Dramatisch beleidsfalen: de noodzaak voor een hernieuwde zoektocht naar oorzaken

Abstract

In their starting years (in the early 1990s), Mark Bovens and Paul ’t Hart were driven by the ambition to formulate an all-encompassing theory of policy failure. A few papers were published and a book manuscript was written but never published. The rise of postmodernism gave rise to the realization that the concept of policy failure was highly subjective and it was therefore impossible to formulate a grand theory of policy failure. They went on to write a book about the many ways in which failure might be defined, interpreted and measured – abandoning their search for causes.

In this paper, we revisit their early work and contemplate whether research into the causes of policy failure is desirable and feasible. We summarize their early insights and apply them to the analysis of a recent case of dramatic policy failure: The Groningen earthquakes resulting from drilling gas fields. We conclude that the early theoretical insights are still effective and seductive. We argue that the search for causes and, indeed, a grand theory of policy failure is both warranted and desirable.​​​​​​​