Rethinking wicked problems as political problems and policy problems

Abstract

Study of the ‘politics’ of wicked problems has tended to be ad hoc, scattered across multiple disciplines. This article seeks to address this gap in our understanding. As well as the traditional policy challenges of wicked issues, elites also have to consider the impact on political reputations, control of agendas and the promotion of particular ideological/governance trajectories. In this context, and focusing on wicked issues as presenting both political and policy problems for policy elites, this article examines different responses to these multiple risks, as well as different approaches to thinking about societal capacities to address seemingly intractable ‘wicked’ issues.

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