Wicked problems or second-order problem? A phenomenological stance

Abstract

The notion of has highlighted the complexity of public policy challenges such as climate change, yet its analytical potential has proven difficult to apply in decision-making. This article proposes a reconceptualization: shifting from the analyst’s phenomenology, which dominates current interpretations, to that of the decision-maker. From this perspective, wicked problems appear as, understood as managerial challenges observed by decision-makers rather than merely analytical puzzles. This shift reframes public policy not as the description of wickedness itself—since wicked problems are ultimately indescribable—but as the ongoing operation of a. Such a system can be analyzed, provided the epistemological stance departs from positivism and embraces interpretivism and social constructivism. These perspectives, closely linked to interpretive policy analysis, enable a more practical engagement with complexity. Consequently, the proposed approach has significant implications for both policy analysis and its interpretive methodologies.

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