Policy-Making as Social Problem-Solving

A pluralist, democratic, and political politics acknowledges that while people may have some interests in common, we also have different, competing, and conflicting interests. It is difficult to identify a “general will” or to achieve consensus on a “common good”. Politics and policy-making aim to solve social problems by negotiating bargains, compromises, and practicable agreements. Competent and effective public officials learn to excel at stakeholder analysis, prioritisation, and engagement and the art of public persuasion. They are skilled at facilitating political resolution of collective problems, and at managing actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest with integrity. The chapter provides a framework for stakeholder analysis and prioritisation for engagement, and invites reflection on the art of public persuasion, including forms and styles of democracy, the uses of evidence and argument, and the importance of prudence—good judgment and practical wisdom, grounded in a deep understanding of people and place.