Abstract
Addressing complex social problems requires the implementation of public policies in support of positive social change efforts. Both political will and public will are crucial elements of such efforts. This article details an approach for analysis and action consistent with other action research approaches that facilitators can use in analyzing and subsequently helping to build political will and public will to address social problems. This article outlines a basic toolkit for action researchers working in the public policy arena. Four basic and iterative tasks, based on formal conceptual definitions of political will and public will, make up this approach for analysis and action. These tasks are stakeholder identification, assessment of stakeholder views of problems and solutions, alignment of problem and solution understandings, and the building of firm commitments and mutual accountability. Action researchers working to bring about positive social change through public policy can use this approach to structure their efforts.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 237-254 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Action Research |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2021 |
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture through the United States Agency for International Development. The views and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the positions of these organizations.
Keywords
- Political will
- public policy
- public will
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Strategy and Management
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management