Tools Approaches

Abstract

Tools or instruments-based approaches, with their promise to break down the abstract complexity of the policy concept, have a long history in the study of public policy. This chapter outlines the main variants of the tools approach, showing how they range from looking inside government to identify different institutional forms as tools to treating government as a “black box” and identifying generic tools or resources independent of the institutions that wield them. The chapter discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each variant and assesses how they cope with change in the policy-making environment by focusing on one particularly fast-moving and important change—the availability of digital tools and data for policy-making, and the widespread use of such tools by citizens.