This issue

– when the front-line challenges policy design
– wellbeing and public policy  
– Indigenous Voice co-design 
– government at a glance 
– a right to come home? 
Plus what I'm reading.

Research brief: When the front-line challenges policy design

In the musical West Side Story, it was all about the tensions between rival street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. In the word of public policy, it is about the tensions between policy designers and those on the frontline. This article in Public Administration examines how bureaucrats who interact with the public daily not only implement policy but can also influence how it is designed. Read our brief on the article.

Wellbeing public policy needs more theory 

Wellbeing is increasingly advocated as a better public policy outcome than conventional economic metrics. Wellbeing policies are attractive as they go beyond GDP in assessing societal progress. Last year, the OECD released a report on measuring wellbeing and wellbeing is at the centre of New Zealand’s budget. 

While recognising the merits of wellbeing public policy, this Bennett Institute for Public Policy working paper advocates a cautious approach. This is on the basis that wellbeing policymakers need a better theoretical understanding of both wellbeing and its  policy applications. 

What are the issues? 

There is a growing body of empirical work on Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) which links wellbeing measures to socio-economic variables and policy levers. These measures include mood, satisfaction and purpose. Informed by psychological science and happiness economics, SWB draws on people’s experiences and evaluations of life. 

In studying these relationships, the paper argues SWB is an approach largely free of theory. SWB policy lacks knowledge of the pathways that connect cause and effect. Policymakers could be making decisions about citizens’ lives based on black box relationships rather than taking cause and effect factors into consideration.  

According to the paper, there is a need for more theory and evidence in WPP. The paper 

• illustrates how wellbeing data can be used to justify contrasting policies 
• argues due caution in interpreting empirical results in wellbeing, unless justified by theory 
• finds there is substantial risk of empirical results lacking robustness or generalisability unless grounded in theory. 

Indigenous Voice co-design process 

This report from the Indigenous Law Centre analyses the National Indigenous Australians Agency public consultations undertaken as part of the co-design process for a national and regional/local Indigenous Voice. The report has considered all publicly available information on the Co-design Process and its consultations. 

The Indigenous Voice 

The proposals for an Indigenous Voice would provide a way for Indigenous Australians to provide advice and input on matters that are important to improve their lives. Consultation on the proposals has taken place around the country and online. Co-design groups are now considering the feedback to help refine the proposals. 

What the analysis found 

1. Strong and persuasive arguments have been mounted in expert submissions that it is not appropriate to divorce “design” of a First Nations Voice from the question of constitutional enshrinement. In the course of “designing” the form of an Indigenous Voice, the question of its constitutional status must be determined.  

2. The Australian public who contributed to the process overwhelmingly want the Government to accept the invitation of the Uluru Statement (90% of submissions). The submissions also show strong support for the government to put the question of a constitutional First Nations Voice to a referendum. 

3. There is very low public support for a legislated Voice or an approach of “legislate first” with constitutional enshrinement to possibly follow. 

4. There are fundamental objections made by experts in their submissions to an approach of “legislate first” with constitutional enshrinement to possibly follow.  

Government at a Glance is an OECD flagship report on public governance. It presents the most up-to-date internationally comparable data on how public administrations function and perform in OECD countries. 

The 2021 edition includes indicators on public finances and public employment. There is a special focus on the representation of different gender and age groups in public administrations and the political sphere. New indicators cover public sector integrity, infrastructure governance, and open government. 

Headline findings 

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated governments’ ability to respond to a major global crisis with extraordinary flexibility, innovation and determination. However, emerging evidence suggests that much more could have been done in advance to bolster resilience.  Some actions may have undermined trust and transparency between governments and their citizens. 

One of the biggest lessons of the pandemic is that governments will need to respond to future crises at speed and scale while safeguarding trust and transparency. Governments should step up their efforts in three areas: 

1. Tackling misinformation is key. Even with a boost in trust in government sparked by the pandemic in 2020, on average only 51 per cent of people in OECD countries trusted their government. There is a risk that some people and groups may be dissociating themselves from traditional democratic processes. 
2. It is crucial to enhance representation and participation in a fair and transparent manner. Governments must seek to promote inclusion and diversity, support the representation of young people, women and other under-represented groups in public life and policy consultation. 
3. Strengthening governance must be prioritised to tackle global challenges while harnessing the potential of new technologies. 

A right to come home? ​

A Melbourne School of Government policy brief discusses repatriation rights and policy in Australia.  

A key pillar of Australia’s success in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has been its closure of international borders. The burden of that success has largely fallen on those affected by restrictions on international travel: citizens and residents stranded abroad. At the time of the brief’s publication, there were 36,000 citizens requiring assistance to return home. 

Recommendations 

• Medium-term planning for larger-scale quarantine: Systems and infrastructure should be developed to facilitate essential travel to and from Australia in the short- and medium-term without relying on a national vaccination rollout as a ‘silver bullet’.

• Addressing quarantine systems deficiencies: Lessons from New Zealand include addressing ‘leaks’ by addressing defects in infection control protocols, rather than reducing arrival cap. A booking system for hotel quarantine is needed to provide a ‘queue’ for returnees and prevent airlines prioritising higher paying passengers for return. 
• Reforming risk assessment: National Cabinet should consider the recommendations of the Halton Report and shift from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to a more tailored assessment of risk. 
• Rights-based assessments of priority and proportionality: Citizens and residents should be prioritised for places in quarantine programs ahead of ‘economic cohorts’, in light of the importance of the right to return. 

1. The link between self-reliance and wellbeing 

According to this article in The Atlantic, individualism has tremendous benefits for our senses of competence, effectiveness and life direction. You can improve your wellbeing with individualistic practice so long as you keep two principles in mind. First, don’t go it alone. Self-reliance does not mean isolation. Second, do think for yourself. In a world that is moved by ideas, there is arguably no greater force for progress than intellectual nonconformism. 

2. Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy 

This Lowy Institute article argues that if Australia wants to adopt a values-based 
approach to the world, the next step is obvious. Announcing a feminist foreign policy would be a bold way for Australia to frame a values-driven policy based on equality, human rights and democracy. This relatively new policy approach places gender equality at the centre of international development, diplomacy and trade. 

‘Til the next issue

Maria Katsonis