Policy and politics

This theme is explored through the elaboration of a simple model (set out in Figure 8.1) which sees the policy process as interactions between political and administrative decision makers and two potentially antagonistic groups of citizens: winners and losers from policy initiatives. That elaboration requires a recognition that there may be ‘third parties’ who are indirect winners or losers, and that the notions of direct and indirect impacts merge into each other in complicated ways. It then adds to that the fact that – as set out in various ways in Chapters 3-5 – the political and administrative decision makers will themselves have interests that may come into play.