Integrating the socially responsible economy into mainstream policy: an adaptive approach

Integrating the socially responsible economy into
mainstream policy: an adaptive approach
Alberto Cottica - September 2010

lunedì 4 ottobre 2010

Public authorities don’t get the socially responsible
economy. They need to learn about it.


How do public authorities learn?


The learning authority in theory

• a new issue gains importance in the eye of the public opinion.

• politicians include it in electoral platforms.

• elected representatives embed it into law.

• new law is enacted as policy by the executive branch.


And this assumes...

• alternative courses of actions can be identiﬁed, discussed and selected
already in the democratic debate phase.
fal se!
• the electorate has effective means to enforce their pact with its
representatives.
fal se!
• Law enactment is “linear”.

fal se!


The learning authority in practice

• inertia

• windows of opportunity

• technocracy

• “short circuit” feedback loops

• information asymmetries and risks of regulatory capture


Effects of policy are unpredictable even in principle

agents + networks + evolution
= emergence


Adaptive policy making:
shaping the ﬁtness landscape

Adaptive policy

• cautious • contextual

• macroscopic • reversible

• incremental • accountable

• experimental • sustainable

te out comes
DON’T dicta
enable inputs
DO
BE HU MBLE
=


A research proposal

• build a model

• plug in data

• check for attrition points

• superimpose model and data


A life cycle of environmental policy in Italy

• DISCONFORT (1970s -1980s): as the environment is pushed onto the political
agenda, existing institutions are recruited to deal with it

• CONCENTRATION (1980s-1990s): ad hoc laws and organizations are created.
High visibility of the issue.

• DILUTION (2000s): ad hoc organizations decline, environmental concerns
integrated into mainstream policies (sometimes only as lip service).

general ized?!?
Can this be del of
result : a mo
Ex pected rities
public autho
learni ng for


Plug in data

• Look for similarities between the socially responsible economy story and the
the stories from which our model is derived

• Emphasize qualitative and historical evidence

nders tanding
lt: a d eeper u
xpecte d resu ble eco nomy
E
ally re sponsi
of th e soci


Social innovators: a possible point of attrition

• recent (4-5 years)

• far from the low-cost social care picture

• advanced technology and coordination skills: competitive

• global scaffolding structures

ers t hink
• attention from EU policy makers
olicy mak
ith h ow p
ot fi t w econ omy!
Do es n ocial
bout the s
a


Finally: superimpose data and model

• what has worked elsewhere and might work here?

• what has worked elsewhere but is unlikely to work here?

• manage metaphors, avoid toxic ones

: an array of
ected result
Exp hacks
daptive policy
a
and b enefits
asizing costs
emph


Three levels of policy

hardest
• Constitutional architecture (Common
Law vs. civil codes) Be aware
of this

• Policy style (competitive vs.
monopolistic in the provision of
public goods)

• “Policy hacks” (local changes in
policy)
easiest act here

Why public authorities don’t get the socially
responsible economy

• EMERGENT: no one in charge, no clear political representation

• OUTSIDE THE PREVAILING ECONOMIC PARADIGM: moving outside the
framework of textbook economics politically risky

• FRAMED AS A LOW-COST REMEDY TO MOUNTING HEALTH CARE AND
WELFARE COSTS: but its protagonists don’t always see themselves that way

• SEEN AS THREATENING: open source software competes successfully with
business on previously very proﬁtable markets (Linux, Apache, MySQL,
PHP...). Open hardware is in its way. What’s next?


Integrating the socially responsible economy into mainstream policy: an adaptive approach

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Similaire à Integrating the socially responsible economy into mainstream policy: an adaptive approach

Similaire à Integrating the socially responsible economy into mainstream policy: an adaptive approach (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Integrating the socially responsible economy into mainstream policy: an adaptive approach

Notes de l'éditeur