A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST COMPARISON OF A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST COMPARISON OF THE IRISH DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND THE NEW ZEALAND TREASURY Joe Wallis Joe Wallis
Irish Fiscal Reversal since 2008: Two Questions 1. Can this development be attributed to external factors or to fiscally irresponsible y p policy decisions? 2. Can advising officials, particularly in Central Budget Agencies (CBAs) be blamed for failing to warn about the risks of preceding fiscal to warn about the risks of preceding fiscal policy decisions?
Wright Inquiry into the Performance of the Irish Department of Finance Findings i di The DOF had consistently warned against the risks of pro ‐ cyclical fiscal action. p y The DOF may have been inappropriately reticent in The DOF may have been inappropriately reticent in taking the lead in (i) the formulation of economic strategy; and (i) the formulation of economic strategy; and (ii) public service modernization.
Proposition Proposition The erosion of respect experienced by the DOF can be attributed to its failure to develop a b ib d i f il d l culture that is both integrated and adaptive.
Proposition Proposition The erosion of respect experienced by the DOF can be attributed to its failure to develop a p culture that is both integrated and adaptive. A social constructionist approach • can explain this process and • highlight key differences between the DOF hi hli ht k diff b t th DOF and the New Zealand Treasury.
What is social constructionism? What is social constructionism? Following the publication of Berger and Luckman’s The Social Construction of Reality’ y (1966) social constructionism has been applied in many fields including policy studies in many fields including policy studies.
What is social constructionism? What is social constructionism? Social constructionism is • a cross ‐ disciplinary movement • that challenges the Western intellectual tradition • which seeks certainty in the representation of reality • by means of propositions that can be established through positivistic scientific inquiry.
What is social constructionism? What is social constructionism? • It is fundamentally subversive since • it not only questions the findings of experts • but raises the possibility that they may arise b t i th ibilit th t th i from an interpretation of reality • that legitimates their claims to expertise and quest for policy influence quest for policy influence.
For example: the social constructionist perspective on…. • The positions of social welfare workers, police and religious authorities on the causes of a g rise in the crime rate?
What is social constructionism? What is social constructionism? • Social constructionists argue that ‘taken ‐ for ‐ granted realities’ (‘facts’) are ( ) produced from interactions between and among social agents among social agents. Multiple realities can compete for legitimacy These realities are constructed through social Th liti t t d th h i l processes in which meanings are negotiated, consensus formed and contestation is consensus formed, and contestation is possible
What is social constructionism? What is social constructionism? • Policy ‐ making is a rich field for social constructionists to explore how constructionists to explore how actors bring personal, agency and political biases biases to the process of constructing an interpretation of policy reality and interpretation of policy reality and how the public interest can be advanced from that reality that from that reality that other actors accept as reasonable.
The Relationship Between Problems, and Solutions (Grint 2005) Problems Problems Solutions Solutions Critical: Command Urgent action with minimal Urgent action with minimal Authority to activate compliant Authority to activate compliant uncertainty about what needs to responses down well ‐ established be done. hierarchies. Tame/technical Technocratic/managerial Clear path to resolution and limited p Expertise, resources and processes p p uncertainty about what needs to are applied to solve the problem. be done. Wicked Collaborative Leadership No unambiguous solution and Networks engaged in learning h huge uncertainty about what t i t b t h t processes . needs to be done.
Social Constructionism in Public Management and Policy Literature Underlies theories of d li h i f • crisis framing (Boin et. al. 2009), • policy and organizational myths (Yanow 1992; Christensen et.al. 2007), ) • reform rhetoric (Hirschman 1991), • advocacy coalition frameworks (Sabatier 1988) • advocacy coalition frameworks (Sabatier 1988), • public leadership (Ospina and Foldy 2010), • alternating administrative styles (Hood 1998) and l i d i i i l ( d 1998) d • public service bargains (Hood and Lodge 2006).
Serial Loyalist Bargains Serial Loyalist Bargains The privileged insider status of CBA officials derives from the ‘serial loyalist bargains’ they have with Finance th ‘ i l l li t b i ’ th h ith Fi Ministers. • Provided these civil servants are able to maintain a threshold level of respect threshold level of respect , • they can expect to exchange loyalty for access and • ‘a measure of anonymity when it comes to public • ‘a measure of anonymity when it comes to public praise or blame’ (Hood and Lodge 2006, p. 56).
Respect Respect • To accord ‘recognition respect’ to senior civil servants is to • ‘take seriously and weigh appropriately’ (Darwall 1977 p38) their advice (Darwall 1977, p38) their advice • on the basis of an implicit recognition of their distinctive competence and professional integrity. integrity.
Agent Risk Agent Risk • Whenever individual officials participate in the policy process they can expose the respect p y p y p p commanded by their institution to some risk. • Their decisions to take or not take the lead can inflict both positive and negative externalities.
Agent risks from taking the lead Agent risks from taking the lead……… Respect for competence Respect for integrity • Following questionable • Breaching confidentiality; methods in solving ‘tame • Intimating private problems’; disagreements with Cabinet • Misinterpreting problems as policy direction; ‘tame’; • Being perceived as being • Unauthorized deviations h i d d i i too loyal to particular l l i l from agency’s policy line. ministers; • Visible advocacy that raises • Visible advocacy that raises questions about neutrality
Agent risks from not taking the lead Agent risks from not taking the lead……… • There may be a long term erosion of respect relative to other agencies by allowing them to g y g repeatedly take the lead on cross ‐ cutting issues issues.
Agent Risk Asymmetry Agent Risk Asymmetry Individual officials may be excessively averse to taking the lead since the risks of doing so may g g y be • more easily attributable and • more easily attributable and • greater in the short term than the risks of not taking the lead.
Proposition Proposition • Organizational culture can perform both a constraining and empowering function in g p g terms of the willingness of CBA officials to take the lead in policy deliberations take the lead in policy deliberations.
Organizational Culture Organizational Culture Researchers into organizational culture have distinguished between the depth and visibility of g p y its dimensions.
Levels of Culture Levels of Culture Culture that can be see a be seen at the e Visible Visible surface level 1. Artifacts such as dress, office layout, symbols, slogans, ceremonies i Invisible 2. Expressed values, such as Deeper values and “ h “The Treasury Line” i ” shared h d 3. Underlying assumptions and understandings held deep beliefs, such as those by organization reflected in policy paradigms members 22
Culture and Performance Researchers into organizational culture have also found its internal integration and external g adaptability to be related to performance. A relationship can also be hypothesized between these factors and the capacity of advisory agencies to sustain respect. advisory agencies to sustain respect.
A Strong Integrated Culture A Strong Integrated Culture Productive Organizations CBAs Helps members Sustains respect by • Develop a collective identity • Constraining officials to follow • Know how to work together Know how to work together the agency’s policy stance and the agency s policy stance and effectively. ethos in giving advice • Follow a set of unwritten rules imprinted inside their minds. • Empowering them to take the • Develop teamwork, lead by interpreting issues collaboration, and mutual ll b ti d t l according to this stance and di t thi t d trust . ethos
An Adaptive Culture An Adaptive Culture Productive Organizations CBAs Determines how the Sustains respect by organization meets goals and i i l d • Drawing from idea D i f id deals with outsiders . developments to construct authoritative policy authoritative policy Helps members respond paradigms rapidly to customer needs and • Adjusting its advisory scope to competitors . to focus on those issues that legitimate its expertise • Adjusting to the political Adj ti t th liti l leadership style of successive Cabinets successive Cabinets
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