Abstract
Systems approaches in policy analysis have had a chequered history.
Expectations that lsquohardrsquo (quantitative) systems analysis
would lead to better answers to policy problems have largely been
disappointed. Yet systems theory has itself moved on, to embrace
the concept of autopoiesis and a variety of soft systems methodologies.
Collectively, these theories offer a way of analysing policy quite
distinct from the institutionalist approaches which tend to dominate
the theory and practice of policy-making. Rather than selecting instruments
to fit a particular kind of policy problem (the conventional approach
to policy design) systems analysis suggests that the nature of the
problem cannot be understood separately from its solution. For policy
problems characterised by complexity (such as those concerned with
environmental management and regulation, and urban re-development)
using systems concepts offers a way of rationalising aspects of existing
practice and of suggesting directions for improvement.
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