Policy discovery through a complexity lens: Case studies of economic reforms and policy practice in Malaysia and Pakistan

Abstract

The motivation of this research is to improve our understanding of divergence of policy and development outcomes in Malaysia and Pakistan by analysing policy aims, processes, and strategies. Departing from a linear model of policy analysis, which views policy as a rational and sequential journey, this thesis develops and tests a complexity informed theoretical framework- named policy discovery- which views policy as a non-linear and evolutionary journey. The framework is first developed through a review of secondary literature on the cross section of complexity, public policy and economic development. This work synthesizes ideas primarily from Room (2016) and Aligica et al. (2019), but also draws on Ang (2016), Rodrik (2004), and Bailey et al. (2018) to present policy change as a complex co-evolutionary process, involving interactions between state, market and civil society (Chapter 2). It is then tested through application to four case studies of economic reforms and policy practice in Malaysia and Pakistan.
The empirical strategy employed can be described as a form of small ‘n’ theory-testing (Chapter 3). The evidence for each case study (two in Pakistan and two in Malaysia) is drawn from mixed methods: grey literature; key informant interviews and (in two cases) the author’s first-hand policy making experience as director of think tanks in each country. The first step in application of the policy discovery framework is to define the relevant policy eco-system and identify key policy actors within it (Chapter 4). Primary and secondary data is then used to explore parameters of the policy discovery process: actor agility and power, experimentation and learning, dynamic synergies, and feedback loops. Chapter 5 interrogates the policy discovery framework through the four case studies. Chapter 6 presents the main findings and conclusions, and Chapter 7 concludes with reflections on the theoretical and policy implications of the research, limitations of the policy discovery framework and scope for further research.

Date of Award	27 Mar 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Phil Tomlinson (Supervisor) & James Copestake (Supervisor)