Please forward paper proposals (titles with 300 word abstracts) for this section to Giliberto CAPANO (giliberto.capano@unibo.it) before Feb 1, 2013

ON POLICY LEADERSHIP and POLICY DESIGN Chair :

 *   giliberto Capano, University of Bologna, Italy, giliberto.capano@unibo.it<mailto:howlett@sfu.ca>

Abstract

 Leadership (conceived as the most important form of agency) is a fundamental driver of all the aspects of policy dynamics. However one of the less investigated dimensions is exactly the relationship between leadership and policy design. Policy design is a complex process which can be conceived as a rationalistic attempt to develop efficient and effective policies through the application of knowledge although it is continuously affected by cognitive bias and symbolic disputes. So the way towards optimal policy is is full of hurdles. This is because policy design needs to be steered and so the role of leaders (in broader sense) can make the difference for the final result. Thus papers of this panel should address the under-investigated role of leadership in policy design both from the theoretical and empirical point of views. Empirical papers should have a comparative perspective while theoretical papers should deal with the issue by clearly focusing on who policy leaders are, which role they can play, which resources they have, in which stage of the policy design process they can make the difference

Giliberto Capano Professor of Political Science and Public Policy CHAIR of the Committee on Research and Training, International Political Science Association

Department of Political and Social Sciences School of Political Sciences University of Bologna at Forlì via Giacomo della Torre, 1 47100 Forlì - Italy

email: giliberto.capano@unibo.it<mailto:giliberto.capano@unibo.it> phone: 0039.0543374180 mobile phone: 0039.335407496