About Garbage Cans and Policy Windows

Welcome to Garbage Cans and Policy Windows

Welcome! This is an independent publication that focuses on public policy, politics, co-operatives, and more. It is a publication that is irreverent, relevant, and occasionally on-topic.

Here, we aim to highlight thinking about all kinds of policy issues — new, old, big, or small — and try to share some of the intrigue, excitement, and careful analysis that is life in public policy.

The founder and editor of this site is Kevin Harding, a policy professional in the public service, and a PhD candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. Living in British Columbia, Kevin finds writing cathartic. You can learn more about Kevin here.

But why garbage cans and policy windows?

Public policy is messy

Public policy is messy. While theorist like Harold Lasswell say that public policy follows a cycle from setting the agenda with issues to be addressed, to formulating solutions to those issues, selecting solutions, implementing them, evaluating outcomes, and then supporting or maintaining the solutions, the truth is that this isn't the way that public policy actually happens.

Real life policy making is a bit more like Cohen, March, and Olsen's model of public policy — the garbage can model. Cohen, March, and Olsen argue that public policy organizations are organized anarchies, and that public policy doesn't follow a cyclical, discrete, or coherent pathway. Instead, they say that you can think of public policy more like a garbage can — choices and opportunities, problems and solutions, all can be seen as like being on crumpled up pieces of paper tossed into a garbage can (maybe recycling bin is more appropriate these days) and pulled out when need, opportunity, or inspiration strikes.

John Kingdon took the garbage can model and developed the multiple streams framework. Through this framework we can see that opportunities to make decisions in the frame of public policy are "policy windows" that open when streams of politics, problems, and solutions — separate streams that constantly run through government — coincide. If we want to extend metaphors, perhaps it's worth imaging streams into a garbage can.

Celebrating public policy

This site is intended to celebrate the messiness that is public policy. We'll do that through current event analysis, more prosaic policy think pieces, or irreverence that is useful every once in a while.

Hopefully, through this site you'll come to appreciate the art, craft, and skill that is public policy the way that the authors here do.

Contribute

Interested in contributing? Reach out via hello@garbagecanspolicywindows.com with a pitch.