Decision-Making

Who decides on the design and adoption of public policy? How is the decision-making process structured? When speaking about decision-making, most of us would think of members of parliament debating draft legislation introduced by the government. These parliamentary debates that criticize or support the policy proposal and the discussion of alternative suggestions are often instigated by the opposition, i.e. parliamentary groups of parties holding a minority of seats. Though debates are often long and controversial, alternative proposals are rarely picked up by the majority parties and the government. Rather, these debates serve the objective of sending signals to the electorate that the current minority parties also have policy solutions to offer.