ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to meant by ‘good politics’, and how it is distinguished from and related to ‘good policy’, specifically in relation to how practitioners participate in policy development and tender advice to government. While commentators on different policy issues often speak of good or bad politics, there is rarely a clear definition of the terms. The fourth issue to consider is, to ask why elected officials often fail to produce good politics, as the case studies suggest and other examples imply. The causes of such failures stem from long-held traits of elected officials, such as their focus on winning immediate political battles, and failure to appreciate wider electorate impacts of decisions. Governments need to turn to other means of affirmation, such as opinion polling, feedback from stakeholders, media commentators and the like. Politics and policy development have long been seen as an outcome of interest group interaction and government response.
