Ambiguities in policymaking and administration: A typology

Abstract

Ambiguity appears in many settings. Published reports of Israel's State Comptroller, the supreme audit body, provide material to illustrate a typology of where ambiguity occurs in Israeli policymaking and administration, under what conditions, and with what effects. Although the examples reflect peculiarities of one country's politics, the typology used to array them offers wider application. Although the disadvantages of ambiguity are emphasized in the reports of the State Comptroller, the implications are not entirely negative.