A public policy approach to understanding the nature and causes of foreign policy failure. Issue 5 (27th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McConnell, Allan
• Is Part Of: Journal of European public policy. Volume 23:Issue 5(2016)
• Page Start: 667
• Page End: 684
• Publication Date: 2016-05-27
• Subjects: Fiascos -- foreign policy -- policy evaluation -- policy failure; European Union countries -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; Political planning -- European Union countries -- Periodicals; Politique publique -- Pays de l'Union européenne -- Périodiques; Pays de l'Union européenne -- Politique et gouvernement -- Périodiques; 361.61094
• DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2015.1127278
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-1763

Abstract

ABSTRACT: All governments are vulnerable to policy failure but our understanding of the nature and causes of policy failure is highly underdeveloped. This contribution, written from a public policy perspective, sets out a framework for understanding these issues as applied to foreign policy. In doing so, it seeks a cross-disciplinary fertilization of thinking that uses the messy and contested reality of policy failure as fundamentally a key – rather than a barrier – to advancing our understanding of a phenomenon referred to variously as policy fiascos, policy disasters, policy blunders and policy failures.