Scott Edward Bennett

This book examines how participants in governance and public affairs use data and information in defining public problems and their solutions. It is based on 18 in depth interviews with various kinds of participants in the public realm in Canada and the UK, from legislators, interest group representatives, journalists and civil servants. Responses are examined against the backdrop of two classical perspectives on decision making. It explores the types of data respondents emphasized in their work and what model of decision-making best reflected the realities of defining problems and selecting solutions in governance. The book demonstrates how there is a significant interplay between the long- and short-term aspects of governance. Narratives and data are inextricably intertwined in governance. The book explores the role of narratives in linking portrayals of the public good to problem definition and solution creation. It presents practical insights on how to approach generating and using data for the guidance of governing decisions, the implications of various kinds of research designs and for the normative practice of governance.

This book explores how public opinion is used to design, monitor and evaluate government programmes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Using information collected from the media and from international practitioners in the public opinion field, as well as interviews in each of the 4 countries, the author describes how views of public opinion and governance differ significantly between elites and the general public. Bennett argues that elites generally risk more by allowing the creation of new data, fearing that its analysis may become public and create communications and political problems of various kinds. The book finds evidence that recent conservative governments in several countries are changing their perspective on the use of public opinion, and that conventional public opinion studies are facing challenges from the availability of other kinds of information and new technologies. This book is a hugely valuable contribution to a hitherto little explored field and will appeal to academics and practitioners alike.

This book explores how public opinion is used to design, monitor and evaluate government programmes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Using information collected from the media and from international practitioners in the public opinion field, as well as interviews in each of the 4 countries, the author describes how views of public opinion and governance differ significantly between elites and the general public. Bennett argues that elites generally risk more by allowing the creation of new data, fearing that its analysis may become public and create communications and political problems of various kinds. The book finds evidence that recent conservative governments in several countries are changing their perspective on the use of public opinion, and that conventional public opinion studies are facing challenges from the availability of other kinds of information and new technologies. This book is a hugely valuable contribution to a hitherto little explored field and will appeal to academics and practitioners alike.