The Role of Social Sciences in Shaping Public Policy-A Multidisciplinary Perspective
Dr. V. Mallika Vedantham
MA., Ph.D., UGC-NET Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Tara Government College(Autonomous), Sangareddy
Dr. Shaik Kamruddin
Associate Professor, Dept of Management and Commerce, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad
Download PDF
http://doi.org/10.37648/ijps.v21i04.014
Abstract
The 21st Century Public Policy Process is driven by complex, interrelated issues that have many facets. Problems such as socioeconomic inequality, climate change, public health will usually require the creation of public policy using a broader set of analytical tools than that has been customarily employed. The analysis presented here addresses the integration of social science research into public policy. The primary method uses empirical data and theoretical insight from multiple social science disciplines, including economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology, to synthesize how the various social science traditions contribute to an understanding of public policy issues and how decisions are made and outcomes achieved. Thus, the results of the analysis demonstrate that both public policy and the problems associated with public policy are social processes that result from complex interrelations between various social system components; i.e., power relations, institutional structures, cultural norms, spatial context, behavioural responses. Furthermore, the analysis presents evidence that, when addressing "wicked" public policy problems, a multidisciplinary approach is most effective because it combines standards of economic efficiency with standards of social equity, political feasibility, cultural sensitivity, and behavioural realism. This analysis also identified the three main means through which social science research can support the development of public policy; (1) promotion of evidence-based practices, (2) fostering of policy learning and (3) engagement in the process of knowledge brokerage. However, the analysis also noted that challenges to applying social science research to public policy will persist, particularly with respect to the barriers posed by (1) the knowledge-policy gap and (2) the influence of political and institutional factors.
Keywords:
Public policy; Social sciences; Multidisciplinary approach; Evidence-based policymaking; Governance; Policy analysis; Wicked problems
References
- Acemoglu, D., Naidu, S., Restrepo, P., & Robinson, J. A. (2015). Democracy, redistribution, and inequality. American Economic Review, 105(6), 1906–1944. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20130593
- Adger, W. N., Arnell, N. W., & Tompkins, E. L. (2009). Successful adaptation to climate change across scales. Global Environmental Change, 19(3), 335–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.02.001
- Angrist, J. D., & Pischke, J.-S. (2010). The credibility revolution in empirical economics. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(2), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.24.2.3
- Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032
- Atkinson, A. B. (2009). Measuring inequality. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 25(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grp003
- Baumgartner, F. R., & Jones, B. D. (1993). Agenda dynamics and policy subsystems. The Journal of Politics, 53(4), 1044–1074. https://doi.org/10.2307/2131866
- Benartzi, S., Beshears, J., Milkman, K. L., et al. (2017). Should governments invest more in nudging? Psychological Science, 28(8), 1041–1055. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617702501
- Béland, D. (2010). What is social policy? Polity.
- Boswell, C. (2009). Knowledge, legitimation and the politics of policy evaluation. Policy Sciences, 42(1), 75–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-008-9073-8
- Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education, 241–258.
- Brady, D., & Burton, L. M. (2016). The sociology of poverty. Annual Review of Sociology, 42, 35–56. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-081715-074524
- Cairney, P. (2016). The politics of evidence-based policymaking. Policy Studies Journal, 44(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12130
- Cairney, P. (2020). Understanding public policy: Theories and issues (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
- Cairney, P., & Jones, M. D. (2016). Kingdon’s multiple streams approach. Policy Studies Journal, 44(1), 37– 58. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12132
- Cairney, P., & Oliver, K. (2017). Evidence-based policymaking is not like evidence-based medicine. Health Research Policy and Systems, 15, Article 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-017-0192-x
- Cairney, P., & Weible, C. M. (2024). The new policy sciences: Combining insights from multiple disciplines. Policy Sciences, 57(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-023-09514-1
- Cartwright, N., & Hardie, J. (2012). Evidence-based policy: A practical guide. Oxford Journal of Public Policy, 28(4), 524–546. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxjpub/pds042
- Cleaver, F. (2012). Development through bricolage. Journal of Development Studies, 48(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2011.563947
- Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage.
- Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design (4th ed.). Sage.
- Dietz, T., Ostrom, E., & Stern, P. C. (2003). The struggle to govern the commons. Science, 302(5652), 1907– 1912. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1091015
- Dunn, W. N. (2018). Public policy analysis (6th ed.). Routledge.
- Floridi, L., Cowls, J., Beltrametti, M., et al. (2018). AI4People—An ethical framework for a good AI society. Minds and Machines, 28(4), 689–707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-018-9482-5
- Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219– 245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
- Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge. Pantheon.
- Gerber, A. S., & Green, D. P. (2012). Field experiments. Norton.
- Hajer, M. A. (1995). The politics of environmental discourse. Oxford University Press.
- Head, B. W. (2008). Wicked problems in public policy. Public Policy, 3(2), 101–118.
- Head, B. W., & Alford, J. (2015). Wicked problems. Administration & Society, 47(6), 711–739. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399713481604
- Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., & Perl, A. (2020). Studying public policy (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Imbens, G. W., & Rubin, D. B. (2015). Causal inference. Cambridge University Press.
- Jones, B. D., & Baumgartner, F. R. (2012). From there to here. Policy Studies Journal, 40(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0072.2011.00446.x
- Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–291. https://doi.org/10.2307/1914185
- Kingdon, J. W. (1995). Agendas, alternatives, and public policies (2nd ed.). HarperCollins.
- Kitchin, R. (2014). The data revolution. Sage.
- Li, T. M. (2007). The will to improve. Journal of Development Studies, 43(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220380600930851
- Loewenstein, G., et al. (2015). Warning: You are about to be nudged. Behavioral Science & Policy, 1(1), 35– 42. https://doi.org/10.1353/bsp.2015.0000
- Mergel, I., Edelmann, N., & Haug, N. (2019). Defining digital transformation. Government Information Quarterly, 36(4), 101385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.06.002
- North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press.
- Oliver, K., Lorenc, T., & Innvær, S. (2014). New directions in evidence-based policy. Health Research Policy and Systems, 12, Article 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-12-34
- Ostrom, E. (2010). Polycentric systems. Global Environmental Change, 20(4), 550–557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.07.004
- Peters, B. G. (2018). Policy problems and policy design. Edward Elgar.
- Peters, B. G., & Pierre, J. (2020). Governance, politics and the state. Red Globe Press.
- Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing returns. American Political Science Review, 94(2), 251–267. https://doi.org/10.2307/2586011
- Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone. Simon & Schuster
- Rhodes, R. A. W. (1997). Understanding governance. Open University Press.
- Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2018). The revenge of the places that don’t matter. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11(1), 189–209. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsx024
- Rothstein, B. (2011). Anti-corruption. Governance, 24(4), 377–394. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468- 0491.2011.01519.x
- Sanderson, I. (2002). Evaluation and policy learning. Public Administration, 80(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9299.00292
- Schwartz-Shea, P., & Yanow, D. (2012). Interpretive research design. Routledge.
- Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.
- Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Houghton Mifflin.
- Simon, H. A. (1957). Administrative behavior. Macmillan.
- Small, M. L., Harding, D. J., & Lamont, M. (2010). Reconsidering culture. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 629(1), 6–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716209359176
- Stern, P. C. (2011). Contributions of psychology to limiting climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 303–314. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023235
- Stone, D. (2012). Policy paradox (3rd ed.). Norton.
- Sunstein, C. R. (2015). Nudging and choice architecture. Behavioural Public Policy, 1(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2016.5
- Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2010). Mixed methods in social and behavioral research. Sage.
- Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge. Yale University Press.
- United Nations. (2023). Global sustainable development report. United Nations.
- Weible, C. M., et al. (2020). COVID-19 and the policy sciences. Policy Sciences, 53(2), 225–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-020-09381-4
- Wooldridge, J. M. (2016). Introductory econometrics. Cengage.
- Yeung, K. (2017). Algorithmic regulation. Regulation & Governance, 11(4), 505–523. https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12158
- Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism. PublicAffairs.
