Wicked Problems in Public Policy: Origins, Concepts and Critiques

Document Type : Review Article

Author

Phd of Public Policy, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, College of Farabi, Qom, Iran

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of wicked problems (in contrast to tame problems) is under scrutiny in different disciplines. However, it is usually applied with no attention to its characteristics, fundamental definitions and functions. Its vast use for different kinds of problems fragments views in definition and identification of this sort of problems. In this article origins and roots of wicked problems are identified first. A change in public problems stream, crisis in scope of science, government and economy and encountering these events creates the notion of wicked problems. Although someone out of the policymaking discipline introduced them, they existed in the realm of policy and were dealt with. Wicked-tame dichotomy rationale criticized and a spectrum of wickedness degree of problems is accepted among scholars. Wicked-tame Taxonomy of problems according to creators of this notion, resembles to existing problem taxonomy in public policy which divide problems to ill structured or well-structured ones.  Nevertheless, different and various combination of complexity, uncertainty, amount of players and actors, tools and instruments can represent different kind of wicked problems. Meanwhile concept of wicked problems and its plausible functions receives serious criticisms, such as insufficient definition, wrong application, ignorance of reflexivity and inability to trickle down to public policy main stream.  

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Public Policy
Volume 10, Issue 2
2024
Pages 155-172

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