ABSTRACT
Policy pilots are a cornerstone of evidence-based policy and they are frequently used to test new policies in health and social care in England. This chapter argues that policy pilots share many of the characteristics of other public sector projects and can therefore be understood as part of the phenomenon described as “projectification” in public administration. Policy pilots are used to reduce the uncertainties associated with new policy, but they also allow central government to manage the relationship with local organisations such as local authorities or organisations of the National Health Service (NHS). Piloting also appeals to policy-makers as pilots promise to promote practical and innovative solutions to often complex and contested policy problems, such as whole system transformation. Pilots attract criticism of de-politicisation, although in practice there is little suggestion that they provide the definite answers that policy-makers desire or reduce conflict over policy aims.
