Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T14:20:50.877Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
Series:   Elements in Public Policy

Public Inquiries and Policy Design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2024

Alastair Stark  and
Sophie Yates
Alastair Stark
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Sophie Yates
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra

Summary

Public inquiries regularly produce outcomes of importance to policy design. However, the policy design literature has largely ignored the many important ways that public inquiries can act as policy design tools, meaning the functions that inquiries can offer the policy designer are not properly understood. This Element addresses this gap in two ways. First, it presents a theoretical discussion, underpinned by international empirical illustrations, to explain how inquiries perform policy design roles and can be classified as procedural policy tools. It focuses on four inquiry functions – catalytic, learning, processual, and legitimation. Second, it addresses the challenge of designing inquiries that have the policy-facing capacities required to make them effective. It introduces plurality as a key variable influencing effectiveness, demonstrating its relevance to internal inquiry operations, the external inquiry environment, and policy tool selection. Thus, it combines conceptual and practical insights to speak to academic and practice orientated audiences.
Get access

Keywords

public inquiriespolicy designpolicy learningpolicy toolsimplementation
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Public Policy
Online ISBN: 9781009286879
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 23 May 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abele, F. (2014). The Lasting Impact of the Berger Inquiry into the Construction of a Pipeline in the Mackenzie Valley. In Inwood, G. J. & Johns, C. M., (Eds.), Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis (pp. 88–112). University of Toronto Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Access to Biological Resources in Commonwealth Areas Inquiry. (2000). Access to Biological Resources in Commonwealth Areas. https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/static/FullTextFiles/926054.pdf.Google Scholar
Acland, H. (1980). Research as Stage Management: The Case of the Plowdon Committee. In Bulmer, M., (Ed.), Social Research and Royal Commissions (pp. 19–34). George Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Althaus, C. (1994). Legitimation and Agenda Setting: Development and the Environment in Australia and Canada’s North. In Weller, P., (Ed.),Royal Commissions and the Making of Public Policy (pp. 186–97). Centre for Australian Public Sector Management.Google Scholar
Ashforth, A. (1990). Reckoning Schemes of Legitimation: On Commissions of Inquiry as Power/Knowledge Forms. Journal of Historical Sociology, 3(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6443.1990.tb00143.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bali, A. S., Capano, G., & Ramesh, M. (2019). Anticipating and Designing for Policy Effectiveness. Policy and Society, 38(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2019.1579502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bali, A. S., Howlett, M., Lewis, J. M., & Ramesh, M. (2021). Procedural Policy Tools in Theory and Practice. Policy and Society, 40(3), 295–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2021.1965379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bauer, M. W., Green-Pedersen, C., Héritier, A., & Jordan, A. (2012). Dismantling Public Policy: Preferences, Strategies, and Effects. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beer, J. (2011). Public Inquiries. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Béland, D., & Howlett, M. (2016). How Solutions Chase Problems: Instrument Constituencies in the Policy Process. Governance, 29(3), 393–409. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blomkamp, E. (2022). Systemic Design Practice for Participatory Policymaking. Policy Design and Practice, 5(1), 12–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1887576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boin, A., ‘t Hart, P., Stern, E., & Sundelius, B. (2016). The Politics of Crisis Management: Understanding Public Leadership When It Matters Most. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boudes, T., & Laroche, H. (2009). Taking Off the Heat: Narrative Sensemaking in Post-crisis Inquiry Reports. Organization Studies, 30(4), 377–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840608101141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bovens, M. A. P., ’t Hart, P., & Peters, B. G. (2001). Success and Failure in Public Governance: A Comparative Analysis. Edward Elgar.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, A. D. (2000). Making Sense of Inquiry Sensemaking. Journal of Management Studies, 37(1), 45–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, A. D. (2004). Authoritative Sensemaking in a Public Inquiry Report. Organization Studies, 25(1), 95–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840604038182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, P. R., & Stark, A. (2022). Policy Inaction Meets Policy Learning: Four Moments of Non-implementation. Policy Sciences, 55(1), 47–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-021-09446-y.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buckley, H., & O’Nolan, C. (2013). An Examination of Recommendations from Inquiries into Events in Families and Their Interactions with State Services, and Their Impact on Policy and Practice. Department of Children and Youth Affairs. www.lenus.ie/handle/10147/315231.Google Scholar
