Informality in Policymaking

Reviews / Votes

Being able to think and act in the moment, as any administrator and politician knows, is the hallmark of being an effective practitioner. It is the only way to tame the intrinsic uncertainty and unpredictability of the organization and its environment. This insight, which is backed up by a sizeable literature - on practice, know how, tacit knowledge, improvisation, wisdom, administrative discretion, informal organization, playing the system - backs up this everyday observation. Yet, in policy analysis and political science this practical common sense is inexplicably ignored. Instead, the formal aspects of organizations - institutions, laws, rules, procedures, constitutions - are considered the standard of epistemic and social authority. One of the many achievements of this book is brings the voice of practice back into the conversation. It invites us to think in a non-dualist way about the formal-informal distinction. Another strength is the all-female line-up of contributors, which in itself is a commentary on the hegemonic distribution of epistemic authority in policy research. Nine detailed, carefully researched case studies demonstrate that only a thorough immersion in the formal aspects of policy and organization allows the practitioner to improvise on the spot to get things done and successfully solve problems, and also what that means for the organization. I expect this book to be a lasting contribution to bridging the divide between the formal and informal aspects of public policy and administration. -- Hendrik Wagenaar, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna; Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra Brilliant and insightful, this forceful intervention challenges the taken-for-granted assumptions and paradigms in public administration and governance. This book tells an alternative, less-told story of in/formality in policy studies, one that is grounded in feminist methodologies, contextualized practices and localized knowledges. Broad in its scope, the book details how informality is used to negotiate boundaries, transfer knowledge and maintain infrastructure using a fascinating array of visual, material, and ethnographic methods. It is a must-read for anyone wishing to develop a complete understanding of how governance actually works on the ground. -- Ayesha Masood, Associate Professor, Suleman Dawood School of Business, Lahore University of Management Sciences This edited collection is an insightful reminder of the unseen interstitial spaces and occasions where the (hyphenated) work of doing policy gets done. Beautifully presented and full of rich ethnographic accounts from a range of contexts, a great read for practitioners, managers and academics alike. -- Rob Wilson, Professor of Digital Social Innovation, Manchester Metropolitan University This book vividly presents how informality gains shape in the daily practice of professional policymakers. The refreshing approach goes beyond binary thinking and considers the complex intertwining of informality with formality. It will be a key resource for anyone interested in informality in policymaking, and recommended reading for those who want to understand how informality always seems to elude definition. -- Martijn Koster, Sociology of Development and Change, Wageningen University This highly original book marks a significant advance in our understanding of how policy is made. It offers a welcome corrective to the continued appeal of formal theories of policy-making and a much-needed alternative to the many textbooks that elide what actually happens in everyday practice. With phenomenal nuance and insight, the authors take in-formality out of the shadows to move forward a relational and interpretive agenda of policy as practice. -- Dr. Koen P.R. Bartels, Director of Research, Department of Public Administration and Policy, University of Birmingham