Writing Policy: From Monologue to Dialogue

Derek Wallace

In a formal democracy policy makers have an obligation to consult. Indeed, it is often in their interest to do so. Yet often consultation either does not occur, or it occurs in a way that effectively excludes those being consulted. Lack of consultation can result when those in power believe that a population’s best interests are served by deploying specialist, superior decision-making techniques.

However, even when consultation does occur, policy makers can use techniques that significantly limit the amount of influence of the consultation. As evidence I use a case study of the restructuring of the electricity sector between 1986 and 1994.

My analysis reveals that the solution to a public policy problem was identified in advance, and then an attempt made to “manage” this solution through the consultative process.

In this paper I identify some of the principal textual strategies used in both public and sectoral consultation. I do this for the benefit of those policy writers who may be unaware of many of these strategies and their effects, simply employing them out of customary practice (habitus). I then describe an alternative model of policy writing which is designed to be more open to policy making and collaboration.