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521 results in Australian politics

Page 6 of 27

The High Court, the Constitution and Australian Politics
  • Edited by Rosalind Dixon, George Williams
  • Published online:
    05 March 2015
    Print publication:
    16 February 2015
  • The High Court, the Constitution and Australian Politics is an in-depth exploration of the relationship between decisions of the High Court and broader political currents in Australia. It begins with an investigation of the patterns and effects of constitutional invalidation and dissent on the High Court over time, and their correlation with political trends and attitudes. It also examines the role of constitutional amendment in expressing popular constitutional understandings in the Australian system. Subsequent chapters focus on the eras marked by the tenure of the Court's 12 Chief Justices, examining Court's decisions in the context of the prevailing political conditions and understandings of each. Together, the chapters canvass a rich variety of accounts of the relationship between constitutional law and politics in Australia, and of how this relationship is affected by factors such as the process of appointment for High Court judges and the Court's explicit willingness to consider political and community values.

  • 12 - Research and policy

  • from Part 2 - Policy in Practice
  • Sarah Maddison, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Richard Denniss
  • Book:
    An Introduction to Australian Public Policy
    Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    13 February 2013, pp 206-221

  • Summary

    More often than not, the issues that policy workers deal with on a daily basis are highly complex. While much in the theoretical literature (such as the idea of rational decision making discussed in Chapter 1 or theories concerning policy analysis and policy instruments as discussed in Chapter 4) suggests that clarity and certainty should characterise the policy development process, in reality determining the ‘right’ policy response from the vast array of available choices, with access to imperfect information and disparate community views, can be a daunting task.

    In recent years the demand has been for ‘evidence-based policy’, which raises questions about what kinds of evidence exist and how it is best uncovered for the purposes of informing public policy. One possible implication of the term ‘evidence-based policy’ is that the contested and uncertain policy process discussed throughout this book can be rendered objective and certain. However, as will be discussed below, while there is no doubt that the collection and analysis of information has the potential to improve the advice provided to policy makers, there is no obligation on policy makers to heed such advice.

An Introduction to Australian Public Policy
  • Theory and Practice
  • 2nd edition
  • Sarah Maddison, Richard Denniss
  • Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    13 February 2013
  • The public policy arena is a complex framework of actors, politics and instruments. An Introduction to Australian Public Policy, Second Edition examines the broad range of models, influences and players that shape the development of public policy in Australia, and equips students with a working knowledge of both the theoretical underpinnings and real-world challenges of the field. Fully revised and updated, the new edition addresses the diverse approaches to policy formulation required by different practitioners and institutions. Accessible and engaging, this edition includes: a new chapter on policy evaluation; practical exercises on how to write policy briefs and media releases and eleven new, concise case studies from Australia's top public policy practitioners. The book is accompanied by a companion website which contains chapter summaries and a glossary. Widely regarded as the best introduction to Australian public policy available, the book is an essential resource for undergraduate students of politics and policy workers.

  • 9 - Policy evaluation

  • from Part 2 - Policy in Practice
  • Sarah Maddison, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Richard Denniss
  • Book:
    An Introduction to Australian Public Policy
    Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    13 February 2013, pp 156-172

  • Summary

    You change your laws so fast and without inquiring after results past or present that it is all experiment, seesaw, doctrinaire; a shuttlecock between battledores.

    (Florence Nightingale, letter to Sir Francis Galton, 7 February 1891 cited in McDonald 2003).

    No policy should ever be implemented and then ignored. Evaluation is a crucial element of good policy work. Done well, it produces specific advice about the future development – or abandonment – of a particular approach to solving a policy problem. Evaluation can be defined as the process of judging the merit or success of an initiative, that is, an ‘ex post assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of public programs and projects’ (Bovens, ’t Hart & Kuipers 2006: 319). Factors considered in policy evaluation include the merit and value of content, administration, output, and effects of policy (Vedung 2006: 397). Evaluation allows policy makers and managers to assess the impacts, benefits, and failings of a policy or program, to suggest improvements, and to make decisions on its ongoing viability or worth (see Nagel 2002; Rossi, Lipsey & Freeman 2003).

    In order to make informed decisions, evaluators need the right information. Evaluation therefore involves collecting or collating evidence, including theoretical evidence, that will enable the results of an initiative to be compared with its stated objectives. In order to facilitate good evaluation, the intended goals of a policy need to be clear, and it is therefore necessary for ministers to state clearly at the outset what they hope to achieve from a given policy.

Page 6 of 27