Buckmaster, L., & Clark, S. (2018). The National Disability Insurance Scheme: A Chronology (Research Paper Series, 2018–19). Parliamentary Library. www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1819/Chronologies/NDIS.Google Scholar
Bulmer, M. (Ed.). (1980). Social Research and Royal Commissions. George Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Capano, G., & Howlett, M. (2020). The Knowns and Unknowns of Policy Instrument Analysis: Policy Tools and the Current Research Agenda on Policy Mixes. SAGE Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capano, G., & Howlett, M. (2022). How Tools Work: Policy Instruments as Activators and Mechanisms. In Howlett, M., (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Policy Tools (1st ed., pp. 61–72). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003163954.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capano, G., Howlett, M., & Ramesh, M. (Eds.). (2015). Varieties of Governance: Dynamics, Strategies, Capacities. Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carey, G., Dickinson, H., Malbon, E., & Reeders, D. (2018). The Vexed Question of Market Stewardship in the Public Sector: Examining Equity and the Social Contract through the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme. Social Policy & Administration, 52(1), 387–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carter, N. (1989). Performance Indicators: ‘Backseat Driving’ or ‘Hands Off’ Control? Policy & Politics, 17(2), 131–8. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557389782454857.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centala, E. P. (2016). Redefining Transitional Justice in the North American Context? The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission [Master of Arts]. University of Maine.Google Scholar
Chapman, R. A. (1973). Commissions in Policy-Making. In Chapman, R. A., (Ed.), The Role of Commissions in Policy-Making (pp. 174–88). George Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Christensen, J., & Holst, C. (2017). Advisory Commissions, Academic Expertise and Democratic Legitimacy: The Case of Norway. Science and Public Policy, 44(6), 821–33. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scx016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clokie, H. D., & Robinson, W. J. (1937). Royal Commissions of Inquiry. Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Commonwealth of Australia. (2019). Commonwealth Letters Patent Amended 13 September 2019. https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2021-11/Commonwealth%20Letters%20Patent%20amended%2013%20September%202019.pdf.Google Scholar
Compton, M., & ‘t Hart, P. (Eds.). (2019). Great Policy Successes. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Cunneen, C. (2001). Assessing the Outcomes of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Health Sociology Review, 10(2), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.5172/hesr.2001.10.2.53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Smedt, P., & Borch, K. (2022). Participatory Policy Design in System Innovation. Policy Design and Practice, 5(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1887592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
deLeon, P. (1978). Public Policy Termination: An End and a Beginning. Policy Analysis, 4(3), 369–92.Google Scholar
Donson, F., & O’Donovan, D. (2022). Public Inquiries and Administrative Justice. In Hertogh, M., Kirkham, R., Thomas, R., & Tomlinson, J., (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Administrative Justice (pp. 137–54). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190903084.013.9.Google Scholar
Douglas, S., Schillemans, T., ‘t Hart, P. et al. (2021). Rising to Ostrom’s Challenge: An Invitation to Walk on the Bright Side of Public Governance and Public Service. Policy Design and Practice, 4(4), 441–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1972517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunlop, C., & Radaelli, C. M. (2021). The Lessons of Policy Learning: Types, Triggers, Hindrances and Pathologies. In Weible, C. & Cairney, P., (Eds.), Practical Lessons from Policy Theories (pp. 83–104). Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Dunlop, C. A., & Radaelli, C. M. (2013). Systematising Policy Learning: From Monolith to Dimensions. Political Studies, 61(3), 599–619. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.00982.