TY - JOUR

T1 - Pragmatic complexity

T2 - a new foundation for moving beyond ‘evidence-based policy making?

AU - Ansell, Christopher

AU - Geyer, Robert Ralph

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Policy Studies on 16/08/2016 available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01442872.2016.1219033

PY - 2017/4

Y1 - 2017/4

N2 - Despite a range of criticism, the realm of policy still remains dominated by the rational, positivist and quantitative approaches of New Public Management, ‘evidence-based’ approaches and target/accountancy oriented ‘scientific’ management. Two notable attempts to develop an alternative to this dominant framework, however, have come from the older tradition of American pragmatism and the newer approach of complexity. In this article we introduce some of the core concepts of pragmatist philosophy and complexity relating to policy making. We then explore some of the key premises for bringing these two fields together and subsequently apply this ‘pragmatic complexity’ approach and a Stacey Diagram to drug policy. We argue that a marriage of pragmatism and complexity can provide a positive alternative conception of the relationship between scientific knowledge and decision-making and offers a way to integrate a scientific approach with democratic deliberation and values.

AB - Despite a range of criticism, the realm of policy still remains dominated by the rational, positivist and quantitative approaches of New Public Management, ‘evidence-based’ approaches and target/accountancy oriented ‘scientific’ management. Two notable attempts to develop an alternative to this dominant framework, however, have come from the older tradition of American pragmatism and the newer approach of complexity. In this article we introduce some of the core concepts of pragmatist philosophy and complexity relating to policy making. We then explore some of the key premises for bringing these two fields together and subsequently apply this ‘pragmatic complexity’ approach and a Stacey Diagram to drug policy. We argue that a marriage of pragmatism and complexity can provide a positive alternative conception of the relationship between scientific knowledge and decision-making and offers a way to integrate a scientific approach with democratic deliberation and values.

KW - Complexity theory

KW - Pragmatism

KW - drug policy

KW - policy making

U2 - 10.1080/01442872.2016.1219033

DO - 10.1080/01442872.2016.1219033

M3 - Journal article

VL - 38

SP - 149

EP - 167

JO - Policy Studies

JF - Policy Studies

SN - 0144-2872

IS - 2

ER -