Governing the social: rules, control or trust?
Tim Reddel
Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian, Queensland
Contact Email:   tim.reddelccypcg.qld.gov.au

The governance of social policies, programs and services is contested. Debates about government’s role in addressing complex social problems often begin with the classic response of more targeted programs and services. There is also a contemporary fascination by governments in promoting the ‘other’ through a range of mixed strategies including privatisation, social capital and community building. This paper argues that this confusing public policy landscape is characterised by shifting risks and responsibilities between and within sectors and interests. A neo-liberal agenda based on the principles of public choice theory and the technology of competition through purchasing and contracting appears hegemonic. Social policy and service systems remain fragmented and underdeveloped. This paper uses empirical research drawn from a number of recent studies including place based policy making, community strengthening initiatives and public housing management together with a historical policy scan to examine these trends. Analysis of both historical and contemporary experience highlights the limited conceptual and policy thinking underpinning the relationship between government and civil society. Slogans such as ‘market flexibility’, ‘management control’ and ‘partnership’ are posited as principles or rules to describe these directions. Drawing on a merging of new institutionalism and participatory governance theories, the paper offers some clarity to these debates and suggests opportunities for more productive research and policy development.

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