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Policy-making and truthiness: Can existing policy models cope with politicized evidence and willful ignorance in a “post-fact” world?

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  • Anthony Perl

    (Simon Fraser University)

  • Michael Howlett

    (Simon Fraser University)

  • M. Ramesh

    (National University of Singapore)

Abstract

From “alternative facts” to “fake news,” in recent years the influence of misinformation on political life has become amplified in unprecedented ways through electronic communications and social media. While misinformation and spin are age-old tactics in policy making, and poor information and poorly informed opinion a constant challenge for policy analysts, both the volume of erroneous evidence and the difficulties encountered in differentiating subjectively constructed opinion from objectively verified policy inputs have increased significantly. The resulting amalgamation of unsubstantiated and verifiable data and well and poorly informed opinion raises many questions for a policy science which emerged in an earlier, less problematic era. This article examines these developments and their provenance and asks whether, and how, existing policy making models and practices developed and advocated during an earlier era of a sharper duality between fact and fiction have grappled with the new world of “truthiness,” and whether these models require serious revision in light of the impact of social media and other forces affecting contemporary policy discourses and processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony Perl & Michael Howlett & M. Ramesh, 2018. "Policy-making and truthiness: Can existing policy models cope with politicized evidence and willful ignorance in a “post-fact” world?," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 51(4), pages 581-600, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:51:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s11077-018-9334-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-018-9334-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Adam FFORDE, 2020. "Towards a theory of ignorance," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 13(2), pages 137-161, November.
    2. Anna P. Durnová & Eva M. Hejzlarová, 2023. "Navigating the role of emotions in expertise: public framing of expertise in the Czech public controversy on birth care," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(3), pages 549-571, September.
    3. Katharina T. Paul & Christian Haddad, 2019. "Beyond evidence versus truthiness: toward a symmetrical approach to knowledge and ignorance in policy studies," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(2), pages 299-314, June.
    4. Fernando Hoces de la Guardia & Sean Grant & Edward Miguel, 2021. "A framework for open policy analysis," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(2), pages 154-163.
    5. Steffen Eckhard & Vytautas Jankauskas, 2020. "Explaining the political use of evaluation in international organizations," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(4), pages 667-695, December.
    6. Marc Debus & Jale Tosun, 2021. "Political ideology and vaccination willingness: implications for policy design," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 54(3), pages 477-491, September.
    7. Hal T. Nelson, 2023. "America's Energy Gamble, by Shanti Gamper‐Rabindran, New York, NY (2022): Cambridge University Press, 529 pages, $29.99 (paperback)," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(2), pages 600-603, March.
    8. Grant D. Jacobsen, 2019. "How do different sources of policy analysis affect policy preferences? Experimental evidence from the United States," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(3), pages 315-342, September.
    9. Bates Nancy & Steinmetz Stephanie & Fischer Mirjam, 2019. "Preface," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 35(4), pages 699-707, December.
    10. John W. Straka & Brenda C. Straka, 2020. "Reframe policymaking dysfunction through bipartisan-inclusion leadership," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(4), pages 779-802, December.
    11. Giliberto Capano & Michael Howlett & Leslie A Pal & M Ramesh, 2023. "Dealing with the challenges of legitimacy, values, and politics in policy advice," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 42(3), pages 275-287.
    12. Ric Neo, 2021. "The International Discourses and Governance of Fake News," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(2), pages 214-228, April.
    13. Pirmin Bundi & Philipp Trein, 2022. "Evaluation use and learning in public policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(2), pages 283-309, June.
    14. Adam Fforde, 2019. "Yes, but what about the authority of policy analysts? A commentary and discussion of Perl et al., ‘Policy-making and truthiness: Can existing models cope with politicized evidence and willful ignoranc," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(1), pages 153-169, March.
    15. Kris Hartley & Minh Khuong Vu, 2020. "Fighting fake news in the COVID-19 era: policy insights from an equilibrium model," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(4), pages 735-758, December.

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