A rift on John W.Kingdon.
Back in 2000, I stumbled on the writing of John W.Kingdon. It changed my life – for the better.
Here was an academic that wrote clearly. More, he understood how policy making really worked. He provided a model that from my few years in EP and Commission made absolute sense.
His ideas have influenced my thinking as a lobbyist since then.
Policy windows don’t open frequently or for long (Kingdon, p.166). An idea comes and goes. Burden reduction today, another in a year’s time. If Europe’s economy does not burst into growth after the upcoming burden reduction measures, a new idea may come to the fore .
Strike when the Iron is hot
So, the only thing you can do is strike whilst the iron is hot.
Events will soon afterwards happen that lead to the window to close.
Later in February we will see new operational sentiments on burden reduction in the Simplification package that will, for a time at least, make it hard to table many ordinary and secondary proposals.
What do you need to bring
You need to bring a solution to the table. The more operational it is, the better.
If you are serious about your issue, you’ll have the following filed away for when the window opens:
- a clear policy ask
- a clear identificiation of the issue/problem that mirrors the new Commission’s thinkging
- the technical feasibility and supproting evidence and studies; the legislative language; and policy brief.
When the opportunity opens, you can update your documents, and hand them over. You strike when the iron is hot.
If you don’t provide an alternative, the moment is closed.
Who can deliver – the Political Entrepreneur
This rare person has 3 things:
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A claim to be heard: through expertise, speaks for others – leader of a powerful interest
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Has political connections or negotiating skills.A mix of technical expertise and politcal saavy.
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They are persistent.
When the window opens you need to be ready. ‘Thus policy enrperenuers must develop their ideas, expertise, and proposals well in advance of the time the window opens” ().181).
The role is to ‘hook solutions to problems, proposals to political momentum, and political events to policy probloems’ (p.182). No time for endless internal meetings.
After all “Good ideas lie fallow for lack of an advocate. Problems are unsolved for lack of a solution. Political events are not capitalised for lack of inventive and developed proposals” ((p.182). the role is to bring a prepackaged combination of solution, problem, and political momentium to the window when it does open” (p.183).
On Tuesday, one of those predictable policy windows opens – the Work Programme. If you issue is there, or in the political guidelines and due in future years, you’ll need to strike.
Some people are going to be disappointed. They’ll discover their item is not on the policy agenda for the next 5 years. I think a lot of people are going to be there. Just because they don’t realise it does not matter. And, I suspect that even where there is existing legislation that will only be delivered by way of new secondary legislation, the Simplification package, due later in February, will be stunt activity.
In addittion, there will be a series of Omnibus proposals, that without the rigour of an impact assessment, will provide the opportunity for self-corrective reclaibration and repeal of legislative setttlements reached in the last 5 years.
Source: John W.Kingdon, Agenda, Alternatives and Public Policies. Second Edition.