Projects as policy tools in implementing metropolitan policy – a case from Sweden

Abstract

Implementing public policy is a complicated task. Aside from almost self- applying public policy, for instance new duties on gasoline, spirits and tobacco which resound through society via price signals, policy implementation needs institutions on different levels to transform general policy intent into action. The ‘complexity of joint action’ is persuasively described by Pressman and Wildawsky (1973) and other researchers afterward. Public Administration theories of implementing policies stress that implementation are the result of the interaction of different strategies by various actors who struggle with the problem definition, possible solutions and choice moments. Mutual dependencies are also one of the core assumptions within organizational theory and implementation often involves complex intra-organizational interaction. Mutual dependencies and negotiation emerge because actors do not themselves possess enough resources for achievement of interesting goals. Thus they have to interact with other organizations in order to exchange resources. These complexities need to be seen as contained within different governance structures or political systems on international, national, regional and local level which influence the games played and the legitimacies claimed. One way to handle this complexity is to secure the realization of the intentions from interference with the surrounding stakeholders by organize the activities in a projects management manner. Pressman and Wildavsky also demonstrated that failures are not only caused by bad implementation but also by bad policy instruments. The implementation of public policy occurs in highly varied setting, but it is clear that, quite often, multi-project organization is called for achieve successful results. In this paper I highlight project as a policy tool in implementing metropolitan policy and my claim is the importance of organizational processes; that it is important that there is a fit between the temporary policy organization and the governance structure in which it is implemented.