Organizing for “wicked problems” – analyzing coordination arrangements in two policy areas

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to address the question of coordination by comparing two recent reforms schemes in Norway: internal security and the welfare administration. Both concern typically transboundary "wicked" policy problems where horizontal and vertical coordination is difficult. What kind of coordination problems did the reforms address, what kind of coordination solutions were provided, and what can explain the observed pattern? Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws on organizational theory, distinguishing between a structural-instrumental and a cultural-institutional perspective. A comparative case study design is applied. The analysis combines insights from four large research projects. Findings -Both cases represent broad government efforts to tackle "wicked" coordination problems when there is a mismatch between the problem structure and the organizational structure. In both cases, reorganization and structural changes resulted in hybrid and complex organizational arrangements. The welfare administration reform tried to solve a tension between ministerial responsibility and local self-government by introducing One-stop-shops. Within the area of internal security, coordination problems related to lacking ministerial capacity was tackled by introducing a formal principle of collaboration, a lead agency approach and network arrangements. Practical implications -Effective coordination might ease wicked problems by enhancing the understanding of the problem and its underlying causes, increasing the probability of finding agreed-upon solutions and help implementation. Enhanced communication and strengthened mutual trust and commitment among actors might be a positive outcome. However, coordination implies dilemmas and trade-offs, and reformers often have to balance different interests. Originality/value -The paper shows that different instruments of coordination are central for handling "wicked problems".

Technocratic recentralization in the French health care system: A critical evaluation

“…While not a fad, the audit society, the NPM‐endorsed evidenced‐based policy, and objective “research utilization” phenomenon had outcomes below expectations, except for epidemiology studies . Many wicked problems that have multiple causes and require intensive coordination such as the medically underserved areas and elderly care persist. The sums allocated to reforming the health system could have been spent on hiring physicians and on reducing waiting lists by acquiring sophisticated medical equipment (eg, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs)) for the medically underserved regions.…”

Policy integration in the EU governance of global food security

“…In this respect, it would be worthwhile looking into possible trade-offs resulting from efforts to govern food security and various other crosscutting policy problems -including climate change, immigration, terrorism, and the stability of financial systems -at the same time. Not only do higher degrees of integration require more resources, including institutional capacity, that cannot be used elsewhere, but a focus on the coherence of goals and the consistency of instruments with respect to food security may diminish the coherence and consistency of the governance of other issues (Adelle et al 2009;Lagreid and Rykkja 2015). These are everyday choices in the working practice of decision-makers.…”

Reforming the Norwegian police between structure and culture: Community police or emergency police

“…Internal organizational issues, such as the role of the Police Security Service, the police as a prosecution authority, or relations with the rescue services, were not addressed either. This can be considered a weakness, given that many of the police's core tasks are 'wicked' issues that cannot be solved by the police in isolation but only in collaboration across policy areas and administrative levels (Laegreid and Rykkja 2016).…”