K19 - Roundtable: Bringing Power Back in Policy Studies
Date: Jun 4 | Time: 01:30pm to 03:00pm | Location:
Bringing Power Back into Policy Studies:
Bryan Evans (Ryerson University)
Stephen McBride (McMaster University)
Meghan Joy (Concordia University)
Stephanie Paterson (Concordia University)
Heather Whiteside (University of Waterloo)
Ethel Tungohan (York University)
Abstract: Norton Long (1949) wrote, “The lifeblood of administration is power.” More than 50 years later, Arts and van Tatenhove (2004) “regret that the concept of power has – in our view – become an ‘endangered species’ in the field of public policy analysis.” The search for evidence based policy making harkens back to the earlier call for a policy sciences that can overcome the nefarious effects of politics on what would otherwise be a rational endeavor. Policy theories that dominate the field today tend to be narrow and limited in their utility. While policy makers may value technical skills that policy students have in evaluation and policy analysis, the scholarly field has become less and less relevant to actual policy deliberations. This roundtable panel brings together scholars highlighting the need to bring the politics back in and recognize that a policy studies that neglects power and values can never be useful for policy makers and administrators.