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, G. (2021). Learning to Learn from Bushfire: Perspectives from Victorian Emergency Management Practitioners. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 80(3), 602–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eburn, M., & Dovers, S. (2015). Learning Lessons from Disasters: Alternatives to Royal Commissions and Other Quasi-Judicial Inquiries. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 74(4), 495–508. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, D. (2009). The Failure of Organizational Learning from Crisis – A Matter of Life and Death? Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 17(3), 157–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2009.00576.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, D., & McGuinness, M. (2002). Public Inquiry: Panacea or Placebo? Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 10(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.00177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falkenrath, R. A. (2004). The 9/11 Commission Report. International Security, 29(3), 170–90.Google Scholar
Fischer, F. (2003). Reframing Public Policy: Discursive Politics and Deliberative Practices. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flanagan, K., Uyarra, E., & Laranja, M. (2011). Reconceptualising the ‘Policy Mix’ for Innovation. Research Policy, 40(5), 702–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.02.005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flinders, M., Mulgan, G., & Stark, A. (2021). Range and Variety in Models of Public Inquiry: How to Stimulate Innovative Inquiry Design, Process and Practice. 12 October. IPPO. https://theippo.co.uk/range-variety-models-public-inquiry-innovative-inquiry-design-process-practice/Google Scholar
Gephart Jnr, R. P. (1993). The Textual Approach: Risk and Blame in Disaster Sensemaking. Academy of Management of Journal, 38(6), 1465–514.Google Scholar
Gibbs, E. (2022). What Royal Commission? 6 March. Patreon. www.patreon.com/elgibbs/posts.Google Scholar
Gouache, C. (2022). Imagining the Future with Citizens: Participatory Foresight and Democratic Policy Design in Marcoussis, France. Policy Design and Practice, 5(1), 66–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1930687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goudge, S. (2016). The Berger Inquiry in Retrospect: Its Legacy. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 28(2), 393–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grace, J. (2014). Politics and Promise: A Feminist-Institutionalist Analysis of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. In Inwood, G. J., & Johns, C. M., (Eds.), Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis (pp. 70–87). University of Toronto Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haas, A. (2015). Crowding at the Frontier: Boundary Spanners, Gatekeepers and Knowledge Brokers. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(5), 1029–47. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2015-0036.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, P. (1993). Policy Paradigms, Social Learning and the State. Comparative Politics, 25(3), 275–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, P., Sivesind, K., & Thostrup, R. (2021). Managing Expectations by Projecting the Future School: Observing the Nordic Future School Reports via Temporal Topologies. European Educational Research Journal, 20(6), 860–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904121995695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Head, B. W. (2022). Wicked Problems in Public Policy: Understanding and Responding to Complex Challenges. Springer International. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94580-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heclo, H. (1974). Modern Social Politics in Britain and Sweden: From Relief to Income Maintenance. Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Herbert, A. (1961). Anything but Action? A Study of the Uses and Abuses of Committees of Inquiry. In Harris, R., (Ed.), Radical Reaction: Essays in Competition and Affluence. Hutchinson.Google Scholar
Herweg, N. (2016). Explaining European Agenda-Setting Using the Multiple Streams Framework: The Case of European Natural Gas Regulation. Policy Sciences, 49(1), 13–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-015-9231-z.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hesstvedt, S., & Christensen, J. (2023). Political and Administrative Control of Expert Groups – A Mixed-Methods Study. Governance, 36(2), 337–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hesstvedt, S., & Christiansen, P. M. (2022). The Politics of Policy Inquiry Commissions: Denmark and Norway, 1971–2017. West European Politics, 45(2), 430–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2020.1858597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hillgren, P., Light, A., & Strange, M. (2020). Future Public Policy and Its Knowledge Base: Shaping Worldviews through Counterfactual World-Making. Policy Design and Practice, 3(2), 109–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1748372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogwood, B. W., & Peters, B. G. (1983). Policy Dynamics. Wheatsheaf Books.Google Scholar
