Governance and policy problems: instruments as unitary and mixed modes of policy intervention

The public sector has developed a range of instruments for intervening in an economy and society that involve employing non-governmental actors to achieve the purposes of public policy. While not entirely novel, such instruments and their extensive use raise significant questions about government capacity, effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy. They often appear to be chosen with little regard for the nature of the underlying policy problems being addressed. For example, using contracts for social service delivery may undervalue the need for personal interactions that are almost impossible to express in contractual language. In response, this article discusses the links between instruments and policy problems, along with a selection of instruments involving insights into the design of effective interventions aimed at enhancing instrument control and legitimacy in governance.