New development: Policy learning and public management—a match made in crisis

Abstract

IMPACT Policy-makers face significant challenges responding to technically complex, multidimensional, large-scale, and socially-embedded crises such as Covid-19. In this article, the authors call for policy-makers to expand the horizon on expertise at the policy design table. This is by including public management experts and practitioners as policy co-designers. With their in-field experience, situated knowledge of social contexts and public administration capacities, public management experts can provide critical insights into the design of crisis policy responses. This approach entails setting management and co-ordination frameworks that ensure the functional integration of insights from a range of multi-disciplinary experts into the policy learning process.