Hoppe, R. (2018). Heuristics for Practitioners of Policy Design: Rules-of-Thumb for Structuring Unstructured Problems. Public Policy and Administration, 33(4), 384–408. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952076717709338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
House of Commons. (2005). Public Administration Select Committee, Government by Inquiry, First Report of Session 2004–05 (Vol. I). HMSO.Google Scholar
Howlett, M. (2000). Managing the ‘Hollow State’: Procedural Policy Instruments and Modern Governance. Canadian Public Administration, 43(4), 412–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-7121.2000.tb01152.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howlett, M. (2009). Governance Modes, Policy Regimes and Operational Plans: A Multi-Level Nested Model of Policy Instrument Choice and Policy Design. Policy Sciences, 42(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-009-9079-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howlett, M. (2011). Designing Public Policies: Principles and Instruments. Routledge.Google Scholar
Howlett, M. (2019). Procedural Policy Tools and the Temporal Dimensions of Policy Design: Resilience, Robustness and the Sequencing of Policy Mixes. International Review of Public Policy, 1(1), 27–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howlett, M. (2020). Challenges in Applying Design Thinking to Public Policy: Dealing with the Varieties of Policy Formulation and Their Vicissitudes. Policy & Politics, 48(1): 49–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howlett, M. P., & Mukherjee, I. (2014). Policy Design and Non-Design: Towards a Spectrum of Policy Formulation Types [Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Research Paper No. 14–11]. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2461087.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howlett, M., & Mukherjee, I. (2017). Policy Design: From Tools to Patches. Canadian Public Administration, 60(1), 140–4. https://doi.org/10.1111/capa.12209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hudson, B., Hunter, D., & Peckham, S. (2019). Policy Failure and the Policy-Implementation Gap: Can Policy Support Programs Help? Policy Design and Practice, 2(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2018.1540378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, A., & Boswell, C. (2015). Comparing the Political Functions of Independent Commissions: The Case of UK Migrant Integration Policy. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 17(1), 10–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/13876988.2014.896117.Google Scholar
Inwood, G. J., & Johns, C. M. (2014). Why Study Commissions of Inquiry? In Inwood, G. J., & Johns, C. M., (Eds.), Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis (pp. 3–19). University of Toronto Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inwood, G. J., & Johns, C. M. (2022). Tools for Structuring Policy Advice. In Howlett, M., (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Policy Tools (1st ed., pp. 208–19). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003163954-21.Google Scholar
Jain, M. (2020). The Rose That Grew from Concrete: The Commission of Inquiry into Policing in Khayelitsha, South Africa. In Heyns, C. & Probert, T., (Eds.), National Commissions of Inquiry in Africa: Vehicles to Pursue Accountability for Violations of the Right to Life? (pp. 241–78). Pretoria University Law Press.Google Scholar
Jenkins, S. (2021). Public Inquiries Are Institutionally Corrupt, We Should Just Give the Money to Victims. The Guardian, 18 June. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/17/public-inquiries-are-institutionally-corrupt-we-should-just-give-the-money-to-victims.Google Scholar
Johns, C. M., & Inwood, G. J. (2018). Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Analysis. In Dobuzinskis, L. & Howlett, M., (Eds.), Policy Analysis in Canada (1st ed., pp. 233–54). Bristol University Press; JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt22rbkbb.16.Google Scholar
Jordan, A., & Turnpenny, J. (Eds.). (2015). The Tools of Policy Formulation. Edward Elgar.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture [JCISC]. (2022). Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector Including Organs of State. Report: Part 1. Vol. 1: Chapter 1 – South African Airways and Its Associated Companies. www.statecapture.org.za/.Google Scholar
Kay, A. (2006). The Dynamics of Public Policy: Theory and Evidence. Edward Elgar.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kay, A. (2007). Tense Layering and Synthetic Policy Paradigms: The Politics of Health Insurance in Australia. Australian Journal of Political Science, 42(4), 579–91. http://doi.org/10.1080/10361140701595775.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, K., & Ó Dochartaigh, N. (2021). Power and Politics in Public Inquiries: Bloody Sunday 1972. Journal of Political Power, 14(3), 383–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2021.1890316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leveson, B. H. (2012). An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. House of Commons. www.gov.uk/government/publications/leveson-inquiry-report-into-the-culture-practices-and-ethics-of-the-press.Google Scholar
