Missing an Opportunity Is a Problem
A special case of "a problem" is an opportunity missed. Is it not rather smallminded
to think of policy analysis as devoted merely to the amelioration of
"problems"? May policy analysis not rise above the tedious and uninspiring
business of patching and fixing? Can we not aspire to a world in which we can
identify opportunities to do creative-not to say wonderful-things? "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it" is a confining idea, and certainly policy analysts, ~olicymakers,
and public managers ought not to allow the "problem" focus to restrict the search
for plausible opportunities. Unfortunately, the working agenda of most policy
professionals is set by complaints, threats, worries, and troubles. There is often
little time or energy left over to think about improvements that no one has
identified as missing. Still, if latent opportunities are really lying around, it would
be a pity to ignore them.
Where do we find opportunities for creative policy improvements that haven't
first been identified by complaints, threats, and so on? Little academic or technical
theory is available to answer this question. But Box 1.1 (p. 6) contains a list that
is suggestive.