Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
9-2019
Abstract
The paper focuses on enterprising agents in policy formulation and design by looking at their capacity of dealing with different levels of uncertainty. In climate policy specifically, different degrees and types of uncertainties pose a challenge to policymakers. Policy entrepreneurs and the combination of their analytical, operational and political competences are a relevant component in reducing ambiguity in policy design and translating broad policy goals to operational programmes and specific policy instruments. Using the case of the European Emission Trading Scheme, we suggest that the success of policy entrepreneurs in catalysing policy change is determined by their capacity to work against multiple kinds of uncertainty. This ‘uncertainty mitigating’ capacity on the part of policy entrepreneurs rests significantly on balancing managerial expertise and political acumen. We conclude that entrepreneurial capacity goes beyond current definitions in the literature, involving the balance among analytical, operational and political competences to navigate a politicized policy context.
Keywords
Climate change, European Emission Trading Scheme, Policy capacity, Policy entrepreneurial capacity, Policy entrepreneurs, Uncertainty
Discipline
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
Publication
Public Policy and Administration
Volume
34
Issue
2
First Page
1
Last Page
24
Identifier
10.1177/0952076717730426
Citation
MUKHERJEE, Ishani, & GIEST, Sarah.(2019). Designing policies in uncertain contexts: Entrepreneurial capacity and the European Emission Trading Scheme. Public Policy and Administration, 34(2), 1-24.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2731
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0952076717730426