Lindblom, C. E. (1959). The Science of Muddling-through. Public Administration Review, 19(2), 79–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linder, S. H., & Peters, B. G. (1988). The Analysis of Design or the Design of Analysis? Review of Policy Research, 7(4), 738–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-1338.1988.tb00892.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maffei, S., Leoni, F., & Villari, B. (2020). Data-Driven Anticipatory Governance. Emerging Scenarios in Data for Policy Practices. Policy Design and Practice, 3(2), 123–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1763896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahoney, J., & Thelen, K. (2010). A Theory of Gradual Institutional Change. In Mahoney, J. & Thelen, K., (Eds.), Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency, and Power (pp. 1–38). Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1984). The New Institutionalism: Organizational Factors in Political Life. The American Political Science Review, 78(3), 734–49. https://doi.org/10.2307/1961840.Google Scholar
Marier, P. (2017). Public Inquiries. In Brans, M., Geva-May, I., & Howlett, M., (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Comparative Policy Analysis (pp. 169–80). Routledge.Google Scholar
May, E. R. (2005). When Government Writes History. The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/64332/when-government-writes-history.Google Scholar
May, P. J. (1992). Policy Learning and Failure. Journal of Public Policy, 12(4), 331–54. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X00005602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
May, P. J. (1991). Reconsidering Policy Design: Policies and Publics. Journal of Public Policy, 11(2), 187–206. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X0000619X.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAlinden, A.-M., & Naylor, B. (2016). Reframing Public Inquiries as ‘Procedural Justice’ for Victims of Institutional Child Abuse: Towards a Hybrid Model of Justice. Sydney Law Review, 38(3), 277–308.Google Scholar
McConnell, A. (2010). Policy Success, Policy Failure and Grey Areas In-Between. Journal of Public Policy, 30(3), 345–62. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X10000152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McConnell, A., & ’t Hart, P. (2019). Inaction and Public Policy: Understanding Why Policymakers ‘Do Nothing’. Policy Sciences, 52(4), 645–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-019-09362-2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McConnell, A. (2020). The Use of Placebo Policies to Escape from Policy Traps. Journal of European Public Policy, 27(7), 957–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, C., Ikani, N., Avendano Pabon, M., & Kelly, A. (2020). Learning the Right Lessons for the Next Pandemic: How to Design Public Inquiries into the UK Government’s Handling of COVID-19. King’s College London. https://doi.org/10.18742/PUB01-032.Google Scholar
Ministry of Education and Culture. (2015). Basic Education of the Future – Let’s Turn the Trend! 12 March. https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/-/1410845/basic-education-of-the-future-let-s-turn-the-trend-.Google Scholar
Mintrom, M., & Luetjens, J. (2017). Creating Public Value: Tightening Connections between Policy Design and Public Management. Policy Studies Journal, 45(1), 170–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mintrom, M., O’Neill, D., & O’Connor, R. (2021). Royal Commissions and Policy Influence. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 80(1), 80–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, I., Jones, P. W., Jones, S., & Ireton, E. (2020). The Practical Guide to Public Inquiries. Bloomsbury Academic.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mukherjee, I., Coban, M. K., & Bali, A. S. (2021). Policy Capacities and Effective Policy Design: A Review. Policy Sciences, 54(2), 243–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-021-09420-8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mulgan, G., Flinders, M., & Stark, A., (2021). Range and Variety in Models of Public Inquiry: How to Stimulate Innovative Inquiry Design, Process and Practice. International Public Policy Observatory. https://theippo.co.uk/range-variety-models-public-inquiry-innovative-inquiry-design-process-practice/.Google Scholar
Needham, C., & Dickinson, H. (2018). ‘Any One of Us Could Be among That Number’: Comparing the Policy Narratives for Individualized Disability Funding in Australia and England. Social Policy & Administration, 52(3), 731–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, C. F., & Dekker, S. (2008). September 11 and Postcrisis Investigation: Exploring the Role and Impact of the 9/11 Commission. In Boin, A., McConnell, A., & ’t Hart, P., (Eds.), Governing after Crisis: The Politics of Investigation, Accountability and Learning (pp. 255–82). Cambridge University PressGoogle Scholar
