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Why perfect policy coherence is unattainable (and may be ill-advised)
1Division of History, Heritage and Politics, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
Policy Sciences
|October 3, 2025
Summary
Policymaking aims for perfect coherence, but real-world fragmentation is inevitable. This
Area of Science:
- Public Policy Analysis
- Political Science
- Governmental Studies
Background:
- Classic policymaking studies utilize ideal-types for real-world reflection.
- Real-world policymaking often struggles with integration and coherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on policy coherence using an ideal-type framework.
- To explore how policy theory illuminates real-world policymaking dynamics.
- To debate the concept of 'perfect' policymaking and its implications.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies focusing on policy coherence.
- Application of an ideal-type of 'perfect policy coherence' as an analytical tool.
- Comparative analysis of 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' integration strategies.
Main Results:
- An ideal-type of perfect policy coherence highlights barriers to integration.
- Fragmentation and incoherence are identified as inevitable in real-world policymaking.
- A 'coherence gap' between the ideal and the real is not necessarily detrimental.
Conclusions:
- The ideal-type framework effectively identifies challenges in achieving policy coherence.
- Real-world policy fragmentation necessitates strategies for integration.
- Both 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches offer pathways to enhance policy coherence.
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