The Next Governance Reform: How we create policy for uncertainty by enabling, learning and analysing

Abstract

In a recent interview, the Swedish Prime Minister described what he saw as the modern approach to governance: legislative reforms rarely turn out exactly as planned, and so the legislator needs to be pragmatic, responsive and prepared to adapt the plans. It is perhaps stating the obvious, but as an approach to policymaking it is not easy to implement. It necessitates discarding the traditional “command-and-control” mentality, recognising that knowledge and skills are held by different actors, ensuring effective feedback loops, and operating on a fast(er) decision-making cycle. This comes down to accepting that we cannot force the outcomes we want but with the right tools we can evolve them.