Peters, B. G., Capano, G., Howlett, M. et al. (2018). Designing for Policy Effectiveness: Defining and Understanding a Concept. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108555081.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics. American Political Science Review, 94(2), 251–67. https://doi.org/10.2307/2586011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollitt, C. (2009). Bureaucracies Remember, Post-bureaucratic Organizations Forget? Public Administration, 87(2), 198–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Posner, R. A. (2005). Preventing Surprise Attacks: Intelligence Reform in the Wake of 9/11. Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Prasser, S. (1994). Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries: Scope and Uses. In Weller, P., (Ed.), Royal Commissions and the Making of Public Policy (pp. 1–21). Macmillan Education.Google Scholar
Prasser, S. (Ed.). (2023). New Directions in Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries: Do We Need Them? Connor Court.Google Scholar
Rares, J. (2013). Using the ‘Hot Tub’ – How Concurrent Expert Evidence Aids Understanding Issues [Presentation]. 12 October. www.fedcourt.gov.au/digital-law-library/judges-speeches/justice-rares/rares-j-20131012.Google Scholar
Ratushny, E. (2009). The Conduct of Public Inquiries: Law, Policy, and Practice. Irwin Law.Google Scholar
Renå, H., & Christensen, J. (2020). Learning from Crisis: The Role of Enquiry Commissions. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 28(1), 41–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Resodihardjo, S. L. (2006). Wielding a Double-Edged Sword: The Use of Inquiries at Times of Crisis. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 14(4), 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2006.00496.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Resodihardjo, S. L. (2020). Inquiries Following Crises. In Resodihardjo, S. L., (Ed.), Crises, Inquiries and the Politics of Blame (pp. 33–45). Springer International. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17531-3_3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, R. (1991). What Is Lesson-Drawing?. Journal of Public Policy, 11(1), 3–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rough, E. (2011). Policy Learning through Public Inquiries? The Case of UK Nuclear Energy Policy 1955–61. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 29(1), 24–45. https://doi.org/10.1068/c09184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roy, E. A. (2020). Christchurch Attacks: Royal Commission Hands in Report on New Zealand Mosque Shootings. The Guardian. 26 November. www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/christchurch-attacks-royal-commission-hands-in-report-on-new-zealand-mosque-shootings.Google Scholar
Saguin, K., & Cashore, B. (2022). Two Logics of Participation in Policy Design. Policy Design and Practice, 5(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2022.2038978.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salamon, L. (2001). The New Governance and the Tools of Public Action: An Introduction. The Fordham Urban Law Journal, 28(5), 1611–74.Google Scholar
Salter, L. (2007). The Public of Public Inquiries. In Dobuzinskis, L., Howlett, M., & Laycock, D., (Eds.), Policy Analysis in Canada (pp. 289–314). University of Toronto Press. https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442685529-014.Google Scholar
Sanderson, I. (2002). Evaluation, Policy Learning and Evidence-Based Policy Making. Public Administration, 80(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9299.00292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scala, F. (2014). The Framing of Scientific Governance in Canada: Policy Change and the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies. In Inwood, G. J. & Johns, C. M., (Eds.), Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis (pp. 130–53). University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Schneider, A., & Ingram, H. (1988). Systematically Pinching Ideas: A Comparative Approach to Policy Design. Journal of Public Policy, 8(1), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X00006851.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, A., & Ingram, H. (1993). Social Construction of Target Populations: Implications for Politics and Policy. American Political Science Review, 87(2), 334–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/2939044.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwartz, B. (1997). Public Inquiries. Canadian Public Administration, 40(1), 72–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-7121.1997.tb01497.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snape, J. (2021). What the Split between Royal Commissioners Means for the Future of Aged Care. ABC News. 1 March. www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-01/aged-care-royal-commission-division-split/13203698.Google Scholar
