Lindblom, Charles. 1959. The Science of “Muddling Through”, Public Administration Review, 19: 79-88
6 important questions on Lindblom, Charles. 1959. The Science of “Muddling Through”, Public Administration Review, 19: 79-88
What are some criticisms of the rational-comprehensive approach according to Lindblom?
- It is not realistic.
- Defining values and objectives is difficult.
- Separating means from an end is impossible.
- Analyzing every single policy option is inefficient.
- Successive limited comparison is a more practical alternative.
How does Lindblom describe the administrator's approach to handling values and policies in complex decisions?
- Evaluation and empirical analysis are intertwined; administrators choose policies and objectives simultaneously.
- Administrators focus on specific marginal or incremental values rather than general formulations of objectives.
What is the test of "good" policy in the root method, and how does it differ from the branch method?
- In the root method, a decision is considered "correct," "good," or "rational" if it can be shown to attain a specified objective that can be defined independently of the decision itself.
- In the branch method, a policy is evaluated based on successive limited comparisons, and the focus is on choosing the best policy among alternatives rather than confirming a predefined objective.
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What are some characteristics of the branch method of policymaking according to Lindblom?
- Simplification of analysis through policy comparisons that differ only slightly from existing policies.
- Ignoring some possible consequences of policies and the values attached to those consequences.
- Policymaking as a continuous process of successive approximation to changing objectives.
- Expectation that policies will achieve only part of the desired goals and may produce unanticipated consequences.
How does Lindblom compare the use of theory in the root method and the branch method?
- In the root method, theory is often used to bring systematic knowledge to specific problems, but Lindblom suggests that adequate theory is often lacking.
- In the branch method, comparative analysis is presented as a systematic alternative to theory.
- Lindblom points out that while theory is sometimes more adequate in certain policy areas, comparative analysis, as in the branch method, can be a practical approach.
What are some of the negatives associated with rational-comprehensive planning?
- Application only to simple planning situations.
- Lack of practicability and flexibility.
- Lack of realism.
- Lindblom advocates for incremental piecemeal planning as an alternative.
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