The Art and Craft of Policy Advising: A Practical Guide

by David Bromell

This book offers a practical guide for policy advisors and their managers, grounded in the author’s extensive experience as a senior policy practitioner in central and local government.  Effective policy advising does not proceed in ‘cycles’ or neatly ordered ‘stages’ and ‘steps’, but is first and foremost a relationship built on careful listening, knowing one’s place in the constitutional scheme of things, becoming useful and winning the confidence of decision makers.  The author introduces readers to a public value approach to policy advising that uses collective thinking to address complex policy problems; evidence-informed policy analysis that factors in emotions and values; and the practice of ‘gifting and gaining’ (rather than ‘trade-offs’) in collaborative governing for the long term. Theory is balanced with practical illustration and processes, tools and techniques, helping readers master the art of communicating what decision-makers need to hear, as well as what they want to hear. 

189 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2017

Reviews

[K.T. ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bromell did an amazing job of emphasizing the different aspects of policy advising, and his examples are indeed realistic as well as comprehensible.

Nevertheless, there can be an overwhelming amount of theoretical frameworks in the book, making it difficult to decipher the right ones to apply to real-life cases.

[David S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and a good introduction into the realm of policy advising!

[Andrew Lyndsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most informative books about policy advising, which heavily incorporates the ethical aspect and relationship-based approach. Bromell in his work tries to make the science of policy advising more human-like, distancing it from the technocratic approach, which is still commonly percieved as an ideal. He reminds us that politics is about humans and for humans after all, therefore advisors should always keep in mind that it is not some systems and frameworks (as utilitarianism) that should guide one in the world of politics, but relationships, networks and connections (including with the end users - public). Moreover, book greatly describes how to work with your boss - to know your place in the system, don't take credit for achievements, be as concise as possible (but as complete as needed), know the needs of your client and most importantly - be a constant learner. Bromell has used in his books a lot of science articles and philosophical texts (as of Rawls or Toulmin). While it is great to have many sources, I would like if Bromell would explain key terms from these sources in more detail in his book, because I had to google the actual meaning of the terms and read these articles, which is fun, but is also time-consuming. TO SUM UP, this is an exceptionally useful book for any policy advisor (or a student), since it is full of tips and frameworks while framing the entire approach in a human-centered way.