Talkin’ bout a revolution
Last week’s penultimate class was a mix of everything I love about this course. Gabriel gave us our “daily dose of theory.” Jo went over some “golden rules” she’s learned from the field. And then we heard from some guest speakers about their experiences working on policy issues from “the outside” ranging from bike-friendly cities to systemic racism in schools.
Something that came up both in our discussions of theory and in our guest speakers’ reflections on their practice was the idea that when change comes, it can come all at once — a revolution, if you will. We talked in the morning about a reading by Frank Baumgartner [1], who argues that once you’re pried open the policy window, transformational change is possible. Something Gabe brought up stuck with me: “We teach you as policy students to focus on incremental change,” he said. “Think about the briefing notes you write. The three options are usually: status quo, change everything, and then the one you actually recommend, which is to tinker around the edges.”*
Reform, not revolution. Minor changes from the status quo. That’s sometimes what it feels like working in policy is all about. I was reminded of this on the weekend reading reactions to the not-guilty verdict in the Gerald Stanley trial, in which Stanley was acquitted for the murder of Colten Boushie. The Liberal government has said they’ll look at some changes to the justice system, including jury selection rules. Activists, on the other hand, called for deeper, more transformative change of a justice system deeply rooted in racism and colonialism.
Gita Madan, one of our guest speakers last week, made a similar point in the afternoon. Change rarely comes from inside the institution, she said. And when change from within does occur, it’s often reformist instead of seeing systemic problems. Tinkering at the edges, if you will.
This is why we need voices from the outside in policy discussions. Voices calling for the revolution, whether that’s a fundamental rethink of how Black students are treated in school, or whether that’s a true national reckoning of how the Canadian state relates to Indigenous peoples. Yes, sometimes these calls for revolution are not possible from within the system. If you’re a policy analyst working in government, you’re probably not going to recommend the “dismantle the system” option in your briefing note. But calls for fundamental change from actors in the community can change the conversation. Governments might take steps to reform far more quickly and in a much bigger way if there’s someone outside banging on the door, demanding to be let in.
—
A final note: I’m grateful to have been a part of this course. Thanks to my classmates for being open and honest and prompting my own reflections; thanks to my group members Alex and Harpreet for riding this roller coaster with me; thanks to Gabriel and Jo for crafting such a rich experience for us; and thanks for our many guest presenters throughout the last six weeks for sharing their insight with us. I hope this course is offered, in some form, to more SPPG students in the future. I think it’s been a critical part of my policy education.
—
[1] Baumgartner, Frank R. 2009. “Rethinking Policy Change.” In Lobbying and Policy Change, edited by Frank R. Baumgartner, Jeffrey M. Berry. Marie Hojnacki, David C. Kimball, and Beth L. Leech.
*This is not truly a direct quote — please forgive the artistic license in my paraphrasing for effect. (Hey, it’s a blog post, not a piece of journalism.)
