling policy story, to peer review and quality assurance.The six chapte...

This book offers a practical guide for policy advisors and their managers, grounded in the author’s extensive experience as a senior policy practitioner in New Zealand’s Westminster-style system of government.A key message is that effective policy advising is less about cycles, stages and steps, and more about relationships, integrity and communication. Policy making is incremental social problem solving. Policy advising is mostly learned on the job, like an apprenticeship. It star...

This book identifies six ethical competencies for public leadership in contexts of pluralism. While diversity in proximity generates conflict where people want and value different things, the right kind of leadership and the right kind of politics can minimise domination, humiliation, cruelty and violence.Written by a public policy advisor for fellow practitioners in politics and public life, this book applies political theory and social ethics to identify a set of competencies—bei...

Hateful thoughts and words can lead to harmful actions like the March 2019 terrorist attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. In free, open and democratic societies, governments cannot justifiably regulate what citizens think, feel, believe or value, but do have a duty to protect citizens from harmful communication that incites discrimination, active hostility and violence.Written by a public policy advisor for fellow practitioners in politics and public life, this book disc...

This book offers a practical guide for policy advisors and their managers, grounded in the author’s extensive experience as a senior policy practitioner in central and local government.Effective policy advising does not proceed in ‘cycles’ or neatly ordered ‘stages’ and ‘steps’, but is first and foremost a relationship built on careful listening, knowing one’s place in the constitutional scheme of things, becoming useful and winning the confidence of decision makers.The aut...