The Science of Muddling Through
The Science of Muddling Through
Political decision-making as an important political act has been concerned by more and more political scientists and sociologists. Lindblom’s seminal work “The Science of Muddling Through” initiated a new systems approach to help the policymakers knowing how to make decision. His incremental decision-making is always as the basic form of political decision by western country. There are two main aspects in the incremental decision-making. First is about the design of policies. It claims the reality of political decides the incremental analysis of policies. The policymakers only focus on revising and complementing the given policies when they face the basic consensus value which pre-exists. Second is about the choices and options on the policy. Incrementalism thinks decision-making is a kind of agreement and compromise by the various of political forces’ mutual effect.
Linbdlom gives us the two distinct varieties of decision-making. One is called the rational comprehensive, namely root method, and another is the successive limited comparisons, that is branch method. There are definite differences between the root and branch decision-making. Normally, the root method is found in the traditional administration. Rational comprehensive has a clear distinction between goals and actions. It regards the goals as the premise of policy analysis. It always establishes the ends at first, and then, finds the means for achieving the goals. The root method also thinks the “good” policy is the best way to make the goals coming true. Like the name of rational comprehensive, it undoubtedly advocates integrated or comprehensive analysis during the decision-making. I think it is too much emphasis the role of theory.
On the contrary, the successive limited comparisons method neither distinguish the goals and actions nor differentiate the ends and means. It thinks they link with each other. It’s inappropriate that too much distinction in the process.
Political decision-making as an important political act has been concerned by more and more political scientists and sociologists. Lindblom’s seminal work “The Science of Muddling Through” initiated a new systems approach to help the policymakers knowing how to make decision. His incremental decision-making is always as the basic form of political decision by western country. There are two main aspects in the incremental decision-making. First is about the design of policies. It claims the reality of political decides the incremental analysis of policies. The policymakers only focus on revising and complementing the given policies when they face the basic consensus value which pre-exists. Second is about the choices and options on the policy. Incrementalism thinks decision-making is a kind of agreement and compromise by the various of political forces’ mutual effect.
Linbdlom gives us the two distinct varieties of decision-making. One is called the rational comprehensive, namely root method, and another is the successive limited comparisons, that is branch method. There are definite differences between the root and branch decision-making. Normally, the root method is found in the traditional administration. Rational comprehensive has a clear distinction between goals and actions. It regards the goals as the premise of policy analysis. It always establishes the ends at first, and then, finds the means for achieving the goals. The root method also thinks the “good” policy is the best way to make the goals coming true. Like the name of rational comprehensive, it undoubtedly advocates integrated or comprehensive analysis during the decision-making. I think it is too much emphasis the role of theory.
On the contrary, the successive limited comparisons method neither distinguish the goals and actions nor differentiate the ends and means. It thinks they link with each other. It’s inappropriate that too much distinction in the process.