Introduction

Previous versions of this chapter (Lindquist & Desveaux, 1998; 2007) explored different recruitment strategies or ways to mobilize and manage talent for developing policy capacity in public service institutions, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, recognizing that these strategies might be deployed in different ways within and across institutions given the diversity in location and responsibilities of policy units. Our points of departure included Hollander and Prince (1993), who pointed to the many locations and kinds of policy work inside government, as well as Halligan (1996), who pointed to policy expertise in other governments, consultants, interest groups, think tanks, and universities. Other points of departure included the notion of ‘public markets’ for providing policy advice (Boston, 1994; Pierre, 1996). We explored the implications of multiple recruitment strategies, emphasized the importance of rare talent for all approaches and the hidden costs of relying on ‘external free agents’ or contracting-out, called for centres of excellence for developing and sharing rare talent and specialist expertise across public services, and proposed a research agenda. This was a strategic managerial and organizational approach to thinking about policy analysis.

The literature on policy analysis and capacity has since broadened, variously exploring broader policy advisory systems and how well they serve governments (Tiernan, 2011; Craft, 2016; Howlett & Craft, 2016a, 2016b); the attitudes, skills, nature and location of work of policy analysts (Wellstead et al., 2009; Howlett & Wellstead, 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2017; Mintrom, 2003, 2011; Howlett & Newman, 2017a, 2017b; Evans & Wellstead, 2013; Veselý et al., 2014; ; Bernier & Howlett, 2017), the extent of contracting-out (e.g. Perl & White, 2002; Howlett & Migone, 2013a, 2013b, 2014a, 2014b); and the use of different analytic techniques and evidence (for example, Howlett et al., 2014a, 2014b). Following the much-cited work of Mayer et al. (2004), others have delved into the tasks, values, culture and non-analytic skills associated with policy analysis, such as working with people, project management and communications (Mintrom, 2003; 2011; Hoppe & Jeliazkova, 2006; Colebatch, 2006; Colebatch et al., 2010). Less attention and empirical work has considered how policy capacity might differ in different parts of government and how trends in governance, demographics and technology might affect recruitment and mobilization strategies of governments.