Srinivasulu, K. (2017). A Reform-Centric Approach to Ending Caste Discrimination: An Analysis of the Report of Justice Punnaiah Commission. Review of Development and Change, 22(2), 109–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972266120170206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stahn, C. (2001). Accommodating Individual Criminal Responsibility and National Reconciliation: The UN Truth Commission for East Timor. American Journal of International Law, 95(4), 952–66. https://doi.org/10.2307/2674655.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanton, K. (2022). Reconciling Truths: Reimagining Public Inquiries in Canada. UBC Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A. (2018). Public Inquiries, Policy Learning and the Threat of Future Crises. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A. (2019). Policy Learning and the Public Inquiry. Policy Sciences, 52(3), 397–417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-019-09348-0.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A. (2020). Left on the Shelf: Explaining the Failure of Public Inquiry Recommendations. Public Administration, 98(3), 609–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A. (2023). Measuring Public Inquiry Success. In Prasser, S., (Ed.), New Directions in Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries: Do We Need Them? (pp. 195–214). Connorcourt.Google Scholar
Stark, A., & Head, B. (2019). Institutional Amnesia and Public Policy. Journal of European Public Policy, 26(10), 1521–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2018.1535612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A., & Le, D. (2022). IPPO: Public Inquiry Design Choices: what Ideas Should Be Adopted from Past Inquiries around the World? IPPO. 18 January. https://covidandsociety.com/public-inquiry-design-choices-ideas-past-inquiries-around-world/.Google Scholar
Stark, A, Thomson, N. K. and Marston, G. (2021). Public deliberation and policy design. Policy Design and Practice, 4(4), 1–13. doi: 10.1080/25741292.2021.1912906.Google Scholar
Stark, A., Punter, H., & Zarrabi, B. (2023). A Return to the Classics? The Implementation of Royal Commissions in Australia. Australian Journal of Political Science, 58(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/10361146.2022.2117017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stone, D. (2012).Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making. 3rd ed. W. W. Norton & Comp.Google Scholar
Streeck, W., & Thelen, K. (2005). Beyond Continuity: Institutional Change in Advanced Political Economies. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sulitzeanu-Kenan, R. (2010). Reflection in the Shadow of Blame: When Do Politicians Appoint Commissions of Inquiry? British Journal of Political Science, 40(3), 613–34. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123410000049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thill, C. (2015). Listening for Policy Change: How the Voices of Disabled People Shaped Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme. Disability & Society, 30(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2014.987220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Timmins, N. (2019). An Elementary Primer for Politicians and Potential Chairs on Public Inquiries. The Political Quarterly, 90(2), 238–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.12699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaughan, D. (2006). NASA Revisited: Theory, Analogy and Public Sociology. American Journal of Sociology, 112(2), 353–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vickers, S. G. (1965). The Art of Judgment: A Study of Policy Making. Basic Books.Google Scholar
Voß, J.-P., & Simons, A. (2014). Instrument Constituencies and the Supply Side of Policy Innovation: The Social Life of Emissions Trading. Environmental Politics, 23(5), 735–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2014.923625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walsh, J., & Johnson, S. (2013). Development and Principles of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Australian Economic Review, 46(3), 327–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8462.2013.12032.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wellstead, A. M., Gofen, A., & Carter, A. (2021). Policy Innovation Lab Scholarship: Past, Present, and the Future – Introduction to the Special Issue on Policy Innovation Labs. Policy Design and Practice, 4(2), 193–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1940700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yates, S. (2018). A Critical Frame Analysis of Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence. UNSW. https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/21172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save element to Kindle

To save this element to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Public Inquiries and Policy Design
Available formats
×

Save element to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Public Inquiries and Policy Design
Available formats
×

Save element to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Public Inquiries and Policy Design
Available formats
×